Same Rules, Same Setting, Multiple Scales?

[Mr. White]

I can imagine most of the posters here have played around with various scales, but has anyone played one ruleset with multiple scales?

For example, I currently have a 1:72 Dragon Rampant project going. 1:72 is cost effective and the smaller scale allows me to paint up models quickly as this'll be played in situations where I'm providing all the warbands. However, I'm also going to be doing a 28mm Dragon Rampant warband to play with some buddies out of state who are working on their own 28mm warbands.

I'll kinda be doing the same with Lion Rampant. I plan to do both sides of the Hundred Years War conflict in 1:72 at home, but a single 29mm Dark Ages Saxon warband for playing against others.

Anyone else do this foolishness? how often? any thoughts about the efforts afterward?

[Major_Gilbear]

Personally, no. I do collect different scale figures for several game genres, but I play different rulesets with each scale of minis. 

[SJWi]

I have tried this almost by accident with PSC's Battlefront WW2 set. We play it in 20mm and 15mm, more because of what people have. Although seemingly aimed at 20mm we find it "looks better" in 15, due to weapon ranges being more realistic. I could say the same for PSC's NORTHAG.  Gamed it in 20mm which looked odd, much better in 1/300. That said I agree with Major Gilbear. For instance we plan to use NORTHAG for 1980's bigger battles in 1/300, and Seven Days to the River Rhine for smaller battles in 15mm.

[levied troop]

I do 1940 blitzkrieg games in 20mm and 28mm using CoC partly because I like the ‘wider area’ games I get with 20mm but also the more focussed games I get with 28mm.

But mainly because “oh, shiny!”

[fred]

With WWII rules we can use 6mm, 10mm or 15mm troops in different games, with the same rules. Mainly depends on who is hosting and which set of figures we want to use. This is due to within the playing group different players having different figures in their collections - not down to any deliberate attempt to play in multiple scales.

[Hobgoblin]

I've played Song of Blades and Heroes and other skirmish games in 15mm, 1/72 and 28mm. I have HOTT armies in all three of those scales too (though I may rebase the 28mm ones).

I've also run RPGs in all three scales, and have miniatures for our PCs in all three. I'm very keen on having miniatures work in several scales. So, for example, these chaps can be hobgoblins in 28mm, ogres in 1/72 and giants in 15mm:

[Inkpaduta]

DBA, I have played it in 28mm, 15mm, 10mm, 6mm and 3mm.

[FramFramson]

Pulp Alley's rules work for a broad range of scales. IIRC 15mm (10mm if you push it) to 54mm?

[mellis1644]

DBA, I have played it in 28mm, 15mm, 10mm, 6mm and 3mm.

DBA is the one I thought of, but you beat me in the range of scales. I have figs in both 15mm and 6mm and used them for games.

I have played Hail Caesar and ALDG in 6mm, 15mm and 28mm if that counts as well.

[Shahbahraz]

WW2 - I have figs in 6mm, 10mm, 15mm, 20mm, and 28mm. I am trying to rationalise to 10 & 28.

[CapnJim]

I have a few periods with multiple scales.  Used different rules for each scale (and multiple rules within each scale, too). 

I've done the same scenario and scale, using different rules, at cons to see if/how the rules affect the outcomes.  A very interesting exercise....

[BeneathALeadMountain]

Much the same as a couple of others playing PSCs Battlegroup rules: 15mm individually based for a platoon or two  with some armour support then down to 6mm based in sections for multi-platoon games with armour platoons etc (I started doing the infantry in 1,2,3 and change but it was just to much) so for German squads the mg section and the rifle section are two bases and I note casualties using markers/dice or on paper.

BALM

[Elbows]

In short...hell no.

I invest so much time and money into stuff, I want everything to be useful for a variety of games, etc.  I have a buddy who games Battlegroup in at least three scales...and as expected, has a tiny force for each scale, and even less terrain for each scale...rather than having larger comprehensive forces with more suitable terrain for it all, etc.  I don't enjoy playing quite as much, because the three scales means he has very small collections and each scale is basically the same encounter each time we play.  I'd rather it all be the same scale, with a much wider variety of unit options, etc.

Having amassed, for example, a very large Soviet force in 15mm...I would never, ever, start playing an alternate WW2 game in another scale, lest it be commando operations played out in 28mm or something completely unrelated, or some kind of naval game, etc.

I very much prefer my miniatures and terrain to pull a lot of duty...my fantasy miniatures have been used for dungeon crawls, Mordheim, other fantasy skirmishes, some convention gaming, and even seen duty for D&D, etc.   I love when miniatures become a good investment and I feel like my painting/building time wasn't wasted.  If I pull models out once a year...why did I paint them in the first place?

[warlord frod]

I can imagine most of the posters here have played around with various scales, but has anyone played one ruleset with multiple scales?

Nope this way lies madness! 

I certainly have played rulesets with different scales but I only collect and paint one scale for myself. For example my American Civil War collection is 1/72 scale. I have large armies covering both North and south if we are playing at my place that is the scale we play. If my friends collect 15mm stuff I am not going to start an army in that scale so I can play against them I expect them to provide the figures. It is helpful however if we use the same rule set.

That being said I have several large 28mm War Hammer fantasy and 40k armies. I also have massive Epic Space marines armies (6mm) and War master fantasy armies (10mm). However I do not think this counts because I use different rule sets.

Over all I tend to agree with Elbows Time is to short and money is to hard to come by to be duplicating things in multiple scales to play the same rule set. It is much wiser to build a collection in one preferred scale that can be used with multiple rule sets and genres. 

[Dolnikan]

In short...hell no.

I invest so much time and money into stuff, I want everything to be useful for a variety of games, etc.  I have a buddy who games Battlegroup in at least three scales...and as expected, has a tiny force for each scale, and even less terrain for each scale...rather than having larger comprehensive forces with more suitable terrain for it all, etc.  I don't enjoy playing quite as much, because the three scales means he has very small collections and each scale is basically the same encounter each time we play.  I'd rather it all be the same scale, with a much wider variety of unit options, etc.

Having amassed, for example, a very large Soviet force in 15mm...I would never, ever, start playing an alternate WW2 game in another scale, lest it be commando operations played out in 28mm or something completely unrelated, or some kind of naval game, etc.

I very much prefer my miniatures and terrain to pull a lot of duty...my fantasy miniatures have been used for dungeon crawls, Mordheim, other fantasy skirmishes, some convention gaming, and even seen duty for D&D, etc.   I love when miniatures become a good investment and I feel like my painting/building time wasn't wasted.  If I pull models out once a year...why did I paint them in the first place?

I fully agree. I keep everything in a single scale (28mm, give or take) so I don't have to make double terrain or things like that. And almost everything can pull double duty for other games. Except maybe for the most niche of niche models.