Gameboard size?

[traveller]

With restrictions of storage space and time, what would you consider to be the smallest size for a gameboard with some 15-20 28mm miniatures per side?
Grateful for any help before I start making my usual mistakes 

[Comsquare]

The smallest I ever made was 60x60cm, which worked pretty well.
Made 4 different one for a Mordheim Tournament.

But generally I'm building plates between 80x80 and 120x120

[Dewbakuk]

It honestly depends on the games you're playing. I've played games on a 2ft square board with 10 or so figs per side that worked well but there wasn't a great deal of manouverability. I tried cavalry at that size and it wasn't pretty. I usually go for 4ft square, with them broken down into two 2ft x4ft sections. I've been considering trying a 3ft square lately though as I think it'll be fairly easy to store and be big enough to play on for small games.

[Comsquare]

I agree, depends on the game you play.

The 60x60 boards were meant for fast tournament play and they worked well for that.
In Mordheim games you usually don't have that much cavallery either

[traveller]

I was considering some kind of semi-urban or urban setting with buildings/structures that would provide cover. Buldings would be based and put on the board but the rest should be a "fixed setting". I see some different options matching the buildings I have:

1. Hispanic: for pirates, Caribbean/Mexico, Peninsular Napoleonic, Carlist Wars, SCW
2. Gothic: Victorian, Freikorps, Berlin WW2
3. Medieval/Renaissance village: Knights, Landsknechts, 17-18th century
An option for the above would be to include a canal, port orcwater feature

As always you want as much flexibility as possible... 

[YPU]

I have a tiny board 90 by 70 cm which generally only gets used for SoBaH or demo games, with enough terain features on it. (mostly thin but broad forested hills) it works fine and creates enough space to manoeuvre small warbands.

[Silent Invader]

I'm pretty much as for YPU.

This was my game played at BLAM 2010 (I'll leave others to comment on whether or not they enjoyed it!  ).

I'm afraid I can't bring much as it transpires I have don't have the space for my big boards in the car I'll be using.  So, what I can offer is a small woodland skirmish on my portable board, which is a piddling 90cm by 60cm, and which will look like this:



The game I have in my head is "Breakout".... think: Brit and their allies fleeing from an ambush... as they cross the table the French & Indians will be looking to intercept, to take prisoners and scalps. I've played similar boards with 6 figures a side but I shall be play testing tomorrow to see if it works for up to 20 each.  The rules are quite simple: think Featherstone's "Close Wars" with added sophistication. Games usually last for about 30-45 minutes and it'll be interesting to see how more figures (and players!) changes things.

My first board was 1m square to be played with a set of WW2 skirmish rules that used to be available from Bolt Action.... lots of cover required otherwise very bloody.

My current project is an Aliens game that will be playable on 2-4 tiles of 16" square each.

Small tables are very playable but a lot comes down to the terrain and the rules.

[uti long smile]

It honestly depends on the games you're playing. I've played games on a 2ft square board with 10 or so figs per side that worked well but there wasn't a great deal of manouverability. I tried cavalry at that size and it wasn't pretty. I usually go for 4ft square, with them broken down into two 2ft x4ft sections. I've been considering trying a 3ft square lately though as I think it'll be fairly easy to store and be big enough to play on for small games.

I've almost alway played 4'x4 but similarly have played recently on 3ft square. these are great for quick and participation games, where you just want to get into the thick of the action ASAP.

[traveller]

Thanks all for your comments and ideas. I think I will do a 60x60 cm + a somewhat larger 75 x 75 perhaps to feel the difference. I would like to get the same feeling as you watch action scenes in movies and the are usually played in a fairly limited space. The trick is to make a setup of the terrain that is versatile enough to make it interesting to use the board again and again. Life is challenging...

[traveller]

Plans made! It will be a 80 x 80 cm board with a Spanish/Caribbean setting. 4 levels; water, dock, upper level and citadel. I just threw up some toys to test if it would work and it seems it could fly, what do you think?