Dragon Rampant as a skirmish game

[Hobgoblin]

I recently played a game where boths sides had only RMUs and SMUs...about a dozen models a side. It worked brilliantly!

That looks a great game!

The point I was trying to make is that if you get to a stage when it's only SMUs, the unit-based mechanisms could start to feel a bit inflexible compared to SoBH or other "single-figure" systems. I don't think RMUs matter at all in this - whether a unit is two (like your shield maidens) or four or six or twelve isn't really significant.

I mean, DR is a great ruleset and any game played with it will still be fun. I'm thinking, though,, of the various treasure-hunting scenarios, where the lack of freedom to have one character sprint further than usual or climb and jump or shoot then dash or duck might prove a bit frustrating. But as soon as you have some groups rather than all individuals, though, the objection entirely disappears.

The ability to make small units out of just a few figures is a terrific facet of the game - as is the reverse approach (oversized units). A "heroes against hordes" scenario with undersized units versus oversized ones could look brilliant on the tabletop.

[Polkovnik]

I've always understood "skirmish" to be not only a factor of the overall size of the battle being represented, but the figure scale -- and therefore is a matter of how figures behave in a given set of rules.

I would agree with this. If one figure represents one man, figures are moved individually and the positioning of the figures matters (even if they are grouped into units) then I would call it a skirmish game. So something like Saga is definitely a skirmish game imo.

[Sunjester]

In all the years I've been wargaming I don't think I've ever come across an "official" definition of a skirmish game. It's a matter of personal opinion, if you think it's a skirmish game, then that's what it is. Just bear in mind others may differ.

Personally I always think of a skirmish as involving military units of one kind or another.