1:100 (15mm) scale or 1:56 (28mm) scale?

[Wulf]

I use 10mm, because I have loads. It's not as fiddly with WaT as CoC since there are no infantry minis, and substituting 2cm=1" means a 4'x4' table works great.

[Another_Gamer]

Thanks everyone for your input on this subject. I have both 1:100 (15mm) scale and 1:56 (28mm) scale tank models. For WAT, I will probably use 1:100 (15mm) most of the time for the reasons mentioned above, but at conventions and club events where we have plenty of table space, I think 1:56 (28mm) scale will be eye catching.

[Carlson793]

but at conventions and club events where we have plenty of table space, I think 1:56 (28mm) scale will be eye catching.

I dunno... There was a 15mm homebrew tank game demo at a convention I attended a couple months ago. It's kinda impressive seeing a 40 foot square 'table' (actually, mats and terrain set up on the floor) with 15mm models running across it, and it was still 'half scale' (all ranges were approximately half a real world tanks, which was that entire board).

[Andrew_McGuire]

Don't rule out 1/16 if you have a large enough garden, or - surely the true Tanker's Dream - 1/6 scale, where you can - just about - actually ride the motorised tanks with working tracks, and aim the guns, not to mention crushing small animals and maybe even children....

[Another_Gamer]

Quick update:
I feel that 1:100 (15mm) scale and 1:56 (28mm) work just fine. I like the bigger 28mm tanks, but the 15mm tanks work just fine. However, if we are pressed for space, we have already talked about using 15mm with centimeters. The ratio is about the same uisng 28mm with inches, but we can use a smaller playing surface. I don't think it will be an issue though since we have lots of space where my gaming club meets for our games.

I'm also influenced by Richard and Nick. For their demo games shown on YouTube, they use 1:56ish tank models.

Using 1/16 scale remains only as a dream

[Archdukek]

We ran a 5 player, 7 tank Normandy game with 15mm tanks on a 4'x4' board on Monday night without any problems or changes to the rules. I've also used 4'x3' with 15mm again with no problems.

John

[SteveBurt]

I use 1:72 (20mm) scale, because I have stacks of vehicles in that scale.

[Jobbin]

I've only recently discovered WAT, and played a couple of games with a mate.
I have a load of 3mm tanks, so I took my PDF copy and some printed desert to my local games club for some micro tanking.
Cruiser IV and Matilda V 2 x PzIII, with a load of burnt out trucks from destroyed convoys as obstacles/cover to play cat and mouse around.

[Contrarius]

I'm a bit concerned by the question - why only mention 15mm or 28mm?

What happened to the scale that more or less started the whole wargaming thing back in the 1960s/70s, namely 1/72 (or 1/76)? Has it became obsolete? It's not as if there are no tanks available in this scale. In fact there's almost certainly a wider variety available than in 15mm or 28mm, especially in more obscure vehicles. And there's a huge variety of terrain, which ties in with the very popular OO scale for railway modellers.

Recently came across a set of new rules for Napoleonic wargaming and they also mention only 15mm and 28mm. We live in worrying times (if you're a 1/72 scale gamer).

[Archdukek]

Contraries,
I wouldn't be concerned. I suspect that the original question was posed by someone used to suppliers like Battleground's Flames of War (15mm) or Warlord's Bolt Action (28mm) ranges, amongst others, which have tended to dominate the WW2 scene in recent years in terms of figure and model availability. If you search elsewhere on the Board for discussions of what scale people play WAT in you will find plenty of support for 20mm as 1/72 or 1/76 Is often called these days. The rules themselves are entirely agnostic as to scale.

There are still plenty of players using 1/72 or 1/76 figures and models with suppliers like the Plastic Soldier Company producing excellent stuff.

Personally I prefer using 15mm or 20mm tanks to 28mm for playing What a Tanker!

John