Has anyone played Sabre Squadron?

[Wulf]

Well they are not that cheap but guess you can try the "lite" rules for free - if you like them enough then you may choose to go ahead and buy the full rules. Not many rule sets let you "try before you buy".

I have given them a good read through, although I haven't actually played (don't have the minis as of yet). I'm worried as to how closely the full rules resemble the freebies... I have read that it's very table-heavy and too many modifiers to die rolls.

While personally 6mm scale looks fine to me I am not sure how well 3mm would work given the vehicle and troop scale is 1:1 and only a company or two per side?  you would have to have a smallish table (2' X 2')  

That's exactly the intention, a portable game. Although I'd just be using the standard measurements, so really the table would need to be the same size - the terrain & minis would be smaller.

[Gennorm]

I have given them a good read through, although I haven't actually played (don't have the minis as of yet). I'm worried as to how closely the full rules resemble the freebies... I have read that it's very table-heavy and too many modifiers to die rolls.That's exactly the intention, a portable game. Although I'd just be using the standard measurements, so really the table would need to be the same size - the terrain & minis would be smaller.

The trial version (Rapid Deployment) was revised to be fully compatible with the main set following the launch of the latter. The main set adds much, but you don't have to go back to stage one relearn in order to play it if you tried Rapid Deployment.

There are charts - loads of them in fact - but many are repeated; e.g. infantry hit by high explosive don't care if it is from a howitzer or an aircraft-dropped bomb so the effects chart is shown in both sections to avoid having to flick back and forth.

3mm should work - as they should for a a lot of rules aimed at larger scales  - without amendment. I'm tempted to try it.

Nick

[Wulf]

It does sound good. Usually I play Skirmish games, but this seems a good compromise with my other preference for smaller scales on smaller tables!

[toxicpixie]

I'd think 3mm with ground scale as written gives a much closer approximation of figure to ground scale anyway?

[Wulf]

That did seem to be one advantage. The great disadvantages are, of course, the teeny little minis when based one vehicle to a base, and the recognition factor. I haven't actually got any yet, but do 3mm T-55 look different to 3mm T-62? Or will I have to mark the bases (I hate that, may as well use counters)...

[toxicpixie]

Christ Wulf, I can barely tell a T-55 from a T-62 at arms length in 6mm, I'm the wrong man to ask

This is why I have to rely on different colour schemes and basing - which works excellently - pop a bit of static grass or clump foliage on each T-55 base on the left front, a spot on the right front for T-62 bases? Or do the T-55's in monotone green, whilst the T-62 get the "applied on the way out the depot when the balloon goes up" sand tone disruptive stripes as well.

Or pop a small dab of colour on back base edge to denote type?

[Wulf]

I may use the alternative - don't mix units & use whichever minis I have...

[Gennorm]

Due to the level of play, you're not likely to field more than one type of tank in a force so identification is less of not much of an issue.

Nick