Mixing Scales

[Outlawcarl]

Hi kinda new to the whole smaller scales of wargaming doing mostly 28mm all my life, but i bought into battletech and Legions impirusfasd (whatever its called from GW), I am really getting into the Si-fi small scale (really exicted for the pendraken lines, got me a few taster models coming...), and am interested in the Manic Kickstarter.

Trouble is all these games are diffrent scales (and am hell bent on homebrewing every unit for every system), LI is 8mm, Battletech is 6mm, Pendraken is 10mm and the new manic thing is 12mm. Now the LI and BT stuff is fine next to each other, the Pendraken and Manic thing will go well next to each other but can i mix them all, am not someone who cares too much about things looking neat but just wondering how far i can push this and it not look totally insane.

Got a pick of a 6mm-8mm and 10mm figure together below and the 6 vs 10 does look a little silly but i think it still works.

Anyone got any experence with this?

[Leon]

First off, welcome to the Forum!

From what I've seen of the GW 'Epic', the infantry are a lot smaller than ours so I don't think they'd look OK next to each other.  There may be some of our 'alien' races (coming later this year) that would be OK as you can argue that they're simply a taller/bulkier race?

Our new vehicles should work fine with the GW figures and I'm hoping to get some comparison photos of them when we get our painted models back from the painter.  You could also use any of the support weapons and artillery pieces if you wanted to.

On the Mantic side of things, I'm expecting our ranges to match up with those very well.  They've been careful to call them 10mm-12mm in most of their promo/advertising and the infantry are going to be 10mm from their own info:

"As discussed previously, our Enforcer Operative models are about 12mm to the top of the head, so about 11mm to the eye. A 'normal' human would be about 10mm to the eye. So while there is some variation, EPIC WARPATH can be treated as being 10-12mm scale for purposes of modelling and terrain."

I'm hoping we can pick up some sales there as their Kickstarter is now at almost £200,000.  Just a tiny slice of that pie would be pretty nice!

[Techno 3]

Welcome.

[Steve J]

Welcome on board! I don't mind height variation too much, but the 'problem' comes if the weapons look markedly different size wise when mixings figures together on the same base. Hope that makes sense?

[Outlawcarl]

Thanks for the reply. So the GW infantry will be out of whack but no the tanks, i can live with that.

Do you think the aircraft you guys do would fit ?(i have been using the crazy axes ones that have a future feel to them).

I wasn't going to go for the manic kickstarter until the space ratmen goal was hit but very happy u started a range the other factions from manic have a very halo vibe am not to into..

Welcome on board! I don't mind height variation too much, but the 'problem' comes if the weapons look markedly different size wise when mixings figures together on the same base. Hope that makes sense?

Yeah i get what you meanthat was always the plan using each companies offering as a different unit/faction, will have to wait on the pendraken rules offering to see which game ill like more, manic however did a smart choice by going with D8s

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Hello good morning and welcome

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Hello and welcome

[Mako]

The only way I'd do this is for games where each side is a different scale, and the troops fight each other from a distance- this would work especially well for solo gaming, since you can fight/observe the battle from the side if the larger troops.

The smaller scale minis can just be considered to be viewed from a great distance, with a forced perspective view. Troops, guns, and vehicles a long way away will look much smaller due to that.

[Leon]

Do you think the aircraft you guys do would fit ?(i have been using the crazy axes ones that have a future feel to them).

That would depend on your preference for aircraft scaling?  The Raiden plans are 1:285th / 6mm scale so would definitely be smaller on the table and wouldn't look right next to the infantry/vehicles. 

But some folks like to use smaller aircraft in their games as they're off the ground and rarely spend much time on the table.  We have 10mm players using the 6mm planes, similar to how Flames of War had 1:144th aircraft to go with their 1:100th ranges.

[Outlawcarl]

Yeah i would say am in that camp, aircraft become a bit too heavy and bulky at a point, a 10mm plane even in plastic would end up being quite awkard i think.

And you cant charge aircraft from the ground so i think its ok if thier out of scale they would be quite far from the ground anyway

[John Cook]

Yeah i would say am in that camp, aircraft become a bit too heavy and bulky at a point, a 10mm plane even in plastic would end up being quite awkard i think.

And you cant charge aircraft from the ground so i think its ok if thier out of scale they would be quite far from the ground anyway

1/144 aircraft are fine in conjunction with 10mm figures and vehicles.  I use them for the SCW and France 1940 without any problem.  It is helpful, though, if you have stands with risers which makes placing them among troops easier, but not essential.

[Outlawcarl]

well my frist units arravied looking at them its only if you really put them next to each other you notice the hight, i think on a table they wouldnt look bad at all on a Legions table or legions stuff in Future force.

Love the Empirical APC it looks really imposing, the Collective one is better in person but the side blades
are little awakward to put on, looks like id have to file the side to have enoth surface area for it to stick.

But i mean each to there own obvs, but i think these fit very well thinking of getting the pack of Theological /Theological/Empirical, the infantry for the Collective have won me over not yet the tanks.

[BernaDotDotDot]

All that really matters is you are happy, or at least it doesnt constantly nag you while playing a game.  I think that looks fine for a kitchen table game!

The alternative tanks (if I understand right) on the right side look great.

[Outlawcarl]

All that really matters is you are happy, or at least it doesnt constantly nag you while playing a game.  I think that looks fine for a kitchen table game!

The alternative tanks (if I understand right) on the right side look great.

Yeah its a LI Rhino, the Collective APC and then the Empirical APC. I do really like these, also i find metal models nicer to paint.

[FierceKitty]

Since playing games with perspective has been mentioned, I had to post this little quirk of Borromini's. You think the statue at the end of the colonnade is about life size unless you look closely (I tested Lee's reaction by taking her there without prior warning); it's actually about two feet.
Worth a detour next time you're in Rome.