I come to this after reading about the new Warlord Tank battle game sneek previews and have been wondering as the title suggests about tank ranges on the table top

So after  doing a bit of calculation and taking the average engagment range as approx 840 yards in 1944. If we scale this to 1/48 it comes to about 53 feet if my calculations are correct

I had a good laugh at this then thought about other wargame scales

So at a scale of 1:160 the range on the tabletop comes out at  about 15 feet

I am now wondering if its worth giving ranges to tanks in WW2 and just say everything in the late war period has unlimited range and if it can see it it can shoot at it


Any thoughts from anyone?

If we're playing at a 1:1 ground to figure scale, sure

Otherwise... no

Your problem, as always, is the difference between ground scale and figure (or vehicle) scale. In our group we habitually use 1 mm = 1 metre as a ground scale, which means that even a 1/300th tank will be some twenty plus metres long. So the choice inevitably becomes either very small vehicles, very long playing distances, or a compromise.

If one goes for the "anywhere on the table" solution the longer-range guns immediately lose their advantage. Mortars and field guns become very vulnerable to small-arms fire and tanks on their own base-line get picked off before they even get a chance to manoeuvre. Which is why rule-writers choose a scale that, whilst not strictly compatible with the size of figures and vehicles, at least allows the relative performances of weapons to be accurately portrayed.     

Ranges are always interesting, and the more recent the conflict the more 'interesting' them become.  I've heard it reported that the new 28mm model of Pegasus Bridge is actually longer than a rifle can fire in Bolt Action but I must say that never having played BA I'm not sure of the game ranges.  I was a Pegasus Bridge a couple of weeks ago and can say that it is actually quite small.

As for other table ranges generally I think they are too short, often way too short and unbelievably short for artillery (a 25ld could fire 15,000 yards).  For 28mm WW2 skirmish games (and that's all I'd use 28mm figures for in a WW2 setting) I'd let everything shoot across the table, which is the route taken by TooFat Lardies.  For 10mm games (and this is the best scale for WW2 games) I'd use a ratio of 1:1000, a big table and no artillery in sight.

Yeah  I know what you mean,it was just an idol thought

Quote from: Fenton on 10 June 2014, 10:52:54 AM
Yeah  I know what you mean,it was just an idol thought

Never thought of a Pendraken tank as a "graven image" before!

Quote from: Ithoriel on 10 June 2014, 11:03:52 AM
Never thought of a Pendraken tank as a "graven image" before!

Thats one for FSN to answer I think

Quote from: Fenton on 10 June 2014, 11:12:43 AM
Thats one for FSN to answer I think

I'm giving up trying to make sense of these posts until someone sends me a code book. Several places above this post remind me of the Llama Song.

Quote from: Fenton on 10 June 2014, 11:12:43 AM
Thats one for FSN to answer I think

We all have our little shrines to the Dark Lord and His Works ... don't we?

Black candles ... stray hair picked up after the show in 2012 ... offerings of bank statements showing negative amounts ... Pristine Centurion ...?

Just me then. 

QuoteWe all have our little shrines to the Dark Lord and His Works ... don't we?

Maybe if it had been a big shrine with proper human sacrifice the centurions would have arrived sooner.

Incidentaly fsn, are you available to pester, bother, hound into submission lobby on behalf of others?  I'd like some WW2 comets..... 

Hmmmm  .... Comets ....

Aren't they in the pipeline? Or have I just had that dream again?

Quote from: fsn on 10 June 2014, 03:31:27 PM
Hmmmm  .... Comets ....

Aren't they in the pipeline? Or have I just had that dream again?

Thought you were permanently out of touch with reality our kid.

IanS

A34 Comet, coming in 2012 along with the BA-10 ... says so here

http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,4655.0.html

BA-10 is just out so can the Comet be far behind?

Best laid plans and all that ...

Personally I'm amazed at the range Pendraken already produces but new toys are always welcome!

Quote from: ianrs54 on 10 June 2014, 03:41:39 PM
Thought you were permanently out of touch with reality our kid.

I tried reality once - didn't like it.