I've just taken delivery of the Warlord rules family thanks a special(ish) offer on their site. Yesterday, instead of painting as I'd promised myself, I plonked myself down with a mug of tea and Pike&Shotte for a first read through. At first glance they seem quite playable, simple and fun - I'll see if this is true when I finally get the Parlementarians painted up and on the table

However, I was a little taken aback to read the following on page 18 under the Models heading: "... 28-30 mm models to illustrate the book. This is the most popular size amongst serious collectors of model armies because individual pieces are sufficiently large and detailed to reward careful painting.  Right at the end of the book it is then mentioned that the rules have been played with 10mm armies and have worked well.

It would seem that none of the authors has taken a look at the pics on this site re the careful painting, detail etc.

It would also seem that if you collect smaller sizes then you are by definition not serious. Over the last 25 years or so I have built up 17 armies (16.25 painted ) in 15mm and currently have six in 10mm and consider myself a fairly serious collector (my wife just thinks I'm bonkers ), so I htought the comment was a bit cheeky.

Miffed of Luxembourg 

Well, heaven protect us from the excessively serious in what should be a relaxing and enjoyable hobby. I'm happy to be flippant and kitten-like.
   Fluffybrain in Bangkok.

Though I have to add that if it's armies, rather than individual soldiers, that you want, the smaller scales are pretty dam' obviously the way for the serious to go. Having twenty-five superbly painted toy soldiers is hardly a convincing or serious simulation of an army, is it?

  I was going to make just about the same point!

28mm does indeed seem to be the popular scale for the 'let's paint a couple of figures and call it an army' wargaming style.

QuoteWell, heaven protect us from the excessively serious in what should be a relaxing and enjoyable hobby. I'm happy to be flippant and kitten-like.

Take your point FK. I certainly get a lot of enjoyment out of it and assembling and painting the little fellows is a great antidote to a stressy work in the office.

BTW can you be flippant and fierce at the same time

Only if you're a cat. Then it's mandatory. You can also look earnest and absurd at once, and do the most ridiculous things without losing your cool (exception: cats who forget to put their tongues away after grooming are just plain feline wallies!).

 

I don't think it matters which particular scale you use at all.
I think everyone above has just about said it all already.....Especially if you want larger armies.

Cheers - Phil.

I'll make a note for when we finally get some Pendraken rules done up, to make sure we add:

"... 10mm models have been used to illustrate the book. This is the most popular size amongst serious collectors of model armies because a group of 12 men is not a regiment, it's a pub crawl...."





Each to their own though, there's certainly enough variety in the market now for everybody to find something they like.  Warlord aren't alone in pushing their own scale, maybe the wording is a bit out in this case, but it comes down to the rules being an extension of the sales vehicle.

"... 10mm models have been used to illustrate the book. This is the most popular size amongst serious collectors of model armies because a group of 12 men is not a regiment, it's a pub crawl...."

28 MM was what lured me into the fold.

Being a "Closet Victorian" I found the African Explorer range from Foundry quite nice even if I didnt get any figures from it, just in and browsed them on and off for a decade or more.  I then went forward and bought some hundreds OG 28 MM for a NWF campaing, then I found the VBCW crowd and coinciding with Hols in the UK, I got to actually oogle stuff in the flesh down at Bovington in 11 and decided that 20MMs would be sufficent and cheap. Now I`m hanging around here, with some painted 28MM colonials, some more painted 20mm VBCW factions and a Sudan campaing on order from Pendraken.

I stear by the "Ohh, nice, shiny and quirky" mantra and given that I`m part of a one man show in (somewhat) Historic Wargaming over here, I do what I fancy. Get to read an awful amount of Brit Mil history books, though but should have given over a proper amount of time to paint instead of dallying with a ton of other hobbies, some slumbering and some high activity, freeing paint time should probably have been used on PT, but thats another topic. 

Could it be that they want to link the rules to the figure range they sell?

25s (pubcrawl in the Peninsula)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lasthussar/sets/72157608394361116/

10s
WSS
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lasthussar/sets/72157625282250497/
To be fair there are the same number of figures as Warlord recommend for the Battalions in BP.  Just that my entire army of 18 bns, and 15 regiments can fit on a normal table. And costs 1/3 of the cost of plastics, and a 1/12th the cost of metal.  And doesn't rip my arms out of the sockets.

ECW
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lasthussar/sets/72157621671630377/
The rules call for 4 15mm figures on one of those bases.  Because 8 men make a pike block...

It doesn't matter to me. All i care about is that i have one of the best hobbies in the world, whatever scale i use 

People argue about scales everytime, i have 20 mm ,10 mm 6 mm and 28 mm and i like each of them for what they are. No scale makes me feel more serious. (off course 28mm is for skirmishing though  )

I'd rather have an army or warband or squad or whatever in any scale than hang infront of an xbox or playstation all day like most of my friends.


@ last hussar: Great stuff, even the pubcrawl

Quote from: Bernie on 27 January 2013, 04:10:20 PM
Could it be that they want to link the rules to the figure range they sell?

. Wow!  Now that would be a wizard wheeze, do you think anyone else has thought of it?   Leon?

Mollinary

It's another facet of the heightist bias that abounds in all walks of life. Big is good. Big is honourable. Big is trustworthy. Bah, humbug. 

Vertically Challenged of Cheshunt.