6mmish large combat game

[papabees]

What I want is a game where models are one to one ratio but you can stat up any 6mm model to play. I have Dirtside II but was looking for other alternatives. I looked at Future War Commander but wanted some opinions on it and other suggestions as well. Something with infantry and gunships etc.

[Froggy the Great]

I'm hoping to get a game in of "Fast And Dirty" soon, and I'll post how it goes.

Looks like it can handle 6mm - 15mm fairly easily, and I'm using CAV light infantry on pennies for my forces.

http://fad.savevsdm.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2

[Nanite]

Hmmm. I wonder if the Fast And Dirty rules make a good fit for Dark Realm minis.

[papabees]

I'm hoping to get a game in of "Fast And Dirty" soon, and I'll post how it goes.

Looks like it can handle 6mm - 15mm fairly easily, and I'm using CAV light infantry on pennies for my forces.

http://fad.savevsdm.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2

 

Thanks for the link but not really what I'm looking for. Some neat ideas but it really seems more suited to Infantry focused combat as opposed to combined Arms. Those walkers in the forum section are sweet though.

[thedespot29]

It really depends on what size battles you are looking for.

 

I like future war commander, but each unit down to the lowliest light tank has multiple hits and a healthy amount of attack dice, so you have to keep track of them each turn. The game would probably bog down with large numbers of models. There is an option though where you have fixed commands (as in certain units formed into a group that are always commanded together) and where hits don't regenerate automatically at the end of each turn. I haven't tried it yet to see how much faster it plays that way though.

 

Other than dirtside and FWC there is surprisingly little out there for 6mm games with unit creation rules. Prophecy of War is interesting, but there aren't really any unit creation rules per se, just all generic units.

 

I always thought that Epic 40k would make a good generic rule system (the one with the firepower tables)...but there is also no unit creation system for that one either.

[Doug Sundseth]

Part of the problem here is that if you want rules that allow for individual infantry to be tracked individually, you're going to have a hard time with high-tech vehicles and vehicle-mounted weapons. When typical vehicle-mounted weapons have ranges measured in kilometers and kill radii of 50 meters or more, each individual guy's contribution to the fight is usually marginal. When the infantry actually matters a great deal (very difficult or close terrain, for instance), the vehicles tend not to be very useful. It's rather like trying to include air combat in a company-level ground-combat game -- the scales are too disparate.

 

So, all that said:

 

There are Striker and Striker II, if you can find them. I like quite a few of the ideas in Striker, but I have some doubts that it would be a playable game for most people. I don't have Striker II, but I've heard reports that it isn't as good.

 

Soldier's Companion technically satisfies your request, but I suspect you aren't looking for 19th century SF.

 

Most versions of Traveller have rules that will work. (Mercenary, from the original version, comes to mind, but there are rules in other Traveller versions as well.)

 

GURPS and Star Hero both have rules that would work.

 

HTH

[papabees]

I guess I wasn't clear. I'm fine to have a single stand represent a fire team of infantry. I like Dirtside's scale I just found the vehicle creation rules somewhat limiting. Future War Commander sounds somewhat interesting. I wouldn't be opposed to marking damage but I've heard that your units have to receive orders to act? Not sure how that would work. I'd love to be able to use the RAGE engine but reaper is very guarded about there point formula so that's out. I liked Epic 40k alot from a rules perspective but am not a big fan of the universe. I did find some rules online called Conflict of Worlds that is based of epic that I might give a try but again no unit creation. So I guess what I'm looking for is a game where infantry has some impact but uses a single stand to represent a squad.

[Froggy the Great]

Why not use CAV v1 and its publicly-released points system?

[papabees]

Why not use CAV v1 and its publicly-released points system?

 

I toyed with that idea. Actually I was going to see if I could get close to CAV v2 points by using CAV v1 point system. I have to believe they are somewhat similar. CAV v1 just tended to bog down a bit.

[CyberShadow]

What I want is a game where models are one to one ratio but you can stat up any 6mm model to play... Something with infantry and gunships etc.

 

In games design terms, you are actually looking for something that is incredibly hard to pull off. You are not alone, and there are a lot of people who want a game which uses infantry, vehicles, transports, fliers, mecha-walkers, dropships, etc.... and includes a points construction system. But, that would turn out to be either hugely complicated, with seperate design rules for each class of model on the table, or impossible to actually get accurate.

 

Honestly, if FWC is not your thing (and as far as I am aware it uses the Warmaster rules engine, also used in Blitzkrieg Commander and Cold War Commander - officers roll to activate troops within their command range, and can keep activating until they fail a roll) then I would be tempted to drop the requirement to point cost build. These formulas are great, but most games playtest to produce points values. The other option is to take an established game that you like, create your own points construction rule for it, and only use units that have been created with your own construction rule system.

 

The more popular 6mm games currently out there are Epic (Armageddon, 3rd edition, NetEpic), FWC, Command Horizon (detachment basing), Seeds of War (although I may be biased on this one), and Dirtside II. There are others, but these are the main ones.

 

Alternatively, you could look at a 6mm WWII game and play it with science fiction minis.

[Sergeant_Crunch]

You could also geek out and write your rules.

 

FWC does indeed use the Warmaster command and control mechanic, and is a furtherance of the Blitzkrieg and Cold War Commander games. If I ever get off my butt and actually play it semi-regularly I could tell you more than what is already generally available. Their forum has a subforums dedicated to FWC and one has several links to battle reports as well as the ones posted in their downloads section.

 

I think that for what you want I'd do the "make up CAV2 stats and playtest point values" route or just use FWC. Of course I already have FWC so that makes it easier for me to say that.

[MikeD]

Future War Commander sounds somewhat interesting. I wouldn't be opposed to marking damage but I've heard that your units have to receive orders to act? Not sure how that would work.

I have not used the FWC ruleset yet (although I am interested in it) but I have used Blitzkreig Commander (the WWII version of the same rules). BKC is really well written and produced, and the game is fun and easy to learn. Based on BKC, I would recomend FWC without reservation.

 

As far as the orders thing, it uses the same mechanics as GW's Warmaster game, where you buy commanders who have command ratings and ranges (and some times, special rules). The command system is an easy way to portray variations in training, and adds a nice "fog or war" element to the game.