Most of the posts on this Blog will cover the broad aspects of games, painting and collecting. People who follow it will have seen some of the models we have. But these models and the games they are used in depict only tiny snippet or window into that world. A large game, let us make an example of Horus Heresy (a game best suited to large battles from the dawn of the Imperium) might have a 100+ models and a good handful of tanks. It stirs the soul for us Wargamers when we see two lovingly painted forces clash on themed terrain. When you play those games, you can well imagine yourself as a fearless hero leading your forces to battle. In Horus Heresy and even Historical games like Bolt Action.
But You can have more…
This article will be about even bigger games again. Now not all of us can afford a football pitch sized table and fighter command Battle of Britain style move sticks to shuffle the forces around. Enter the 10mm Wargame! Most of the Games we play are around the 28mm size (Heroic scale or 1/54 scale) 10mm Scale is a different monster. Many of you will remember Epic and Warmaster, it's this style of games I am talking about today!
This is my late war American Army. Left to right (Models on small round bases are Recce units and are a mix of M5 Stuart Tanks, M8 Greyhounds and Willis Jeeps) Models on square bases are HQs and or Artillery.
This is my late war American Army. Left to right (Models on small round bases are Recce units and are a mix of M5 Stuart Tanks, M8 Greyhounds and Willis Jeeps) Models on square bases are HQs and or Artillery.
Top: M26 Pershing Tank Company, Sherman Tank Battalion (including 76mm, 75mm and 105mm Sherman variants) 2nd Sherman Tank Battalion (same as first) Anti-Tank Battalion (M10s and M18s with a fully company of 76mm Anti-tank guns and 2 Artillery Companies (x1 with Priest SPGs and x1 with 105mm guns with trucks).
Middle: Mechanised Regiment (x3 Battalions mounted in Trucks and Halftraks). Engineering Battalion
Bottom: Old Blood and Guts Patton himself! Then an Infantry Regiment (x3 over strength battalions)
I have a Japanese army for Bolt Action. That roughly represents two re-enforced platoons form a WWII Japanese army. But for my 10mm Forces I have quite a bit more. When you shrink the scale, you increase the numbers. When you play 10mm games (sometimes called “Grand Scale”) you become more than a front-line commander, you are elevated to an Army Commander! Rather than a dashing and heroic Captain or Lieutenant on a horse at the battle of Waterloo you become Wellington himself. Imagine the film Saving Private Ryan, that for my example is Bolt Action – Squads of soldiers in a desperate battle to survive and achieve their objectives. Now one of my Favourite games is Blitzkrieg Commander - this is like the film The Longest Day. In this game you don’t have time for squads and individual actions, you are too busy fighting the entire D-Day invasion!
Blitzkrieg Commander is a very clever game that borrows from Warmaster and a few other Grand Scale games. It covers all WWII periods and the vast majority of the Forces too. Your army centres around a Commanding Officer (CO) and a number of Headquarters Units (HQ) they in turn are responsible for commanding your forces. Each CO or HQ has a command Value, that determines how effective they are at commanding the forces attached to them.
Quick Example; Each HQ is in Command of a Battalion of Infantry. In that Battalion might be nine platoons of Soldiers accompanied by machine gun, anti-tank, mortar and recon platoons. Then you may have two more battalions of soldiers. Let’s not leave out the support, maybe you could have a tank battalion or two (also needing an HQ) and why not throw in some artillery and air support.
Quick Example; Each HQ is in Command of a Battalion of Infantry. In that Battalion might be nine platoons of Soldiers accompanied by machine gun, anti-tank, mortar and recon platoons. Then you may have two more battalions of soldiers. Let’s not leave out the support, maybe you could have a tank battalion or two (also needing an HQ) and why not throw in some artillery and air support.
Oh... you have a Tiger Platoon? Well I have a Tank Regiment!
Sherman Tank Battalion, with HQ (Stuart Command Tank) on a square base and Recce (M5 Stuart Light Tank) On round base
Blood and Guts Patton, Take care he will slap any privates not up for the job!
Now you don’t just fight a one of the many battles on D-Day, you fight THE battle of D-Day.
Small scale yet Mighty Games!
All of the Models shown are from Pendraken Miniatures with the Exception of the x3 M26 Pershing Tanks, that are from Pithead miniatures.
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