12 replies to this topic

[Shadowbend]

Hello everyone;
I am getting back into WWII naval combat in general and General Quarters in particular (I used to play GQ1 "back in the day). I am trying to decide if I want to go with 1:3000 or 1:6000 scale ships. I have a 6'x4' table to play on and really like the "scope" that that smaller ships bring. What recommendations do you all have? Which scales do you use? Who do you buy from?

Thank you in advance,
Take care,
Skip

[Jahan]

This is a question that has been on my mind for a while as well. I ultimately went with 1/6000 because the scale would be more playable on a 6'x'4' but you do give up some detail on the ships.

For GQ3 I use the 1cm = 200 yards charts which is perfect on a 6x4 because the ships will start one or two turns outside of max firing range. This also allows for larger games to be played on the table. With 1/6000 I can also afford multiple fleets for a fraction of the price.

1/3000 on a 6x4 would look better, but the ground scale may not look right with the size of ship. On the other hand ship identification is really hard at 1/6000 and it doesn't have that same visual impact.

So it depends if you like the playability and affordibility or if you like visual impact of the models themselves.

TBH I have 1/6000 and I am sticking with it, but if I started over it would still be a toss up between 1/2400 and 1/6000.

[Cpt M]

I also have gone to 1/6000 for many of the same reasons as Jahan. With limited space (6x4), the smaller scale in conjucnction with the 1cm = 200yds scale, allows me to have decent sized battles with enough sufficient sea room to move. And, compared to 1/2400 and 1/3000, the price can't be beat.

[Jahan]

If you can afford to do so, I would recommend buying one ship of the similar class for each scale and seeing which one you like better. See if you can get over the small size of the 1/6000 and get an idea of the detail and sculpt of the miniature.

[Shadowbend]

If you can afford to do so, I would recommend buying one ship of the similar class for each scale and seeing which one you like better. See if you can get over the small size of the 1/6000 and get an idea of the detail and sculpt of the miniature.

Thank you to both of you (Jahan and Coastal) for your timely responses. This has become an frustration decision for me as I decided to print out a sample of the excellent deck art are by Toshach in an effort to get an idea of the "size on the board" of the 1:6000 scale ships. My fear is that they are just too darn small (the CV's being approx 1.25" and the DD's considerably less!). But I absolutely love the idea of being able to field multiple ships per side and getting a good "feel" for the range-to-ship ratios. Then I decided to print out the same file at 2x the size to get an idea of what 1:3000 might look like.... seems too big for lots of ships on a 6x4 table. My next thought was 1:4800 only to find out that C-in-C (who's sculpts are incredible!) only carries German and British and I'm not sure about Mick Yarrow Miniatures' ships from a detail and aesthetic standpoint. Perhaps I should just order some and have a look.

So... I'm back to my original decision between 1:6000 and 1:3000. Here is another question, what do you feel would be the "tipping point" between the two? How many ships do you think you could have on the board at once in 1:3000 scale before it just looks silly and am are there ways to help the 1:6000 scale look more prominent? (unusual basing, etc.).

Also, I have seen on various forums references to various people using 7'x5' boards.... where does one get them??

Thank you in advance for your help,
Take care,
Skip

[Jahan]

Well TBH I am going through the same dilemma even after committing to 1/6000. The deciding point for me was that not too many people at my club were interested in playing a WW2 Naval game so I knew I would be collecting both sides and would be playing at home either solo or with another friend. I guess it also depends on whom you'll be playing with and what their preferences are. Also how much time do you have to play a game and how long a game of GQ3 would take.

From my experience at 1/3000 you can probably field one or two capital ships with a squadron of DD's on a 6x4. At 1/6000 you can probably field multiple squadrons on the table. You would also do well to search on TMP for a variety of AAR's and discussion threads on the same topic.

As for basing, I labelled my bases according to class and I painted them a light blue to contrast with the darker ships, or do vice versa as long as the ship and base contrast. Other people have used hexes with the ship name labelled on the hex.

Here are some pics of my fleet:



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USN Fleet



IJN Fleet




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IJN Yamato




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USN Cruisers




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USN Destroyers

[Shadowbend]

Thank you very much for posting those photos Jahan. I did some more nosing around online and have decided to just place multiple orders to get some ships that I can just put down on the table and look at them. I placed a similar order (Akitsuki DD, Yamato BB, Akagi CV, and Tone CA) with Mick Yarrow and Figurhead to see what the 1:4800 and 1:6000 ships look like side-by-side and on the table. I'm still looking for an easy way to order some Navwar ships in 1:3000 so that I can have the same sample from them.

Thanks again for your help.

Take care,
Skip

[Jahan]

No problem, please post the pictures when you get the miniatures in.

[Aman]

I guess I'm replying too late....

Panzershiffe 1/2400 is the direction we went. We play in the 1cm=100y scale. personally, that is as small as I would go, as it it the smallest scale where the paint job and such means anything. At 1/6000, you are looking at only noticing the most zippy of the disruptive schemes. At that point, you may as well buy some really nice looking cardboard counters, as you won't see much else.

Anyway, Panzershiffe was dirt cheap, and we've been playing night actions in the Solomons so the ranges are pretty close and the biggest ships so far are CA, but they are 3" long and have some character. We've a 12x6 board, and that gives us a long way of maneuvering. I personally have painted many of the camo schemes on my USN ships, and overall am satisfied that teh scale distortion we bear is worth it for the visual pleasure.

I think if you want to play a battle between long lines of Battleships, then 1/2400 is still the way to go. I'd go with 1cm=200y before I'd get smaller ships. Also, a few folding tables and you can readily add to your table size. I got a bunch of lightweight card tables that are 1.5'x4' and usually use 4 of them for the standard 6x4 table, but a coupe more and I'm pusing 10' which should be a pretty long way.

In any event, the important thing is to be abel to play, so if price matters and scale doesn't, maybe 1/6000 is the way to go. But with a nice sized squadron of CA, CL and DD going for $30, it was almost tempting to go with GHQ for even nicer ships. But to get started in the period, I wanted to see how I felt about the Panzerschiffe.

[Jahan]

Aman, I agree with everything you said, except that I am limited to a 6x4. If I had double the space I would most definitely go with 1/2400, but the space to play a game in was the main issue. I wanted to be able to play on my dining room table if I had the inkling to do so, and at my club we only have 6x4 unless I wanted to put two tables together which aren't always available.

[Jahan]

Also check this site out:

http://www.agisn.de/html/scales.html

[vichussar]

Some of us at Nunawading Wargames have started playing WW2 naval in 1/2400 and we also use 6x4 tables. We have been trialling Micronauts (GHQ), GQ3 and Naval Thunder. See here for refights of Battle of Denmark Straight (Hood vs. Bismark etal)
http://www.nwa.org.au/

[Shadowbend]

That's a great site Jahan, it's on of the places I visited when I was doing my initial research into which scale I would end up with.

Aman, I completely agree with everything you said, and If I had the space for a 12x6 foot table I would absolutely look into 1:2400 scale. I can remember the most enjoyable naval wargaming experience I have ever had was years (decades actually!) ago when I was playing with the Pacific Coast Naval Wargamers here in California. We had the use of a downstairs community room at a local library and did fleet actions on the floor using 1:1200 Superior Models! It was amazing!

I am very much leaning towards 1:6000 at the moment as it gives me the ability to have fleet battles in the limited space I have available. I was looking over the scenario "Cat and Mouse in the Kula Gulf" and realized that I could represent the entire gulf on my 6'x4' table in 1:6000!

I may reverse my course in the future but for now, given the space requirements and cost, it looks like 1:6000 for me.

Take care,
Skip