FOW for 6mm Part 1 : Basing

Regular readers will know that I have been working on a 6mm North Africa 1942 campaign for several months now. From the start I decided that I wanted to have a go at using the 15mm Flames of War rules for these games but I wasn't sure if they would work with micro armour. Now that I have been able to play-test a few scenarios I am confident that FOW actually works quite well with smaller scale figures and I thought it worthwhile sharing my experiences on 'converting' the rules for 6mm Wargaming. 

Why use FOW?
I'm one of those 'odd' gamers that actually find it hard to read and learn rules alone and as I would almost certainly be working on this new project 'solo' the idea of also getting to grips with a completely new set of rules was pretty daunting. Using FOW with Micro Armour therefore appealed to me from the start because I was already familiar with these rules for my Normandy project in 15mm. So when I saw the FOW rules being used for a 6mm game at SELWG last year (the Operation Deadstick demo game run by the Maidstone Wargames Society) I felt confident that I could also adapt the rules for my North Africa project.

My aim from the start has been to keep any 'house' rule changes minimal in order to keep the essence of the game intact. I have also tried to adopt the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid!) approach so when I think something is overly complicated I drop it. What I have found is that FOW adapts well to the smaller scale models and that I haven't had to make any significant changes for the game to be playable, fun and realistic. Over the next few weeks I will be posting a series of articles taking different aspects of the FoW rules and discussing my thoughts and ideas. This is all very much a work in progress and I would very much appreciate any ideas or suggestions from readers, as well as any problems or mistakes you think need to be highlighted.

I have actually had these articles partially written for some time but its taken me a long time to play-test the rules and capture the pictures I wanted to illustrate the articles. I'll also admit that the idea of being presumptuous enough to say 'this is how to convert the rules' to a wider audience has been quite daunting. But I have decided to publish and be damned and hopefully garner some useful advice along the way from older and more experienced Grognards. All suggestions will be considered and hopefully be put to good use as this project develops.

---

Basing

I have used the same basing protocols for 6mm that I would have used for 15mm, the only difference being that I have used smaller bases. So Instead of putting infantry and vehicle teams on a FOW Medium Base I am using Small bases instead. For Command teams I cut a small base in half. The proportions of these bases obviously don't match their larger cousins but so long as all teams are based to the same formula I don't think it makes any real difference to the game.

Unit Type	15mm Basing	6mm Basing
Armoured Tank teams	Medium Base (S)*	Small Base (S)
Unarmoured Tank Teams	Medium Base (S)*	Small Base (S)
Jeeps / Carriers etc	Medium Base (S)*	Small Base (S)
Motorcycle Recon Teams (Mounted)
Small Mounted Motorcycle Teams	Medium Base (S)	Small Base (S)
Small Unmounted Motorcycle Teams	Small Base (L)	½ Small Base (L)
Large Mounted Motorcycle Teams	Large Base (S)	Medium Base (S)
Large Unmounted Motorcycle Teams	Medium (L)	Small Base (L)
Transport Teams
Trucks and Halftracks	Medium Base (S)*	Small Base (S)
Jeeps	Medium Base (S)*	Small Base (S)
Gun Teams
Man Packed Gun Teams	Medium Base (L)	Small Base (L)
Heavy Mortar Teams	Large Base (S)	Medium Base (S)
Small Gun Teams (4 or fewer crew)	Medium Base (S)	Small Base (S)
Large Gun Teams (5 or more crew)	Large Base (S)	Medium Base (S)
Additional Crew	Medium Base (S)	Small Base (S)
Infantry Teams
Small Infantry Teams	Small Base (L)	½ Small Base (L)
Large Infantry Teams	Medium (L)	Small Base (L)
Small Cavalry Teams	Medium Base (S)	Small Base (S)
Large Cavalry Teams	Large Base (S)	Medium Base (S)

* = May also be unbased

S = Facing Short Edge

L = Facing Long Edge

I am also sticking with the number of figures per base that are shown in the FOW Army lists. The proportions of the bases to models at 6mm is slightly larger than at 15mm but I think this makes the finished stands look less cluttered, especially when putting together something like a five figure rifle team. The 15mm equivalent has individual figures that are almost shoulder to shoulder and these always look far too closely bunched in my opinion.

Vehicles are also much smaller in proportion to their bases and even if you place a platoon of tanks side by side there is still some space between the models (no axle to axle formations), thereby reducing the 'FoW Parking Lot' effect.  Even large tanks like these tigers (above) have plenty of room on the base. Another advantage of basing tanks is that it affords some protection for flimsy barrels and enables vehicles to be moved by handling the base rather than the model. A further advantage for me is that I have room to add a unit label to the base, something that I think is important when playing with large formations.

My general rule of thumb when basing is that so long as all models are based using the same conventions there is no undue advantage or disadvantage conferred to any one side. I'm sure someone with a better understanding of mathematics will come along and prove I have just 'broken' the FOW system but in my play-testing I haven't encountered any issues.

The next article will discuss the terrain rules for 6mm FOW battles and look at some of the benefits and pitfalls of using these rules with micro armour and infantry. Hopefully I'll have this finished and properly illustrated to post next week. In the meantime please feel free to leave any comments, suggestions and ideas. Thanks!