Wargaming With Miniatures: Why You Should Consider Playing With Smaller Miniatures

Playing with 28mm and 15mm scales tends to be the norm in many gaming clubs.  There’s benefits of gaming with miniatures smaller than the above scales. Listed below are my top reasons you should own smaller miniatures.

1) You Can Control Larger Armies:

If you want to recreate larger battles, such as the Allied landings at Normandy or the first day at Gettysburg, playing with smaller miniatures gives you that opportunity. Watch a few episodes of Little Wars TV on YouTube to see large battles waged in a smaller scale. Companies like Pendraken, Magister Militum, Old Glory, and Baccus 6mm provide small scale armies to command. After painting more than one hundred 10mm Russian Napoleonics, I felt like I was in control of a massive army. If you feel that painting hundreds of tiny miniatures are daunting, my next point will ease some of the anxiety.

2) Less Detail To Paint:

Painting of hundreds of tiny miniatures might scare people, but I assure you that it is simpler than painting larger miniatures. Smaller miniatures have fewer details for the hobbyist to paint, making the project less time consuming than painting 28mm or 40mm miniature. Last year, I was able to paint up and base an entire Russian line regiment within a week. If want to start playing a wargame and not have to worry about long hours painting one miniature at a time, smaller scale is for you.

3) Easier To Store:

Larger miniatures, while impressive on display, need safe places to be stored for transportation. Some people put them in egg cartons, while others will buy laser cut foam, and expensive storage cases. Depending on how much money you are willing to spend, storing smaller miniatures can be less expensive and less stressful.  I store my American Civil War and Napoleonic miniatures in old shoe boxes and inexpensive containers from Walmart. Storing my 10mm miniatures are much easier than storing my 28mm miniatures. If you like to flaunt what you have painted, this is my last point as to why you should own smaller scale miniatures.

4) They Look Amazing on Display:

I have made this point many times when discussing the subject with friends. The sheer size of a small army looks amazing in any display case. As I have seen on many blogs and Facebook posts of people showcasing their smaller scale armies, you cannot help but be in awe. While I have not played with my some of the armies that I have painted, it is nice to break them out once in awhile to admire the work and effort that went into them. The best thing about having these little guys, is that they are a confidence booster when you feel intimidated by a new painting project. If you feel burnt out from the hobby, it is nice to look at what you accomplished.  It helps you get back in the swing of things.