Is smaller better?

I was reading my new copy of the Flames of War 2.0 Hardcover Rulebook and I noticed a section talking about 600 point (or lunchtime) games. Now, personally, I could never play during lunch but still I seem pathologically attracted to tiny games. I’ve pretty much sworn off Warhammer 40K except for Kill-Team (160 points) and Patrol Clash (aka 40K in 40 minutes) which are 400 point games.

I used to think that Games Workshop was moving toward low points (tiny) games because of ridiculously high prices and their customers could no longer afford “properly” sized armies. The pricing issue wouldn’t explain why Flames of War featured tiny games since, in my opinion, Flames of War prices are not as outrageous as Games Workshop's. Battlefront does copy a lot of the Games Workshop business model, did they just copy this part too; or, do these tiny games make the hobby more accessible to beginners?

A quick search of the Internet revealed some stores holding 600 point Flames of War tournaments! I’ve also seen Kill-Team and Patrol Clash tournaments and 500 point Warmachine tournaments so, clearly, these games have their place.

Maybe accessibility is the answer, since, nothing can be more discouraging than being told you need to paint 150 Romans or 500 French Line before being allowed to play. Perhaps other rules can learn from these tiny games and incorporate them into their rulebooks. Two games that try are DBA/DBM and Armati (intro scale) yet the game mechanics are different between the two levels of game which isn’t the case for the other tiny games.

So, like a moth to the flame, I designed a 600 point Flames of War Soviet Force: Battalion HQ, 1 Infantry Company, and 2 ISU-152 assault guns. The army just seems so gosh darn cute that it motivates me to paint! I know, it’s a sickness.

The only thing I do wonder about the 600 point games is that it basically turns a company level game into a platoon level game and the army now only has three tactical units. Has anyone tried a house rule allowing the squads in the platoon to operate independently? I welcome comments.