Hi, i found in the manual that the table should be 4ft square (aka 120 cm i think, more or less). This, i think, is for standard battlet using 300 points? Since we are starting to play gradually (using 100 point or 150) but we want to stick on basic rules, is possible to scale down the table or the size remain fixed? We have bought some scenarios for example and the bottom mat is very smaller than that size.
Everything is possible. Scale up table or scale it down. Just remember that larger tables makes Missile Launchers and Snipers more valuable and smaller tables makes nearly all SWC weapons less valuable, so it affects the balance of the game. If you want to keep it simple and close, go for the starter set sizes: 3x3. Just remember that you're learning a game where Rifles and Shotguns are a bit more powerful than they should are in a standard gane.
In the rules actually the size is fixed. In fact you can play on any surface. However, the dimensions are optimized for the rules (movement distances, weapons ranges, template sizes, control areas...) Some profiles can also be disadvantaged by changing the size of the playground (AD Troopers, bikers...) But after all it is also up to the player to adapt and it must even be interesting to see profiles coming out of the shelves. In case of small spaces you can reduce the playing surface proportionately to the size of the battle: 100pt: 70cm * 70cm 150PT: 85cm * 85cm 200PT: 98cm * 98cm ... Finalament the size of the playground will have no influence if the players are aware of the conditions before the formation of their combat group Hoping it can help
As Mahtamori says, use the poster size of the terrain that comes with Icestorm or in the terrain sets (they are an impressively good investment!), and that is a good size (and more or less terrain density) for games of 100-200 points (and try to stay in 10 or less models at the table at those values). Once you go to 250-300-400, you go for the official 120x120cm (3 terrain packs are good to populate that surface, but you will have to cut one poster in half). Be aware that in those 60x90 cm (I think those were the basic measures for the posters) make Combis (and Multi rifles and mk12 and shotguns) and Spitfires the best weapons of the game, once you go 120x120 the long range becomes relevant (sniper, missile launcher, and in lesser importance, Heavy Rocket Launchers and HMGs).
This is the main thing, as soon as you decrease table size you start to skew the value of certain things (although terrain density does the same thing on a 4x4 as well). We tried running 75 point games for round1 of a slow grow years back on smaller 3x3s with full 12 inch DZs and even at 75 points we found certain things oppressive, particularly heavy flamer auxbots with their 6-4 moves. I think your best bet if you want to shrink the board is try to take as little away from the normal distance between deployment zones as possible, I'd suggest if you drop it to 3 x 3, also use a 6 inch deployment, it's still a skew of the game, but it's the lesser of two evils when compared to shrinking down to only having 12 inches between the 2 forces when you start.
playing the game at full length but only half width works pretty well for small games with less modeless. Everything works properly but there’s less dicking around in deployment and less dicking around in turns because you’ve got less space to dick around in basically :)
This skews the balance in favour of direct FTFs rather than the indirect approach. It's the main reason I prefer 3x3 with 6" deployments over 3x2 with 6" deployments for Recon. Basically anything that isn't 4x4 at 300pts skews the balance though. So it's a question of where you prefer the skew.
