Tiny Battles

I've been toying with making the plunge to a smaller scale (in size, not in battle size) wargame, but I've not been able to settle on one.  The concept of fitting more tanks on the field, and significantly lower prices than the 28mm vendors out there, is an extremely attractive one.  For varying reasons, there are a few that I'm considering.  Epic: Armageddon is attractive, but it's still pricey and is hard to come by, because its parent company likes hiding that it exists.  So here's what I've got on the table:

Note: Approximate Cost of Entry is using official models, not third party ones.

1) Flames of War: 15mm


Flames of War is a 15mm World War II wargame published by Battlefront Games.  It's similar in ruleset to Warhammer 40,000, but is much more balanced.  It's also one of the few games that allows models they don't manufacture in organized play.  They have made some beautiful models, but more than that -- there's an awful lot of 15mm WWII competition, allowing you to balance quality versus price, and get in to gaming for a reasonable fee.  Also, being based on Warhammer's ruleset ensures a streamlined gameplay experience.


Approximate Cost of Entry: $100 (Core Rulebook+Early/Mid/Late Book)+$150 (official miniatures)
Upsides:

* Great game balance
* Streamlined rules
* Great hobby support from the manufacturer
* More realistic setting
* LOTS of third party manufacturers netting you a huge force for ~$50.
Downsides: 
* Different periods of the war have different rules, making you possibly need to carry 3 armies around for pickup games.
* Independent carriers do not carry this game, meaning FLGS support might be very limited.

2) Battletech: 6mm

Battletech has returned from the clutches of death thanks to Catalyst Game Labs, who have fully revamped the license.  They have the support of Iron Wind Metals, a company that has put quite a bit of love into each model.  There are also old Mechwarrior Dark Age figures floating around, and if you don't mind looking to a third party, a little bit of conversion work can get you an army for quite cheap.  I'd recommend you start looking at these:

Red Shirt Miniatures' Steel Warriors/Mek Wars
Ground Zero Games
Steel Crown's Exodus Wars

Approximate Cost of Entry: $60 (Classic Battletech 25th Anniversary Starter Box)+$40 (Total Warfare book) + $15.95 (1 lance from Iron Wind Metals)
Upsides:
* Many gamers still hold a candle for the old FASA titles
* Richly fleshed out game history
* There are quite a lot of 6mm sci-fi minis out there for cheap
Downsides:
 * The rules are clunky as you enter larger scale battles
* A lot of the older mechs show their age
* Official infantry/vehicles are difficult to come by

3) Heavy Gear Arena/Blitz!: 12mm
This one comes in 2 variants.  Arena is a small skirmish game between 1-4 mechs only, while Blitz is a squad-based tactical skirmish game.  Each unit has pre-written statistics on cards, which is certainly a plus.  It's also a newer game than Battletech, leading to cleaner sculps and more dynamic figures. It's the cheapest of the three games that I have prices for.  Where Battletech provides a slow, methodical mech-based wargame, Heavy Gear has mechs flying all over the field, with rapid, dynamic, and heroic combat.
Approximate Cost of Entry: $65 (Arena)/$115 (Blitz)



Upsides:
* Much lower cost of entry using official miniatures
* Rules are somewhere between Flames of War and Battletech
* No diverse books based on time periods, eliminating the need to have multiple armies to play PUGs
* Easy models to assemble

Downsides:
*Since the game uses stat cards rather than bulk rules in a book, third-party support is essentially nil.
* Models are very stylized and cartoonish, which doesn't appeal to as broad of a group

4) Dropzone Commander: 10mm

There is almost nothing nothing known about this game.  The creator, Hawk Wargames, has been entirely quiet about what the rules will look like.  This past week, the prices of the figures were announced, and it looks like it's 'spensive.  It has some of the most beautiful small-scale models I've seen, though. I suppose we'll find out in July whether this one's actually worth touching.  In the meantime, check these babies out:

Cost to play?  $280+shipping.  Ouch.  Almost as much as starting 40k, and more than just picking up a new army.

So tell me: what small-scale game tickles your fancy?