"D&D gamers-square or round bases?" Topic

On bases added to metal miniatures.

IMHO round bases have more of a skirmish feel to them. Square bases are better for regiments and formed units.

However, at the end of the day, it's your choice.

I've always disliked the round bases. They take up more storage area, seem to rattle around more, and just don't "feel" right. Just IMHO.

round bases are smaller than square bases, I don't see how they could take up more storage area.

Yes.

In my case, mostly square/rectangular, but some of our group prefer round/oval.

I prefer round bases merely for aesthetic reasons, but I certainly see nothing wrong with square bases.

Round. A lot of modern figures are big, and don't always position well with other figures. Round bases allow you to turn the figures so as to accomidate them when in close proximity.

Damon.

I prefer square bases so I can use them for skirmish and units.

Whatever fits in the shadow box slots.

The D&D game system (4e and 3.x) does not distinguish figure facing. So round bases are used for all official figures and in all illustrations. Square adds no value.

(The 4e mechanic is … Grids or hexes are used to regulate figure placement; if two combatants are fighting the same opponent, and an imaginary line drawn between the centers of their bases crosses opposite sides or corners of the opponent's space, then they have "combat advantage" against that opponent.)

The other side of that is, square takes nothing away either -- there is no penalty for basing on squares.

Personally, I base on squares. If I change to a game where facing is important, I don't have to re-base.

Hmm,

You know other than a couple Vampires, I don't think I ever based the D&D figs I did for my son.

mjc

Mine are mostly on Hexes! IIRC the "Three stage" characters from the 1980s came out with them, and I've used them on most of the adventurers. No particular reason for this except that I started with them.

I've recently been adding some monster figures, and have mostly put these on round bases, which I feel work better with the hex bases.

Mine are on whatever I happened to have at the time, round or square.
Most of the smaller stuff is square, just because the squares I had were smaller.

It really makes no diffrence.

Round bases. It's a skirmish game with no formations, so round bases are better.

If you're playing on a grid, as is the default, it's nice to be able to turn the figures any which way. (If nothing else than to avoid having the figures poke each others with their weapons.)

If you're plying gridless round bases ease measuring.

That said we use quite a few figures on square bases as well, with no problem.

I'd be interested to know where I can get round bases smaller than 20mm square bases, especially if they're in sheet metal size.

I've gone through hex and square and settled on round as the most preferable. As has been mentioned, D&D (and the other Fantasy I play) is skirmish play, so no need to be ranking up units with squares. I also got annoyed by square slotted bases and even the hexes to a lesser degree because of the diagonal slot allowing only two positions for a figure in relationship to the edges, without ding extra work. Round bases do not have that type of figure position to base edge trouble.

@NYCJadie- If you're going smaller than 20mm, you may want to use washers.

None of the "Three Stage" miniatures I have came with hex bases. Just the standard integral bases that many fantasy figs have.

I prefer round though.

round for skirmish battles
square for mass battles

My roleplaying minis are based with whatever they came with or whatever was handy. Many of my minis pull double duty for roleplaying and wargames, so those minis are based for whatever game it is. So whenever I use my Warmachine or Hordes minis for D&D those 30mm bases overhang the grid squares in an annoying way.

Either. So long as it fits in the right number of boxes on the grid…

Either, unless it is a figure that I might add to a unit at some point.

Thinking about it, I'd say more are on square than round. But I am not really fussy about it.

You can take a 1" diameter round base and glue a 1"x1" square base under it…

Doing the opposite just makes the square taller.

Also, how cool is it when you can do concentric rings of various sized poker chips or coins under a figure, as opposed to concentric squares?

I'll second the idea that figures with rounded bases are non-regimented, but skirmish or RPG single-character stuff is most of what I do these days anyhow.

"I'd be interested to know where I can get round bases smaller than 20mm square bases, especially if they're in sheet metal size."

Check out litko;
link

Nycjadie I have round bases 20mm, 3/4 inch and 1/2inch gamecraftersltd.com thinner than washers, no hole, made from galvinised steel not stainless so there is a stronger magnetic bond check us out!

I base on 3/4 inch (~20mm) square magnets. I'll find a metal washer spray painted black to snap it onto for skirmish games. (I even use 25mm sabot bases for games like Warlord that use specific skirmish sized bases.)