"Unit ID on bases" Topic

Having played 20mm WW2 for the most part this isn't something that has cropped up before. I've always known what the unit was armed with and never really needed to know its designation.
However, I have now started on 10mm Jacobite rebellion using Principles of war rules and when I have several regiments/battalions on each side, some with different stats, I need to know which individual regiment/battalion is which. At this scale, the regimental colours all look very much the same so I can't ideally use that as an identifying marker. The obvious answer is to use a unit ID tag on the rear of the command base with 'Flemings regt, 36th foot' etc so I know who is who on the table. I don't particularly want to place the stats marker on the underside of the base a la Fire and Fury as this entails lifting said base up every time I want to check its ID!
Has anyone tackled this problem? I know the unit marker idea can bring out apoplexy is some wargamers!
Grateful for any pointers.
Cheers.
Gerard – CADRE Wargamers.

There are a number of ways to do this without a marker. If you have a limited number of arms types you can use the location of the command stand: on the right of the unit = muskets, on the left = pikes, in the middle = matchlocks.

Another way is a small scenic bit on the command stand = boulder = muskets, shrub = pikes, no marker = matchlocks.

If you only need to tell armament type, a small dot of color on the rear edge of the command stand works and does not detract too much from the look of the game.

Mark "Extra Crispy" Severin
Owner, Scale Creep Miniatures
ScaleCreep.com
DeepFriedHappyMice.com

Even though I game in 25mm, I still mark the back of my bases with regimental names and in some cases, actual names to give the figures more "character". However, I do mount them on the 20mm square bases like those from GW and I have a small square bit of metal on the bottom so they travel better in their magnetized container.

That small bit of room gives enough of an edge to put the name or regiment number. I use a printout (made from Adobe Illustrator but I have seen it made from MS Excel) then cut out the paper and paste it with a glue pen from Michaels. That glue pen has saved a ton of papers stuck to me! Just "write" the glue where you want it to go, apply the paper and you're done. I have done entire brigades in less than an hour using this procedure.

I have found that the names on the bases makes it easier for new players to identify their troops, plus it helps with clean up in the end and getting everything back in the bins.
Larry

Depends on how thick the bases are but you can paint the rear base edge in a 2 or 3 colour code using bright, easily distinguishable colours.

e.g. all Red = the Liebgarde, red-wh-red = 43rd foot etc

I left part of a wood base without terrain, and applied printed labels to them (printed onto regular paper then glued on).

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Jake

Hi Gerard,

I play PoW & I use simple paper labels stuck on the back of the PoW command base. The label is only a single digit number on a coloured background, therefore does not detract too much fm the look of the figures. The label colour denotes the brigade the unit is part of and the number corresponds to the number on the army list / custom roster. I don't mark on the wpn types etc but the army lists I play with tend to be relatively simple.

A similar, but more elegant, system I have seen is a pebble glued to the back of the base with a letter or number painted discreetly on it. This too can be colour-coded.

POW needs labels for each unit as hits are recorded on a roster sheet.

What I did was base on metal Wargames Accessory bases and left a back corner painted but no flocked. Then I created a set of generic labels (i.e. 1-1, 1-2) that I use as I need them and printed them on a magnetic sheet. Also added some fog of war.

Tod

I usually put a strip of magnetic sheet on the rear portion of the base, then I can make whatever markers I want out of steel paper and stick them on.

A good trick I saw someone do was to use pre-gummed address labels folded back on themselves with a thng strip of the sticky bit left protruding. Stick this to the underside of the base which then leaves a strip of white paper sticking out which you can write on.

Excellent suggestions all round. Many thanks for everyones input on this. I feel somewhat more focused now!

I use a twofold method to identify my units for my ACW armies. The unit name is pasted to a rear corner, I make them up using 8pt or 6pt Ariel font. An example would be MO3 or MS21. The unit bases are then painted with a color for the division and each brigade is given a number which I mark on the back and front with hash marks.

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Terry

I play POW and I glue a small slip of paper to one of the bases that make up the unit. This usually has a letter and a number on it E1 J7 F12 etc

The letted denoted the nationality (English, Jacobite, French) and the number is a unit ID for the army roster.

I use Green background with a white number.

I read that this topic is addressed to the 18th cent. Discussion group so my response would reflect the codes of the period.

Firstly, deployment in battle lines would be executed by brigades, so within the brigade, the senior regiment's first battalion would be on the right and the second most senior, on the left. Subsequent battalions within each regiment would fill in between.

Most brigades would have between 3 to 6 full strength battalions. The flags of each should be easily recognizable.

In reality, it is the brigade commanders that need to be better distinguished from one another. And they are.

Cheers,
Robert
18thcenturysojourn.blogspot.com

Roman Numberals. This will allow you to differentiate the various units. If the base is thick enough then this could be painted on the side of the base, or you could put small rocks the base and paint the number on the backside of the rock. Then just have a cheat-sheet with the units on them. This obviously is not as quick as putting the full unit designation on the units, but with 10mm this might be the better way to go.

I use Word to make a table (for cutting guide)- use light grey for least notice-ability, and black in 6 or 8 point, printed on gree paper. If you have just 2 digits these are easily hidden in a back corner. My moderns have the unit along the side of the base, and you don't really see it.

I glue before flock/men, putting the pva around it

Alternately make the units command base a bit deeper, and place stick back plastic on so you can write on them with Over Head projector pen

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Hover your mouse over the general at the back.

Answer one of those newspaper advertisments that promise to improve your memory.

I am with Cambria5622 on this. I have huge (60-80 units) POW armies for the Seven Weeks War. A simple letter A (Austrian) and number designates the unit. All other information when using POW is on the roster sheet anyway, I tend to print the ID in fairly low impact colours on a green background to match my bases, it makes them very unobtrusive in use but they are easily seen when needed.

Graham

I paint 28mm ancients, and inscribe the name of the commander (on a command stand) or the unit into a strip of greenstuff on the rear of the base. I blackline this and then drybrush over the top; looks good. I appreciate that this might be challenging for 10mm mini bases, though.

Oh and I inscribe in classical Latin or Greek! It's different but adds colour.

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Simon