"How are people basing their 25mm Napoleonics?" Topic

I am thinking about taking the plunge into 25mm Napoleonics, but I am looking for the most flexible basing method. I would like a basing method that will let me play as many different rulesets as possible---without single basing of course!

My 15mms are based NB stlye, 2x2 on a .75x1 inch base. Do people base their 25s the same way?

How are people basing their 25mm Napoleonics?

Single rank or double rank?

What size are your bases?

What rulesets does this basing method allow you to play?

Thanks to all in advance!

I base mine the same way, 30mm frontage by 40mm depth, four figures to a stand.

2 most common I've seen are 4 figures in 2 ranks on a 40x40mm square, and 2 ranks of 3 on 50x50mm square.

most of the guys around here(Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) that i know do 4 on a 50x50mm base. of course that's because my gaming group started doing that, and we ended up painting both the largest armies, and i painted several other peoples armies on commission. so everyone just conformed to how we based them(or bought our armies lol).

Most of my infantry are based four to a base on a 40x40mm base. However, with the Perry and Victrix plastic figures I have been recently painting I am paranoid about the plastic bayonets so have based them on 40x50 bases, making them somewhat deeper but allowing more room at the front so there is no 'musket overhang' on the base.

link

8 figures on a 2" by 2" base because they fought shoulder to shoulder. It also looks great.

If flexibility is a major consideration, you might consider having them on magnetic bases. Then you can switch between basing schemes easily. Or use temporary, "sabot," bases.

There is a lot to be said for not being flexible; how many different Napoleonic rulesets do you really want to master and keep straight in your mind? It is often easier adjusting a particular set of rules to the way you initially based your figures.
Many rule-sets also now allow for a player's existing basing.

Whatever you choose, try to avoid the future labor of rebasing your troops. I wish I had back the hundreds (thousands?) of hours I've spent retraying.

@Dan – good points. I would add though that in my experience that a few millimetres here or there wont make any difference. Sabot bases and so on seem like a lot of work for nothing. My 24 man regiment in line is 240mm long. I have some based slightly differently that means same number of figs are 210mm or even 180mm. That difference in frontage has never made a difference in any games I have ever played in – visually or rules-wise (and my guys have fought under Piquet, Home-grown rules, Black powder, General de Brigade, GW Waterloo, et al)

Some individual infantry on 20 X 20 mm square bases and cavalry/leaders on 25 X 50mm bases, but most infantry are 4 figs on a 40 X 40 square base and 2 cavalry on a 50 X 50 mm base

Makes it much easier to move units when you play Grand Tactical

As frederick, everything individual and than differant movement trays….

Individal bases can be used for all rules.
Greetings

I went for 40x30 with 4 per base. Has worked pretty well.

Hoss and guns on 80x60.

4 guys, 2x2, on 40mm x 40mm bases, seems to have become a de facto standard. That's how I'm mounting mine, although I personally hate it*. But unless I want to do the whole project myself (and I'm too old for that) I have to conform to the rest of the herd.

* – because the figures don't look like a proper battleline, they're standing too far apart. In reality you got about as much room standing in a battleline as you get sitting in coach on an airplane. With 6 stands per battalion (also a local standard) there is no way to have the stand with the command figures in the middle. And it takes up too much room on the table (the bigger your units are, the less maneuver space you have – not that anyone ever thinks to maneuver).

I base mine shoulder to shoulder also. None of them complain.

If I were basing a regiment at 1:1 scale I might worry about the shoulder to shoulder thing, but seeing as my 24 little guys are representing anywhere from 20-40 men in real life, I am not too worried. Like I say, I have models based on bases with 35mm, 40mm, 45mm frontages. The only thing I am currently doing is trying to make all the bases look the same as far as height (3mm) and basing materials go. Some models, especially March Attack, can suit the narrower frontages and more cramped look – Scott McPhee's guys are a great example of this. Others – not so much.

One figure on a 25mm square base.

I 'd like to paint mine first….

Individually based on 20mm square bases

I base mine individually, before painting,terra-form the bases, then paint 'em. I use 15mm frontage X 25mm depth. Move them on trays. This seems to give the most compatibility with the greatest number or rule sets.

I am probably slightly anachronistic and still go with 15mm x 20mm, usually with four to a 60mm x 20mm base in a single rank. I got this from the old WRG convention, from a time when all my collection were Minifigs which fitted easily.

I can still get four Front Rank figures on these bases, although they do look even more shoulder-to-shoulder. I quite like this and the resultant smaller unit footprint, but can also see the appeal of other approaches.

I will have none of the above! :-) I base my personal collection 4 abreast on a 6cm by 2cm base and my skirmishers 2 abreast on a 3cm by 2 cm base.

That gives me a lot of flexibility. I can form extended lines by placing the stands side by side, I can do double ranks by well, you guessed it, and I can form nice squares. Marching columns are 1 stand wide and attack columns 2 stands wide. Looks good and works like a charm with most rule sets.

My customers of course get the dimensions that they want and I must say 4cm by 4,5cm (the Perry bases) seems to be the norm nowadays.

Fons
MMPS

Personally I give all my 25s a 60mm frontage: 1 gun and crew, 3 cav, or 6 or 8 infantry in two ranks. Skirmishers I base individually.

But I agree that a few cm here and there does not matter all that much.

@ Fonzie – I don't feel so alone now. How do you base you cavalry and artillery?

three on a 40x20 base, 4 bases per battalion. looks fine to me and forms a nice square. horse on 30x40, cannons on whatever will hold the gun and crew, custom cut out of sheet plastic, typically about 40x40.

Hi
I'm basing my 28mm naps on 50mm wide by 40mm deep bases in two ranks of 3 miniatures in each rank. A 4 base battalion has 24 miniatures. Sometimes I'll have only 5 figures on a base, with 3 in the front rank and 2 in the rear rank. Cavalry are on 50mmm square bases with 2 mounted figures ber base. Artillery is based on 50mm wide by 100mm deep bases.
Cheers

@ Plutarch: Cavalry in pairs on a 5 cm x 4 cm base. Mounted officers on a 2.5 cm x 4 cm base and artillery on a 5 cm x 6 cm base.

Been using these dimensions for as long as I can remember and I did not have to re-base ONCE in 35 years or so of gaming.

Fons
MMPS

40mm x 40mm like all of the cool kids.

For the Infantry units, I base on 15 millimetres wide x 20 millimetres deep per fig (not usually more than 4 figs wide so 60 by 20 max, same as Fonzie and a few others. I believe soldiers marched shoulder to shoulder and that is how it was and how it should be. Not perhaps the 8mm per figure of the old Quarrie rules, which for 25mm is a bit too tight, but 20mm frontage is a bit like open order.

However if you have painted an army, and you do not want your figures clashing at the elbows and chipping the paint off each other… stick em in trays, it works a treat.

I only base in a single rank, it allows more variation of rule set and on table, I am currently making movement trays by the hundred, so the battalions can be stored and make their initial moves more easily. I also have loose figures so casualties can be removed. In addition, most of my Units (French and Russian) are in 24 fig battalions, but I try to base them so I can make 12, 16, 24 and 32 figure units from the same troops, but this can take a bit of head scratchin'

For larger bases and command I use 60 x 100 (for artillery) 60 x 60 for brigade command (2 figures) 75 x 75 for divisional command (3 figures) and 100 x 100 for corps command (4 figures). Take care as card may warp if wetted and allowed to dry, admittedly this is not such a problem with 28mm metal figs holding it down.

rabbit

I use 20x20 as the base size but generally mount my figures by company. So a British battalion is generally made up of 10 bases, 60x20 (although I mount some individually, like the light company, as skirmishers). My Spanish are on 8 bases of 40x40 (two bases per company). For French I would do 6 bases of 6 (60x40) or of 4 (40x40). I mount cavalry two on a 50x50 base.

Single rank,90mm frontage.
link

40mm x 40mm like all of the cool kids.

Ah, the cool kids are doing it – one more reason to despise it.

I'm not entirely convinced that the cool kids are sticking toy soldiers to bits of 40x40mm material.

"Back in the (1960's) day," we put three 30mm figures on a two inch wooden Venetian blind slat, 1/4 inch thick, and 1 inch deep. We used 30 for the British, and 36 for the French. We did not add turf to the stand.

Soon we found that we could double out forces by doing 18 for french, and 15 for British, all in single line. We could do columns for the French of single, double companies, etc.

I have not gamed in over 10 years with my troops, for I find no one within an hour with the interest, and do not want to make long night drives. But I had been basing my British on 2-figure bases – 34mm by 1 inch – and single 17mm bases for the light company. My French have voltigeurs ons single 17mm stands; Fusilier and Grenadiers with 2 bases of 2 figures, and 2 of single figures. These can be deployed as 3 12-figure "battalions," two 18-figure battalions, or single battalion of 36 – or fewer to reflect wear for specific units. My friends back in PA seem to prefer 1" square bases, and then put them on "lighters" for each of movement – A British battalion "lighter" for 32 in two ranks would be 16" long, two inches deep, plus come kind of egding to contain the troops. Mine will work on this concept with a bit more space between two stand bases.

Seems this will allow use in many rule sets! But not as "pretty" as the many shown based with grass, turf, even flowers, on this site.

GedP

40x40mm with 4 minis on that nice flat Victrix bases with the round corners ;-)
50x50mm for 2 cavalry
20x20mm for the light infantry as these look great while skirmishing.
20x20mm for the artillery with separate canon, also for optical reasons.
That's quite handy on the table top too.
With a set of the new Victrix movement trays in the post for me I hope it will be even easier to move them around.

check out under dieplatt.de/index.php?id=96

cheers Thomas