"40mmx30mm the de facto basing in 15mm" Topic

Couldn't resist….but it is pretty universal for alot of rules.

DBN
Lasalle
March Attack
FOGN
GdB
Snappy Nappy

Others?

Shoot, I've been waiting for a couple weeks for this… I think you just made my night.

Cheers,

The Bandit

Lets see if we can start a 400 post war over this one :)

Nope – still not right for DBA and HoTT. Nearer though.

I'll take it a step further…if you don't use this standard, you are NOT playing with toy soldiers correctly.

@ 20th Maine

The expanded DBN? Not 40x25mm but very close.

Troublemaker.

8-)

I'm sorry sir, I'm a bad boy, I'm not using that standard currently, but now that is has been decreed as the standard I will immediately begin re-basing my 10,000+ figures.

Apologies for being non-compliant. 8-)

:) DBN uses 40x20/25/30/40, good post! Anyone who doesn't base to a 40mm frontage should rebase immediately :)

Nsolomon99,

Be done by next week sharp!

Seriously, how are your boys based? Big collection!

Come to think of it…10000+ figures…maybe YOU are the standard.

I see what you did there…

Yes, the fruits of 25 years of constant interest in the period. Been tempted by other scales but I've stuck with 15mm (well, 18mm mine are 95% AB's & OG) for Napoleonics, and SYW!

All the armies and allies and early and late uniforms for many. Still adding to the collection. No local clubs so my gaming is solo and means I need to provide both sides. I like the big battles, Wagram, Borodino, etc. Cant yet do Leipzig on my own! 8-)

I've tried Empire single rank basing, Napoleons Battles double rank basing, modified Empire and now I've settled on 1" x 1" for 4 infantry figures and metal bases so I can use magnetic sabots to adjust when needed.

Frankly, I think standardised basing is a nonsense – this is a hobby, go with what you like and damn the torpedoes. Adjust your ground scales to suit. Frontage is important but can be approximated a little, depth is a problem we must live with as miniatures gamers because our figures are just too deep.

I had a mini debate with myselves (that's right) whether 40mmx30mm or 1" squares. I have both sets of bases and still pondering. ….

Base them on one size base & save the other bases for when you feel the need to rebase?

Rebase….<shudder>

The creative mind can always find a way around the never ending 'base size' problem.
That said 40mm wide by 30mm or 40mm deep is what I've gone with,……..

Another De factoid.

One base to rule them all….

40mm X 30mm for 8 man base and 30mm X 30mm for 6 man bases

Mine are based 8 figs in 2 ranks and 4 files on 40mm frontage by 20mm depth. Its pretty cramped depthwise to be honest, especially with AB figures, but it does give a good 'horse and musket' look…

No particular reason, I just ended up with hundreds of 40x20 bases left over from an abortive Warmaster Ancients project, and it seems to work well…As I use Black Powder basing size isn't important.

Cav are based 3 on a 40x40…

P.S. Just been trawling through my blog to see if I could post up any pics of my 15mms and found that I have never blogged about a 15mm game in over 3 years of blogging! How about that! I wonder why – I guess subconscioulsy I feel they are not as photogenic, although I've seen some lovely photos from other people of their 15mm games…Must fix this up pronto!)

1 rank and a 30mm front. I must be the odd ball.

I'm presently doing single stand units (battalions, batteries, squadron groups). Infantry battalions vary by size in 1/2" increments between 1.5" and 3" and all with a 1.5" depth. So for metric…

1.5x1.5" = ~40x~40mm
2x1.5" = 50x~40mm
2.5x1.5" = ~60x~40mm
3x1.5" = ~70x~40mm

I've rebased all mine as the basing is linked to a rule set I'm developing but I strongly encourage play testers (and eventually adopters of the set) to use sabots. The nice thing about using larger bases is that sabots are a very viable option.

Cheers,

The Bandit

40mm depth for all?

Burn the heretic :)

Burn the heretic :)

Oh no, suddenly this does remind me of another thread with a similar title… <looks around scared>

;-)

Cheers,

The Bandit

Damn, I am still using the V&B 3 inch squares, must look into finding a basing service that will alter my French, Russian, Prussian, Austrian, Italian, Confederation of Rhine, Brunswick, Portugese, Spanish, Polish, Anglo Allied and Bavarian armies. Then speak to Frank Chadwick to get the new amendments to the rules making them suitable for the recognised standard basing.

I have never played any of the rules mentioned in the OP. All my pals with 15mm Napoleonics base on 1" squares.

For 15s in general, I find 30x30 is most flexible.

My only 15mm figures are for the 1st Carlist War and they are based in groups of 4 on a 20mm frontage with 25mm depth so I confess to being a deviant.

However, I do come from Saxony, where extreme deviance seems to be common link so I am not too worried by my minor transgression.

Jurgen

Everything in my 15mm collection post ancients is on 30mm square bases for infantry and 30 frontage by 30 or 40mm depth for cavalry.

All my 15mm figures are on pennies – mind you they are for Sci Fi…

I'm edging towards 30 x 30 for 15mm as well with 6 figures on a base.

I'm also using 60 x 60 for 25mm (also 6 figures) and 80 x 80 (4 figures) for 54mm…

Mike

I just vary the nubers per base- depending on the figures size or troop type. Typically close order Napoleonic types are 6 in two ranks but sometimes only 4 if 6 looks too packed.

There are no such thing in napoleonic like "too packed".

'Arguing over base size is the de facto standard on TMP' anyone??

I've been basing mine using 1 1/8" x 1" (30mmx25mm?), six figures – it was one of the Shako 1st Ed options and I went with that :)

I started out with Empire II and was basing 25mm then went to 15mm – and at the end of the day – I agree with nsolomon99…as posted above:
"Frankly, I think standardized basing is a nonsense – this is a hobby, go with what you like and damn the torpedoes. Adjust your ground scales to suit. Frontage is important but can be approximated a little, depth is a problem we must live with as miniatures gamers because our figures are just too deep."
If you are into the frontage and depth that much – put the figures in a green tray cut to size…

No, I use Flames of War bases! (25x30mm, 30x50mm, and 50x60mm sizes)

*ducks for cover*

Lion in the Stars

You should duck for cover with that insane methodology!! :)

I use 25x30 for some 3mm stuff.

Don't ask….

I know this post is somewhat dated, but I am trying to game Hungarian revolution 1848-1849 in 28mm so was thinking of basing everything on 60mm by 50mm bases

30mm x 12.5mm bases; four figures in a single rank. Since about 1977.

So Allan are you saying 4 figs (28mm) On a 60mm by 25mm base?

18mm og and,blue moon.
2x2 figs on 20mm wide, 25mm deep

I build my armies with infantry at 2 bases of 40x30mm, 2 skirmisher bases of 40x20mm and one casualty base at 40x20mm.

If they don't fit a set of rules I want to play, there's always a fudge that can be cooked up.

David F Brown

It's really very simple to figure out the right and only way to base Napoleonics. (15mm) (light grenade, throw and duck).

First of all, a battalion in line is represented as a single rank of figures looks like something from a different era. It looks nothing like what we know and see (in paintings) of the era. If that is what you do, then there is no reason to use miniature figures. It would be better to use painted cardboard cutouts, which can be made to the actual footprint and in many formations. They can be printed to look like an overhead view, and match the terrain colour. USE AT LEAST TWO RANKS OF FIGURES. A third rank really distorts the depth of the unit, so 2 ranks is a compromise. Two ranks usually just fits on a 25mm (a.k.a. 1") deep stand- so that is what should be used.

SECONDLY, the soldiers of that era (except for skirmishing and the uncommon open order) were shoulder to shoulder- 25" +/- 1"->2" in pitch. Lets work out what that means for the separation between files. 15mm scale ~1/107. 1mm /4.28inches, SO 5.8mm/25inches The spacing(pitch) of your files should be ~6mm. Sorry, that is how closely they were packed. The best I can routinely do with "large 15mm, but not 18mm figures" is 8 mm per file. Most of the spacings mention in the postings above in this thread are 10mm per file, which comes out to 43 inches (NOT 25") between files. That is 72% wider than it was.

The english yard of 36 inches is about from the nose to the end of the sideways extended arm. So that 43 inch spacing is roughly the extended arm touching the neighbor's neck. Not the same look. The figures have to be crammed together width-wise to look like Napoleonic troops of that era. (Yea, I know that gamers who have been using widely spaced figures for Napoleonics for 40 years of gaming will not like being told that.)

With 8mm/file, I make bases of 3 files (1"or 25mm wide), or 4 files (1 1/4 " or 33mm wide) or even 5 files (1 1/2" or 40mm wide). When larger than 6 files wide, each company is broken down into 2 sections or zugs of 25mm width.

I normally base for GdB which is a 1/20 figure/man scale. Sometimes the rear rank has one fewer figure. This system gives 4 company battalions of the following types:

width…fig/stand…. battalion
25mm……5………..400 men
25mm……6………..480
33mm……7………..560
33mm……8………..640
40mm……9………..720
40mm……10……….800

Where there are light companies that skirmished, they are represented by two full width but half depth stands where the figures are in a single rank. If both the flank companies sent out skirmishers, then half width, 2 rank stands are constructed. True Light battalions have half the companies as doubled single rank stands.

This arrangement satisfies the criteria of at least looking somewhat like a napoleonic battlefield. It is not necessary to be real exact in the sizes, as slightly different spacings might be said to sutlely represent different unit characteristics. Just don't fight units with greatly different spacings against one another as the unequal numbers firing from each side screws things up. -Perhaps one unit might be in open order and fire fewer figures but take less hits.

That's some detail bills fan!

I think it is a bit silly to have every battalion of the exact same size. Look at the OB of any battle and you will see wide variations in the number of troops per battalion. It was a factor that the generals had to deal with and think about. Since it is easy to vary this with our minatures and since it adds flavor and tactical complexity, why not have different sized units?

I am with billsfan except that I think a single rank of figures emphasises the length of the line. I use 6mm per file, with true-ish 15mm. I definitely prefer my men shoulder to shoulder.

link

Regards

Garry

yes, use 40mm x 30mm bases for my 18mm ABs.8 figures for infantry or 3 cavalry.

Amateurs! Let's talk about bricole colors instead ;-)