"6mm - How many minis per stand?" Topic

I'm looking into Command Decision for 6mm North Africa gaming, and I'm quite impressed so far. The weapons lists available at their site are quite comprehensive.

I was wondering how many little guys should I put on an infantry stand? I'm looking at Adler minis for infantry, and GHQ for vehicles.

Whatever you think looks good. If you stick with .75" bases then 3 to 5 figures should fit on the stand, more if you bunch them up.

Are there any ways to make cheap stands for infantry?

I have started using peel and stick vinyl floor tiles from the home improvement store for a remarkable number of applications. Spray painted with a hex grid for a game board, streets, terrain bases, I am sure they would work for figure bases too. They have some heft and are easy to work with and very cheap at ~$1 – $2 USD for a 12 inch x 12 inch piece.

I usually put 3-5 figures on for 6mm infantry stands, standard stands I usually use 30mmx30mm as that works for a range of rules. Personally I think the suggested CD bases sizes are bit cosy for modern troops, a whole rifle platoon jammed into an area 40mx40m?

You may find it useful to use different formations or numbers of figures for different types of stand – rifle, SMG, HQ, engineer etc (mortars & MGs are usually easy enough to identify).

Ditto on the Vinyl Floor Tiles! I use them for everything along with textured spray paint. Easy enough to cut and as long as they are not too big they make very good bases. Big ones would tend to warp I think.

I don't have a problem with the base size, I like to be able to pack troops together when the terrain density allows it (cities). Allowing the opponent to get a whole big bunch under an arty splash in the open is fun too…

I use four or five figs for my WWII infantry stands

So .75 inch square bases should fit five infantrymen? I was considering switching to H&R infantry due to their smaller size and scaling to vehicles better.

Any tips on how to start collecting a force for Command Decision? Should I see their books first? Are there any other sources for force composition?

Nevermind. Found some on their site.

Order of battle info:
niehorster.orbat.com
bayonetstrength.150m.com

These are not adjusted to the platoon based organization of CD.

Howdy,

I think "Bengahzi Handicap" is the best resource/scenario book ever published, for any system. Covers western desert through Crusader.

Ponder on,

JAS

Personally, I always use 4 per stand for rifle teams and 2 per stand for heavy weapons teams. That helps stretch out the number of stands you can make from a pack of minis, as well as make them easily and quickly identifiable from across the table. I used to use pennies, but now I use these thin steel discs:

link

For minis, I'd recommend looking at Mainforce Miniatures, from Magister Militum. Most of them are prone, which is a nice change and also reduces breakage during handling. They're also pretty inexpensive -- the British Mid-to-Late War Company is £17.00 GBP and includes:

Rifle groups 1107 x12,
Rifle and Sten groups 1108 x12,
Command 1109 x6,
Command AT 1110 x2,
Bren guns 1111 x9,
PIAT teams 1112 x3 and
two inch mortars 1113 x3.

So, 47 stands of infantry, pre-based, for £17.00 GBP. Pretty darn good deal.

link

Here are some examples:

German rifle team:

Russian rifle team:

German Panzerfaust team:

British Bren gun team:

I'd second Mainforce Miniatures, I use them a lot, particularly for moderns. The modern figures are almost generic and are very easy to paint. I've seen the WWII figs too, which are much more identifiable for nationality. They're extremely robust, once varnished, almost indistructable.

Depends on the size of the bases you intend to use. My original Command Decision bases were 3/4" square and I thought five figures per infantry stand looks pretty good. However when I started playing Spearhead, which used 1.25" bases, I found that I needed more figures per platoon (at least eight figures each) to get a balanced look. However which ever you decide, it's really a matter of personal taste.

For my 6mm Western Desert one base = one platoon rules I use 1" square bases. Normally I have one LMG or one 2"/50mm mortar, each with 2 crew, or one ATRprone on the base with 3-4 other kneeling or standing figures. This fill a base nicely without either being too sparse or too crowded and leave a bit of space for rocks and scrub. Probably one less figure for 3/4" square bases or two more figures for 1 1/4" size bases would achieve the same effect.

For the bases themselves I stick industrial grade sandpaper, (the sort that you use in "Black and Decker" hand sanders,) it comes in sheets just bigger than A4 size, to A4 size mangnetic plate, (the sort that you use for magnetic strips on Whyteboards,)with Bostick. The result is a 1.5mm thick base with sand on one side and magnetized on the other for storage. The A4 sheet can then be cut into individual bases using a garden or kitchen scissors.

Stick the toys on the sandy side and you are good to go. Add extra sand, rocks and scrub stuck with PVA wood glue to cover up the base edges of the figures and to add flavour.

Cheap, quick and easy.

Cheers,
Bertie