"Kneeling figures " Topic

First, I don't like kneeling figures. They just don't look right to me moving about a tabletop.

Recently, I saw some kneeling bowmen. I believe I may even have an elf kneeling bowman in my collection.

Is a kneeling bowman a likely pose?

How do you feel about them?

Thanks,

Vince

No worse than walking scenery. Those bases that contain trees, rocks, etc. on the bases of troops in formation.

I have no problem with either as the fact that the figure being portrayed is an archer, so be it! I have seen multiple references to bow armed men firing in multiple ranks. To me, that means that somebody might be kneeling. Besides, not all bows are "longbows", are they? I am pretty sure you don't check to see if there is a powder charge in the 28mm flintlocks do ya? 8>)

If you bowmen are fantasy related, then of course, why not? You are playing in a fantasy world anyway so your bowmen can kneel and fire!

Enjoy the game, Vince.

Best
Tom

In the rules I play, a figure is a figure and the base represents everything the game mechanics care about. To dismiss the kneelers is to often dismiss 20% or maybe 40% of the figures that came in my box (looking at Warlord WWII, these days). Although they've never been my favorites, I accept them as essential. Besides, my own priority is to show a diversity of poses, just to make the mob look dynamic.

Prone guys, however, require me to cut custom bases. I still use them, but I resent them so much the kneelers are easily forgiven,

I usually group my guys in similar action poses. To stand and shoot will often see you next to the guys charging. To kneel will often find you with the poses who've dropped prone to assume a firing position.

I like kneelers – hate the prone ones.

I like both kneeling/squatting and prone figures. In my skirmish WWII games I have 15 German and 15 American soldiers. Each soldier has its own figure in a prone, kneeling, standing, and dead position. Each figure and position has the trooper carrying the same weapon.

e.g. a soldier can crawl up to the edge of a bush etc. scope out the area beside and ahead of him; decide to get up and run across the road and go prone again.

Lots of hands-on and fast and furious conflict! Especially when a dog runs up behind you and bites your leg, or other!!

Is a kneeling bowman a likely pose?

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Kneeling figures don't bother me, and actually they can make some units look even better when they are formed up or lurking behind a fence etc.

I'm in full agreement on disliking both kneeling poses and walking terrain. In fact I've started putting figures on the smallest bases that will allow them to stand.

Like any other aspect of figure design, I believe it has its place. Unlike many others, I seem to get many more of these than I think are useful.

For some armies/figures/games I have a set of walking/bow down (hunting/searching pose), standing/firing, and kneeling minis to represent one set of archers. You swap the figure out to get the "mode" – walking = fastest and best defense … kneeling = best shot and sitting duck.

I do this with other figure aspects (unarmed, improv weapon, cc weapon, gun, …), too.

Don't like kneeling or sitting figs, unless they are the crew of a heavy weapon. Don't like moving terrain.

Too many of my 25mm Moderns seem to be kneeling/sitting down.

I organize units by their action –

1) marchers together,
2) chargers together with maybe a shooter who's also clearly in forward motion in there too.
3) firing line (firing and loading) – (where the kneelers are)
4) advancing

I also, like Flashman, form my units either Marching, Advancing, or firing line which include kneeling figures both loading and firing.

As predominately a skirmish gamer, I'm perfectly fine with kneeling figures.

Generally a fan.

I have lots of kneeling figures--mostly in volley lines, but acceptable as skirmishers with bow or firearm.

It's the ones standing firing in an era of automatic weapons which always irritate me a little.

I used to hate kneeling figures, I'm more mellow about it now. :) Might kneeling while firing a bow depend on the bow? I imagine it might be hard with a longbow.

My bases are very boring precisely because I hate "walking" terrain. Kneelers don't bother me so much.

Kneeling figures are fine, prone figures are the devil.

Prefer them to marching figures which seem to be a complete waste of time to me.

Keeling figures are a must for any skirmish game(no matter the period)
Also if making a 18th-century firing line, kneeling figures are a must.

I don't like the sight of regiments marching across open terrain on their knees or melees into which one side is already on their knees before a dice has been rolled . My favourite poses are march attack and advancing and I usually ask my suppliers to remove the kneeling figures from mixed pose packs and send me only standing variants .They are invariably very cooperative but my conscience always bothers me about the kneeling figures they are left with . For this reason I am very glad to read in this thread that there is a ready market for large numbers of kneeling figures and that somebody will give them a good home .

Doesn't bother me at all. I mount my figures in three ranks for my 18th century games and the first rank is kneeling and firing or ready to fire, second rank firing, and third rank re-loading. The latter are usually conversions. They look good.

Walking scenery is OK as I often create little diorama's on the bases, especially light infantry. One of the six stands of a unit of light infantry in skirmish order has four riflemen firing in front, one figure like Dan'l boone on a large boulder, hands above eyes spotting the hits, and another writing the score on a chalkboard tacked to a tree.

My Militia regiment in the same configuration has six stands set out as if they are on their militia day picnic on the village green. Six around groaning tables of food, another two singing around a keyboard, a group of men in formation having their picture painted by an artist, six more on a turkey shoot, six more on a green bowling and so on.

For post WW1 prone would be the most common realistic combat pose even for advancing troops. A soldier in a firefight would probably be in this position most of his time.

I don't have any problem with kneeling or prone figures. I'm mostly playing science fiction skirmish games in 25mm, and soldiers are going to assume a variety of poses as they move and fight.

In StarGrunt, at least, a soldier's pose has no game effect.

My bases are pretty dull. I want the bases to be unnoticed.
Someday I'll try clear bases for troops.

I play modern. Kneeling is OK fetured in los of military manuals, Prone good. Walking, Yea Right, in the middle of a battle, not for very long. Looks daft to me. Running maybe OK. Short dashes and all that.

As said above, the ideal would be to have moving, kneeling, prone, and casualty figures for each trooper. That said, I still prefer the walking / advancing figure for my troops.

I did find a use for all my 20mm WWII kneeling figures. Aside from those who part of weapons teams (all in firing mode kneeling/prone); the other kneeling figures are all deployed as recon units.

I find kneeling figures a lot less irritating than people who think you can "fire" a bow.

You can "fire" a bow. Once. Then it becomes ash.

I done archery from a kneeling position. At our local indoor range I have to, low ceilings there mean if I try to shoot standing the upper limb will make contact in a way that is not good.

For WWII (and later) infantryman in combat spend an awful lot of their time kneeling or lying prone…..

Kneeling and prone poses are more common in the gunpowder era than before. I play tested a complicated set of skirmish rules back in the 1970s. Each player had a fire team or squad. There were three castings available for each soldier. One standing, one kneeling and one prone. This was because in the skirmish system, your position affected shooting, being a target and movement actions.

One pose that is mentioned in Army marksmanship manuals but I have not seen pose casts, is the kneeling and standing supported position. This is when the gun is propped on a limb, fence, wall or window,etc. a much more stable firing platform