"basing 15mm tercios in DBMM 2.1 or DBA 3" Topic

I'm trying to decide how to base Italian Wars Pikemen and even up to entire Tercios in these rulesets. I play DBMM but some DBA experts might be able to offer suggestions as well. To start, I never use the standard basing as I really like to get a sort of unit diorama look going and feel like I need drummers, double handed swordsmen, etc in my pike units. To accomplish this I am thinking of some way to make the bases deeper than the 20mm suggested. I was thinking of making them 40mm deep or even 60mm. I wonder how this would affect the rules as I'm not that experienced at the rules especially for Renaissance gaming. I guess as long as both sides were the same, it would not matter much.

I rebased my 15mm Ancients to 60mm and was able to create a more dioramic look but still play Big Battle DBA, L'Art de la Guerre, and other Ancients rules. For instance.my Seleucid phalanx consists of 17-figure double bases ( 60x40) while my Pictish light chariots are two to a base and warbands are 8 figures on a 60x30 base. The Ancients look tremendous and I would love to do the same with my Renaissance armies but I simply lack the energy to rebase 12 large armies.

That sounds interesting, but on the warbands you've made the frontage wider from 40 to 60mm?

With you, corona66. All my 15mm castings prior to Marlburians are based on a 60mm frontage. If the rules don't like that, the rules will have to adapt, but mostly the rules are fine with it. (They think I'm playing with 25mm castings, and I never tell them otherwise.)

Wealdmaster, unusual depth does cause some problems in the DBA series. If memory serves, one of the previous versions allowed double-depth pike stands counting as two elements of pikes. I'd talk it over with my opponent and use something like that.

Here is some nice basing of Landsneckts. The blog author though states they are just as dioramas and not for any specific rules. link

Could you not base the units proper, as normal, 2 shotte either side of 2 pikes. Then, basing officers, drummers, 'accessory' characters separately, either individually or on 'diorama' bases that you can move around freely during the course of the battle. That would keep all the flair, look good, all while keeping your army fully compatible and in-line with the rules.

In DBMM, it's fairly common to base two pike elements on a double-depth base ("voluntary DBE's"). It simplifies movement a bit at the cost of some flexibility, and you'll need some normal-depth bases to make change. While the rulebook doesn't explicitly provide for it, putting three elements on a triple depth base should work too.

Where things start to break down is if you make some bases wider than others. But if you provide both armies, you can of course make every base as wide as you need for your panoramic bases. You may find yourself needing a very large table.

All good points. I like the Conformists Idea very much. I think DBR and the offshoots like DBRR/Maximillian also use the same basing and their rules would be affected the same way.