"What do you do with the 15mm marching soldiers?" Topic

I have a bunch of 15mm Command Decision USMC figures on the march, toting disassembled MGs and/or ammo boxes.

I haven't thought of any brilliant ways to use them as status markers or special units, so I'm probably just going to mix them into infantry stands.

Has anyone else done something different with them?

- Ix

I just use marching MG teams as MG teams. Blokes carrying boxes are always useful as engineers, as are blokes carrying things on their shoulders.

YA, how might you be mounting your 15s up (reflecting smaller fire teams – or as squads, or up to platoons)?

If being able to mix them in with the infantry stands, at C-Decision scaling?

If you're basing them to reflect MG squads or platoon groups on a stand, you could use the moving MG teams to show deployment 'progession' on top of each stand – with the set up/firing figs at the bases' front, and the extra moving figs towards the back, capturing action progression and motion forward on each stand.

I base them just like all of the other figures. The pose doesn't mean anything. Some people use them to denote moving support weapons teams as opposed to deployed weapons teams if it matters to game play.

I have enough emplaced MGs that I don't need to use them as MG teams. I think it would be confusing anyway, since they look so much like other standing figures at a glance.

Blokes carrying boxes are always useful as engineers, as are blokes carrying things on their shoulders.

My thoughts exactly. I don't have any US figures with metal detectors or satchel charges (yet?), so this occurred to me as a great way to make engineer stands a little bit distinctive. (I also thought to put the flamethrower figures on the engineer stands, but I think for gaming purposes those have to be mounted separately.)

I had originally meant to use them as a sort of "marching" status marker, but I haven't run across any rules where marking this status is important, so I'm inclined let that idea go.

- Ix

My answer about basing is a bit long-winded, but… FlyXWire asked, so here goes:

A few weeks ago I finally settled on FOW bases. I don't play FOW, and find some of the FOW stand measurements a bit odd (1.25" is one of the multipliers…? Really, guys?), but I do like the modularity of doubling each size in one dimension to make the next size up.

Going with FOW bases is just the easiest solution, for a lot of reasons:

• FOW basing has become a de facto WWII basing standard, and the rules I'm looking at using are either designed around it or agnostic about basing.
  
• Half my collection is flea market purchases that came based for FOW already, and some of those stands are really nice, so I'd rather not rebase them anyway. I expect to make more acquisitions at flea markets in the future, so accepting FOW basing is just a line of least resistance.
  
• FOW sizes fit in my existing storage really nicely.
  
• The figures are easier to sell off later, if it ever comes to that.

I find the standard 2" FOW infantry base a tad oversized for 15mm scale, but I've played a number of different games using FOW bases now, and they all seem to work fine. Someday I may finish writing a high-level game where frontage is critical (I have opinions..!), but I'd probably use microarmor for that anyway. I have several projects lined up that are hex-based (Rommel and some boardgame adaptations), but my original objections that 2" stands would be awkward in 3" hexes evaporated when I splurged on boxes of Hexon terrain in January (which uses 4" hexes).

- Ix

…..as Linus from Peanuts said – those are good reasons!

Great also to hear what you're working up for the table (and some of your thinking about it).

Above would be my only suggestion atm – go for the dioramic/troops in motion look if you have the stand space for the extra figs.

Remove any weapons or equipement they are carrying and the base and then paint up the figure as a casualty. Mount prone 1 or 2 on a smaller base. 1 casualty is pinned, 2 casualties on a base is suppressed.
Use the removed ammo boxes, mortar or MG mounted on its side on a small base to represent out of ammo or malfunctioned weapon.

Nothing brilliant. As much as possible, ammo bearers went with people carrying MGs, and so with infantry moving forward. MGs firing went with rifles firing. It was the shooting while standing fully erect pose which irked me. I know I should have sawn them in half and placed them in trenches of foxholes, but still…

Agree with Yellow Admiral about CD basing in 15mm. In 6mm WWII, I put everyone on a 1" stand and don't care what anyone else does. (In 2mm WWII, it's 20mm square.)

You can use marching soldiers to spiff up vehicle bases having them march alongside or behind the vehicle. You can also used them for rear area bases, supply depots, headquarters, etc.

I don't base vehicles in 15mm (or 12mm or 10mm), but adding them to command/logistics stands is a good idea.

In 6mm WWII, I put everyone on a 1" stand and don't care what anyone else does.

You and me both, brother. 1" square bases are just about perfect.

I think it would be confusing anyway, since they look so much like other standing figures at a glance.

This is a massive gain, Fog of War no stupid die needed. It could be mistaken by either side but the actuality is undisputed and makes economic sense.

"(I also thought to put the flamethrower figures on the engineer stands, but I think for gaming purposes those have to be mounted separately.)"

I put flamethrowers on some of my engineers stands too, but really, any figure in a non combat pose with 'stuff' will do. It is easy enough to carve extraneous weapons off as well.