"Left-Over Figures" Topic

Imagine that you're basing up figures for a game system that recommends X number of figures per base. You realize you will end up with X minus 1 figures – that is, not enough figures to complete the last base.

What are you most likely to do?

* order another figure(s)
* discard the excess figure(s)
* make a base with fewer figures than recommended

Convert a vaguely similar figure to give me the right number.

Throw the whole batch in the back of the closet. Worthless!

Lose interest and move on to the next project

Look through the lead pile to see if I have an additional figure to add or one that can be modified. Another option would be to put a piece of battlefield terrain/shells/etc or maybe convert a similar figure to a casualty.

Throw all of the figures away.
Give up on the project.

martin

The last base gets one less figure. It's the last base to be used and the first casualty, but it's part of the project.

Order more miniatures and use the excess minis for command stands.

On a side note – I never use rule systems that specify the number of miniatures. I always research the rule system before I purchase/open a project. If it doesn't make sense to me, I don't buy the system.

To heck with the rules, base figures one less than called for. More stands!

Put out a call to the local gaming fraternity -- asking if anyone in the group has a spare figure of the correct type to finish the Last Stand.

Sounds like a great reason for another order. While I'm at perhaps I would add a few more units to the army.

Talk with friends to see if they have one or need any if I buy another pack of figures

Or look through my lead pile to see if I happen to have one or two sitting around from other projects

Last option order 2 figures if company is willing to sell me them

I'd probably add a bit of terrain or a casualty figure. As noted by the Lead Minister, it may also be the first casualty stand to leave the table.

Check with the local gang to see if anyone has what I need.

Buy more figures.

Finish the stand as is.

Tossing the whole project is just wrong. Selling it might be an option.

Fortunately, I have abandoned such "game systems." (Are these what used to be called "rules?" I'm clearly not keeping up with the times.)

But when I have fewer figures than I want on a stand, I paint what I have and put them on whatever base I use for the others without terraining the base, and pack them away with the rest. Figures turn up if you pay attention, and this prevents the "where did I put the ones I already own?" stage.

Find something in lead mountain that can be painted/converted to fit and/or see what your mates might have

An example that springs to mind is are my foot Cossacks -I had 20 and to make them up to 24 for Black Powder I added a stand of Old West figs suitably painted up to blend in

Sculpt the one I need.

I also don't really play games where this would be a problem…

What if you have to buy figures in a pack, but the pack is sized so that with one pack you are short 2 figures for a unit in a popular game series written by an author with the initials DM? But if you buy two packs, you have enough for one unit but fall even shorter for two units! Sigh.

Or a favorite company sells such large packs that it doesn't make any sense buying from them? Sigh.

1 less figure on the final stand to complete a unit? Phaw. That's a non-problem! Just say "He/she ran away, the coward!" Then get on with the game. ;-)

I melt them down into ingots with all my other bits of cut off metal. Then, the next time I go to a show I give it to a manufacture to recycle.

The last time it was 3.5Kg worth (what I had amassed, mostly in flash, sprues and metal spears over a three year period). It's always gratefully received. Most metal is the same 37% tin combo.

If the rules are figure count agnostic, then I'll make a base short a figure.

What is a ‘last' base?

Just order more figures and make your army BIGGER!

Put a dog on the base.

I like the dog idea evilgong.

I don't use such rules, I use my own rules and do whatever I want to.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

order another figure(s)

+1 Swampking.

3d print the figure I need.

If it really matters that much I'll look in my spares box and find another figure which is 'close enough' and/or chop one up. Sometimes I'll just leave the bases a bit short, but only if there are a lot of figures on it.

The situation is unlikely to arise as I usually order more stuff than I need. Hence having a spares box….

I recently re-based a load of Napoleonics onto eight figure bases, and annoyingly one of the figures snapped off at the ankles (they are nearly 40 years old). I just left the fallen figure on the base as a casualty, which looks OK.

* make a base with fewer figures than recommended

I don't play games where this would be an issue.

In the games which I play, combat is based on how many figures are fighting, not how many stands are in combat. If I did play such a game which ran combat by stands, I would count the 2-figure stand as being a "full," 3-figures stand, and never worry about it. Cheers!

Either pressgang another reasonably appropriate figure into making up numbers, or put the excess figures into the spares box, depending how big a need I feel for that last base.

If X is reasonably large, and the exact number of figures doesn't communicate anything important to my opponent, I could also see myself simply letting the last base be understrength, but it wouldn't be fair to my opponents to use, say, two archers on a base that should have three in a DBX game, as this would be likely to confuse them as to the troop-type represented.

Great responses.
Donate the metal
Order more (my default)
Add a dog! AWESOME, and now my new default!

You know, of what I've still got, this could only apply to my CLS Napoleonics. And since we can only estimate our based castings to the nearest 10,000, I can't see it holding up a game. (The "spares box" requires an SUV to relocate.)

28mm figures are individually based. Where there are units, they're "about 12-16" or "around 24-32" per unit. Six and 2mm figures have standard base sizes. Number of figures per base is whatever I'm happy with today.

But find me someone selling a mix of 28mm dogs, and I'll at least consider the idea.

As have finish a couple armies it's been get more if needed in future but close enough is close enough.
Every unit doesn't have in real life exactly the same complement of personal so as said in another thread some battalions have 12 some only 11.

Units are often understrength anyway.

Print another one, but hey you are never on figure short, one of the greats of 3D printing. I do often print the odd spare figure, stuff does get laost at 1/144.