"What size bases are your Napoleonic minis on?" Topic

A buddy of mine is working on a grand tactical set of Napoleonic rules where 1 base will be a brigade and units will be divisions. We got into a lively debate about what the most common basing is for big battle Napoleonics, so I figured I'd poll y'all.

I think Volley and Bayonet used 3" square

TMP link

28mm – 3" squares for Blucher

I use mostly 2" wide 1" deep bases, but I'm also using H&R 6mm figures. I think Eumelus' advise is sound, and a 3" wide base would be more pleasing with larger figures.

3mm tall and then based to the rules

My long unused Napoleonic figures are still based for Empire III. Somewhere on my list of priorities is to rebase them for Age of Eagles and/or Napoleon's Battles. Or maybe I should sell them off, including the unopened blisters

My 6mm guys are mainly on 30x20, sam as the 1990s version of Horse, Foot and Guns. For large battles I just group a number of them together on sabot bases into Division, Corps etc.

I generally prefer lots of small bases than a few great big ones (like Polemos or VnB) as it is more flexible.

My pals 15mm stuff is all on 1" x 1" bases for similar reasons.

I suppose I should have been more expansive. The 2mils are based on 30mm squares. The 6mils, as noted, on 2"x1", with skirmishers, artillery and infantry squares on 1" squares. In 28mm, they're based individually--1"x2" for cavalry, 20mm square for massed infantry and 1" round for skirmishers, command and gunners. The 1/72 were similar to the 28s, but mostly passed to grandchildren. I gave up on 10's and 15's--not suitable for individual removal, and not the mass effect and portability of the smaller scales.

The 30's of course still remain on CLS basing.

For 6mm based on Age of Eagles bases – for infantry, 3/4 inch wide, 1 inch deep with 9 figures per base – for 6 – 10 stand units, a lot of bayonets!

I am basing 3mm "brigades" on 20mm squares and plan to use divisional units via some manner of Fire and Fury. Borodino on a 3x3', yes please :)

Thanks for asking btw- fun to talk about our projects that not one single person on the Earth cares about, lol. Happy to read through the thread.

3" x 1.5" for Volley and Bayonet. I am doing it on the cheap, so I am using regimental stands as brigade stands. A stand has 96-100 3mm infantry or 24-36 cavalry.

@Mike – when you based 3mm on 20mm squares, is that just one or two unit blocks or what? what miniatures do you use?

I have been amassing 2mm irregular but still dont know how to best base them – and also had been making my own paper 3mm stuff (but its all a bit on hold now due to study commitments) and likewise just cannot settle on what might work across all the units – 3cm x3xcm or 4x2cm or 3x4cm or bigger – i am too indecisive and that bogs me down always

Oops, I meant to add that my 2mm stuff is on 30x15, generally two blocks per base. A 'unit' is two bases, so depending which way they are facing, they can be in line, square or assault column. March columns are end to end (thanks to Twilight of the Sun King for that brilliant basing idea).

40mm square for my 28mm stuff. Two of those side by side makes a Blucher brigade

i think part of my difficulty has always been with trying to figure out how also march columns can also be adequately represented, – especially if using small scales where a single block might represent a whole battalion or a regiment

@George- 3mm O8 pico. I can make two strips of 9 infantry with flag pass as a reinforced line (a unit); spanning the 20mm behind that one is another. So, I can get two 'battalions' on a 20mm square. For French I usually make two staggered columns, so if you would put two or three together it would appear the battalions are in a checkerboard.

For artillery I do NOT use crew, just caissons, guns and limbers. From a hot air-balloon view that I am going for here, vehicles would be visible as well as infantry masses and cavalry lines. So, no gunners or skirmishers are represented.

I have mine based on EIII which are quite small so to me don't have any room for flocking so they are still in the 1980 style

My 6mm infantry is based on 20mm squares, cavalry on 25mm squares. Depending on the ruleset I use 3-6 bases for infantry and 2-4 bases for cavalry per formation.

Strange how many respondents are 6mm and smaller. Have I somehow entered the wargaming mainstream?

Georg, I think it was V&B which did road columns by using three(?) "spacer" stands containing only a dust cloud normally made from cotton balls. Worked pretty well and didn't cost much.

60 x 60, as are all my 28mm figures

@Robert

He DID ask how we were doing big battle basing.

"where 1 base will be a brigade and units will be divisions"

28mm, I use 1/2" per infantry figure frontage. 1" for cavalry. Depth doesn't really matter. Actually base size will vary from country to country depending on battalion/squadron size.

This depends on do you want to a) do the maths and get the scale correct, b) follow the herd. If b) you need to now what those you play play with against use, those of us more than 40 miles away don't count. If a) maths is maths, look up the battalion frontages decide no your ground scale and do the sums.

I did 20mm is 200 meters in game terms filled by 600 cavalry, or 1.200 3 rank infantry in line, or 20 +(4) guns at 10 meter intervals. So each base is 1200 foot 600 cab or 24 guns. Not far off at all on frontage.