"Larger Bases for Ancients?" Topic

This sounds like the trap I walked into when I re-based my Renaissance Italian Wars armies and Mughals and Persians for Principles of War, which uses a 90mm wide norm.

I'm now locked into those rules by the base straight jacket and can't experiment with other sets without contemplating serious re-basing.

The way round it of course is using movement trays.

I'm sure most of us in any scale, in any period, would want to retain flexibility around our basing.

If the number of figures on a base is irrelevant why bother using figures at all, just stick one on to show troop type!

Vis Bellica uses large bases, and pre-dates Impetus.

It hardly set the world alight though.

I believe in individually based figures and sabots.

I've seen too many grown men cry over basing mistakes or at the thought of having to rebase their army for the 5th time …

Most of my ancients are on 20mm steel washers and then they fit into movement trays. I can also cut out magnetic sheet rectangles for particular rules. I cannot do 15mm spacing but I can do everthing else without too much pain.

Why no option for "we need smaller individual bases" ?

Something that's been done for years is not exactly 'revolutionary'.

The WRG/DBM system for 25/28mm figures is long out of date due to scale creep of figures. I have been arguing that for years.

The WRG/DBM system for 25/28mm figures is long out of date due to scale creep of figures. I have been arguing that for years.

It was out of date decades ago. If one can't mount Minifigs cataphracts (and I couldn't) on the SHC base sizes, then any other range of figures produced in the last 30 years has no chance…

I'm a big fan or small scales and large bases with lots of 6mm or 10mm figures whether that be Impetus or Grande Armee. I like the 1 base = 1 unit approach.

I like it for some games, not for others. So I chose 'no opinion' because I think it is only one of several possibilities.

Not new. Not revlutionary. Not necessarily a good idea. Hype.

But I like "Impetvs" all the same.

Allen

The WRG/DBM system for 25/28mm figures is long out of date due to scale creep of figures. I have been arguing that for years.

It was out of date decades ago. If one can't mount Minifigs cataphracts (and I couldn't) on the SHC base sizes, then any other range of figures produced in the last 30 years has no chance…

Or Lamming or Hinchliffe…
Yeah, it was pretty much out of date in 1984.
And the Keepers of WRG7th, the Warrior Dudes, continue to be in denial about it. They don't even think you have to use deeper bases. When you have to hammer figures flat to fit on regulation bases…

Change is dangerous, big change is bad. Beware!

When you have to hammer figures flat to fit on regulation bases…

Or when the cavalry all are running diagonally…

Hardly revolutionary idea.

I like large units but prefer rules where the units take "hits" rather than figure loss.

"And the Keepers of WRG7th, the Warrior Dudes, continue to be in denial about it. They don't even think you have to use deeper bases."

They have offered a "30mm" basing option.

Allen

Personally I'd rather assemble a number of smaller bases together to make 'big' bases. Very big bases are just a PITA, it is like those 90mm bases suggested for Principles of War – much easier to just put three 30mm ones together.

I agree with Martin – having a bunch of small bases makes things much more flexible – yesterday we had an Ancients game and we had to use a bunch of Vikings to fill out the Celts – we use movement trays for this, which we (eventually) will paint and detail

Agree with an earlier post with basing on 20mm and placing on a movement tray if needed.Allows me to pick a few figs to play skirmish or grid based games with the kids.

Agree with an earlier post with basing on 20mm and placing on a movement tray if needed.

Isn't scale creep making even 20mm individual basing a bit cramped these days?

Vis Bellica uses large bases, and pre-dates Impetus.

It hardly set the world alight though.

Agreed on both counts. However, the Impetus "Unit" base sizes make it relatively easy to use sabots holding multiple bases from most (if not all) of the other popular ancients sets, while the Vis Bellica "chunky elements" do not.

I may as well use large counters with big letters with things like "phalanx" on them instead of figures. Just because it's bigger doesn't make it better. Size is not what matters – it is how the game flows.

why the angst about rebasing figures for new rules?

if the rules are worth playing, buy a new army for them.

if you are just trying them out, then you can fudge the basing problems in house for a few games until you know if you liekthe rules.

Bigger bases, for me, are better, as the loss of edges removes most of the 'bases too small' problems.

Most of my 15mm Ancients are on WRG bases, my 28s are based for WAB.

I like Impetus very much, and do play some other games that use "units" comprised of multiple WRG bases.

Currently I use sabot bases, but I am sorely tempted to do up some larger bases. Especially as this will give me a chance to use some of the more characterful figures I have that don't work well in rigidly ranked bases.

I generally determine a good "average" base for each period and scale that I play and then adjust rules or use sabots to make my "standard" work.

I do base my medievals for Impetus; it's not the be-all and end-all of basing though. Just prefer my Burgundians in a diorama and really like this rule set for this era. Don't forsee pulling my hair out in future (unlike with my renaissance figs) and re-doing them. Took a long time to find a rule set I liked for the middle ages and my 15mm Etruscans and Biblicals so basing is not an agonizing thing now. Individual round, I think, looks best and sabots are great for larger units. That's more of a 'revolution' than large bases with variable figure amounts.

I've tended to adopt a standardised basing system for every period I wargame. Basing is not as big an issue as some people seem to make out. If you're consistent with the basing, both sides with the same basing system, then what's the problem?
In the past I used to base according to sets of rules, but when I tired of the set I had to rip them off the bases, take the ankle break casualties and rebase again, only to do again in a few years. What a pointless waste of time. Now I ignore the basing conventions of rule sets and if the rules don't work with my basing system I convert them to make sure they do, or ditch the rules.
Most of my figures are now on either 2p coins, I can use mass movement trays if I want to, or they are based in the style of Peter Gilder's Grand Manner, five or six on a single rectangular base.
I guess slaves to competition gaming are stuffed, but since I grew out of this thirty years ago, it doesn't bother me in the least.

Size is not what matters – it is how the game flows.

And Impetus battles flow very well indeed!