Tuesday, July 19, 2011

28mm Napoleonic Basing 2

The great Napoleonic basing debate continues. 50mm or 45mm frontages. 4 or 6 figures? Here are a couple of different ideas. The first are taken from Kent's website- his new French. 50mm frontage and 4 figures per base. Although they are painted to his usual exceptional standards the bases just look too sparse to me- simply not enough figures for Napoleonics battalions- I personally think these bases need 6 figures (or 5- 3 in the front rank and 2 behind).





And option 2 from the Wargaming in 28mm website- 45mm frontages and 6 figures per base (I think). I prefer the massed look of 6 figures per base but it is a 50% increase in painting required. These bases give the mass that looks right to me.







Another option would be to use 40-45mm width bases with 4 figures and use sabots if required. This may be another option worth considering.


EDIT:
Nick has sent me some photos of his 50mm, 5 figs per base- and I borrowed one of his 4 figs per base from his blog :). I do like the look of the 5. I've been perusing Wargaming in 28mm and Saxon Dog's site tonight and they have made up my mind for me- 5- 6 figs per base it shall be.









Pictures 1 and 3 give a nice comparison of his 4 figs vs 5 figures formations- I do like the extra figure in the front Rank Nick, and it is a nice compromise.

And Nick's French force- that is the massed look I'm after!


Base Width?
As for width- it will be either 45mm or 50mm. I guess 50mm would be easier in that it would keep to the same conventions as the North Island Lasalle gamers- who would have though standardised basing conventions for Napoleonics! Surely the wargaming world will turn on its axis!

I had contact with Front Rank tonight and it looks like at least a week before my order will be sent (somehow it has grown to include all the infantry I will need) so plenty of time to mull this one over.

Other news: Impetus tomorrow night
My vikings will be taking on Kent's dastardly Normans at Impetus- we shall see how well a Shieldwall can hold up to heavy Cavalry!

Craig


11 comments:

  1. I like 15mm frontage per figure, with 20mm depth. That is indeed very common.

    That makes a 60mm width for 4 minis, and 45mm for 3. 40mm depth.

    Blancard
    www.my-hundred-days.blogspot.com

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  2. Emailed you some pics of my 5 to a 50mm base.

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  3. I use 20mm x 20mm bases for individual figures which are then mounted, via magnets on 40mm by 60mm unit bases, six per base. It works well and gives some flexibility for both rules that use figure removal or for skirmish gaming.

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  4. I have gone with 6 to a base on a 50 x 50mm base and looks real good.

    Heres a thread on the CHCH forum with them based as 50mm.
    http://forum.nzwargamer.net/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=5908

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  5. ahhh that could have read/been put better, thats a thread of 28mms based on 50mm bases (not my figures)

    cheers

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  6. Hi Scruff- welcome.

    I do like the look of the 6 figs- I for got about Nick's French force while looking for inspiration.

    Maybe next year we can get a Napoleonics game in 28mm at Southcon

    @ Blanchard- you have a new follower- great looking figures

    Craig

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  7. Thank you. Ive been following a long time ;)

    Sadly the rest of the guys down here haven't been bitten by the 28mm bug, preferring 15mm, and even then more FoW.

    But Naps has always been my main love to to speak.

    cheers

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  9. Those are mostly 45mm x 40mm. Scruff'a stuff is 50mm x 50mm on page 2.

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  10. Pic 1 is my Perry plastic unit. My second unit and next on the painting table has 4 Perry and 1 Calpe in the mix to break up the same pose syndrome.

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  11. Hi Craig,

    I think 5-6 figs is a good compromise (2nd to last pic looks good enough to me) and I was intending to follow Pooch in using the 50mm convention once Warlord get my plastics out.

    We had the same issue with Impetvs after-all (though the NIers should conform to our 8cm conventions! :) ) and I do think that you can make 28mm bases too sparse, if you are not careful.

    And David (Scruff) if 'down here' is Invercargill, Chch may well be able to loan you one of our avid 28mm gamers for a day a week, maybe - fingers crossed for him.

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