Basing

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One of the reasons I started this blog was as a repository for all the scraps of paper that constituted my notes/research for this project. This post is, therefore, a blatant example of a note from me, to me. It is an attempt to save myself having to go and measure bases every time I want to order some more, or having to guess if it is Stirland mud or mire when I go to the shops.

Basing is a bugbear of many gamers: rulesets are often very specific as to the number of figures to bases ratios, and base sizes. I can see the point for competition gaming, or gaming against a number of regular opponents. As I don't do any of that sort of nonsense, and provide both sides, as long as I am consistent there isn't really a problem.

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All my bases are Warbases premier 2mm thick bases. Sabot/movement trays (2mm top layer) and casualty markers are also from Warbases.

Bases are finished using a muddy brown paint/grit mix, I am particularly taken with using Citadel Stirland Battle Mud (not Stirland Battlemire, which is really thick and paste like) textured basing paint (in other words mud brown paint with a drop of PVA and some grit in it). I did dally with trying to make my own but colour consistency was very unreliable between batches, so I've gone back to Stirland Battle Mud with a wash of Miniatures Paints chestnut ink (despite the cost). Consistency being the driving factor here. If I was starting again, I might reconsider using a commercial product and mix up a bit vat of brown paint, glue and grit (and write the exact recipe down for future reference).

Once dry this is then adorned with 2mm green static grass. I originally started using Antenociti's gamers grass, but as they shut up shop, I discovered that Gale Force 9's green static grass is exactly the same stuff. Clearly it has been bought from the same manufacturer and repackaged into fancy smaller containers at double the price. 

a little bit of sleuthing and trawling railway modelling forums and websites led me to discover that wwwscenics sells the same stuff (but for the railway modelling market, and no there isn't a '.' between 'www' and 'scenics') in much bigger packages and for a lot less money.  This is listed as '2mm spring grass'.

Prettification is courtesy of a variety of tufts from MiniNatur (short tufts codes 717-21 spring, 717-22 summer, 717-24 late fall; short tufts with blossoms 726-21 spring and 726-23 early fall). Rarely I throw in a cork chipping 'boulder' for good measure. Recently discovered Gale Force 9 spring undergrowth which I am now a big fan of, slowly adding it to my already ''finished" bases. If I used this by the bucket load I would no doubt find the same product much, much cheaper in bulk quantities on a railway modelling site.

I do occasionally throw in something a little more exciting from the spares box - I have some separate drums, some surplus flags, and have even put a hat (recovered from a headswap) on a base.

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I want my armies to look like those represented by Streeter. Particularly my regiments of foot, which has led to thirty four man regiments (16 musket, 12 pike, 2 halberdiers, 2 officers, a drummer and a standard bearer). These are based in 4s on 40mm x 15mm bases (halberdiers have a base each), 12 bases fit a 120mm x 60mm sabot/movement tray (two are blanks to fill in spaces).

Firelocks: are based four figures to a 40mm x 15mm base, 6 bases fit a 120mm x 30mm sabot/movement tray, giving 24 men to a unit. These are my only units not to have a standard, they do however have an officer and a drummer.

Dragoons are represented on foot. There are 12 fighting men based individually on penny sized bases, these fit two 3 x 2 penny sabot/movement trays. Rather than having a token representative horse holder I decided to have 1:1 horses to men; one horse holder has three horses on a 40mm x 40mm base (of which there are six bases per unit); and a command stand of mounted officer, mounted standard bearer, drummer on foot and his empty horse again (newer dragoon units now have a mounted drummer) based on 40mm x 40mm. This gives a 21 man unit.

Cavalry are based on 60mm x 30mm bases, four horsemen to a base and 16 men to a unit; one stand having a trooper, officer, trumpeter and standard.

I currently field three different sizes of artillery pieces: light guns are based on 40mm x 40mm, medium on 40mm x 50mm, and heavy guns on 40mm x 60mm bases. Light guns have two horse limbers on 30mm x 70mm, medium guns have four horse limbers based upon 30mm x 80mm bases, and heavy limbers have a six horse team on 30mm x 100mm. Scots frame guns are on 40mm x 30mm, with their pack horses on 30mm x 40mm (yes I know these are the same size base, but they are orientated differently).

Siege parties: grenadiers, and harquebusiers on foot are based on penny sized bases; petard teams on 30mm diameter bases. 

Siege engineers: based on penny sized bases, with a 3 × 2 movement tray. Petards are based on 30mm diameter bases, and ladder parties are on 40mm x 30mm pill bases.

Command stands: individual generals are based on 30mm diameter bases, commanders in chief are based with a personal standard bearer on 50mm diameter bases. Second in commands are identified by having a dog. Each side also has a preacher based on penny sized base.

Baggage train: my convention here is two wheeled carts on 30mm x 60mm, pack horse trains on 30mm x 70mm, and four wheeled carts on 30mm x 80mm. I've added some suitable marching figures alongside my carts, superfluous I know but makes them look nice.

Every unit has a custom casualty marker depending upon their allegiance, complete with dead person.

Civilians: are based upon round bases: individuals on penny sized, small groups on 30mm diameter, and vignettes on 50mm diameter bases.

Clubmen: are based four figures to a 40mm x 15mm base, 6 bases fit a 120mm x 30mm sabot/movement tray, giving 24 men to a unit. Command is separate from units (to help give them an unorganised look) a drummer, standard bearer, a random citizen and a preacher share a 40mm diameter base.

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On the underside of the bases there is an identification code system: this is purely so I know which base goes with which unit, and which army.

The top right corner has a 'faction' colour code: Parliament's is orange, Royalists are red, Solemn League and Covenant are blue,  Montrose's Army is green, Irish Confederacy are purple, and clubmen and villagers are white. Naturally, storage boxes are also colour coded. A spreadsheet might also be involved...


The unit name is written on movement trays or command stands, and a unique unit code is added: e.g. RF4 Royalist Foot regiment 4, PA Parliamentarian  Artillery, SLCF2 Solemn League and Covenant Foot regiment 2.

This example is Parliamentarian foot regiment #3, which is Colonel Charles Fairfax's regiment.


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Comments

  1. Dex McHenry27 December 2021 at 08:41

    I can see the sense of your 40mm frontage basing for infantry, as this also allows use with other sets. But why switch to 60mm frontage for cavalry?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Radar27 December 2021 at 09:03

      No deep thinking going on here I'm afraid. Two factors at play: that's just the physical space that the figures take up, coupled with pack sizes of figures dictating numbers of figures in a 'unit'.

      Delete

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