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With or without? Here is my first attempt at making a void shield generator. Overall I'm fairly happy with it. Got to play with a new tool on the dremel and not counting dry time only took a hour or so. One question is whether or not to base it. I've put pictures both with a temp base and without base. Which do you like better?

It looks good without a base, but I'd vote for basing it just so it is more durable and sturdy.

I like it unbased.

Basing on large items looks odd imho and can look really weird depending on the battlefield terrain.

And besides...

I'd say no base. Depending on what it's made of, base just the bottom of it for stability.

Stability isn't a problem. The structure is made out of solid wood connect with plenty of wood glue. The bigger problem is I posted this on Facebook and everyone there said base it but everyone here says don't. So no clarity is being achieved. :(


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Edit: Actually my biggest argument against adding the base is that the base will decrease the stability by giving corners that can catch on things.

 Snrub wrote:
It looks good without a base, but I'd vote for basing it just so it is more durable and sturdy.

me, too

If it's made from solid wood, it should be plenty durable, on its own. Leaving it unbased gets my vote for the sake of flexibility, as you can plunk it down on anything - snow, grass, dirt, etc. - without bringing a potentially mismatched little plot of land along with it.

Unless you base all of your terrain identically and only ever place it on the same, uniform table, basing terrain that doesn't require it is not just unnecessary, it's potentially visually jarring. Then again, people have no qualms with moving models straddling little disks of bubbling lava across verdant plains, so you may not particularly care.

Base it on a mechanical slab, not something grassy. That should fit in with pretty much any board. Unbased it just looks incomplete to me.

I vote unbased as well. Out of curiosity, is the design based on the Hoth Shield Generator from The Empire Strikes Back?


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I vote unbased as well. Out of curiosity, is the design based on the Hoth Shield Generator from The Empire Strikes Back?

No basing.

People here are gamers - while we agree a well made base may be cool, we also have the experience of playing on different table tops - if you can ensure you will always be matching it's base with the table and other terrain ....base it.

Otherwise, no base...

No base, blends better with terrain, doesn't need it to remain intact, and the base would be the weakest link in it. Caught and quickly broken.

I think the real question on whether to base or not is the wording for the void shield rules. Does it state the shield extends from the generator itself or the base of the generator.

Is it a lamp stand or table legs?

Doesn't the void shield generator have to have battlements?