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Interesting news on the GW front! A close friend of mine (works in the industry, but I don't want to say more for the sake of confidentiality) has just shared some information with me. Below is part of the email he sent me last night:

"And among other things, the 3D models for the new molds arrived in today. You are not going to believe this, but the diagrams call for new bases. These bases are not circular, nor are they square...hexagon and octagon bases. Unfortunately, it does not say whether the bases are for fantasy or 40k."

I am just as shocked as I am sure you are after reading this. I am not sure what these bases are intended for. Perhaps GW is going for something extra unique? Perhaps a specialist game? (we can only hope) If these are indeed meant for fantasy or 40k, I'm not sure if I would cry or punch something.

Battletech!

I'm guessing WFB, based on other current developments.

It's not the first time that GW's made hex bases.

Um. Welcome to the tracker.

Wait.....what? I cannot see any reason for a change like that. If GW is attempting to somehow create a unique product that cannot be copied (or would be difficult to copy), I don't think changing the base size or shape would do anything. What would they gain from something like that? Let's hope you are right and maybe it is for a specialist game of some kind.

Interesting. I'm not sure I believe it, but I could see a base change coming to WFB since 40K is undergoing base changes currently. A hex base would definitely work better for ranking troops from a modeling stand point - they could be staggered rather than one in front of the other.

I'm willing to bet that these bases are for the return of Blood Bowl and not anything to do with WFB.

Il believe it when i see it.

i wouldn't think ranking would be any better with a hex base and god help you for a flank charge.

If this is for fantasy, some very interesting rules could be made using octagon bases... You could have frontal flank, flank and rear flank charges. Although, I think that may just complicate rules if that is the intention. And it would look very awkward with large units.

I doubt this is true (no doubt be proved wrong now though...), certainly not for 40K and fantasy.

My speculation is this is more likely a rerun of Mighty Empires or something similar as a campaign system for both games and somebody got their wires crossed... but can't honestly see them going over to hex bases again.

I edited the title to clarify, since we have so many new rumors recently. Let's make this our hex/octagon bases rumor thread

Flying bases used to be hexagons. Then they just stopped using those ugly things.

 pretre wrote:
Um. Welcome to the tracker.

The dubiousness! Eeet burnsssss!!

If they wanted to unique, they would split the difference and make heptagonal bases.

I'm saving my salt to season the inevitable "New GW bases colors rumor" thread.

Does this mean we can have Flank Charges, Rear Charges, Flank Rear charges, and Flank Flank Rear charges?

Oh man, right now it's a hornets' nest in the rumor's section. Post-Apocalypse WHFB after the End-Times, Hexagonal bases, the usual "what units are next in line" speculations...

Makes me wonder whether GW deliberately tells different stories to different people to see where the leaks come from.

Another good reason why people should leave WHFB and 40K.

I personally find this one very hard to believe... but it would certainly be interesting

wildger wrote:
Another good reason why people should leave WHFB for 40K.

Fixed that for you... LOL

I don't 100% believe, but I wouldn't be surprised. Doubly so if they somehow trademarked that base style so that no pesky third party could make similar figures. That seems like something they would do given how the CHS lawsuit turned out.

It's an interesting idea though, I'll give it that. Not that I think it would work, but it's definitely something new.

 oni wrote:


I'm willing to bet that these bases are for the return of Blood Bowl and not anything to do with WFB.

I wouldn't be surprised if this was it since Mantic uses Hexes for Dreadball.

weeble1000 wrote:

 oni wrote:


I'm willing to bet that these bases are for the return of Blood Bowl and not anything to do with WFB.

I wouldn't be surprised if this was it since Mantic uses Hexes for Dreadball.

Two problems:

1. Blood Bowl uses round bases. Not to say it couldn't change though.

2. Most importantly, re-releasing Blood Bowl with hex bases would indicate that GW acknowledge they have competition. That's the kind of paradigm shift that I don't think GW is capable of making...

Maybe they are planning on releasing a (specialist---gasp) game that uses hex bases that ties in with their main universes. I mean, Space Hulk didn't use standard 40K bases, but it didn't herald a wholesale base change on GW's part. It could be to allow flexible movement on a game board without measurements. Didn't the old Dark Eldar Wych Gladiatorial Arena game use hexes?


To all the people joking about hex bases, GURPS uses a hex-based combat system and it works pretty darn well. The forward three hex sides are your front and side hexes (with shield side and weapon side) and the back hex sides are your right and left flank and rear. This way, people with good peripheral vision can defend their flanks, and people with Tunnel Vision (like those wearing great helms) can only see clearly into the front, but not side hexes. It's pretty elegant. Way too much detail for WFB or 40K, but very nice for a small-scale combat system.

 Alex C wrote:

weeble1000 wrote:

 oni wrote:


I'm willing to bet that these bases are for the return of Blood Bowl and not anything to do with WFB.

I wouldn't be surprised if this was it since Mantic uses Hexes for Dreadball.

Two problems:

1. Blood Bowl uses round bases. Not to say it couldn't change though.

2. Most importantly, re-releasing Blood Bowl with hex bases would indicate that GW acknowledge they have competition. That's the kind of paradigm shift that I don't think GW is capable of making...

Blood Bowl uses a grid, so base shape doesn't really matter so long as it fits into the square, and even the square size doesn't really matter. I use squares that are a little over 1"x1", honestly.

It wouldn't be a direct acknowledgement of competition. I could see it happening. GW releases a new, one off Blood Bowl box set with new rules, bla, bla, bla.

Meh, rumors are rumors.

I could see hex bases come out with re released specialist games like blood bowl.

if they re released other games like necromunda too, I wouldnt complain about hex bases

Da Butcha wrote:
I mean, Space Hulk didn't use standard 40K bases...

Bad comparison. Space Hulk didn't use bases. Period.

The models were complete without the addition of bases.

This one was still sold a few years ago by GW so maybe it will return

From a game mechanics POV there are a lot of nice features with hex bases. They generally are used by systems with a little more rules-grit then GW favors though...

That type of base could easily accomodate Epic as well - either to be used with a hex mat or not.

Yeah, there was a reason they got rid of those hex flying bases: They were awful! The smaller surface area created a higher centre of gravity meaning the (often metal) things mounted on them would fall.

The larger flat round ones are superior.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
Yeah, there was a reason they got rid of those hex flying bases: They were awful! The smaller surface area created a higher centre of gravity meaning the (often metal) things mounted on them would fall.

The larger flat round ones are superior.

Yeah, but round bases won't fit on the HammerHex boards that the only GW game will be played on by 2016.