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I'm considering starting up an ork army, and I've noticed in pictures that the feet of ork boyz tend to hang off the edge of the base. I'd like to use 32mm bases, but I've read posts that say that orks on 32mm bases are potentially a problem. Is there a compelling argument to stick with 25mm bases even if 32's would look better? Would anyone have a problem playing against orks on 32mm bases?

When there are 100 boyz on the table 7mm per model will make that army a lot bigger and I would say it's unfair. GW has stated that models should be built with the bases they are supplied with. Some models have been released with 25mm and 32mm over the years and in those cases either base is acceptable.

Yeah, Orks definitely do best with their normal bases.

Use what you want. They will look better on 32's.

Rules do say that you are supposed to use the bases supplied though. In friendly games it depends on your opponent, tournaments might not be happy with it.

Modelling for disadvantage ?

 Nate668 wrote:
I'm considering starting up an ork army, and I've noticed in pictures that the feet of ork boyz tend to hang off the edge of the base.

Haven't had troubles with small bases for regular boyz. Now nobz and alike (painboyz, grotsnik) might look and ballance better on 32 mm. But they're supported with smaller bases. Also, flashgitz come with 40 mm bases iirc which feels too much for them.

Someone could claim you get an extra 7mm on disembark. Scattering blast markers into assault equals less hits. Your models might not fit past certain areas during movement. Your models could spread out more while still maintaining coherency. These are all very small, nit picky issues, but someone could have a problem with it and would probably be disallowed during competitive events. Just sayin'. My orks seem to be fine on their regular bases.

 rhinosaur wrote:
Someone could claim you get an extra 7mm on disembark.

Outside of a tournament, I would walk away from any game where my opponent tried to make that a valid point.

Scattering blast markers into assault equals less hits.

Not only is that a situation that only rarely ever occurs, it would only matter if the models were touching bases, you were using a larger Blast marker, and the blast marker would have to land just right.

Your models might not fit past certain areas during movement.

Yes, the magical sweet spot in terrain between 26 and 33mm

Your models could spread out more while still maintaining coherency.

Yes, your 5 models spread to max coherency would take up 35mm more, end to end. Important when....well never actually

These are all very small, nit picky issues,

Absolutely, and I would question the sanity of any player who brought them up, and point out to them that GW provided us with 32mm bases so our models could look cooler.

but someone could have a problem with it

Yes, the mentally ill

and would probably be disallowed during competitive events.

I highly doubt that

Just sayin'. My orks seem to be fine on their regular bases.

Terminators were fine on 25mm bases. Did anyone, ever, make the argument that putting them on larger bases was advantageous for game meta, or do they declare modelling for advantage when they are on smaller bases ?

More importantly, does the small difference in base size significantly impact the game in any meaningful way? No. No it doesn't.

Small diferences in base size affect the game about as much as the height difference between regualr and truscale marines. Sure you could cook up some hypothetical situation where it could offer a trivial advantage, but there would be disadvantages as well.

Legitimate problems with Orks on 32mm bases?
Larger Mob Footprint makes you MORE LIKELY to get hit with scattering templates.
Larger Mob Footprint makes hiding in cover more difficult.
Larger Mob Footprint may mean 1 less model in base to base for assault.
Building Orks on 32s is more expensive, since they don't with them.
32mm bases may be more difficult to store, as some precut storage containers were designed for 25s

Some people are delusional in this thread to think it makes no difference. 100 orks at 7 millimeters difference is 28 extra inches acracross the board. Even reduced to 50 its still a foot and 2 inches bigger. That's a huge advantage in so many objective games. I play orks and even I think that's way out of line.

 adamsouza wrote:

 rhinosaur wrote:
Someone could claim you get an extra 7mm on disembark.

Outside of a tournament, I would walk away from any game where my opponent tried to make that a valid point.

Scattering blast markers into assault equals less hits.

Not only is that a situation that only rarely ever occurs, it would only matter if the models were touching bases, you were using a larger Blast marker, and the blast marker would have to land just right.

Your models might not fit past certain areas during movement.

Yes, the magical sweet spot in terrain between 26 and 33mm

Your models could spread out more while still maintaining coherency.

Yes, your 5 models spread to max coherency would take up 35mm more, end to end. Important when....well never actually

These are all very small, nit picky issues,

Absolutely, and I would question the sanity of any player who brought them up, and point out to them that GW provided us with 32mm bases so our models could look cooler.

but someone could have a problem with it

Yes, the mentally ill

and would probably be disallowed during competitive events.

I highly doubt that

Just sayin'. My orks seem to be fine on their regular bases.

Terminators were fine on 25mm bases. Did anyone, ever, make the argument that putting them on larger bases was advantageous for game meta, or do they declare modelling for advantage when they are on smaller bases ?

More importantly, does the small difference in base size significantly impact the game in any meaningful way? No. No it doesn't.

Small diferences in base size affect the game about as much as the height difference between regualr and truscale marines. Sure you could cook up some hypothetical situation where it could offer a trivial advantage, but there would be disadvantages as well.

Legitimate problems with Orks on 32mm bases?
Larger Mob Footprint makes you MORE LIKELY to get hit with scattering templates.
Larger Mob Footprint makes hiding in cover more difficult.
Larger Mob Footprint may mean 1 less model in base to base for assault.
Building Orks on 32s is more expensive, since they don't with them.
32mm bases may be more difficult to store, as some precut storage containers were designed for 25s

The old terminators were about the size of a modern guard trooper. The new ones don't fit very well with their silly spread eagle legs. I'm also not familiar with a 32mm base. I only have the 25mm and ones that measure about 1.5 inches or 38mm. Maybe that is what the OP is talking about? As far as not making a difference we will just have to disagree on that. There are many times where having my Warboss (bigger base) along for the ride meant getting off a successful disembark and assault and getting shot to bits. I'm not sure about others but most of my mobs are at least 20 strong and the extra distance would make a difference.

If you play on boards with a lot of terrain, it will be difficult to get large blobs through to assault. The result could be fewer boyz in a longer line, making overwatch more painful.

 rhinosaur wrote:

I'm also not familiar with a 32mm base. I only have the 25mm and ones that measure about 1.5 inches or 38mm..

25mm = 1" Standard 40K Base
32mm = 1.25" New Base, included so far with T4 Models in power Armor
40mm = 1.57" Terminator Base

Some people are delusional in this thread to think it makes no difference. 100 orks at 7 millimeters difference is 28 extra inches acracross the board. Even reduced to 50 its still a foot and 2 inches bigger. That's a huge advantage in so many objective games. I play orks and even I think that's way out of line.

Yes, because Ork players frequently line 100, or even 50 models, base to base in a straight line across the table.

How would that be an advantage ? Your movement is still the same, and you could take up the same amount of space across by simply not being in base to base with those 100 models.

More importantly, when you are not clumped base to base there is no effective diference.

Yes you can and you would be 100% legal per the BRB PAGE 9 "The rule in this book assume that models are mounted on the base they are supplied with. Sometimes, a player may have models in his collection on unnususlly modelled bases. Some models aren't supplied with base at all [...]"

so basically you should use the base they come with but if you want to go nuts and go larger nobody can really stop you.

 rhinosaur wrote:
Someone could claim you get an extra 7mm on disembark.

Then they are cheating anyway, the whole model has to be within 6" which acutely gives less room to place 32mm bases and therefore is a disadvantage

 Orock wrote:
100 orks at 7 millimeters difference is 28 extra inches acracross the board.

Only if you put all 100 orks next to each other in a straight line and it doesn't help in objective games that much cause I unit can only hold one objective at a time

Some of these responses are so ridiculous and over the top. There are advantages and disadvantages to the large bases (disadvantages being they would be harder to keep behind cover and harder to fit as many in close combat) but the advantages are hardly a riptide, imperial kight or invisibility so it not like it's breaking 40k.
I doubt anyone would notice or care in a game so just use which ever is cooler but maybe just ask them before hand (anyone who is against you using them just be glad you found out what sort of player they were before you started the game)

Also I haven't seen these 32mm bases yet so it'll be interesting to see how models look on them

Um you can use that 28 extra inches on every corner to make a square spread out 7 inches farther each direction. That is HUGE when you only have to have objectives 12 inches apart.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 adamsouza wrote:

 rhinosaur wrote:

I'm also not familiar with a 32mm base. I only have the 25mm and ones that measure about 1.5 inches or 38mm..

25mm = 1" Standard 40K Base
32mm = 1.25" New Base, included so far with T4 Models in power Armor
40mm = 1.57" Terminator Base

Some people are delusional in this thread to think it makes no difference. 100 orks at 7 millimeters difference is 28 extra inches acracross the board. Even reduced to 50 its still a foot and 2 inches bigger. That's a huge advantage in so many objective games. I play orks and even I think that's way out of line.

Yes, because Ork players frequently line 100, or even 50 models, base to base in a straight line across the table.

How would that be an advantage ? Your movement is still the same, and you could take up the same amount of space across by simply not being in base to base with those 100 models.

More importantly, when you are not clumped base to base there is no effective diference.
Wait, wait, I take that back, you're 7mm close to assault.

I think you need to check your math again. 10 models with a one ingh base across two inches apart is thirty inches. With one point two- five inch bases its thirty two point five. You have a potential spread with fifty of fourteen extra inches across and ninety gives you twenty eight anywhere in the mob.

 Orock wrote:
Um you can use that 28 extra inches on every corner to make a square spread out 7 inches farther each direction. That is HUGE when you only have to have objectives 12 inches apart.

I would love my opponent to do that. That has serioulsy got to be one of the worst ideas I have ever heard.
A square of 100 Orks, that can't assault anything without disrupting this elaborate configuration, and can only shoot at a single unit, with a tiny portion of numbers.

You do realize that 24 Orks on 25mm bases can form a line across a 6ft deployment zone, while maintaining squad coherency ?

Please stop straining to find a situation where 32mm bases grant some sort of game breaking bonus, they don't.

For games, use the correct bases.
If you're making a showroom piece, use whatever you want.

 adamsouza wrote:

 Orock wrote:
Um you can use that 28 extra inches on every corner to make a square spread out 7 inches farther each direction. That is HUGE when you only have to have objectives 12 inches apart.

I would love my opponent to do that. That has serioulsy got to be one of the worst ideas I have ever heard.
A square of 100 Orks, that can't assault anything without disrupting this elaborate configuration, and can only shoot at a single unit, with a tiny portion of numbers.

You do realize that 24 Orks on 25mm bases can form a line across a 6ft deployment zone, while maintaining squad coherency ?

Please stop straining to find a situation where 32mm bases grant some sort of game breaking bonus, they don't.

I don't think anyone's arguing game breaking, but it is nonetheless game changing. I can't say for certain the size of difference it'd make, but I know for a fact that if terminators were on 25mm bases I wouldn't have mishapped a DS last week and lost a ~400 point squad.... a pretty big game changer that literally came down to about ~10mm in difference, my guys hitting the edge of a building.

 kingbobbito wrote:

I don't think anyone's arguing game breaking, but it is nonetheless game changing.

I think you missed this

 Orock wrote:
That's a huge advantage in so many objective games. I play orks and even I think that's way out of line.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

It is more of a disadvantage than any sort of in game bonus. The only real advantage is that the models look better on the 32mm bases.
I've been building all my Necron Pratoreans, Immortals, and Lychguard on 32mm bases, instead of 25s, despite the disadvantages, because it greatly enhances the appearance of the models.

No one I have played against with them has ever raised any objections over the base size.

cheapbuster wrote:

 rhinosaur wrote:
Someone could claim you get an extra 7mm on disembark.

Then they are cheating anyway, the whole model has to be within 6" which acutely gives less room to place 32mm bases and therefore is a disadvantage

I forgot you all play 7th. I was referring to 5th as that what I use and is all I am familiar with.

kingbobbito wrote:
I don't think anyone's arguing game breaking, but it is nonetheless game changing. I can't say for certain the size of difference it'd make, but I know for a fact that if terminators were on 25mm bases I wouldn't have mishapped a DS last week and lost a ~400 point squad.... a pretty big game changer that literally came down to about ~10mm in difference, my guys hitting the edge of a building.

Yes, this. ^^



So to answer the OP's question:
In a friendly setting it will probably never be an issue but this is something you should propose to your group before spending all the effort of basing them that way.
In a tourney it has the potential to cause problems for someone.
If you simply like them that way then go for it.
If you are trying to gain an advantage then don't do it.

cheers all

 adamsouza wrote:

 Orock wrote:
Um you can use that 28 extra inches on every corner to make a square spread out 7 inches farther each direction. That is HUGE when you only have to have objectives 12 inches apart.

I would love my opponent to do that. That has serioulsy got to be one of the worst ideas I have ever heard.
A square of 100 Orks, that can't assault anything without disrupting this elaborate configuration, and can only shoot at a single unit, with a tiny portion of numbers.

You do realize that 24 Orks on 25mm bases can form a line across a 6ft deployment zone, while maintaining squad coherency ?

Please stop straining to find a situation where 32mm bases grant some sort of game breaking bonus, they don't.

Really? You cant see the tactical advantage of sitting on 3 objectives for orks instead of two, having wyvern blast templates hit an average of one ork less per blast template, or being able to have your warboss/painboy/wyrdboy be 12 inches farther back, avoiding most challenges and some precision shot weapons? Do you win much when you play? Because if my orks had 32mm bases I would win more often. And terrain dosent matter when you already are in difficult terrain every turn of every game just due to sheer mob size.

 Orock wrote:
You cant see the tactical advantage of sitting on 3 objectives for orks instead of two,

Page 134 - "A unit can only control one objective Marker at a time."

 Orock wrote:
or being able to have your warboss/painboy/wyrdboy be 12 inches farther back, avoiding most challenges

Page - 102 "Swap the challengee for a friendly model in base contact with the challenger" No distance specified

 Orock wrote:
And terrain dosent matter when you already are in difficult terrain every turn of every game just due to sheer mob size.

Cover saves are taken on individual models - The closes model is check for cover, so as you are taking about the unit being so large that it will always be in cover I am to assume that they are just touching cover on sides of the unit or they are going from cover to cover and majorly slowing yourself down and the unit isn't going to get anywhere. If you are just touching the sides to try and get cover then the ones in the cover will probably die first then the rest will be in the open. And with a unit so monstrously large as you seem to think good luck keeping the unit behind a wall or wreckage.

If adamsouza wins a lot of games it's probably not by of adding larger bases but rather because he doesn't play like a Sunday morning beginners gamer as you clearly do

 Nate668 wrote:
I'm considering starting up an ork army, and I've noticed in pictures that the feet of ork boyz tend to hang off the edge of the base. I'd like to use 32mm bases, but I've read posts that say that orks on 32mm bases are potentially a problem. Is there a compelling argument to stick with 25mm bases even if 32's would look better? Would anyone have a problem playing against orks on 32mm bases?

If you'd like a compelling argument, here's the one that compelled me:

I use 25mm for regular orks.

I'm rebasing all my Nobs on 32mm (either new bases, or the SWM base adapters--which are the same price!).

The slightly larger bases really help the nobs stand out in the unit, but aren't' as big and obvious as 40mm bases (and also set a distinction between Nobs and Meganobs in bases). It looks pretty good, helps differentiate 2w models, and doesn't wholesale change the size of the army's bases.

I might move the Stormboys to 32mm if it helps with stability, and I'm looking at some of the 'character' models (some of which came on 25mm and others on 40mm) to see what visually makes sense to me. I know that changing model bases does change rules interactions, but this isn't the rules discussion forum. I play fluffy (aka losing all the time) Orks, so I really don't care. I'm not going to base my Gorkamorka orks on the teeny little bases that they came on. I'm basing my squiggoths, even though they didn't come with bases, as well as my Mega/Meka dreads. It will affect their interactions with the rules, but for the games (and gamers) I play with, it's not going to matter. You will know your opponents better than any of us.

@Da Butcha,

I'm thinking about doing the same thing after seeing some of the responses here. I don't really care to play competitively and I don't think the 32mm bases really make much of a difference in game, but I don't want to run into arguments either.

 Nate668 wrote:
@Da Butcha,

I'm thinking about doing the same thing after seeing some of the responses here. I don't really care to play competitively and I don't think the 32mm bases really make much of a difference in game, but I don't want to run into arguments either.

If you play friendly games, and don't rebase the whole army to 32mm, I think that anyone who objects maybe doesn't count as 'friendly'.



I can see and understand an argument being made in tournament games, but GW is so 'loosey-goosey' in their rules consistency on this that I think it's a weak argument there, too. In particular, the formulation of 'basing them on the bases they are supplied with' means you will have to prove which boxes your Blood Angels came in, as they might be required to be on 25 or 32. It also means that, for example, the very same heavy weapons teams MUST be based differently if they are Catachans or Mordians. The 'precise' version of the base size requirements has so many loopholes and exemptions that I think it is more trouble than it is worth to enunciate, and it leads to things like the identical unit being based differently depending on production date or sculpt.

I'd just make sure to observe Wheaton's Law and go have fun.