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Hey there Dakka!

I was basing my newly repainted Eldar and was admiring the results when I thought about how basing used to be completely irrelevant to me. So I thought about the question of how many people actually think basing is important and how vital it is for a model, from a painting to gaming point of view.

Basing is a requirement in my opinion. A decent base makes the model look 75% better.

Then again, you might get accused of modeling for advantage if you did have some sort of fancy base and your dreadnaught was like 1/8' taller and can shoot over things clearly...

There was a poll like this in one of the discussion forums. 60% of the idiots who voted said you're not even allowed to play the game without scenic bases on every model.

I stand by that "idiots".

sudojoe wrote:Then again, you might get accused of modeling for advantage if you did have some sort of fancy base and your dreadnaught was like 1/8' taller and can shoot over things clearly...

Hopefully they go the Warmachine route in 6th, so I model my dreadnoughts doing swan dives off of buildings.

I never used to, but I kept reading threads about it, and I finally caved in and based my models...Actually, I started basing them...Damn IG...so much to do...I will never do a new model without doing the base first again!

I find it important because it finishes a model. And not even a fully modelled base. Some sand, a wash of devlan mud or ryphonne sepia, a drybrush of a light brown or bleached bone, and a few patches of flock help make the model stand out. Takes roughly 10 minutes per model, not including drying time.

Though it's entirely up to the person who owns the models. If they want the base to be black, or still have paint smears all over it, then so be it. I'm certainly not going to dictate how others base their models.

Not very. Basing can look really good in the vacuum of taking photos of your model or painting comps but more and more on the tabletop it seems like it's almost always a case of dudes with ice world bases fighting dudes on volcanic world bases who are both really in a ruined city and it's starting to bug me.

Translucent bases are the future, start investing.

sudojoe wrote:Then again, you might get accused of modeling for advantage if you did have some sort of fancy base and your dreadnaught was like 1/8' taller and can shoot over things clearly...

My dreadnought never even came with a base.

All my models are based, their home world is one big city, and there is nothing other than asphalt around. So all their bases look like black asphalt.

DarknessEternal wrote:There was a poll like this in one of the discussion forums. 60% of the idiots who voted said you're not even allowed to play the game without scenic bases on every model.

I stand by that "idiots".

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/90/430073.page#3992027

You should probably figure out a more constructive way to react to learning that your preferences are in the minority, and not representative of Natural Law.


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-Loki- wrote:I find it important because it finishes a model. And not even a fully modelled base. Some sand, a wash of devlan mud or ryphonne sepia, a drybrush of a light brown or bleached bone, and a few patches of flock help make the model stand out. Takes roughly 10 minutes per model, not including drying time.

Not even that, really. I can assembly-line the basing of an entire army in an evening, and it will make the army look easily twice as good.

It's better to base them, but as long as the models have paint on them, it's good enough for me.

It Just dosen't have that element without it! Even somethign simple adds so much to a model!

I paint all my sanded bases Bestial Brown, generally. I go through a lot of bestial brown, but I like the bright dirt color.

All my armies have a 'patent' basing mix in a big bowl. Once they are varnished I spread PVA on the base and dip them in the mix. It's very easy and painless, for example my nids are on a mix of brown flock and stones that is supposed to represent the world now devoid of all life. It takes a few seconds per figure, easier than doing the whole sand on then painting over bit. Just my thoughts!

A good base can add + 3 out of 10 to a model.
A bad base can -2 /10

Its pretty important :'o

I think a model just doesn't look finished without a finished base. It is like a sketch of a marine on a blank sheet of paper. It can look cool, but never finished. The base kind of adds the background to the picture.

Yeah, I'm of the same opinion. I don't mind if my opponent's models aren't based even if it is a tourny, but I would prefer them to be.

As for the bases not fitting with the gaming table, since when does a black plastic base fit with any terrain?

Lord Rogukiel wrote:Yeah, I'm of the same opinion. I don't mind if my opponent's models aren't based even if it is a tourny, but I would prefer them to be.

As for the bases not fitting with the gaming table, since when does a black plastic base fit with any terrain?

That is not black plastic, that is asphalt.

It's definately not a matter of "needing too", but it's like painting your models. I don't mind playing against an unpainted army because I'd rather play than not and I don't want to discourage newer players from getting into the hobby by being snobby.

Basing is another step in the hobby. When you start playing you have lots of proxies. Then as you get into it you want to have the actual models. Then you want to paint them. Then you want to paint them well, with drybrushing/washes. Then you want them based. Then you want to make cool terrain. Then you want to make a dedicated table.

My but basing is also like painting where details matter. My army is very nicely painted in an urban theme, so I did a "crushed concrete" base. Now because the basing is a lot less detailed than the models, the models look more complete but less detailed as a whole. So now I need to vamp up the little details on the bases to the level I painted them too.

One of the guys at the local GW store explained all that to me but I didn't understand what he meant about the "added value" of detailed basing, but now that I have detailed models and simple bases I see exactly what he meant

DeathReaper wrote:

Lord Rogukiel wrote:Yeah, I'm of the same opinion. I don't mind if my opponent's models aren't based even if it is a tourny, but I would prefer them to be.

As for the bases not fitting with the gaming table, since when does a black plastic base fit with any terrain?

That is not black plastic, that is asphalt.

Touché.

I would base my models if I was planning on entering a painting competition. As it stands, I'm satisfied with a solid coat of paint (Goblin Green for most of my bases, Snakebite Leather for my Tallarns) to finish off a base. Flocking is more than I want to deal with when I'm putting together sixty or more models in an army.

That being said though, I respect those who do go the extra mile and flock or model their bases. It's always a treat playing against an army that looks that good, even if the bases don't match the environment of the game table.

I play a lot of foot guard and in 1000 points I field around 100 models. Having them fight on a "concrete" coloured table amist rocks an ruins with dark grey rubble basing make the effort worthwhile.

In the same way that some people are completely unbothered by fielding an army of styrene sprue gray, some people are not the least bit bothered by not doing anything with the base.

In the same way that a painted army looks better than raw gray, a finished base is going to look better than bare plastic.

I will play with and against opponents with models that aren't based...but a model isn't truly done until it's based. You could have the best-looking model on the face of the planet, but it would still not look as good as a mediocre model with a decent base...

Basing takes about five minutes per miniature for me and that includes gluing sand, basecoat, drybrush and static grass. Based minis looks much better so a miniature isn't finished until it's based.

kungfujew wrote:It's definately not a matter of "needing too", but it's like painting your models. I don't mind playing against an unpainted army because I'd rather play than not and I don't want to discourage newer players from getting into the hobby by being snobby.

Basing is another step in the hobby. When you start playing you have lots of proxies. Then as you get into it you want to have the actual models. Then you want to paint them. Then you want to paint them well, with drybrushing/washes. Then you want them based. Then you want to make cool terrain. Then you want to make a dedicated table.

My but basing is also like painting where details matter. My army is very nicely painted in an urban theme, so I did a "crushed concrete" base. Now because the basing is a lot less detailed than the models, the models look more complete but less detailed as a whole. So now I need to vamp up the little details on the bases to the level I painted them too.

One of the guys at the local GW store explained all that to me but I didn't understand what he meant about the "added value" of detailed basing, but now that I have detailed models and simple bases I see exactly what he meant

This sums things up perfectly, in my mind. I'm new to all this, and will get round to basing when enough models are painted up well enough, and I have an idea as to what i want the bases to look like. Getting wound up if a model isn't based is daft - look into the reasons why it isn't done, then make a proper, balanced judgement.

I don't base. Its weird to base a model with sand for a desert sort of feel, and you end up fighting in a grass field. It throws me off. I do like good bases, but they seem like something you do to a model you intend as a display model.

In all honesty, no one has ever critised me over not basing my models and I believe being judged over the bases of my models by-people is ridiculous. It's wrong to critisise people who do not base their models is at best ridiculous in non tournament formats of the game. To refuse to play is further ridiculous unless it's when someone just has a grey horde and has no intention of ever painting their models.

blood reaper wrote:In all honesty, no one has ever critised me over not basing my models and I believe being over judge mental of people who do not base their models is at best ridiculous in non tournament formats of the game. To refuse to play is further ridiculous unless it's when someone just has a grey horde and has no intention of ever painting their models.

Agreed. What is more important? Works of art, or having a fun and enjoyable game?