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I ordered a copy of the HG:Blitz rules and I'm working on some minis while they come in. Specifically, I've got a bunch of the 1/400 scale gundam figs* that are almost exactly the same size as Battletech/HG Mech's. I intend to use them as stand-ins for gears, but my problem is basing them: Hex bases or round? Some are in crazy poses that fit better on 40mm, some fit better on 30mm bases. I have a lot of spare AT-43 bases that I was going to use for warmachine figs and decided against, if I go with hex bases i'll have to order from Litko and pay their outrageous shipping. Do the HG:B rules require certain minis to be on certain size bases? I know most of them come with 1" hex bases and the larger ones use what looks like 40mm round bases. Does it really matter if you base them on hexes or circualar bases?




*those aren't mine, I WISH I had that many GMs and Zakus!

In Heavy Gear you measure from the edge of the base, so base size does matter. Also, when you turn, you rotate 60 degrees, one hex face. There are also gear facings.

All in all, I would recommend using 'regulation' hex bases. However, it would not be too difficult to mark off the facings on a circular base and to measure to the center of the base and then subtract half an inch.

I base all my gears on round bases because I really do not like the feet-hanging-off-the-edge look. The way DP9 does its bases, some models only have a tiny part of the feet on the base. If you don't intend to use the slotta tab, getting the mini to stay on the base can be difficult, unless you put something larger on top of the little hex base.

I use 30mm bases for size 6 models, 40 for size 7, and 50-60 for larger sizes, depending on what fits better. My Naga is on a 60mm base, for example.

In practice, the slight difference in base size does not impact the game to a significant degree. You are considered to be in melee anywhere within 3 inches of another model, for example. And as Spaceelf mentioned, you can always compensate with your measurements. Also, judging from the DP9 HGB forums, few people are sticklers for using the "proper" hex base.

My gaming group guestimates turns whether it is a hex base or round base. I haven't seen round bases get significantly different treatment. HGB can play slowly if you are very particular about things like turning. We tend to play a little loose in that we eyeball turns and leave a little wiggle room for things like getting onto a road, around an obstacle, etc.

If you use a round base, you should mark the front of the model and designate the proper size for this "facing." The reason to do this is for the purposes of firing arcs and scatter. It is good to be consistent about what you consider the front of your models to be. Even if you use a hex base, you should designate the front of the model for the same reasons.

It just occurred to me that if you were super interested in getting your turning radius correct you could build a little gorkamorka style turny gubbin for Blitz.

I actually use 30mm rounded bases from warmachine for normal gears and 40mm ones for the larger support gears like Cobras. As long as you mark the front hex facings on the base somehow, I don't see this causing any significant problems. In fact, some of the larger gears like Kodiaks and King Cobras actually come with circular bases as standard.