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Now, let me preface this by saying - yes, yes, we gamers are4 a very opinionated bunch, and yes, I am aware that games have base requirements. Warmahordes' focus on base size means that I'll always use 30mm bases for my infantry and although it seems to be less stressed in games like 40k or "Dust Tactics," I am aware that 25mm bases are the norm instead.

So, my question is - do you have a preference? When you're making a mini for the tabletop and it isn't exclusively for a particular game, which one do you go with?

And, when you're actually playing, do you ever use a base that's of a different size? Not the big, awful sin of making a Space Marine have some insane 50mm base (He just needs some space, okay?!) but swapping out with a different size.

Ever done it? Got a preference? Why or why not?

My preference is for flat 25mm. I like a 25mm round base, but you lose surface area on the top with a bevel, and a 30mm base with a lip doesn't really give you much more than a 25mm base to work with. I generally base my models on 25mm econo bases from GF9 because they have no lip. It is also very easy to use a 1/4" forstner bit to drill a flat-bottomed hole in the bottom of the base and pop a magnet right in the bottom, nice and snug, and flush with the surface the base is sitting on.

That's my preference.

I put pretty much mount everything on flat bevel 25s. Round lips on the 30s are too distracting.

If you really need 30mm bases, but want the flat bevel style, Armorcast makes metal 30mm flat bevel side bases with skulls, cobblestones or tech deck detail on the top. The skull and cobblestone versions are nice and heavy and I will be using them to base the amazingly badly balanced GW metal Hormagants.

http://armorcast.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=124_59&products_id=486

Depends on the game system. I would base PP models on the bases they come with, for example. (30mm round)

However, if I am using a generic rules system, I tend to default to 25mm rounds for skirmish gaming.

-P

round rather then square (unless I'm going to use them for something where ranking up is vital)

I prefer the look of the 30mm PP style bases and feel they give a bit of extra 'space' to a figure as I prefer figures are not crushed right up against the edge of a base so the extra 'black' helps

but they can look too large for smaller stuff (like goblins, gremlins etc) where I'd have to go with a 25mm GW type

(or occasionally a 20mm version if the mini is very small like a snotling/fairy/pixie etc)

In general, I prefer 25mm bases.

Square and lipped if the game allows.

30mm bases... clutter up the field for the games that I most use miniatures for - RPGs and fantasy wargames.

Heck, my favorite base size is 20mm square - nice for ranking in wargames. I don't think any companies make those with lips though.

***

As an aside - does GT9 still make Econobases? I have a bunch of take-out containers that are starting to look a little empty....

The Auld Grump

I love the 30mm lipped bases, and tend to use them whenever I can.

 TheAuldGrump wrote:

As an aside - does GT9 still make Econobases? I have a bunch of take-out containers that are starting to look a little empty....

The Auld Grump

Well I hope they do. My food boxes are starting to look a little empty too

I have my own "system" of sorts, that is a function of the size of the miniature measured against how characterful it is. So, basic, bog-standard human-sized infantry get flat-bevel 25mm bases, while a character figure or a conversion I particularly like will get a flat-bevel 30mm(I order bags of plain ones from Heresy Miniatures). Artscale Space Marines use the 30mm for basic infantry, with 40mm for characters/special cases. INQ28 models all go on the larger type for their size.

I've run into one or two people who piss and moan about it, but thankfully the vast majority of gamers aren't petty enough to make a big deal.

I am sad to say that as of last summer, GF9 claimed they had discontinued the econobase program. I sent in an email, and got that as a response just before Origins 2012.

However.. I do love me my Proxie Models bases.. (for fantasy)

-Porkuslime

If the game scale is 28mm, then I use a 25mm (1") base.

If the game scale is 32mm, then I use a 30mm base.

It's really that simple.

 EccentricOwl wrote:
So, my question is - do you have a preference?

For gaming, I prefer the GW-style. Less obtrusive than the round-edged style. For display minis, I have no preference.

When you're making a mini for the tabletop and it isn't exclusively for a particular game, which one do you go with?

Whatever it came with.

And, when you're actually playing, do you ever use a base that's of a different size? Not the big, awful sin of making a Space Marine have some insane 50mm base (He just needs some space, okay?!) but swapping out with a different size.

My Ork Nobs are on 30mm bevelled based, just to make them stand out a little more from the Boyz. And my bikes are all on 60mm round bases, because I dislike GW's cavalry bases, and prefer to stick with the round base aesthetic.

 insaniak wrote:
My Ork Nobs are on 30mm bevelled based, just to make them stand out a little more from the Boyz. And my bikes are all on 60mm round bases, because I dislike GW's cavalry bases, and prefer to stick with the round base aesthetic.

I did something similar with my old 2nd Edition Necron Immortals. They're on 40mm bases (although I may rebase them on 30mm), partly because they look bigger and scarier, but mostly because they're top heavy and kept falling over on the the 25mm bases.
I'm also a fan of putting characters on slighter larger bases to make them stand out.

For gaming, some would argue that using larger bases would protect you from template weapons, since less models will be hit when they're spread out, but larger bases also increase a unit's footprint on the table, and can make it harder for them to occupy terrain and cover. The above squad of Immortals I mentioned takes up quite a lot of space.

weeble1000 wrote:

 TheAuldGrump wrote:

As an aside - does GT9 still make Econobases? I have a bunch of take-out containers that are starting to look a little empty....

The Auld Grump

Well I hope they do. My food boxes are starting to look a little empty too

They don't currently sell econobases from their website, but they do still attend historicon/fall-in/cold wars and other cons like Adepticon. Every time I go to a con, I buy more, even if I don't need it.

Gf9 had said at one point they were reorganizing things and would start selling them again via their website, but that was years ago, and I don't hold out hope we'll see that return.

I have no reall prefrence when ti comes to bases. Since I play such varied games, anything from LOTR to Hail Caesare and Pike & shot. So yea, I use whateevr comes with the figures.

Anything that will fit in a 1x1 box, because I also use them for RPGs.

30mm lipped ala PP. Gives it a nice diorama quality even on a small scale.

Well seing as I am solely a 40k player, anything on a dffierent type of base as them looks wierd to me, except Warhammer, which looks wierd without the GW squares, with the exception in itself of Chaos Daemons which looks right on round but wrong on square.

Anything around the size of a marine will go on a 40mm base if I want it solely to paint, it gives me more room to put things on the base to add character to the model. Smaller things will go on a 30mm. And for some reason I really like the style of the GW bases, i'm not a huge fan of the rounded edges.

I have no preference of size and style of basing in general. I find the way various game rules treat base sizes is a subject I am far more opinionated on. in wm/h for example, the base dimensions are important for gameplay and used for measurements. Likewise, template weapons in any game hit fewer models if they have larger bases.

I will say that I find many models these days are made too large for their supplied bases. I don't want parts of my model hanging off the edge of a base, much less protruding great distances out. It can be a very frustrating experience trying to play a clean and competitive game with a great opponent only to have it spoiled by the models not physically wanting to get into base contact. If a model has a wide stance, it should be given a larger base.

I have some hordes models I would upgrade from 50mm to 60 or 80mm bases if given the chance. Unfortunately that isn't legal in the game and defeats the purpose of buying the army to play with if I can no longer play with the models.

I don't play anything that uses 30mm bases - RS or otherwise.

The majority of my stuff is on 25mm bevelled edge slot bases.
Whether they were GW, Grenadier, eM-4, whatever.
The remainder tends to be on 40mm bases. Whether the ones by GW or the lower profile ones used by infinity.

RS bases don't appeal to me. Nor do the games that tend to use them.

For standard foot miniatures, 25mm all the way. It's a size that's takes up less room on the table, on terrain and in storage. 5mm may not seem like much but on any kind of terrain with one inch clearances, a 30mm base just won't fit. Also, it's a size that works with a variety of games. My club tries alot of different rulesets, and 25mm works for most things. Lastly, our favorite rulset is Song of Blades and Heroes and it's works best when standard troops are on a 25mm round (or 20mm square) with larger and more powerful characters on larger bases.

I do use some 30mm bases, but I save them for larger miniatures that don't fit on standard 25mm. A fair number of Reaper miniatures seem to have flowing robes or a stance that doesn't quite fit on a 25mm.

Recently however I've been basing a fair number of fantasy miniatures on 20mm squares. I only do it for miniatures where I think there's a chance that I'll paint enough of them up to make a unit for Kings of War or some other mass battle system.

weeble1000 wrote:My preference is for flat 25mm. I like a 25mm round base, but you lose surface area on the top with a bevel, and a 30mm base with a lip doesn't really give you much more than a 25mm base to work with.

Interestingly the area inside the lip on a 30mm PP style is exactly the same size of 23mm across as the top of a typical 25mm GW slotta. Bigger base, no additional basing area. No Thanks!

When I need a larger base I usually use Proxie models 30mm round bases. They have a very small lip, so you get 27mm of basing area. Doesn't sound like alot, but it really makes a difference. I reviewed them here: http://chicagoskirmish.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-bases-from-proxie-models.html

L to R: Proxie 30mm, PP 30mm and GW 25mm

porkuslime wrote:I am sad to say that as of last summer, GF9 claimed they had discontinued the econobase program. I sent in an email, and got that as a response just before Origins 2012.

Yeah, I was bummed when I heard that as well. I ordered a ton of their Econobases for my rebased mechwarrior clix vehicles a few years back. Litko does similar work for a fair price, but is not the amazing bargain that Econobases were.

I think GF9 was sellling econobases at Adepticon, but, IIRC, it was a pre-made selection of sizes, and they didn't have the custom sizes that I used to order.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 TheAuldGrump wrote:

Heck, my favorite base size is 20mm square - nice for ranking in wargames. I don't think any companies make those with lips though.

Proxie makes 20mm squares with a small lip, but they are slightly shorter than GW standard.
http://www.proxiemodels.com/store2/index.php?route=product/product&path=20_27&product_id=56

I've got some of the EM4/Grenadier plastic dwarves based up on them. They are closer to GW height here because they have magnetic sheet glued to the bottom.


They also make 25mm squares with a small lip, but EM4 makes the Freebooter style 25mm bases which have a very deep lip and the standard GW height sides.
http://www.em4miniatures.com/acatalog/MINIAATURES_BASES.html

GF9 still has the econobases but only in certain sizes and only at conventions, I walked out of AdeptiCon with like 500 25mm square bases

I love warmachine bases, just beautifull stuff for 28mm's, they should create some with line of sight marks.

For 15mm's I use coins because they are cheaper than buying washers

It depends on the game .. I think the 25mm bases are fine for 40k, but for skirmish games with just a few models I prefer 30mm. Even though the actual flocking area is around the same size.. I think the rounded edge just looks nicer.

I think Dust Tactics is my least favorite, because of the little sunken rivet thingies around the edges. They look ok I guess, but it just annoys me when my flock gets stuck in the little dents.

 Eilif wrote:
When I need a larger base I usually use Proxie models 30mm round bases. They have a very small lip, so you get 27mm of basing area. Doesn't sound like alot, but it really makes a difference. I reviewed them here: http://chicagoskirmish.blogspot.com/2012/07/review-bases-from-proxie-models.html

L to R: Proxie 30mm, PP 30mm and GW 25mm

I love Proxie Models bases . And they're so cheap, too!

Personally (despite only playing a single system that uses them) I prefer the 'lipped' style of bases. Mainly because I find it easier to do basing (one of the things that annoys me on the bevelled-style bases is the basing texture dribbling down the sides all the time). I just find that the 'lip' gives a nice border to the base rather than having those annoying unintentional overhangs.

Also I find the extra room prevents the situation of minis getting tangled up as they do the base-to-base slow dance, especially if the minis have lots of sticky-out parts.