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Not sure if this is the correct spot for this question:

Can I rebase my Tactical Marines for 32mm bases? Reason I ask is they came with 25mm bases, but all marines on sale on GW's site are coming with 32mm. If you look at the new battlefore box and even the tactical marine box, they are coming with 32mm now.

Would it be legal to make the swap?

As always dont ask us. ask your local group .tourny.

You CAN do it though. i and i think it looks awesome.

I wouldn't. It looks kind of weird on the TT, though that might just be me getting too used to the old 25mm bases.

ok, I will double check with my TO.

Thanks. I want to make the change because having my Dev squad on different bases is really messing with my head...plus I've always thought Space Marines needed bigger bases to stand out

It's completely legal. From 'Models and Base Sizes' in the rulebook:

"The rules in this book assume that models are mounted on the base they are supplied with. Soemtimes, a player may have models in his collection on unusually modelled bases. Some models aren't supplied with a base at all. In these cases (which are, in fairness, relatively few and far between), you should always feel free to mount the model on a base of appropriate size if you wish, using models of a similar type as guidance."

Mount them on the new 32mm bases (which look awesome; I've mounted my old metal Space Marine Scouts on them and love the update with such brilliant older casts) and you'll fall into the category of "unusually modelled bases" and therefore are allowed to use the new Tactical Squad (models of a similar type) as guidance.

Yes. I would be sad for you if anyone gave you a hard time about something like this.

If you want do it. I never noticed the new ones in the battleforce have the 32mm bases. If they ask just say you bought a lot of those. If they have old weapon bits say you like those better and armed them with those.

From a modeling point of view put them on whatever you think looks good. Is there a tabletop tactical reason that you would put them on larger basis?

WaughGoff wrote:
From a modeling point of view put them on whatever you think looks good. Is there a tabletop tactical reason that you would put them on larger basis?

Better spread protection from blast markers.

True enough. But harder to get them all in cover. Kind of balances out.

Honestly the amount of actual benefit you are getting is really miniscule. to the point that's its not really worth arguing about. (unless a LOT of money is involved.. which it isn't really)

 Desubot wrote:

WaughGoff wrote:
From a modeling point of view put them on whatever you think looks good. Is there a tabletop tactical reason that you would put them on larger basis?

Better spread protection from blast markers.

This doesn't really make sense.

Generally it's useful for toe dragging units behind to grab objectives but continue to move up. It just allows squads to take up more space.

 Aijec wrote:

 Desubot wrote:

WaughGoff wrote:
From a modeling point of view put them on whatever you think looks good. Is there a tabletop tactical reason that you would put them on larger basis?

Better spread protection from blast markers.

This doesn't really make sense.

Generally it's useful for toe dragging units behind to grab objectives but continue to move up. It just allows squads to take up more space.

You can spread out more within 2inch coherency.

If you lined 3 guys up AB and C there would be 4" and 28mm between A and C. but with a 30mm that adds a whole 2mm to that. Ultimately pointless but its there.

Aijac,
It has to do with the fact that the distance from the centre of each Model increases when the base size does, while coherency is still measured from the edges of the two Bases. By increasing the base size you effectively 'push' the other Models further away from the centre point, spreading them out over more space as you put it. While the distances we are talking about can be minuscule, in this case .1 of an inch, it could still be enough to prevent one or two Hits from a Blast Marker in the right situation. The below experiment is an extreme, designed to highlight the benefit by increasing the radius of the base to something greater then an inch, but even at a lesser radius the benefit can still be achieved with just the right placement of models.

Place a single model with a 28mm base on a flat surface
Place 4 28mm based models at the compass points around it, ensuring they are all 2 inches apart
Put a Blast Marker directly in the centre of the original model and count the number of hits

Now place a single 60mm base on a flat surface
Place 4 60mm based models at the compass points around it, ensuring they are all 2 inches apart
Put a Blast Marker directly in the centre of the original model and count the number of hits

JinxDragon wrote:
Aijac,
It has to do with the fact that the distance from the centre of each Model increases when the base size does, while coherency is still measured from the edges of the two Bases. By increasing the base size you effectively 'push' the other Models further away from the centre point, spreading them out over more space as you put it. While the distances we are talking about can be minuscule, in this case .1 of an inch, it could still be enough to prevent one or two Hits from a Blast Marker in the right situation. The below experiment is an extreme, designed to highlight the benefit by increasing the radius of the base to something greater then an inch, but even at lesser distances that benefits is still there.

Place a single model with a 28mm base on a flat surface
Place 4 28mm based models at the compass points around it, ensuring they are all 2 inches apart
Put a Blast Marker directly in the centre of the original model and count the number of hits

Now place a single 60mm base on a flat surface
Place 4 60mm based models at the compass points around it, ensuring they are all 2 inches apart
Put a Blast Marker directly in the centre of the original model and count the number of hits

It's less of a benefit than that, it also increases chance to be hit by blasts, and to mishap if deepstriking due to the larger area the unit occupies for the trade off of maybe taking 1 or 2 less hits from blasts or templates

Blacktoff,
The experiment was to show how increasing the base size can decrease the number of Blast Marker hits generated.
While you are putting forth are disadvantages of a larger base, they have nothing to do with calculating the number of Hits once the Blast Marker hits.

Personally, I don't consider the 'increased mishap factor' to be a selling point for the following reasons:
1) The Unit must have access to the Deep Strike Special Rule, it isn't even a factor for the majority of Units
2) The Player accepts the obvious risks of Deep Striking, they are not forced to Deep Strike outside of a rare few situations
3) There are many ways to decrease or eliminate this risk, which sensible Deep Striking Players will invest in

The fact that Blast Markers are something your Opponent brings, while Deep Striking is something you choose to do, is why I believe the benefit far out-weighs that particular risk.

Discounting DS, having larger bases does reduce the number of hits you can generate on units over a certain size.

However consider 5 models in a line 2" apart, each base is ~1" So you have 1"2"1"2"1"2"1"2"1" with the 1" being the models bases, and the 2" being between. This unit occupies a space 1" wide, and 13" long.

if you have a 32 mm base, which is ~1.5" you now have an unit that occupies space that is 1.5x 15.5

the first has a spatial volume of 13"

the second has a spatial volume of 23.25" SO you almost double the size of the unit. This has a big effect on getting hit by blasts, in many situations you actually are doubling the chance a blast will hit you rather than scatter off at the cost of having less models hit. This of course is also a benefit, because you now occupy more space and can probably cover objectives better, straddle ICs or things that grant bonuses to units within x" etc.

Overall the benefits are greater than the few penalties, which I think we both+others agree on.

We do, it is one of those age-old dilemma found in many Games:
You can make it so you will be hit less often, but the hit will do more damage
or
You can make it so you get hit more often, but the hit will do less damage

Though, in this case, my advice is always going to be thus:
Pick a base size that looks good and forget about the dilemma entirely!

yeah aesthetics should drive your decision more than anything else.

A Downside not talked about yet for bigger bases is some times smaller basses can help in assault. When you have a narrow corridor to move through between enemy units, a bigger base can stop you cold. Also model positioning in assault can be a problem with bigger basses. Less models able to surround a target or even what models are "engaged" could shift when they start further away from the target unit because of a more spread out large base unit. When larger base models disembark from a transport, they can be more cumbersome when danger close. The whole base needs to be within 6' from an exit. A bigger base also means more enemy units can concentrate their attack on the unit. This can be a problem when expanded out through a whole Army. I for one try hard to have a High point to low foot print ratio. Hiding a Big base unit is clearly a problem.

Its also 4mm its not really going to make that amazing of an impact besides maybe a hand full of super rare situations.

 Desubot wrote:
Its also 4mm its not really going to make that amazing of an impact besides maybe a hand full of super rare situations.

4mm in a game of inches is significant. When you multiply that out over a whole Company, some 80 models i see now in tournaments theses days.

Yes, in fact at length I've argued that not doing it within a reasonable amount of time after the change over, is in fact not cool and can be cheating.

Queue the long argument that followed last time.

Isnaik, you're a mod, can you post that argument between us that you locked?

Also JD, the other thread got locked, but please don't put words in my mouth.

You know you can just quote out of an old thread right?

since you probably replied to it you can find it in your post history.

Posting while driving is bad enough


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