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Hey all,

I see a lot of bases these days which i think are overworked. From the GW resin bases, to elaborate rocks or pipes, to lava effects etc

I think most of the time these bases detract from the miniature, drawing the eye away from the mini towards the base and leaving me feel like there is too much going on.

I reckon i think this about 70% of the minis I see on CMON these days.

Do people agree with me? I am doing some woodland bases soon and am concerned that I may fall into this trap

Cheers

Whilst I don't think I overdo my bases as I don't want them to dominate the model, it doesn't bother me when others do with theirs. Their hobby their choice.

They certainly can, but that balance point tends to be in the eye of the beholder, as well as the intention of the mini. A mini for display as a lot of CMON seems geared towards is considered almost naked if the base is not pretty elaborate. That doesn't mean it has to overwhelm the mini, but it has to tell part of the story or people don't even want to vote/look or whatever generally.

Basing is mini terrain building and its own pleasure. I certainly would never consider the very simple GW premade bases, many of the others really, as detracting or very elaborate even.

My basing is to tell a small part of my units' story, as well as to help tie the whole crew/army together.

Some people have their druthers of course! that just happens to be mine. So if your's happens to be simpler bases, that's cool too - everyone can do whatever they like ^_^

I think it's fine for display figures where you kind of want to be telling a story, but I think bases can be very easily overdone for gaming figures where they quickly become far too busy and distracting. I personally prefer it when people exercise restraint with their bases.

But yeah, to echo what others are saying- if other people want to do it, cool. Just do what works for you. If the prevailing attitude becomes "If each of your bases is not an elaborate mini diorama then you are a disgrace to the hobby" then there's a problem, but I definitely don't think that's the case.

I agree wholeheartedly. But I think it mainly comes down to what people want in a miniature...and how they view it. I do think I'm in the tiny percentage of people who vastly prefer minimalist bases intended to blend the figure in with the surrounding terrain.

The biggest themes I see...are:

-Black rimmed bases (i.e. "It frames the miniature...") which to me, completely detach a miniature from the gaming surface it's supposed to be standing on.
-Cork tiles...just...because cork tiles? I'm not sure why every miniature in an army is standing on cork tile, adding 2-5mm to the height of every miniature.
-Leaping off random stonework
-Lava bases on miniatures which will never once be played on a lava-based tabletop
-Snow bases on miniatures which will never once be played on a snow-based tabletop

Essentially I disagree with the majority of folks as to what looks good, but that's fine.

Just put everything on clear acrylic bases and be done with it.

I'd almost agree with Bada - and I would go that route if I didn't find clear bases carrying a ton of their own issues (prone to scratching, far too reflective in most light sources/tables...ending up being far more noticeable than intended). If someone made quality matte/non-reflective clear bases I'd definitely consider doing that. As it stands, I keep clear bases to water-borne stuff like sea-monster tentacles, etc.

Also find that clear bases, by their nature have zero grip and I appreciate the textured under-side of the Renedra bases for gripping onto terrain.

There's a huge difference in display or gaming pieces. What you see on CMON are mostly for display pursoses. For display base is very important for gaming not so much.
In my eyes base is part of the mini, It complemets it. For me clear bases are a no go. Just feels ugly, but thats just me.

I have to admit that I was in two minds about showing my miniatures here because I just don't do fancy bases. My bases are the colour of the club's gaming tiles (bought originally for Napoleonic peninsular games) with a black rim so I can see my miniatures (I am partially sighted and can easily overlook a unit if it blends in too well). I know it isn't fashionable but my miniatures are for gaming, not display and that is what works best for me. Plain bases do seem to be seen as a sign of poor modelling skills by some people rather than being done for practical reasons. I love to see the intricate mini-dioramas that adorn some miniatures but I don't like to see them on the games table. If I had an infinite amount of time I would magnetize my miniatures so they could have a fancy base for show and a plain one for games but that would really slow my already glacial output rate.