Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hey,

I based my Necron Warriors pre-7th ed on 25mm bases. Then the 7th edition came and set a 32mm standard for all infantry. I based my Immortals (a bit all-around beefier version of the Warrior) on 32mm bases, and they really look at home on those. I'd like to keep my army based this way as it creates a larger visual contrast between the two. However, a mix & match is not in any codex or any race. You either see all 25mm or all 32mm.

How do you feel about this? Would you oppose to an army based this way, or maybe you wouldn't but consider it tournament illegal?

Does there exist a way in which a unit of 32mm models would be advantageous to a 25mm based unit? 25mm units will have more models in CC when others factors are equal, and the fact that larger bases could be a bit more spread out against templates and blasts is offset by a somewhat increased chance of being scattered onto. It seems like 25mm would be superior in general.

Thanks!

Base your models however you prefer. The vast majority of players won't even notice, let alone care.

There is no rule requirement your entire army to be on the same sized bases. And Blood Angel armies (who I'm pretty sure are the only Marine army to have 32mm so far) currently do have a mix of the two, as Scouts still come with 25mm.

 insaniak wrote:
Base your models however you prefer. The vast majority of players won't even notice, let alone care.

There is no rule requirement your entire army to be on the same sized bases. And Blood Angel armies (who I'm pretty sure are the only Marine army to have 32mm so far) currently do have a mix of the two, as Scouts still come with 25mm.

Many Necron kits still come with 25mm even though they use 32mm bases in the codex. Even on the GW store you can find pics with the same units 25mm here and 32mm there. The Tomb Awakened and the Reclamation Legion have 32mm bases all around, while the Battleforce and individual unit kits have 25mm base. Maybe which will be the case as long as supplies last on the kits with 25mm bases inside? I don't know.

Or are Scouts on 25mm bases in the BA Codex? I don't have the BA Codex to check.

 Bocete wrote:
Or are Scouts on 25mm bases in the BA Codex? I don't have the BA Codex to check.

Whatever they're on in the codex, there is no 'Blood Angels Scouts' box, they just use the generic scouts... and they won't have been repackaged just for the BA release.


Common speculation was that power armour would move up to 32mm, but other human-sized models would probably stay on 25s.

Cool, thanks.

If my army wasn't already assembled, I'd be using different-sized bases within units; the kneeling Marine legs, for example, will look better on a 32mm base than on a 25mm one, and the same goes for some character models. Ultimately, I don't see it making a great deal of difference.

For my armies I'm planning the following.

Space Marines: Scouts on 25mm, power armour on foot 32mm.

Chaos Space Marines: All marines on 32mm (Chaos Marines, Cult troops, Possessed) and cultists on 25mm. This sets the actual marines apart from the weaker cultists.

Chaos Renegades: All normal troops on 25mm. The Arch-Demagogue, or the Enforcers, or a Marauder Brute go to 32mm to set them apart.

Necrons: Going on 32mm because the feet stick out. However, I'm still considering leaving the Warriors on 25mm to show the difference between a weaker Warrior and a stronger Immortal just by first glance at the base.

Tyranids: Gaunts all remain on 25mm.

As for a friend, I adviced for his Dark Eldar to move the Archon and Incubi to 32mm to make them more impressive.

All in all it's a style choice. I can understand people not wanting to rebase their models and I wholeheartedly agree with it. If my marine army was on beautifully made bases I wouldn't tear the apart just to throw them to 32mm.

On page 3, bottom left of the 6th ed mini rulebook it has a statement about base sizes. This is the newest rulebook I have access to. In the past (I am old) GW has issued a FAQ regarding this but I don't remember the details. I believe it said it was ok to use larger bases but not smaller ones. There was another thread about this a few days ago and the general consensus is most people won't care if it is purely for looks but don't do it if it is for modelling for an advantage. Putting all your grotz on dreadnought bases would be an example of something that would be frowned upon.

 rhinosaur wrote:
In the past (I am old) GW has issued a FAQ regarding this but I don't remember the details. I believe it said it was ok to use larger bases but not smaller ones. .

That wasn't an FAQ, that was 4th edition.

From 5th edition onwards, it's just been 'use the base the model comes with'.


But yes, as has been pointed out pretty much every time this comes up, outside of tournaments (and even in a lot of tournaments) most players don't care so long as the bases you use look appropriate on the models.

For my Daemons, I'll be leaving all Lesser Daemons on 25mm, but will be upgrading my Heralds to 32mm to help them stand out.

For my Tyranids (which I've barely started, so there's no rebasing to be considered,) I'll be putting the Gaunts on 5mm bases and the Genestealers on 32mm bases.

For marines of all flavours, I would recommend the Marines themselves going on 32mm, but Scouts, Cultists, Servitors etc going on 32mm.

Orks... I'm not sure. I'll probably base Nobs on 32mm and Boyz on 25mm. I don't intend to have many (if any!) actual Boyz though, so I guess that's kinda a moot point for me.

I like Immortals going on 32mm and Warriors going on 25mm, sounds like a great point of differentiation.

Guard, Eldar, Tau - 25mm all the way for human-sized guys. Do Wraithguard go on 40mm or 25mm officially? Either way, 32mm might well work for them.

Wraithguard are 40mm.

 Bocete wrote:
Hey,

I based my Necron Warriors pre-7th ed on 25mm bases. Then the 7th edition came and set a 32mm standard for all infantry. I based my Immortals (a bit all-around beefier version of the Warrior) on 32mm bases, and they really look at home on those. I'd like to keep my army based this way as it creates a larger visual contrast between the two. However, a mix & match is not in any codex or any race. You either see all 25mm or all 32mm.

How do you feel about this? Would you oppose to an army based this way, or maybe you wouldn't but consider it tournament illegal?

Does there exist a way in which a unit of 32mm models would be advantageous to a 25mm based unit? 25mm units will have more models in CC when others factors are equal, and the fact that larger bases could be a bit more spread out against templates and blasts is offset by a somewhat increased chance of being scattered onto. It seems like 25mm would be superior in general.

Thanks!

How do I feel? I think it's a great idea. I'm basing my 1st Company Veterans on 32mms. They look so much more imposing on those bases.

As for effectiveness it's kind of a wash. While you aren't as affected by blast templates you can't get as many guys into CC. It's not really that big a difference either.

Wraithguard have the same situation as Terminators. My Waithguard are all original metals, so are on the original 25mm bases that I will never, ever switch out. Same for about 25 Terminator models.

 Bocete wrote:
Or are Scouts on 25mm bases in the BA Codex? I don't have the BA Codex to check.

I'm checking in the codex right now and it's really hard to tell from any pictures. It appears to my eyes they are still on 25mm bases, which would make sense because I think Scouts in the box are slotted and come with the slotted 25mm bases.

They are technically less "bulky" despite model-wise being pretty much the same size, so being on a smaller base size makes sense.

Also, armies have vastly different base sizes betweens the armies. It is always up to the individual unit. The issue is certain UNITS now come on larger bases (your Necron).

If you want to keep them on 25mm bases, you'd have to go buy some more individually but I doubt anyone would oppose it. Alternatively, if you wanted to rip the 25mm bases off your older models and replace them with 32mm ones, no one would really be against it.

At the end of the day, most players are pretty cool with any base size that's reasonably approximate to what that unit's official box usually comes with. Sometimes with special characters, people don't care if you go a size up on their bases, too, as it helps make them more scenic and stand out better. What I'm saying is this is probably where The Rule of Cool is most applicable. If your dudes look great, people will want to play you even if your dudes are on atypical base sizes. It helps the official rule on base sizes is pretty lax with it's wording.