Tuesday, March 30, 2021

To Base, or Not To Rebase, That is The Question



As of late I have been toying with debasing my American Rev War collection.  My other two armies are based four figures (two up and two back) per stand and six bases per infantry regiment/battalion.   My rev war collection is based in six figures (three up and three back).  Neither are done this way for historical reasons.  For the War of 1812 its just because it looked good.  For Crimean war its how the rules I use suggests.  I based my Rev War stuff years ago for Loose Files and gave kept that system over the years.  I have standard sized regiments and usually do not worry about actual regimental numbers as moral evans things out.

Crimean War

War of 1812


Yet another strange thought brought about by being a shut in for too long.  In the past I have gone down this rabbitt hole with round bases for artillery stands or to mount my houses on bases.  I think these are responses to having too much time to think about things.  Now I am pondering rebasing one of my armies

Rev War basing


So my question is should I change my Rev War collection to four figure bases and six bases per regiment?  Why, because then all will be based the same (very orderly) and with the extra figures I can raise some additional regiments or skirmishers.  Or just keep them the same as they have worked well all these years.  If you can please let me know what you think.


What would Ozzy do?


Oh no!  If I do rebase everything do I go with thick stands or thin stands?  And where will I get the bases from?  See, too much time in my hands.  Madness!





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13 comments:

  1. uiduach OBMarch 30, 2021 at 2:35 PM

    I'd stick with your current Revolutionary War basing system if I were you. It looks good and gives a better impression of how infantry lined up to fight back then. More visual period flavor if you like.

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  2. NormMarch 30, 2021 at 2:47 PM

    Mark, I actually like 6 per base in 2 ranks of 3, but then only use 3 or 4 bases per unit (for my ACW).

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  3. Graham CMarch 30, 2021 at 2:56 PM

    To be honest I like my figures based on 6’s and if they’ve worked well for you and your rules why change? Time spent rebasing can be spent painting new figures

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  4. JeffersMarch 30, 2021 at 4:25 PM

    Don’t! It is madness... just do what looks right to you and make the rules fit. Mind you, I’m still vacillating over basing my WW2 vehicles so what do I know.

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  5. Steve J.March 30, 2021 at 4:47 PM

    Only rebase if you really, really need to! Both options are fine and ultimately depend upon what works best for the rules you use. A cop out I know but I've found basing around the rules the best option.

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  6. vtsaogamesMarch 30, 2021 at 7:34 PM

    Don't do it!

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  7. Der Alte FritzMarch 30, 2021 at 9:51 PM

    Don’t do it. Your current system looks good. Also, having fours means that you end up having to move more stands during a game.

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  8. Dan FoleyMarch 30, 2021 at 10:02 PM

    Mine figures are mostly 6 figures per base with 3-4 bases for unit. Some are singly bases and I use 3x2 sabot bases when needed. I'd recommend leaving them alone.

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  9. Jonathan FreitagMarch 31, 2021 at 12:18 AM

    I like the six figure per base scheme but your Crimean War figures sure look good in fours.

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  10. lederhosenMarch 31, 2021 at 4:10 AM

    I too faced the same decision. I started painting a "Never mind the billhooks" army which uses individual figs mounted in "Close order Trays". I had never done this before but it looked great. So i got to thinking.....I could do the same with my war of 1812 for DBN. That is, my figs are currently mounted like yours 2x2 but for DBN I use 2 bases per Tray and play DBN without rebasing. Infact I may order larger trays to hold 5-6 bases as I found that moving the one big tray is much more faster and easier than moving the individual bases.

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  11. rrossMarch 31, 2021 at 5:35 AM

    I have most of my armies on 30mm frontage by 40mm deep or 40mm square bases, either three or four figures per base, and 5 or 6 bases per unit (depending on era or how mean I was at the time!) Now for the first time, I am doing 18 figures on three 60mm square bases for the Great Northern War. I would never rebase - it would do my head in - I honestly think I would rather buy more figures and paint the army again! So looking at the votes, you will be leaving well alone!

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  12. Aly MorrisonApril 1, 2021 at 3:19 AM

    Pandora’s Box, All Nine Circles of Hell and Arkham Asylum come to mind 😱
    Run... run as fast as you can...

    Okay if you really must ... why not base a new unit in the new style and see how it looks beside the old (better) style...
    If you don’t like it... you only have a single unit to correct...

    All the best. Aly

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  13. Old NickApril 1, 2021 at 6:18 PM

    Thank you, everyone for the feedback. I appreciate all of you taking a bit of time out of your day to help me with this.

    And yes, I will not go down the rabbit hole of madness that is rebasing. The Rev War collection stats the same.

    Thank you all,
    Mark

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