The Base Of The Problem

Again with the terrible, terrible word play.

So this week is going to be a short one, but it’s by request that I talk about this. Someone wanted me to discuss bases in miniatures games, and whether or not I have specific preferences in certain types of base sizes.

Simply put; I’m not that picky about it. I simply can’t be; otherwise I would be limiting my options of games to play and shutting myself off from some truly impressive games that I’ve stumbled across. Do I think certain styles of bases work better for certain games? Sure. It’s pretty obvious that square bases work a whole lot better for ranking models into big blocks of troops, and anyone who says that round bases would be better for that is out of their mind.

As for which I prefer; well it really does depend on the system. I think melee heavy games such as fantasy settings(be it mass battle or skirmish) seem to work better with square bases. Maybe that’s just because the fantasy miniatures games I’ve played have all used square bases,  but something just feels right about it to me. Obviously I’m not going to automatically dismiss a fantasy game if it uses round bases, especially if the game is really good. However the standard square base is only 20mm, which can hamper dynamic poses of the model if you want everything to stay within the confines of the base itself.

Now as for base sizes; again I don’t really care too much. Warmachine uses 30mm for infantry, Infinity uses 25mm and I enjoy both games. I will say that having a whole bunch of 30mm bases does feel like it clogs the table up a little bit more, but it’s hardly noticeable unless your as OCD as I am about this sort of thing.

People who put terrain bits and all on their bases(as one should do with a blank base, if only to give it some extra flair) can be a bit confusing at times. For example; if I have an army that’s supposed to be desert based and I want to put sand on the bases why in the world would I do that before painting them and then having to paint the sand back to its natural color? Why would I want to paint sand if I can just, I dunno’, put it on the base after I paint the model? It boggles my mind sometimes when people suggest stuff like that.

As for my previous statement about how you should add something to the base; well you should. A well painted model on a blank black base just looks unfinished. It usually works best, though. if the bases match the paint scheme of the army somehow.  It wouldn’t make sense for an army painted in arctic colors to have dirt and green grass all over their bases, would it?

Of course there’s the alternative to adding stuff to the base: buying scenic bases. I did this with my Infinity stuff and I love the way the bases look(even though I haven’t painted any of the bases since I’m trying to get all the models done first). Some of you out there might be creative enough to make your own scenic bases and do cool stuff, but for the rest of us there’s companies willing to help us out. Really, though, I like the scenic bases because they add a little extra pop to the model(and will probably add more once I paint them) while sparing me extra work trying to come up with ideas on what the bases should look like. I just looked at the Tech bases from MicroArt Studios and said “yep; those are what I want for my Aleph army.”

So bases; they’re essential and there really isn’t much to say about them, but having the right base can really help make a model shine.