Round or square bases in Mordheim?

I have just returned to the City of the Damned (and surrounding countryside ), and am currently planning the construction of my warband and this base issue, though never before having crossed my mind, is an interesting one.

I prefer the appearance of round bases, always have, always will, but they do have a couple of issues - the 25mm size can be inhibiting for the cramped conditions of Mordheim (this is the main issue to me), the issue with other gamers (though if I were to start my own group, as no one round here plays....) and the square bases do fit the WHFB setting (though the cross-compatibility is not an issue as I can never see me re-starting WHFB).

Looking at it (I even broke out the still-on-sprue box, removed a set of legs and have been trying them out on the 4 different base opitions (20mm round (by Hasslefree/Heresy)/Square, 25mm Round/Square)) I think I am gonna stick with 20mm Square, for the reasons mentioned above. If my bases were gonna be more elaborate (I am gonna try and get them so that the warband can be used in both Mordheim and EiF without looking out of place) I would go for 25mm round. The 20mm round were tempting, but as they are so specific... damn, I'm still not 100%, as the circular one IMO look so, so much better, and the cramped issue wouldn't come up if the terrain was made to fit 25mm (like Orcs, etc.)...okay, so in conclusion I have no conclusion.

Chad wrote:

Cianty: WTF is that!?!? I've never seen anythinh so pointless in wargame, or is GW trying to sell twice as many bases?

That, my friend, is GW's attempt to get the kids who play LoTR to start WHFB - their real money maker (along with 40K). As LoTR has been such a badly thought out decision on the companies part (they are losing money and interest since the films dissappeared) they are now stuck with trying to get the most out of it.

You just wait and see, Blackjack. Once The Hobbit hits theatres, GW will make a fortune in hobbit armies!

Ethlorien wrote:

You just wait and see, Blackjack. Once The Hobbit hits theatres, GW will make a fortune in hobbit armies!

I'll willing wait, the longer between me and 'The Hobbit' the better!! That has to have been one of the worst books I have ever read (I know the target audience but still...) and I've read 'The Illyiad'!! Please never again!!

Back on topic - I think I have settled on 25mm Round bases for my Mordheim/EiF warband. They look better (IMO, and they get rid of the infamous 'pet rock' bases that would have occured with 20mm Square), they standardise base size across all races, 20mm Round is too small and I will probs be the one making terrain/initiating gaming (so can model/construct accordingly). YAY!! A conclusion!! I actually, legitimately thank all those who contributed to this thread so far - they have allowed me to actually make my mind up!!

Blackjack13 wrote:

and the square bases do fit the WHFB setting (though the cross-compatibility is not an issue as I can never see me re-starting WHFB).

Me too.

For massed battles, now I prefer a simple and elegant system like Armies of Arcana (Higly recommended, trust me).

And with that system, most models use 25mm (square) bases, but you can very easily use round bases without problems.

HI, let me throw in a 3rd alternative to the debate

hexagonal bases



anybody use them? i just bought a bunch of them and and am seriously considering talking my group into switching to these instead of squares. for some reason i have it stuck in my head that the hex's would make for a cleaner game in terms of B2B contact and formations.

anythoughts? experiences? we plan on doing 3 test games using the 3 different bases and comparing the results (after finals).

Ethlorien wrote:

You just wait and see, Blackjack. Once The Hobbit hits theatres, GW will make a fortune in hobbit armies!

yep, that's why GW renewed the LoTR license and are trying harder to kill off their SG range >.<

Ohoy!

I accidently, gods forbid, made a post about this very issue, and that thread got locked, but no hard feelings, there is after all a thread going on about it.
However, I came to a conclusion... I am a pirate and a scoundrel... so... *Run out the guns, and make sure they are on ROUND bases... hiarrrr!*

With that in mind, I will stick to round bases, they look (in my oppinion) so much better than the square ones, and it yeilds a better skirmish feeling.

I personally like the round bases better, I think they look better and I think in a skirmish game they work better. But since they are WFB mini's and I might want to use them in my Warhammer Fantasy Army I use the Square bases. Also all of the orignal Mordheim bases were Square so it makes sense to use square.

I don't hate the square bases, I just like the round ones slightly more.

I use and like square ones, find them practical (e.g. for determining the 90° front arc some house rules require, or for creating squadron formations with spearmen &c.) and aesthetic, do not think that round ones look so much better, but have no problem to use round ones, even in addition to square ones (e.g. warbands mounted on square bases, scenario objectives on round ones).
I also do not overly comply to standards like 20mm for human-sized models and smaller only, 25mm reserved for Orcs and other large critters &c. - I use what fits the miniature and what I think it looks best on.

After all, for me it is the miniature that counts (I would never play - in a skirmish game, with other size dimensions than a full scale army battles game, of course - with unpainted ones, for example - even if my own painting skills may, in the eyes of some, make that the more merciful alternative ), and the base, all tactical and practical matters aside, is a secondary factor to me, born out of necessity (or rather gravity ) - but at the same time opening up new possibilities and making good sense, so rather auxiliary accessory than just necessary evil.
But then, I usually also do leave and like my bases blank and black (except for maybe a bit of extra equipment clipped on with a neodyme magnet), so that does not have to be representative.

Hex bases I never have tried, I can see them combining the pros of both, but those indeed I find ugly as hell.

Don't hate me for locking your thread, Tintin.
These types of threads just pop up so regularly that I see no point in having various of them so all discussion belongs in here. It's not even like a discussion... Every couple weeks/months people and share their thoughts...

Basically, I'm not fussed. Most are on square bases because they double in Warhammer armies. But some of the figs painted up for D&D are on round ones. A couple of members from a Bretonnian band a year or so back were indeed on old hex bases that came with Citadel's brief D&D range. If everyone is on basic square bases and the melee is in an open field, the most who can gang up on a fellow is eight (which I don't think I have ever seen happen), so if he has a round base or a hex base or a triangle base or whatever, eight's the limit.

why eight? I just wondered a few days ago what that maximum would be. IIRC the rulebook only says that the attackers base must be in contact with the base of the defender. But literally you could only touch the defender's base with a corner of the attacker's base, which seems like pushing the rules as you might bring a lot of bases into contact that way.

We play that every attacker must place himself adjacent to one side of the defenders base, so each model can be attacked by a maximum of 4 warriors (if on a 20mm or 25mm base). If it's possible to attack over corners we're a little inconsistent to be honest...

(we're using square bases by the way. Mainly because we're mostly using GW miniatures and because of our way playing out attacks as described above...)

Dahag wrote:

why eight? I just wondered a few days ago what that maximum would be. IIRC the rulebook only says that the attackers base must be in contact with the base of the defender. But literally you could only touch the defender's base with a corner of the attacker's base, which seems like pushing the rules as you might bring a lot of bases into contact that way.

Aye, four sides, four corners - for that very reason eight. Geometrically limited, so to speak.
That is, assuming the victim stands on a 20mm base and every attacker does, too (or every other combination of identical base sizes). If the charged one is on a 25mm or even a monster base (and the attackers still on 20mm ones), the possibilities are ... well ... more inconvenient for the former one.

In theory 8 warriors could attack 1 warrior if all square bases are the same size. In practice this would never happen because charges must take the most direct route. In doing so it is nearly impossible to charge with more than 4 or 5.

I play wit 30 mm round bases, the same type used by Warmachine.

The look so fantastic that i never want to change back to square ones.

If we have an uncertainty ihow many models can stand on a bridge or so, we use 20 mm and 25 mm square models to look if they can. But normally this is not an issue in my gamin group.

This is the good thing that Mordheim is not such a way over the top competitive game.