Terminator bases

[Stormcaller3801]

Well I'm glad to see we're all taking what I said about 'remember we're here to have fun' to heart.

[Storm Dragons 3rd Company]

Thank you all for discussing my question. However, please keep it civil.

[Brother Gothard]

I know this has no bearing on an 'officially supported answer from the rules' answer, but I think it should be really quite reasonable to use the size of bases that GW depicts their models using.

 

While the rule says you must use the base the model came with, they obviously did not have in mind people time warping back to that place on Whyte Ave in Edmonton that still sells dusty Squat blisters (albeit, for the market value price - dont buy any plane tickets, because it'll cost you more to buy the squats than to fly there and back).

 

However, that aside, what base is the model depicted as being modelled on? That is probably the best indicator of what base size to use. I think, deep down, most of us should intuitively know that that is the right answer, but it is totally unreasonable to yell and scream at your opponent if he's using the wrong base size (if not just because yelling and screaming is normally considered unreasonable in any context) :)

[WarpSpawn]

Having discussed what RAW actually says, here's my view on how best to implement the rules for base sizes:

 

RAW says the model must be glued to the base it came with. That's fine with me for the most part. It allows owners of older models to use them without feeling pressured into changing them (or adding them when none was supplied, such as for dreadnoughts).

 

As already mentioned however, this does not cover all situations and is needlessly restrictive in others. I therefore propose that in addition to the above, you may instead use any base that is appropriate to the model type, as used by GW on currently in production models. This allows for scratch builds, conversions and other optionally updated bases.

 

 

Obviously this is just my opinion but I think it is sensible. Just as an example of how RAW and the other house rulesmentioned in this thread effect players, I have 5 space marine bikes. 3 of these were bought in the bike squad boxed set and 2 were bought seperately. The 3 in the set actually came with new biker bases, whereas the 2 seperate ones came with cavalry slottabases.

 

By RAW, I should have a bike squad with a mixture of bases, 2 of which are not even a good fit. Using the suggestion I should use the latest bases does not really apply here as the biker bases are not (at time of writing) widely available enough to be considered standard to the type of model. My chosen solution is to contruct bases that match the dimensions of the new bases pretty closely.

 

Despite that fact that none of these bases can be considered standard for the type of model as a whole and only 3 of them are on the bases they came with, can anyone honestly say I have done anything wrong? If not, can we please stop b****ing about bases sizes and worry about something that actually matters?

[Stormcaller3801]

I think that sounds like quite the reasonable solution, WarpSpawn.

[nighthawks]

agreed - and baseless bikes are always legal, too - see attack bikes, or the White Scars army used in the new codex SM preview battles from white Dwarf 345 (last month).

[WarpSpawn]

I think it would be more accurate to say baseless bikers are acceptable rather than legal, unless they are supplied without a base. I would certainly have no objections to others using them, though pesonal opinion is they can be rather unstable without.

 

Of course, even using my suggested guidelines, a measure of common sense is required. For example, I think it is reasonable to say that optional changes to bases used on other current production models should only be done if this results in a larger and/or better fitting base for the model, otherwise you are giving people license to put all terminators on 25mm as long as GW makes models supplied with them (as some have pointed out they still do). This is certainly not my intent.

[nighthawks]

really, are you suggesting that we think rationally and make reasoned conclusions, rather than just following pre-programmed instructions?

 

BAH!

:wub:

[Ming]

Forget all that.

 

A 40 mm base in today's template driven game means you can disperse a bit more and have less casualties. The large bases give you a greater "zone of control" as well. In a straight line deployment, each base expands your reach as much as 15 mm, ak 75 mm for a 5 man squad (roughly 3 inches).

 

And what 40K playuh koodant yuz tree mah inches?

 

LOL

[Leethal]

By RAW, using my OLD Obliterators, I win by default

 

Remember those? BARELY the size of a plastic Marine, and with all those horrendous guns! Bwahahahahahaha.*

 

 

 

 

 

*Note: No one lets me play with them. For obvious reasons.

[Trekari]

Forget all that.

 

A 40 mm base in today's template driven game means you can disperse a bit more and have less casualties. The large bases give you a greater "zone of control" as well. In a straight line deployment, each base expands your reach as much as 15 mm, ak 75 mm for a 5 man squad (roughly 3 inches).

 

And what 40K playuh koodant yuz tree mah inches?

 

LOL

 

And in today's game of no partial hits from templates, a 40mm base also gives a disadvantage as there is more surface area to possibly be hit by a scattered shot.

[farseerixirvost]

My solution for my Deathwing army was Wal Mart.

 

Paid $2.99 for a package of 200 cheap- :cuss plastic poker chips.

 

They are something like 39.5 or 40.5 mm, in other words, less than 1mm "off" of a standard 40mm base.

 

They are LOW PROFILE, and thus were great for simply gluing the 25mm on top of the poker chip.

 

A little air-hardening modeling clay or 'porcelain' from a Michaels-like craft store worked just fine to "slope" from the edge of the poker chip to the top of the 25 mm base. Base as normal and paint the edge of the low-profile chip, and you're good to go.

 

Doing it, I thought I'd catch "grief" about the low profile of the "edge" of the "base". But surprisingly, I have received NUMEROUS "man those bases look cool with a low profile, where'd you get them" comments and NO " :P " comments.