All About Those Bases

NEIL Thomas's rules in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming are primarily designed for 15mm-scale figures, although with some manufacturers the height of such figures is more like 18mm or even 20mm.

Each unit in the biblical section of A&MW, and, indeed, nearly all units in the other three sections (classical, dark age and medieval), consists of four bases, with each base having a 40mm frontage and a 20mm depth, arranged in two rows of two.

He recommends that close-order foot, which he labels as heavy infantry, biblical infantry or heavy archers, should be represented by four figures per base.

Auxiliary infantry, who are a looser form of close-order foot, and can be thought of as warband, have three figures per base, as do close-order cavalry, which Thomas, a little confusingly, calls heavy cavalry (whether they have armour or not).

Open-order foot and cavalry have two figures per base, and a chariot squadron consists of four chariots, which have to be fitted on bases with a 20mm frontage and 40mm depth, although diagrams in the book show them having the same frontage and depth as other units.

I am using the same-size bases, but with 10mm-scale figures.

Accordingly, I increased the number of close-order foot per base from four to six, the auxiliaries/warband from three to four, and open-order foot from two to three, while keeping close-order cavalry at three and open-order cavalry at two (and chariots at one).

Here is how they look, with (left to right): open-order foot (slingers, in this case). open-order cavalry with, behind them, open-order camelry, close-order foot with, behind them close-order archers, auxiliaries/warband (Sherden), a chariot and close-order cavalry

I think that, on the whole, they look reasonable.

However, loath as I am to get involved in rebasing figures, I have decided to reduce the open-order units by one figure a base.

This means open-order foot will have two figures, rather than three, and open-order mounted troops one figure, instead of two.

A bonus of doing this is that I will create extra units, without having to paint more figures. However, that is very much a bonus, rather than a reason.