Dragon Rampant - Unique Basing?

[Mr. White]

I’m curious if anyone out there is doing anything like placing single model units on larger bases than the rest of similar sized models. Like a hero or leader as suggested in the book. What about cavalry…not rectangles, but circles like GWs lord of the rings?

[Elbows]

Yeah basing almost doesn't matter in Dragon Rampant as long as you keep vaguely similar between opponents just for simplicity.  I haven't played it in years but I remember it being very lenient.

[Chief Lackey Rich]

I’m curious if anyone out there is doing anything like placing single model units on larger bases than the rest of similar sized models. Like a hero or leader as suggested in the book. What about cavalry…not rectangles, but circles like GWs lord of the rings?

I've done both.  Generally prefer to use larger bases for smaller/single model count units - for ex, if my 12-model units have 25mm bases I might gor with 32 or 40mm bases for a unit with four or six figs, and a 50mm or even large for 1-3 model units.  Even a single human-sized fig I'd think about doing a biggish diorama base and/or tacking on some hangers-on, assistants, or a hapless prince in distress ("Stop that singing!") or something. 

The shape and size of the bases doesn't really have too much impact on the game mechanics most of the time.  If the overall footprint of a given unit (regardless of number of models) is very large or very small compared to other units it will change things a little though, partly depending on how restrictive your terrain is.

[Abbner Home]

my entire collection is based on the GW LotR standard (25,40,60mm rounds) which also matches nicely with D&D.

40mm rounds for cavalry work perfect for Dragon Rampant.

[guitarheroandy]

I use 20mm square bases or 25mm rounds for most rank and file models (depending on whether or not the models do double duty in WFB armies) but any model with multiple strength points (SP) will have different sized bases, e.g. a 40mm round or a 50mm square, etc.

So for example, here are some Victrix Saxons converted to be Elves from Thingol's woodland realm in Tolkien's Silmarillion. This is Mablung and his bodyguards. Mablung is a hero with 3 SP  and he is on a 40mm round. His 3 bodyguards are one SP each and are on 25mm rounds. (Sorry they aren't painted yet...)



Here's a unit of Citadel WFB late 80s Elf cavalry (Elite Riders) - the hero is worth 2 SP on his 50mm square base and each knight is worth 1 SP.



Here's a full Dragon Rampant warband of Wood Elves. I forget how many points - probably 36... Clockwise from the Treeman...
Treeman: Greater Warbeast with 'Cunning' on a 50mm square (6SP)
Elven Guardians: Elite Foot (1SP each on 20mm bases)
Elven Prince + bodyguard: Elite Foot with 'Venomous' (40mm rounds - 3SP per model)
Elf Woodland Spearmen: Heavy Foot (20mm square 1 SP per model)
Elf Woodland Archers: Light Missiles with 'Invisibility' (20mm bases 1 SP per model)



Anyway, you obviously get the idea. I just inform my opponent before each game so they know what's going on. It works for me...
You can do pretty much what you like as long as you and your opponent know what's going on as the mechanisms are so forgiving of different basing conventions.

[Spooktalker]

In my local club, for Dragon Rampant, rectangular bases for cavalry is the norm and circles would be perfectly acceptable, but it puts you at a tactical disadvantage maneuvering amongst terrain. For the historical side, Lion Rampant and variants, all do rectangular cavalry, for infantry some of us use 20mm frontage square/rectangle individual basing and some 25mm round, and some do special commander basing and some don't, and it's all good, though one player has grumbled that the square base crowd are at an advantage. No one has done multi basing. Multi basing seems all the rage here on LAF but in Southern California it is very rare and it's shooting yourself in the foot because it limits to you to that slice of games that allow it, and you can't use it for whatever is en vogue at the time. Even if those unit based games are what you really want to play, for quick con and club games you need to keep your options open to meet people and be open to new ideas.

[Elbows]

Love the colour palette you're using here.  Awesome.

[Hobgoblin]

Multi basing seems all the rage here on LAF but in Southern California it is very rare and it's shooting yourself in the foot because it limits to you to that slice of games that allow it, and you can't use it for whatever is en vogue at the time. Even if those unit based games are what you really want to play, for quick con and club games you need to keep your options open to meet people and be open to new ideas.

I'm not sure it limits you all that much - especially if you have compatibly based individuals and pairs. A lot of 'element' bases are 60 x 20 or 60 x 40, so they can slot very nicely into a Kings of War or Warhammer unit with 100mm frontages alongside individuals on 20mm squares or pairs and squares on 40mm frontages. My 1/72 HOTT orcs are based as 60 x 40 hordes, but they're a nice 'liminal' size because they work as small orcs in 28mm and giant orcs in 15mm too. So I'm basing up a parallel 15mm HOTT army using 40 x 20 bases and a few individuals on 20mm squares. Together, they'll give me units with 100mm frontages if required for KoW and the like, HOTT (etc.) armies in two scales, and Dragon Rampant units that can be moved very quickly and easily and show exact numbers.

I'd say the real basing divide is over 20mm vs 25mm individual frontages, because you've got games that use both (e.g. Warhammer, Kings of War) and games that use one or the other (e.g. Oathmark, Chaos Wars). You can get round it with sabots for (e.g.) 20mm-based orcs that takes them up to a 125mm frontage, but it's an aesthetic compromise to some extent.

Happily, Dragon Rampant is completely basing-agnostic - along with Of Armies and Hordes and Saga. We've played loads of games with multi-based elements and individuals cheerfully mixed in. The element bases do help a lot with the speed of the game, because moving 12 individuals is a fair bit fiddlier than moving a couple of elements and maybe the odd individual.

For single-model units, one thing you can do to avoid counters or strength-point tracking on paper is to pinch the 'pawns' idea from Rogue Planet. So rather than represent your hero as just one figure, you give him (say) five hangers on who exist purely to track strength points. What distinguishes this from a normal six-strong Elite Foot unit (or whatever) is that you don't need the 'pawns' to be impressive figures in their own right. You can use pages, familiars, advisors, pets and the like instead of - or as well as - more imposing bodyguards. So you might field an Elite Foot wizard with a swarm of small imps or a hero with a spear-carrier, a brace of hounds, a hawk and a lady-friend.

And, of course, you can multi-base some of those 'pawn' elements for convenience, too. So your wizard might have the five imps based as a three and two individuals or two pairs and an individual - so that you can move the unit quickly and track wounds.

Yet another approach would be to use a sabot base with the hero/wizard/monster at the centre and slots for the 'wound-tracking' individuals. Depending on the figures involved, you could construct and paint this so that it looks 'complete' even when some or all of the 'pawns' are removed.