Individual basing for 28mm figures- where do I start?

[clibinarium]

I am getting back to painting figures after a hiatus of more than a decade (and it's proving tough!) A big surprise is that though I sculpt these things every day of the week, I am finding them difficult to paint, but that's a different topic ...

I am working on 28mm samurai and Choson Koreans. I am going to base them individually, to allow the widest range of options for games, and can't really decide the best way forward. It was so much easier with smaller figures which tend to go en masse on rectangular bases!

I quite like the MDF type as a material, but I am not sure what the best size or shape is. Round gives a pleasing look, but square is easier to rank up. But if ranked up they have limbs and weapons that clash, round bases seem like they make it easier to orientate the figures to minimise this?
And then there's the size of base- the smallest reasonable to give optimal footprint-vs-stability, but then some figures have wide stances or odd poses- do I put all on a bigger base for consistency or just go for the best size of individual figures?
Then the cavalry- rectangular is the obvious choice, but does that look weird next to infantry on round bases (or maybe its just me that doesn't like this?)

Now I have my own leanings on these questions, I am not thwarted by something so basic, but I did think it would be interesting to hear what solutions people had come up with, which no doubt will be better than my initial thoughts.

[Silent Invader]

After years of 20mm round I switched to 25mm round (thin steel washers) which I’m much happier. Personally I’m not a fan of square as it can inhibit rotation and I find the corners quite jarring.

Edit: the above was for foot only; like many I use 25x50mm pills for mounted

[Dags]

cavalry- rectangular is the obvious choice, but does that look weird next to infantry on round bases (or maybe its just me that doesn't like this?)

https://warbases.co.uk/product/pill-bases/

[john Hollyoak]

Some time ago I decided that I would opt for a standard basing system. All my 28mm infantry are on 2p coins. Cavalry on are on pill shaped mdf bases which match the 2p. 15mms are on 1p bases/pills. I then have sabot bases for non skirmish games. I have a series of 30mm, 40mm and 50mm bases if the figure is too big to fit on a 2p.
This might not work for you but it does make it easier if you settle on a system.
John

[OSHIROmodels]

I use pennies for historicals (mainly), 25mm rounds for sci-fi (mainly) and 50x25mm ovals for cavalry. I also use sabot trays for ranking up.

Plenty of options below and I’m also able to do custom work.

https://oshiromodels.wixsite.com/oshiromodelswebshop/gamingaid

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

Over the years, I have moved from GW style plastic round bases to MDF. I make a lot of use of skirmish trays.

Agincourt French
Foot on 25mm round MDF bases and mounted on 40mm round bases with rectangular skirmish trays, from Warbases
The basing concept is from the Games Workshop Lord of the Rings system.
Note that the skirmish trays are rectangular for blocks of infantry and amorphous shapes for skirmishers (crossbows).



Agincourt English
Foot on 25mm round MDF bases with rectangular skirmish trays, from Warbases.
The holes in archer's skirmish trays are slightly offset so that both front and back ranks have a clear shot.



Swiss & Burgundy
Close order foot (pikes & halberds) on 20mm square MDF on a unit sized rectangular skirmish tray, also from Warbases.
Skirmishers on 25mm round MDF on the same skirmish trays as the Agincourt infantry.
Cavalry on 25mmx 50mm MDF on a unit sized rectangular skirmish tray, also from Warbases.
This system also works for other periods, such as colonials.



Front two ranks of pike are 6 figures on a large scenic rectangular base 60mm wide and 80mm deep.
The rear ranks are 4 figures on 40mm square and 2 singles on 20mm square.
I also have extra single figures in case I have 3 casualties.

[has.been]

I also prefer round for infantry, though round for cavalry looks to have
far too much wasted space. I agree that rectangular for cavalry doesn't
go well with round based infantry. I use 'pill' shaped bases (round at
each end, but straight sided) as these are available in MDF from several
retailers.
Thanks to 'guidance' from Vodkafan I am about to move from Sabot bases
(for my round based infantry) over to '3,2,1' bases. This is three different
sized bases for a unit. The largest has 3 figures on, next largest 2 figures,
& the smallest just 1 figure. This does several things:-
Allows removal of casualties. (1st = take off a single. 2nd bring the single
                                          back & remove the double... etc.)
Speeds up the movement of units.(e.g. a unit of 12 figures = move 5 bases
                                          instead of 12 bases)
Removes the need to fill/empty the sabot bases.
Still lets me play skirmish games as I will have some single based figures. 

[traveller]

Great thread with great ideas! I use mostly 28mm miniatures with 22mm metal washers and rectangular for horses. This gives the possibility of grouping figures a little bit closer than the standard 25mm . I build the sabot bases myself which gives a lot of flexibility and also the opportunity to make them a bit lower than the commercial ones:

[Hobgoblin]

I increasingly prefer square MDF bases for infantry. There are various reasons for this, but one is simply that a lot of the figures I used were designed to go on either 20mm squares or 25mm squares. Most in the 20mm category can look a little lost on 25mm rounds but can be too big for 20mm rounds (there are lots of old Citadel figures that take full advantage of the corner-to-corner diagonal on a square base).

On top of that, I find that squares offer maximum versatility. There's no detriment in skirmish games or RPGs; indeed, square bases can sometimes be an advantage in skirmish games, whether it's to show 'closing ranks' in games like Dragon Rampant or to determine who's in combat with who (e.g. up to the maximum of six in Song of Blades and Heroes). And in massed-battle games, there's a very definite advantage to being able to build formed-up units out of troops based on MDF with vertical edges.

Here, I find that those MDF bases are great for unit integrity. I'll often blue-tack a formed-up unit to a unit-sized base (for Kings of War, for example), but even if I don't, figures with vertically edged MDF bases hold together nicely as a unit when being pushed around on a mat.

Also, square basing allows me to create elements for games like HOTT or ADLG very quickly: a strip of masking tape under two, three, four or six bases gives me a range of infantry units for either 15mm or 1/72-28mm scale. I have lots of goblin miniatures, and they're often 'scale chameleons' because their small stature and big heads mean that they can work with human figures of different sizes.

I do base my sci-fi stuff on GW-style rounds, and I've got a lot of 'legacy' fantasy stuff on such bases. But. more and more, I find square MDF the way to go - for the reasons above and simply the aesthetics of lining them up together so that (unlike figures on chamfered slottabses), they form seamless little tableaux.

[Hobgoblin]

I should add that I do base some RPG figures on pennies. These are generally smaller 25mm figures (especially adventurers) that aren't likely to feature in massed-battle games (and can be saboted if needed). I'm quite happy to use those alongside the square-based miniatures in game sessions - it can actually help to have the PCs and hireling be instantly distinguishable from the baddies!

[Captain Blood]

Round. All the way. Just more aesthetically pleasing to me. Makes each individual figure a little diorama of his / her own. I have about 5,000 figures and they’re all individually based on 25mm steel repair washers. I also use movement trays with them as required. It lets you use a few figures for a skirmish, or entire ranked up armies using trays. Maximum flexibility of your miniatures resource 

[Ogrob]

Going to agree with most people on here, 25mm rounds offer a ton of flexibility as you can get all sorts of trays for formations. Cavalry go nicely on 25x50 pill bases.

And as mentioned, Warbases have some excellent products in the realm of mdf bases. Anything you can think of really.

[MaleGriffin]

I have a lot of theory, but not as much practical experience. I started with square bases and movement trays, but I wanted my irregular troops to be more... irregular  It was fine for my stalwart Thin Red Line to form up perfectly but the Zulu and Pathans looked wrong in perfectly formed ranks.
I'm thinking about my WotR armies and how to base them. I plan to plat both big battles and skirmishes. I'm leaning towards round with either plastic joined rings or wooden sabots.
Any recommendations?

[levied troop]

For irregular sabots try:
https://warbases.co.uk/product/infamy-infamy-mob-tray/
They also do square bases and as Oshiro Models indicates above, custom designs are usually available from MDF manufacturers.

I use the repair washer system (in the U.K. Wilko’s do them cheap) - 25mm for foot and 30mm for horse with a variety of sabot bases including a couple of custom designs for the horse bases.

[SteveBurt]

Personally prefer square or rectangular bases, but I clip the corners with nail clippers. Makes them look a lot better IMO