How important do you consider basing?

[carlos marighela]

Very important. Bad basing can break anotherwise decent model.

I was hoping this was the moment you would reveal yourself as a member of the original line up of Swedish pop  one hit wonders superstars 'Ace of Base'. 

[Aethelflaeda was framed]

on 28s more than 15s, but in most cases, i just paint them muddy greens and browns, diluted glue and flock em with foam dust.  Occasionally a tuft, or a pebble.  I usually don’t leave a black rim but occasionally paint a white placard there on the back for labeling in black. My 19th c sailors get just painted a beach white color and a figure who stays inside or scifi just painted grey.

[FierceKitty]

The critical consideration for me is that the basing match the cloth or mat one is playing on. Little rectangles of pampas grass on a surface of yellow ochre sand emphasise the bases instead of concealing them. Better not to flock, frond, and pebble at all if playing on a plain cloth.
Since getting a good games mat a few years ago, however, I've seriously upgraded all my bases, and the appearance is certainly improved.

[Aethelflaeda was framed]

The critical consideration for me is that the basing match the cloth or mat one is playing on. Little rectangles of pampas grass on a surface of yellow ochre sand emphasise the bases instead of concealing them. Better not to flock, frond, and pebble at all if playing on a plain cloth.
Since getting a good games mat a few years ago, however, I've seriously upgraded all my bases, and the appearance is certainly improved.

Too  strong a standard for me.  It borders on not using an 1815 shako on a fig playing in a 1807 scenario.  If my gaming was exclusively on one mat with 2 armies pairnted just for it my gaming would be too limited, or too expensive.

[Basementboy]

The critical consideration for me is that the basing match the cloth or mat one is playing on. Little rectangles of pampas grass on a surface of yellow ochre sand emphasise the bases instead of concealing them. Better not to flock, frond, and pebble at all if playing on a plain cloth.
Since getting a good games mat a few years ago, however, I've seriously upgraded all my bases, and the appearance is certainly improved.

Agreeing with Mick there, don’t love the idea of limiting my army to one specific mat with which I can game. Admire your dedication at matching everything up though, I’m sure it looks fantastic!

[FifteensAway]

Time issues and computer access issues so I haven't read the whole thread and hope this isn't duplicative:

Where a textured base, however simply, shines the best is when bringing together disparate collections of figures with varying painting styles/levels of ability (within reason, of course).  It makes a huge difference it making it look more like a cohesive collection. 

Personally, I usually go for fairly simple - use acrylic paint as my 'adhesive' and then add some sort of flocking or sand.  Might sometimes add a bit of dry brushing, more rarely add a bit of tufting.  15 mm is probably more forgiving than larger figures.

[FierceKitty]

I seem to have given the wrong impression. I have a single two-sided mat for all my non-naval battles: meadow grass, obverse, semi-desert, reverse. It's no sweat to use sandy bases for one, grassy for t'other, and I have based some 80 or 90 armies accordingly (hail 10mm).
My point was rather that before I got the mat, I used a pretty simple cloth, and avoided fancy bases because the contrast would have made them look more like toy soldiers, less like real ones.

[Vanvlak]

There's also the issue of 'keeping up with base size changes or shapes' (GW, looking at you!) which used to be a bugbear - no longer, I refuse to rebase, at least unless the old base is really bad and the model deserves an improved base.
I also had problems for a while with the vehicle basing issue - do you or don't you?
This is normally worse form 15 mm or less, where you get fantastic models from more than one range, some based, some not; in which case I generally prefer to keep them uniform and thus all based (removing a base from caterpillar tracks integral to it is not something I would enjoy). It's also a presentation dilemma, as vehicles without bases can be placed on a board more easily, but bases for vehicles can be spectacular even when they are not over the top. The problem is that the contrast between base and a different setting board is even bigger for a vehicle base than for a single person-sized model: a Sherman wading through hedgerows is grand, but it would look a bit silly in the middle of a firefight in a town square, although you could always say the crew were out shopping for the knights who say Ni.

[Basementboy]

I seem to have given the wrong impression. I have a single two-sided mat for all my non-naval battles: meadow grass, obverse, semi-desert, reverse. It's no sweat to use sandy bases for one, grassy for t'other, and I have based some 80 or 90 armies accordingly (hail 10mm).
My point was rather that before I got the mat, I used a pretty simple cloth, and avoided fancy bases because the contrast would have made them look more like toy soldiers, less like real ones.

I clearly misunderstood you then, sincere apologies

[FierceKitty]

My mouth was full of toast with mackerel pate - probably distorted my speech.

[Basementboy]

My mouth was full of toast with mackerel pate - probably distorted my speech.

Never heard that one before…

[ced1106]

Accursed mackerels! Always distorting those speeches! And the occasional diatribe!

I bet it depends on historicals vs. indoor / outdoor figures. Frex, with generic fantasy miniatures, you'll use the same miniature in a dungeon encounter as you would wilderness. And, even with outdoors, you can have different terrains. With historicals, you typically fought on a specific terrain, so could match the miniature base to the play area. I figure generic fantasy painters pretty much gave up and went the diorama-ish route, even if it's just sand and a tuft or skull.

I've seen clear acrylic bases, which I like for sf. Looks too techie for generic fantasy for me, though.

[FierceKitty]

"frex" - Thanks, that's a fun new word for my vocabulary! I'll remember it.

[Hammers]

 

I was hoping this was the moment you would reveal yourself as a member of the original line up of Swedish pop  one hit wonders superstars 'Ace of Base'. 

[infelix]

I think basing is very important, to me. And I really enjoy making them. I’ve dabbled in diorama building and I’ve painted large scale figures for many years where basing is very important but I don’t judge other people for having different views about it.