round v square bases for Micro armour

[drathul]

G'day,

I recently purchased GHQ's Micro armour WW2 game.
And I was wondering if anybody has tried it with round bases in place of square bases?

I find circular bases more visually appealing than square bases.

As this is my first foray in Micro armour and WW2 gaming I'm not sure if using round bases will have any negative impact on the game.

Also could anyone recommend how many infantry figures should be on a base?

Thanks

Ian

[Timothy OConnor]

I just returned to microarmor from 15mm and explored a number of basing options. I setteled on Litko's Flames of War small bases (~32mm wide x 25mm deep) as a compromise between round bases and square/rectangular. The Litko FOW bases have rounded corners which I prefer to squared-off corners (looks more "smirmish-y"/natural). (BTW...really dislike the FOW rules, I just like the ready-made Litko rounded-corner bases and the size is about right).

As for figures per stand I've found that 3-6 figures look perfect on this size stand. At a 1:1 figure ratio this would allow one to base a heavy weapon or two per base or about half of a squad.

BTW...in my experiments the 3mm-thick Litko bases also make the figures easier to handle, especially bases with lots of prone figures.

For vehicles I use Litko's 3mm bases with squared edges. Each is 1" wide and depth varies based on the vehicle's length (1", 1-1/8", 1-1/4", or 1-1/2" deep). I think the GHQ rules use a standed 1" x 1" base for vehicles but imo it looks nice to vary the depth based on the model's length.

Tim

[pmaidhof]

I based most of my modern USMC and Extremist Irregular infantry on pennies, as was called for in the 1:5 system I was using. I just recieved my copy of Micro Armour: The Game - Modern, and it calls for 1" squares. As I play almost entirely solo and that pennies are about .75", I'm sticking with my pennies and unmounted vehicles. My Mk1-Mod1 eyeball will determine which units are in contact as if the 1' squares were actually touching.

Also, to make the most of my playing surface, I plan on giving the rule set a workout on a 1cm=100m

[tstockton]

As a "former" gamer (and now just a collector), I'm not currently basing any models. But I can see one advantage for each (square vs. circle):

Circle: no corners to "catch" neighboring units / buildings / scenery, etc.

Squares: in games where facing is an issue, it is much easier to tell which way a unit is facing.

I've read of many basing options here, and most have their proponents, and their pros and cons. Seems to me like one of the better ones I've read is cutting "custom" bases from those magnetic backing pieces that office supply stores sell to adhere to business cards, then storing not-in-use units in a shallow metallic cake pan with a matching lid, available at many "big box" stores, such as Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, etc.

Regards,
Tom Stockton