Art De La Guerre

76mm · Post� le: Dim Jan 28, 2024 12:47 am Sujet du message: Basing Phalanxes?

Hi, not sure if this is the best subforum for questions about basing, but I didn't see anything better!

I'm looking to build some Macedonian/Successor armies, and had planned to base the phalanxes in full battle array, with pikes extending far beyond the front of the base. But it seems like that kind of basing would be a real PITA to play with, since your pike units could never actually contact another base, so you'd have to swap them out for something upon contact.

The obvious solution is to base them will all the pikes vertical, but I don't like how that looks and so would prefer to avoid that approach. How do the rest of you go about basing phalanxes?

If it matters, I plan to use 10mm, with probably four ranks on the base.

KevinD · Post� le: Dim Jan 28, 2024 2:37 am Sujet du message:

Can you fit them on the rear part of the base with the pikes only extending over the front part of your base?

76mm · Post� le: Dim Jan 28, 2024 3:12 am Sujet du message:

I thought about doing that, but the pikes I have are rather long and it would look rather odd.

KevinD · Post� le: Dim Jan 28, 2024 3:21 am Sujet du message:

I would just make the bases deeper so that your pikes don’t overhang the front and get all bent up. The only issues you will likely have are due to deep bases and you may occasionally need to adjust things like column to line, where to line up flank attacks go, or measuring the “death zone” behind a routed unit, etc. in all cases you should measure from where the rear edge should have been on a correctly sized base. If you mark sides of your bases with the correct distance you can easily figure out where to adjust things to. (Have a couple or three of the correctly sized spare (blank is fine) bases to swap in temporarily to make measurements with.) I would point out your deeper bases to your opponent on deployment and also remind him when it looks like it might matter as (or before) he makes a move where it will matter, or when you make a move where it will come up soon. (Don’t wait until the unit deeper routs to tell him the base is really shallower than it looks and your guys behind it aren’t really in the “Death Zone.”)

76mm · Post� le: Dim Jan 28, 2024 1:09 pm Sujet du message:

Not bad idea at all, thanks, I will take a look at how this looks. Also, I'm still looking for 3D-printable pikemen that I like; when/if I find them I might be able to shorten the pikes a bit, which would help.