Kings of War brings with it the possibility of multibasing your units. That means, in short, placing all the miniatures in the unit on a single base the size of the footprint of the unit. This is possible because units don't break down into smaller components during a game as casualties aren't removed and there is no Reform mechanic.
Basically multibasing is that simple. Take the models that the unit comprises of, glue them to one base and you're done.
There are, however, a few rules and points to take into consideration that I will deal with in this post, starting with things related to planning and continuing to execution.
1. MMC or PMC?
Multibased units don't have to include the exact number of models that is stated as the unit size, as the individual models don't have role as anything else than a part of the unit. This where the little diagram of Minimum Model Count and Preferred Model Count comes in (You can find it in the FAQ). Players going full model count are rare and most units tend to fill PMC instead.
Minimum Model Count means the absolute minimum of models you should put on the base to avoid confusion. Usually this is one model added to the model count of the next size down. Thus an infantry regiment's MMC would be 11 models, while it would be 21 models for a horde. Preferred Model Count, on the other hand, tends to be something along the lines of 16+ for an infantry regiment or 30+ for a horde.
When you're constructing your units you'll have to decide how many models you're going to fit on your bases. There is no rules-wise requirement for either in terms of game mechanics; in theory you could play with pieces of cardboard with labels on them. PMC tends to cost more as you need more of that precious plastic and it will take more time as well as you'll be painting more, while MMC sometimes leaves the base looking very, very thinly populated. This leads us to the next thing to consider:
2. Rule of Cool
Kings of War bends quite a bit when it comes to model selection for any given unit. Statlines can be explained by many combinations and thus there are multiple natural matches between miniature and unit entry. Some models are a lot larger than others, and thus there will be less of them on the base. One should be careful, however, not to allow artistic freedom to overcome clarity. Models should be appropriate and one should carefully weigh whether or not they are cutting back on models for economic rather than artistic reasons. These are of course my own thoughts and others may disagree.
I tend to favour a simple, hobby-friendly rule which goes as follows:
If it's cool, it's cool.
3. Think of the whole
If you go for a multibase, you should treat the unit as a whole that comprises of models on a base. This is a very different approach to individual basing, where the base is often just a backdrop for miniatures instead of constituting an important part of the miniature. When you're multibasing, however, your individual miniatures will be small compared to the base and typically will always be seen as part of the base. Thus, the base should be treated as something the miniature is a part of instead of being a stand to pose the miniature on.
What elements do you want on the base? How many miniatures will you use and how will the models be placed on the base? It's a whole different thing to make a flat, grassy field for a spear phalanx than to place models wading through a swamp, and that needs to be thought of beforehand. Especially height differences on the base, while super cool, are difficult to execute and need a lot of work to pull off.
Also take into consideration the amount of work you're willing to put into a multibase. If you're not careful, the base can take a whole lot of hours from hobby time you'd rather spend in another way. I'd suggest that if you don't want to spend a lot of time, then go simple. Trying flashy stuff in a hurry isn't really a formula for success.
4. Models as a part of a diorama
I think it's important to see the base as a distinctive place the models are located in and interact with. Your models will always be seen on that base and as such the base and the miniature must form a natural looking relationship.
Thus, when you're planning your bases, I think you should first look at the miniatures and see what kind of poses they naturally go into and form your plans for the base to accommodate those poses. If the models don't deal well with slopes, then use stairs or rocky, outcropping shelves to create height if you want it.
If the ground is swampy, the models should leave footprints and sink into the ground a bit. If there are barriers (like hedges) on the base, one shouldn't put models running into those just as one should avoid putting galloping horses with their tails touching a wall. These small things can turn otherwise sweet looking bases into slap-sticky comedy.
5. How I do it
I tend to finish the bases long before I finish the models that will be mounted on it. This is mainly because I usually assemble miniatures right before I start painting them and if I want my models to really interact with the bases, I need the base to be ready (to a point) before I can get to work on the models.
For an example of a relatively simple base I will use my Sisterhood Infantry that I did about a year ago. I started by making enough bases for a horde, since I knew that at some point I will paint them up to a horde (although I'm still at regiment painted). I went for two troops and a regiment on bases that will blend into each other when put together.
All my Sisterhood have a water element on their bases. I wanted to give the whole army's bases a cultivated look in the sense that the battle is being fought on the outskirts of a hamlet or a town. My Panther Lancers have irrigation channels and I decided to go for a little creek flowing through the town for my Infantry. Thus the bases have large paving stones with a channel flowing out of a sewer (the grates of which are on the bases of troops.
In order to make the whole deal work I had to construct the bases at the same time, even though I didn't have models for more than a regiment at this point.
After completing the troop bases I started to paint the models so that I could mount them on the base as soon as they were done to avoid storing them without a base while waiting for final basing. I painted the models in patches of three as I didn't have a whole lot of time to paint at one go and I wanted to feel like I'm getting something done. If I try to finish more than three models at a time, it always feels like things aren't going anywhere and I lose motivation. Thus I tend to paint in smaller batches. That's one point everyone has to find for themselves.
When multibasing I nowadays try my best to avoid overhang. This is because it's relatively easy to avoid when individual models aren't restricted by 20mm or 25mm squares, but can be placed freely within the 80mm by 40mm troop. Overhang tends to be very annoying when you're playing, and thus I spend some time planning my units in order to reduce overhang.
When making compound multibases that go together to form larger units one has to be particularly aware of overhang in multiple directions so that the units form up nicely. That's why the foremost troop in the image above is done front rank first and the rear troop has zero overhang to the front.
The flagstones are the plastic bases that come with Mantic models. They're really useful for creating steps and larger portions of worked stone on a base. For the water effect I used PVA that I let dry until it formed a thick film on top of it and then I drew stripes with a slightly sharpened stick to create a surface more akin flowing water. Then I painted it and finally added a glossy varnish on it. In the future I will look into using clear water effects, but for now my method works well enough.
The final part of the horde will be based on the bridge base, making a whole that breaks down into regiments and troops.
In short, my multibases are made in few steps:
1. Plan the base
2. Make the base
3. Paint the base
4. Paint miniatures
5. Glue miniatures
6. Tidy up
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I'll make a few other tutorials on multibases for my Undead army, once I get the bases and the miniatures from the mail.
Feel free to comment and suggest other topics to cover!
Cheers,
AOW
Wow, fantastic idea to re-use the bases as floor tiles for a sewer / urban floor.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Should work especially well for dwarves, I reckon.
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