Table clutter.

[Last Hussar]

and briskly prepped Matron

No wonder why you don't want to go outside - when I said get a nurse from 'Carry on' I meant Hattie Jacques, not Barbara Windsor.

Something I trialled (and will be putting into full scale when I return to painting ACW) is a base for orders in They Couldn't hit an Elephant.  The 'Attack'order is a triangle with charging figures, 'Engage' is a rectangle with 3 points (like a row of primary school houses) with firing men on, etc.  Along the bottom is the Order name- I just flock the 'base' bit.  The bases aren't the same size/shape to be confused with the actual bases, and the whole thing is kept near the relavent general.

For morale states I have a dead man on a penny for "Fightin' " and Stretcher bearers on a 2p for defeated.

Ignore 'Just another Oik" - his ideal army is Cybermen.  And they still wouldn't get based.

[Leman]

I like those ideas. In BBB I am using a base of casualties for disruption, explosion for silenced gun, ammo boxes for out of ammo and base of routers to show spent.

[DanJ]

I tend to use single figures on small bases which are different from the main unit basing convention to repressent various things, especially one off states.

Squires on foot with a flag the same as a unit's banner/main colour combo to record use of charge bonus.

SYW single musketeer to kep track of first volley, will also work for naps.

Dead/wounded to record casualties.

[Hertsblue]

The problem with markers that stand behind units is that in big games they can easily be left behind, and there then follows a session of "was that with that, or was it with them?". Markers that sit on the bases are more secure but if they are dice they are limited in their potential meanings. The third option is to have a small area on the base that can be written on (preferably with something that can eventually be erased) which is a flexible and secure system. The "label" doesn't have to be white, mine are either green or dark blue, and they travel around with the units during the battle. The next step in the system (for 6mm Napoleonics actually) will be magnetic movement trays that incorporate a writing area at the rear for unit identity/particulars but which allow the units to change formation during the course of the game.   

[getagrip]

The problem with markers that stand behind units is that in big games they can easily be left behind, and there then follows a session of "was that with that, or was it with them?". Markers that sit on the bases are more secure but if they are dice they are limited in their potential meanings. The third option is to have a small area on the base that can be written on (preferably with something that can eventually be erased) which is a flexible and secure system. The "label" doesn't have to be white, mine are either green or dark blue, and they travel around with the units during the battle. The next step in the system (for 6mm Napoleonics actually) will be magnetic movement trays that incorporate a writing area at the rear for unit identity/particulars but which allow the units to change formation during the course of the game.   

Makes perfect sense to me