Does anyone fix unit names on the rear of their stands ?
I've seen it on 6mm figure bases where the entire unit is based on a single stand, which got me thinking of close order movement trays with an extra section at the rear for the unit name and one of Leon's dice holders
Anyone use something like this or am I daydreaming 8-> ?
I use name/ ID tags on lots of my stuff. What you suggest sounds perfectly normal to me.
Several of the members of the forum use something similar to what you suggest.
Do you mean the type that paulr adds to his bases, RD ?
Or am I barking up the wrong tree ? :-\
http://www.pendrakenforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,17480.msg275070.html#msg275070
Cheers - Phil
I do mine this way:
http://jim-duncan.blogspot.com/2015/03/baccus-6mm-acw-army-of-potomac.html
In some cases I add a dice holder for a mini-dice.
Yes. For my old Maurice basing, I have thin strips of paper glued to the back of the base, since they're 3mm bases, but for my latest project (Age of Hannibal), where I want to use the same bases to portray several different units (some may be Balearic Slingers who are better, others are simply slingers, for example, or some are Roman-allied Gauls, and others are Punic-allied Celts), I have a thin strip of magnetic receptive sheet stuck to the back end of the base, and labels on magnetic sheet that I can fix in place.
(http://i67.tinypic.com/51q6gh.jpg)
The gap at the end there is for another small magnetic piece, showing their current status (fine, disordered, or well f***ed).
Yes, I've done this for FKaP and for Rommel Rules.
I've started to avoid white backgrounds so that the labels aren't so stark on the table. Really helps players knowing the units, and gives the simple stats right there on the unit. Can work well with sabot bases too.
I've done mine on plain paper then use a glue stick (prit stick) to glue them down which lets them get removed easily enough
Yes, I have labels on the back of my FK&P bases colour coded dor army and brigade, and with the name and key characteristics of the unit. Whenever I am doing a big game for players unfamiliar with armies/period I will always label troops to avoid delays during the game.
For Bloody Big Battles, I have separate labels for units, with the stats on to make the game flow better. Ditto FK&P etc.
Yet again my thanks for reassuring me I'm not going daft - well not completely
Those photos are inspiring, I hadn't thought of using magnetic strips (and I have a sheet in my 'could come in handy oneday' box)
Mug of tea and a browse through Paul R' s ECW project thread required !
I label mine under the bases.
Never understood the writing of details under the base. Surely you either need to see the details during the game or you don't need them labelled?
I'd view any gamer constantly picking up bases "to check the ID" with great suspicion. I'd want to check how many sixes their dice had and how stretchy their ruler was!
For Franco Prussian, yes
I glue a permanent label on and use three small bits of blue tack to attach temporary labels over them if required
I've settled on dark blue and dark green backgrounds for the labels as it clearly shows the two sides but doesn't stand out too much
We find clearly identifying the command structure (coloured boxes) and having key stats on the base speeds and simplifies play
Enjoy your tea Rangerdad ;)
Quote from: Ithoriel on 20 March 2019, 04:33:29 PM
Never understood the writing of details under the base. Surely you either need to see the details during the game or you don't need them labelled?
Yep, never understood labels. If you need labels the figures are too small or too few surely. Plus they do detract from the scenic look of a nice playing surface and a decently sculpted and flocked base.
I use labels regularly. Especially useful when playing with others who are not familiar with either the rules or the period.
It's a game, not a diorama, and labels often help move the game along.
Currently playing Cruel Seas with a group who can barely tell a landing craft from a langoustine so labels help them tell ships apart.
I've been playing with using magnetic stripes as well to change the labels and stats for the different games or oobs. Currently using magnetic bases on metal paper movement trays with space at the back for label, though will add it straight to the base for any single base projects.
Will be much handier than cross referencing a sheet all the time, especially with less familiar rules or units.
Quote from: Ithoriel on 20 March 2019, 04:33:29 PM
Never understood the writing of details under the base. Surely you either need to see the details during the game or you don't need them labelled?
I'd view any gamer constantly picking up bases "to check the ID" with great suspicion. I'd want to check how many sixes their dice had and how stretchy their ruler was!
There are times when you need to know if this unit is seasoned or veteran (may be randomised before each game); and for that matter I have played opponents who couldn't be counted on to remember what side a unit was on, or in extreme cases whether it was composed of pikemen or horse archers.
Quote from: Dr Dave on 20 March 2019, 08:12:51 PM
Yep, never understood labels. If you need labels the figures are too small or too few surely. Plus they do detract from the scenic look of a nice playing surface and a decently sculpted and flocked base.
My Balearic Slingers use the same figures as my Slingers, but the former are better than the latter. My Principes and Hastati are equipped similarly, but again have different stats. My African Spearmen and my African Veteran Spearmen look very similar. By using labels, all players can see which is which. It has nothing to do with the size of figures or how many there are.
Yes, I label mine - just the unit name on the top, at the rear, on the command base, repeated underneath with more detail. I use printable white stick-on labels which I varnish for durability before dressing the bases.
e.g Top Rear: 14th (Price's) Foot Underneath: 10. 14th (Price's) Regiment of Foot
304 Experienced Infantry
3 Elements
Musket, Bayonets, Swords
I don't label mine - except for 1:3000 ships.
For things like Napoleonics, I know what the unit is by the standards, facings etc. Where there are irregulars, I will put something in that means I can always recognise which unit is which. For example, the middle chap carries a blue shield. Thus that is the "blue shield" unit. The overall irregular effect is maintained, but to the trained eye it is easy to spot who's who.
Early on, I did differentiate WWII platoos and sections by colour. I've largely moved away from this as I don't seem to have problems tracking who's who.
Although I do admire some of the labelling I've seen, as a solo gamer it's rather icing the pineapple.
Whilst I accept labels can help identify units where memory fails - they never add to the visual appeal of the game.
I used to have problems telling PzIIIH from PzIIIJ in 6mm. To avoid using labels I switched to 10mm where the difference is more apparent.
Unit nametags can be very helpful, and aesthetically they can actually be positive rather than negative. Eg rather than just chugging out a bald black and white nametag, use well chosen suitable colours, and embellish with an appropriate flag or coat of arms.
Having said that, the trade-off is the effort of creating and applying them. Personally that is precious time I'd rather spend doing something else. For my games I let the figures do the work, making sure that different units are easy to identify by means of other visual cues such as command bases, uniforms, poses, etc - which can be easier to recognise from 6 feet away than reading a label. Works for me.
Chris
Bloody Big BATTLES!
https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/BBB_wargames/info
http://bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com/
I don't think they have to be particularly obtrusive. The following two pics (which Leon has kindly agreed to insert into this post) show what I mean. The first shows a unit of Scots Covenanter infantry, with all the info needed for FK&P. The label is printed on card and then laminated, and glued to the underside of the sabot. This is easy to remove and replace if I wish to use the sabot for ankther unt/battle. The second photo shows my recent replay of Marston Moor in play. As you can see the labels are not exactly intruding into the overall look of the thing - indeed it is impossible to see the labels of the opposing side at all!
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7881/47435705851_d264404135.jpg)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7838/47435706271_466db92833_b.jpg)
That looks rather impressive, M. :-bd
Cheers - Phil
Agreed, it does look good. But that's because I can't see the labels.
No one has ever modelled a battle and then thought it would look better with labels. They're a compromise twixt visual appeal and playability.
Quote from: Dr Dave on 21 March 2019, 07:20:27 PM
Agreed, it does look good. But that's because I can't see the labels.
No one has ever modelled a battle and then thought it would look better with labels. They're a compromise twixt visual appeal and playability.
Agreed, Dave, but that is the point. It is possible to have labels, with all the easy to use info they contain, withiut having a major impact on your visual pleasure!
I guess it may depend on how you think about what you are doing.
I don't think I've ever "modelled a battle" I've played a games based on military history.
Maybe the point of view matters?
I do not use labels. While recognizing their undeniable usefulness, I feel uneasy at their use. I feel it reduces figures to the status of playing pieces, and I wonder why bother to paint and collect figures to play what effectively is a board game. To me, I feel I might as well use cardboard pieces with a name and combat statistics in the style of the Avalon Hill board games. I sense that games are becoming more and more abstract, - the increasing use of wargame terrain marked with square or hexagonal grids is an example. I am not criticizing those who use this approach - after all its a personal choice.
I'm not sure how having the stats for a unit on a label rather than on a roster sheet or in the rule book make the figures any more or less a 'playing piece' :-\
While I understand the desire not to intrude on the visual impact of a game, carefully done labels can greatly assist the flow of the game and increase the players immersion in the battle/game
In the end we all get to play our games the way we like
Hello
You can use printable envelope labels, which are freely available, sticky and (usually) easy to remove from bases, also handy for standards too.
Cheer
GrumpyOldMan