Hello, I've recently been gifted some 28mm Dacians and im currently finishing the painting process on the first figures. Naturaly, the next step is basing, and i have no idea what the standard is for 28mm ancients... in smaller scales 15mm-10mm i normally go for DBX type basing as i want my models to have a wide use. Is there a similar standard for 28mm? I've seen some seem to do 40mmx40mm with 3-4 models to a base but I have no idea if this is the most versatile basing method in 28mm.
60 x 30mm is the standard for DBx/MeG, but see what your local gamers use too.
Ok, and how many models more or less is standard on 60x30?
Close order 4, loose 3, skirmishers 2
The 'old' Wargames Research Group (WRG) basing standard was/is a 60mm frontage.
This has been carried across into a number of the more recent popular sets of 'ancients' rules - such as L'art de la Guerre (the most popular UK competition set of rules), or MeG, or DBA, DBM, DBMM.
Dacian are generally classified as medium infantry (or Auxillia) and as such a they are usually based as 3 infantry to a 60mm frontage on a 30mm deep base. L'art de la Guerre has them as a 60mm square base with 6 figures on it, often depicted in 2 ranks of 3. But you can achieve the same effect by putting 2 x 60mmx30mm bases one behind the other.
Dacian light infantry or skirmishers (javelins or slings or bows) are usually based with 2 figures on a 60mm frontage by 30mm deep.
Heavier infantry - such as German tribal infantry (or Roman legionaries) would typically be based with up to 8 figures (2 ranks of 4) on a 60mm x 40mm base, but it is often hard to fit 8 of the larger 28mm/32mm figures on a base, so less is also acceptable.
Dacian cavalry are usually either classified as Medium Cavalry (so are based 3 figures on a 60mm x 40 (or 45)mm base, or as Light Cavalry - with just 2 figures on a 60mm x 40/45mm base.
There are other basing conventions, where the figures are based up into units, often on a 100mm frontage by 50mm deep - I think 'To the Strongest' might operate that way - but you are in effect creating unit 'dioramas' so I doubt that there is any set number of figures required, but I could be wrong on that front.
Hope that is helpful
Cheers
Mark
Thank you Big insect! I don't really have any rulesets in mind as I for the most part only paint and rarely game because of a lack of gaming communities :'( ... So my idea is mainly to base the figures in a way so that I can adapt them to a wider array of rulesets for the future.
I would base them individually on 25mm steel washers or 2p pieces (check they are magnetic first).
Then use a sabot bases that you can get from several companies to fit the rules you are currently using.
For flexibility individual basing is the way to go - as Orcs says.
But I would go with 20mm bases - as these will be easier to fit on the sizes suggested for game systems above.
25mm/2p rounds are good for skirmish but they are big when you try to rank them up
So 20mm square bases on some sort of movement tray? It indeed sounds like the most flexible way to go. I'll try and post some pictures after I get some of the models finished. In the meantime thank you all I appreciate the help!
Or
Quote from: Krook on 19 March 2025, 08:07:05 PMSo 20mm square bases on some sort of movement tray? It indeed sounds like the most flexible way to go. I'll try and post some pictures after I get some of the models finished. In the meantime thank you all I appreciate the help!
1p pieces are 20mm in diameter, and the cheapest way to base
I'll have to find an European alternative, I think 5cent coins are around that size