Reply To: Warlord announce 15mm blackpowder

[phaidknott 7023xp 0]

@ravensdark121 I think that’s kind of the point. Over the years we’ve got used to highly compressed frontages (and double rank basing) as “the norm” to allow us to fit more units on a table (basically leading us up to our current “rank em up and throw dice at each other” style of gaming where the baseline is full of units and there’s no flanks etc).

Back in to 80’s and 90s when we had things like figure ratios and unit frontages were measured in paces (and then converted down to a table scale) we used to see figures based in a single rank and units in line WERE a pain as they took up a lot of space (if you think about it a unit in line is anything up to 300 men across but only 3 men deep, so the frontage should be massive).

But “gamers scale” is the current norm (whatever that is), and basing and frontage is now along the lines of what looks good and is convenient for the rules author (rather than based in real world physics and/or historical fact). These new 10 men strips “should” really be based in a single rank to reflect their real world frontage, and even with Warlords double ranking we still “see” the frontage as excessive.

Of course a lot also has to do with the level of the ruleset, if you’re after a more “grand tactical” game then unit frontages (and even formation) is a moot point. But I enjoy a good old tactical level game where you change units formations, deploy skirmishers etc.