Commanders and re-basing

(Not really "painting", but I didn't want to create a new label just for this post!)

Many new rules systems take as a core philosophy that they allow players to use existing established basing conventions. For obvious and beneficial reasons! However, there does always seem to be something that doesn't quite fit...

In my most recent previous wargaming life, my Ancients rulesets were DBMM and FoG. I more or less got away with ignoring the differences between the two systems. I did create a few more bases of some troop types, since in FoG they needed to be grouped in 4s, 6s, or 8s to form viable units, but expanding available is something that doesn't really need much encouragement! I compromised by using my DBMM-style 2-to-a-base Roman legionary archers in mixed legionary/archer units rather than create additional 4-to-a-base archers, opponents didn't seem to have a problem with this. And I used my DBMM commander bases in FoG, attaching them to 40mm x 40mm sabot bases.

Now for some reason - probably not unrelated to the increased difficulty of picking out the commander bases in a crowded photo! - I have decided that I need to have some appropriately MeG-style commanders. And yet I want to retain the DBMM-style commanders - although it is a good few years since I last played and I have almost completely forgotten the rules, it is quite possible that I will play them again at some point.

Some of my late Roman commanders I can live with - they have extremely large banners so are quite visible. But for the others...

I spent a bit of time going through my figures and identified some that are probably surplus to potential DBMM (or similar) requirements and could be cannibalised for MeG. Work in progress still - the single figures look a bit lonely, but I didn't find anything to go with them yet so some additional buying and painting may be required, to be decided...and I do have some more spare Hellenistic officer and banner figures but have run out of the 40mm circular bases. But Romans, Germanics, and Huns were my immediate requirement, as that is what I will need for the campaign I have in mind for the near future. I think (hope!) I now have enough for that purpose!

 

Further re-configuration work is called for because of the MeG "flexible" formation type, but that is another story! I am wrestling with the question of whether to rebase some of my existing "flexible" troops (making them unsuitable for DBMM use), acquire and paint new figures from the same manufacturer, or just live with putting formation markers on the table. Choices, choices, choices.