Arkiham Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I've noticed on Facebook an occasionally in store a increasing amount of clear bases being used on models. The benefits to this are obvious to see, terrain. Your model no longer stands out like a sore thumb as it's got snow and you're battaling on grass today; for instance. Effects can also be painting ontop of these, for instance I plan on basing my nurgle army on clears, painting some ooze and slime on them and maybe some blood. Or maybe my khorne stuff, with blood splatters. Voilà! A nice looking base regardless of terrain with some nice effects. There is a downside though, tournaments often require people to paint bases, this would then obviously counter the point of clear bases. I've seen chatter of some more tournaments allowing them lately. I don't feel it's skimping out on hobbying more allowing it to evolve into something more dynamic, suiting aos What are people's views? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BunkhouseBuster Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I want consistency in my armies. I'm not going to rebase hundreds upon hundreds of infantry models and put them on clear bases. To me, basing is the best way to tie together armies and allies in a way that is visually appealing and quick to see. Plus, having clear pieces makes the models feel more like "tokens" to me, and less like characterful. Sure, it would make finishing the army go a lot quicker, especially since I struggle with deciding what to use for basing my armies, but I like that "last stretch" feeling of having squads of guys ready to base as the final step in my process. Yes, it can be a bit anachronistic having snowy-based models on a grassy field facing against models with lava bases, but that's part of the charm to me. It's a clear way to know who is who and what is what on the battlefield. I'm not going to criticize or bash anyone that wants to have or plays with a clear-based army, but I'm not going to participate myself. To each their own, and all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killax Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Only do it if you like it. I love scenic basing. If you dont like that clears are cool! Blast from the past: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choombatta Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 If you play model to model instead of base to base, the clear bases would actually help highlight the model itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWilddog Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I personally love scenic bases. I often times have just as much fun modeling the base as I do the actual model. I have seen a fully clear base army, a local guy bought one off ebay that was based this way, and I did not like the effect in person. The models without basing lacked character to me and actually broke the game immersion for me because the effect was so jarring. Maybe it was because I was not used to it but overall I was not a fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galas Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Yeah, this is a case of "I don't do it, but I see no problem with it" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chord Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I'm all for it. I don't like complicated basing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleboda Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 5 hours ago, BunkhouseBuster said: To me, basing is the best way to tie together armies and allies in a way that is visually appealing and quick to see. Agreed. My GF (TwiceIfILikeIt - check her hobby threads in the painting forums!) and I are making a skaven+overlords frenemy army for Adepticon. Bases + color schemes unify the army. Btw - Not a fan of scenic bases. At all. Not for gaming models anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lousy Beatnik Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Use whatever you like. Personally, I don't. I did base up some Warmaster high elves when they showed one bloke's army in white dwarf. It didn't get beyond a few stands of spearmen since getting acrylic bases those days wasn't an option and I had to cut my own Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiky Norman Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 I rebased the entirety of my Zombicide Season 2 Kickstarter reward with clear acrylic bases, and I really liked how it looked during play. I was tempted to do it with my new AoS army, but ended up simply using regular bases, and the same with my new 40k army. But I think sooner or later, I might jump in and do a new GW projects solely with clear acrylic bases. Especially with the battle mats becoming more and more widespread, it makes more and more practical sense to use these clear bases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rokapoke Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 GW’s Tyranid Gargoyles come with clear bases. I actually might make up some basing for them anyway to match the rest of my Tyranid force. Personal preference I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curry_Supreme Posted October 20, 2017 Share Posted October 20, 2017 Ive seen a couple of clear base armies and I think they look great as wargaming pieces; however if your a painter as opposed to a gamer you will naturally gravitate to painted bases. The majority of armies I have seen with the clears tend to be 30k zone mortalis forces. There was a guy with a death rattle force in our flgs and they looked good. As others have mentioned, overly scenic bases I find to be more decisive than clear bases as they often alter the height of the models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redking Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 I prefer scenic bases. However, I can see this looking good on a neoprene mat. I rebased all of my Imperial Assault with clear bases and it looks great for board games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Misfire Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 But how will I see them to measure distances? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. White Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 Yeah, i don't even use clear bases on flyers. To me, the base grounds the mini and makes each one a mini diorama. They appear more alive. Not a fan of clears. Too sterile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davariel Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 I'm honestly not a fan of clear bases. Mostly because they're never clear enough and just look like a lump of plastic under the model Regular bases aren't perfect but at least you can make them look pretty with appropriate materials and painting, and use them to theme your army, tell a story and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samanar Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 Clear ones originate from board games where your model fights on varying terrain so it's a way to tie it to the background. I don't mind them in wargaming to be honest, these are your models so whatever floats your boat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tasman Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 18 hours ago, BunkhouseBuster said: I want consistency in my armies. I'm not going to rebase hundreds upon hundreds of infantry models and put them on clear bases. To me, basing is the best way to tie together armies and allies in a way that is visually appealing and quick to see. Plus, having clear pieces makes the models feel more like "tokens" to me, and less like characterful. Sure, it would make finishing the army go a lot quicker, especially since I struggle with deciding what to use for basing my armies, but I like that "last stretch" feeling of having squads of guys ready to base as the final step in my process. Yes, it can be a bit anachronistic having snowy-based models on a grassy field facing against models with lava bases, but that's part of the charm to me. It's a clear way to know who is who and what is what on the battlefield. I'm not going to criticize or bash anyone that wants to have or plays with a clear-based army, but I'm not going to participate myself. To each their own, and all that. To me, it also has the effect that it kind of illustrates the idea of the forces from the shattered realms are coming together.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killax Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 10 hours ago, Double Misfire said: But how will I see them to measure distances? Just poke that nice measuring device right into another players nice model. Bonus points awarded for scratching paint jobs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyshadow Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 I am personally not a fan. I think they stand out too much. Traditional basing grounds the model much better I think. I have recently changed my basing style to a darker brown with black rims. I think they work quite well on a wide range of tables including desert, ash lands and grass land. I would certainly have no issue playing an army on clear bases though. Just not my preferred choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erasercrumbs Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 Clear bases free me from the drudgery of base work, which I like because it's the only part of the hobby I actively hate. My goal is to make my upcoming Seraphon army entirely on clear bases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuneBrush Posted October 23, 2017 Share Posted October 23, 2017 I'm not a massive fan to the point where I really don't like them. If the clear base were something that wasn't a highly glossy piece of acrylic then it would likely be a little different, but the ones I've seen just stick out like a sore thumb, more than a plain unpainted base. I also think it's compounded by the fact that it's normally a simple plastic disc whereas a GW base has a bevel round it. That said, I'm not going to knock anybody who does use them providing I don't see any superglue misting or similar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssharkus Posted October 23, 2017 Share Posted October 23, 2017 I use clear bases for "flying" models. Discs of tzeentch and screamers mostly. Still my pack of skyfires are based normally. Any other models should be properly based imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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