15mm DBA armies and HC unit options

[TankTracks]

I'm trying to figure out how best to use DBA based figures for HC. So take infantry. They are usually based 4 figures on a 40x15mm base. This fits with a standard unit size of 160mm frontage with 16 figures using 4 bases. Now we have a unit--so far so good.

However is it? On pp 18 & 20 of the rulebooks it says battle lines are usually arranged in two guys deep. Phalanxes in four guys deep. So do you arrange the four bases to 2 x 2 bases for a battle line or for phalanx 1 x 4? Or do you double or quadruple the number of bases in the unit? Two ranks of four bases for blades and four ranks of four bases for sarissas?

The more I think about this the more confused I get. If anyone has already figured this out can you post a chart of how to form units out of the different types of DBA bases?

Thanks!
Mike

[Big Al]

I'm trying to figure out how best to use DBA based figures for HC. So take infantry. They are usually based 4 figures on a 40x15mm base. This fits with a standard unit size of 160mm frontage with 16 figures using 4 bases. Now we have a unit--so far so good.

However is it? On pp 18 & 20 of the rulebooks it says battle lines are usually arranged in two guys deep. Phalanxes in four guys deep. So do you arrange the four bases to 2 x 2 bases for a battle line or for phalanx 1 x 4? Or do you double or quadruple the number of bases in the unit? Two ranks of four bases for blades and four ranks of four bases for sarissas?

The more I think about this the more confused I get. If anyone has already figured this out can you post a chart of how to form units out of the different types of DBA bases?

Thanks!
Mike

The key word used is "usually". That doesn't mean it must be so. If you and your mates all have similarly based armies, then go with it as they are. Our group has been using Impetus bases as units in 15mm and it works brilliantly. The comment you have quoted is really just to give you an idea of what looks and feels right. You go with whatever you feel is right. Nobody is going to tell you you're wrong. If they did, that would only be their opinion.

[guthroth]

We are using 2/3 scale and fewer figures to create BIG battles.

Standard units are 3 bases wide.
Large units are 5 bases wide.
Small units are 2 bases wide.

Ranks deep are as appropriate, although this can be fairly flexible.
Thus most deployed infantry / cavalry would be 2 ranks.
Hoplite Phalanx and Warband 3 ranks.
Pike Phalanx 4 ranks.
Chariots in single rank.
Elephants single rank although 1 model is 1 unit.

Game experience also has my skirmishers fielded as a 3 base wide standard unit but taking the statistics of a small unit.

As long as it is declared before the game most things can be accommodated.

Pete

[Targa]

In our LGS we follow page 174 --- Appendix 2 -- Using Smaller Models. We use 120mm as Standard size for 15mm in two lines so a unit is 3 bases wide, 2 deep for 24 figures. To get more units we sometimes also use 3 bases wide with a second rank of 1 or 2 bases. This works well for us. For cavalry, we went with 3 bases wide, 1 deep with 2 per base for Light and 3 per base for medium and heavy. We did this because most of us have 15mm cavalry units of 4 bases per FOG. We did this to maintain the 120mm frontage of a standard unit.

[A Lot of Gaul]

My 15mm HC armies have Standard-sized units with 120mm frontage, as well.

Cheers,
Scott

[vonLuden]

This HC solo game used four DBA bases for each standard unit, primarily to get a visual mass without handling lots of units. I don't think it makes much difference to the game play as long as there is room on the table to maneuver the units.

http://ncc1717.wordpress.com/category/m ... il-caesar/

[pogo]

in 15mm we have used former DBM/FOG/DBA bases (4cm) as follows
for width : tiny : 1 base / small : 2 base / normal : 3 base / large : 4 base
for dept : mostly 2, 3 for archer supported troops, 4 for pikes and barbarian mobs

Alex