Basing for Boer War

[alanl]

Any thoughts on the number of figures per base to look right for the Second Boer War?

I will be using Bloody Big Battles which has bases 1" square.  I am thinking of 3 or 4 infantry and 2 cavalry/artillery pieces per base.

Some pictures for inspiration would be great.

Alan

[fred.]

It depends on what look you are going for. 4 infantry on a 1" base will look fairly close order. If you want a more skirmish you look I'd try fewer figures. For my WWI  I went with 3 figures on a 30mm square.

2 cavalry should be fine. A gun should fit but might be a bit tight

[toxicpixie]

Think I'd second Fred - four for close order, and either two or three for the stands with Skirmish.

We use small FoW sized bases for BBB so they're rectangles @32mm wide, with six figures for close order and three for skirmish - looks nice, but I wish we'd gone with squares as that would make play easier (eg arc of fire!). My other BBB stuff is in 2mm blocks on 20mm, and I wish I'd gone with 30mm squares and made them "mini-dioramas" like Leman did!

Which probably says my advice is fine, but ignore my example

[Luddite]

Most of the British used open order (a relatively open firing line) when under command early in the war.  Skirmishing was the order of the day.

A few formations (such as those under Maj-Gen "No Bobs" Hart) still fought in close order - they were cut to bits by Boer fire (such as at Colenso)

I'd certainly go with a looser basing with fewer figures.

Of course, no need for the Boers as the British never saw them!

[alanl]

Thanks.  3 infantry per base it is!

[toxicpixie]

Is it important you to differentiate in BBB terms between skirmish and non-skirmish stands? Having a look at the two scenarios on the yahoo group they give skirmish (in game terms) to @50% of the Boer stands, and much less for the British - approx one base per unit of 4-5 bases.

Perhaps three for formed, two for skirmish bases?

[alanl]

There would be no difference in the actual formations adopted between units with different skirmish designarions in this period.  From postings on the Yahoo Group, the S rating is simply to mark that some units were more adept than others.

I will probably still go for 3 figures per base but position the figures differently: perhaps in a roughly straight line for standard infantry and in a V formation or one of the figures positioned behind a small rock for the "skirmish" infantry.

[toxicpixie]

Yes, that's what I was trying to say with the in game/rules representation element - sounds a good way to do it!