Very niche question about basing 25/28/30mm figures

[ZorroGames]

Parameters:

Miniatures to be used in FRPGs.
Based on 3mm thick wooden litko bases with magnetic material underneath wood.
Leftover bases from wargame usage so “enough” to use for human and dwarf races which I exclusively plan on using.

So I have enough of these base shapes noted below available as I downsize my war game miniatures both in amount and standard size.

Think Nolzur/Deepcut/Reaper sized miniatures.

Options of base shapes are 25mm circles, squares, hexagons and octagons.

I am looking to make recognition in storage boxes easier by base shape.

My first thought was squares for Fighters and Rangers; circles for Clerics and Druids; Hexagons for Wizards, Warlocks, and Sorcers; Octagons for Monks and Rogues. Is there a better thematic way to match classes and base shapes than this? If you think of a better way to bases the classes with these shapes, feel free to make your case, please.

[manyslayer]

The biggest problem I see with that basing technique (by class) is what you view as a fighter, a player who might end up using it views as a warlock. Or the heavily armored dwarven cleric someone wants for their armor wearing sorcerer. As long as you and your group are flexible, it can work, but if you become locked in to square can only mean fighter, etc. then you are cutting of some potential uses of the minis.

[ZorroGames]

The biggest problem I see with that basing technique (by class) is what you view as a fighter, a player who might end up using it views as a warlock. Or the heavily armored dwarven cleric someone wants for their armor wearing sorcerer. As long as you and your group are flexible, it can work, but if you become locked in to square can only mean fighter, etc. then you are cutting of some potential uses of the minis.

Lack of clarity on my part I suspect. Sorry for the ambiguity.

These are strictly my figures for my use being stored and basing is for my quick identification of a predesignated class for a game. My current army cases can hold, based on tray type, from 160+ to 200 figures in a case. No confusion for someone else looking for a specific figure. Trying to reduce my searching thru 8 trays in a case. When I have half and quarter trays this will also simplfy by my using character cases in lieu of army cases. :smallsmile:

These would be in trays in a case that I could carry to a game without knowing what class would be needed for an adventuring party that night.

The Mountain Dwarf figure has been used for a heavy armor variant human :smalleek: but I currently plan to take one each male/female Dwarf and male/female Human for the most common classes I play; Cleric, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Rouge, Wizard. That still is at least 24 figures. This basing would be capable of saving me shuffling trays until I found the class of character (which should allow me to find the human or dwarf, male or female figure quicker in the right tray in the case.)

[Laserlight]

Unarmored caster in a circle. Lightly armored melee in square. Armored in hex. Armored melee in octagon. Increase the amount of sides with the amount of armor, and you can put a ”magic circle” on a caster's base.

[WickerNipple]

Different shaped bases would drive me nuts. I'd just have them all on the same base and kept in different cases with a class label on the case.

[JPicasso]

How many miniatures do you need to play in a FRPG? one? three?
Are you involved with this many RPG games as a player, and you tote around your entire collection every time you go?
Typically, FRPGs do not involve making new characters every session. You play the same dude over a period of weeks/months... years?

For the minis you are currently playing, keep them in a smaller box, that you take to the games.
You should be able to identify the mini you want if the box can only hold 4-5 figures.

Unless I misunderstand (more probable than just possible) you are way over thinking this.

[ZorroGames]

Different shaped bases would drive me nuts. I'd just have them all on the same base and kept in different cases with a class label on the case.

That’s you, not me.

I have used bases to differentiate units/types of fire teams for wargames for decades. Rectangles for cavalry, squares for infantry, etc., especially for 6mm. 3mm aircraft usually are distinctive enough to identify visually without basing cues bizarrely enough.

[ZorroGames]

Unarmored caster in a circle. Lightly armored melee in square. Armored in hex. Armored melee in octagon. Increase the amount of sides with the amount of armor, and you can put a ”magic circle” on a caster's base.

That has good possibilities though I am not skilled enough to be comfortable drawing a magic circle on a 15-25mm base.

[ZorroGames]

How many miniatures do you need to play in a FRPG? one? three?
Are you involved with this many RPG games as a player, and you tote around your entire collection every time you go?
Typically, FRPGs do not involve making new characters every session. You play the same dude over a period of weeks/months... years?

For the minis you are currently playing, keep them in a smaller box, that you take to the games.
You should be able to identify the mini you want if the box can only hold 4-5 figures.

Unless I misunderstand (more probable than just possible) you are way over thinking this.

As stated the storage boxes run from 160-200 figures as the FRPG figures currently are in my war games army storage boxes.

I already have several hundred bases for 3mm, 6mm, 15mm, and 25mm armies so it was a case of, “Hey, I have these bases so maybe I could use them...”

My newly designated Dwarf and Humans box has 6 4x5 trays with 120 slots set aside for (60 each race) Male/Female, (2 each in a column of four,) of each class five classes per tray.

Per race - 4 Barbarians, 4 Bards, 4 Cleric, 4 Druids, 4 Fighters, 4 Monks, 4 Rangers, 4 Rogues, 4 Sorcerors, 4 Warlocks and 4 wizards. Add in a few spares for filling slots.

Until this month when shop closed my figures were also backup figures for DMs (Bandits, “stand ins” for groups of monsters such as being the meat in a kobold and rebel guardsmen sandwich, etc.,) so bringing a standard case was a small effort. Plus some, well most, starting players needed figures. Most play has been stand alone AL modules until ToA started recently.

Since ToA is currently on hold since hosting shop closed without warning this would be a good time to reorganize and rebase figures. I was/am pretty much the (baseball term for non-Americans) club “switch hitter” since attendance and characters available are unpredictable from week to week. I have gotten a lot of experience with classes I have not played before this way (looking for an upside.)