Tactical Command
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Bases or Not
http://www.tacticalwargames.net/taccmd/viewtopic.php?f=126&t=22413		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  CAL001 [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 12:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Bases or Not
Hey Guys,

Recently I have been approached by a manufacturer with an idea to release a range of new miniatures. Included in that range are tanks, artillery, apcs and infantry. In discussion with them the topic of bases came up. They wanted to know whether or not to include bases on the sprue with the infantry or not. Of late I am seeing more and more people using bases other than strip bases that traditionally have come from GW. I myself have recently been using Flames of War bases for my son's Kreig army, and have designed and sent for production round bases in various styles for an upcoming ork project.

What I am after is some feeback from the community on what you guys as customers would prefer in your purchase, so I can provide some data back to our the manufacturer. The big question is would you want bases, or should the space on the sprue be dedicated to more miniatures/accessories. As a rough idea, you would be able to get more infantry, specialist weapons, accessories for your vehicles, alternate turrets for the space currently occupied by four rectangular bases similar to GW's.

Cheers
Aaron
Author:  mango2 [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 12:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
more stuff less bases :)

I think people have personal preferences to which bases they use and so having bases on a sprue or included can be a waste/undue cost.

To me bases should be a seperate product like most manufacturers currently have. The only way i would like to see them mixed with an order is as a 'sample' to possibly lead the customer into ordering their style of base.


The other question I would consider asking is 'is it neccessary for a manufacturer to supply miniatures in an official printed blister case or would a customer rather have a cheaper b/w printed card stapled to a zip lock bag?' :) but thats for another thread
Author:  kyussinchains [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 12:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
all my GW strip bases are gathering dust in a box somewhere.... moar minis!
Author:  Spectrar Ghost [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 3:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
I'd agree that It's easier to gather the bases you need seperate from the miniatures, except in cases where the base size is part of the ruleset, like Warmaster. However, I also think that a manufacturer could do worse than to have bases produced in house. If there were a couple styles, shapes, and sizes of nice bases, preferably with recessed holes like the Epic bases, it would make it an easy add-on sale.
Author:  Man of kent [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
evil and chaos has experimented with t the baseactually being the sprue!
Author:  captPiett [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 4:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
I don't think bases are so necessary that they take up space on a sprue, but like SG I do think that the option to buy bases is a good thing. It could make life a lot easier to have one-stop shopping for bases and minis.

One area in which I think bases are vital: if there are any flyers in the line as flying bases can get quite expensive by themselves. For example, GW ones are pretty nice (once they're put together, that is), but if you buy direct, your wallet is violated in the most humiliating way.
Author:  Dwarf Supreme [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 5:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
captPiett wrote:
I don't think bases are so necessary that they take up space on a sprue, but like SG I do think that the option to buy bases is a good thing.


Exactly my sentiment. Don't include them, but have them as an option for the buyer.
Author:  Apocolocyntosis [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 6:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
I like minis to come with bases. I would be very unlikely to pay money to buy them separately if not included, as i would make my own instead and resent the idea of paying more for something that should have been in the box anyway.

But if i was going to get more minis on the sprue without bases, then yep, forget the bases and add more cool stuff ;D
Author:  netepic [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 6:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
mango2 wrote:
The other question I would consider asking is 'is it neccessary for a manufacturer to supply miniatures in an official printed blister case or would a customer rather have a cheaper b/w printed card stapled to a zip lock bag?' :) but thats for another thread


Blisters are essential if you want to woo distributors to your product line.

Regarding bases I think you should have them available, but they should be sold separately to the figures so you don't limit customers to a particular game system or basing style.
Author:  shedman [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 7:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
Although I base everything I prefer to use my own bases rather than any that come with the figures or vehicles

Alan
Author:  Morgan Vening [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
I think the bases should be sold separately to the blisters, with one exception. Army starter boxes should either have them free, or heavily discounted (ie, at or below cost in the pricing calculation). Usually, a starter box has a more impressive art/contents pack than blisters, and shows it in it's best light. Opening it, and finding it's missing components that are on the box is a bit meh for the consumer.

Morgan Vening
Author:  captPiett [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 8:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
I also think it's important to add that even if you don't use the bases that are included, they become at the least a useful commodity. They can always be used for the next army one starts, or traded to someone else who needs them.

Vehicle bases are far less important than infantry or flyer bases IMO - the nature of the infantry figs mean you have to counter-sink or otherwise hide the individual figure bases. Treads or tires just sit on top of course so no need for extra work (unlike homemade infantry bases).
Author:  Angel_of_Caliban [ Sun Jan 29, 2012 9:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
With this question, my main issue is I DO NOT want metal/resin bases. I like having hard plastic bases like GW or FoW.

Therefor I vote No because I assume said question of bases would be metal/resin.
Author:  wargame_insomniac [ Tue Jan 31, 2012 9:31 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
Depends on how essential the specific sized bases are to that ruleset and whether this specific base is readily available elsewhere.

Also depends on target audience for the game. If looking to sell game to younger players then more likely you would want them to be included- you want them to be able to assemble, paint and play almost straight from the box to keep them interested.

If pitching game at older players, and if they may be using other minatures anyway, then you can probably leave it to them to get bases to match their existing figures.

Cheers

James
Author:  CAL001 [ Tue Jan 31, 2012 11:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Bases or Not
Thanks for the votes and commentary so far guys. If we could keep the votes coming that would be great.

Cheers
Aaron
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