Identifiy Formations |
furgie
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2004 3:23 pm |
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Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 9:00 pm Posts: 330 Location: Devizes, Wiltshire
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Hi guys,
I was wondering how you identify your formations for big games?
I was thinking about either a flash of colour on a shoulder pad and the matching transport, or a pannel for colour on the edge of the base and matching on the transport again.
How do other do this or is it not felt to be a concern?
Furgie
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primarch
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2004 4:15 pm |
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Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2003 12:46 am Posts: 27069 Location: Edmond, Oklahoma USA
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Hi!
For marines I use shoulder pad color designations and the rhinos also have the old symbol recognitions for assault, devastator and tactical squads. That's how I keep track of them for marines.
For IG, I use three stripes of varying colors to identify units and platoon commanders.
It gets harder for non-imperial armies, but the banners of the orks can also serve this purpose.
Primarch
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Legion 4
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Sun Feb 29, 2004 5:49 am |
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Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 5:13 pm Posts: 36989 Location: Ohio - USA
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Yes, Primarch has got it right, again. Plus you can use traditional tactical markings in various colors. Circles, squares, diamonds, <, >, v, ^, etc., etc. ... That is generally how we do it ... 
_________________ Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
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Markconz
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Sun Feb 29, 2004 5:54 am |
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Purestrain |
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Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2003 10:43 pm Posts: 7925 Location: New Zealand
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I paint the rim of should pads and the shoulder pad various colours to identify units... I like something that is reasonably easy to identify at a distance, gets important in big games.
For orks, I use the should pads, backplate and trousers.
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primarch
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Sun Feb 29, 2004 10:13 pm |
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Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2003 12:46 am Posts: 27069 Location: Edmond, Oklahoma USA
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Hi!
Yes, I agree the ork shoulder pads serve the same purpose.
I haven't figured a good way to do it with the eldar, although you could vary the color of the guardians helmets.
Primarch
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Markconz
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2004 1:35 am |
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Purestrain |
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Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2003 10:43 pm Posts: 7925 Location: New Zealand
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Quote (primarch @ 29 2004 Feb.,21:13) | I haven't figured a good way to do it with the eldar, although you could vary the color of the guardians helmets. | Yep, that's what I did, also the sash they have at their waist (the e40k edition ones).
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Tas
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2004 3:04 am |
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Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 10:01 am Posts: 7823 Location: Sydney, NSW
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I use combinations- most have been mentioned- different kneepad or shoulderpad rim colours for SM etc
The lest difficult and easiest though, is to use different shading on different IG companies. They still look uniform, but stadning back you can tell between the different browns you have used
_________________ Tas My General blog: http://tasmancave.blogspot.com/ My VSF Blog: http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com/ My ECW Blog: http://declaresir.blogspot.com/
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Legion 4
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2004 5:08 am |
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Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 5:13 pm Posts: 36989 Location: Ohio - USA
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Painting helmets a different color or even complete uniforms works too.
_________________ Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
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mr_mich
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:47 pm |
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Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2004 4:10 am Posts: 115
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I find that to work only if you have a few formations in each uniform though, like a full battle company from each of a few chapters. Even then, if you have a few BA tacticals, a few SW tacticals, and a few Sallie Devastators, you'll have to identify between formations.
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Tas
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2004 12:58 pm |
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Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 10:01 am Posts: 7823 Location: Sydney, NSW
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Quote (mr_mich @ 01 2004 Mar.,20:47) | I find that to work only if you have a few formations in each uniform though, like a full battle company from each of a few chapters. ?Even then, if you have a few BA tacticals, a few SW tacticals, and a few Sallie Devastators, you'll have to identify between formations. | I dunno-Different IG comapanies from different Regiments and thus different colour greatcoats etc.
The real fun is in developing the uniforms through battles, like Battle honours. I had a IG Coy that once held against unbeliveable odds against an Ork assault. That Coy then had their helmets repainted green in honour of their Victory against the Greenskins. They kinda stand out now! That sort of thing, including turret markings and the like, give your amry great character and individuality
_________________ Tas My General blog: http://tasmancave.blogspot.com/ My VSF Blog: http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com/ My ECW Blog: http://declaresir.blogspot.com/
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stormseer
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2004 3:48 pm |
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Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2003 9:52 pm Posts: 4598 Location: Suffolk, UK.
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I painted my 40k Guardian sashes in different colours to differentiate the squads, and yeah, it works pretty well with my Epic minis too.. 
_________________ www.darkrealmminiatures.com
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nealhunt
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2004 10:29 pm |
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Purestrain |
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Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 10:52 pm Posts: 9617 Location: Nashville, TN, USA
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Wow, you guys must play a lot different. I rarely have difficulty figuring out who goes with which detachment, even with nothing to distinguish them.
Currently, I have 6 SM tac formations, 3 in one pattern, 2 in a different pattern, and 1 in a third pattern. I've never had a problem deploying them so that I could tell them apart easily. Same for orks, and they are even more homogenous in their randomness. I don't even separate out formations in storage. I just pile all the nobz in one section, all the boyz in another, and all the grots in a third. When I make a warband, I just pull out whatever.
I used to mark everything up separately, but mostly I found it made set up and tear down rather fiddly and was just not needed, so I just quit.
_________________ Neal
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Falesh
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2004 10:40 pm |
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Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2003 4:35 pm Posts: 313
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If you don't want to paint the units differently, how about painting numbers on the underside of the base. Then you could say Boyz 1-14 are in this Warband, 15-22 in that one, etc, so you can check if you do get confused as to who is who.
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primarch
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Post subject: Identifiy Formations Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2004 11:12 pm |
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Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2003 12:46 am Posts: 27069 Location: Edmond, Oklahoma USA
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Hi!
Under the older epic systems you needed to keep tabs on units for break points. While most of the time its easy what happens when you have a big free for all melee? It can get confusing.
Thus the color coding.
Primarch
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