Most of my armies are 15mm or 6mm. I have only limited experience with 10mm figures, and I wonder whether there are any common basing conventions? What size bases are most frequently used, and how many figures per base?

My 15mm armies have 4 close-order infantry to a 40x20mm base. Most of my 6mm infantry has 24 figures in 2 ranks on a 60x30mm base, although my ECW stuff uses 40mm wide bases with 16 figures in 2 ranks.

A few years ago I had a couple of 10mm HotT armies based as if they were 15mm figures on 40mm wide bases. They looked too sparse. I had a 10mm DBA army with 18 close order infantry in 3 ranks on 60x30mm bases. That looked fine, but it took a lot of painting. Recently I completed a couple of bases for a 15mm fantasy army with seven 10mm infantry figures per 40x20mm base to represent Host (similar to Warband in DBA/HotT) of the "Little People".

This is a question that we have been wrestling with as we have the huge job of working our way through the ranges and putting a structure on packs sixes and composition.   After a lot of looking around the nooks and crannies of the internet, it is pretty obvious that the old Warmaster basing convention of 3 40x20 bases to a unit is the most popular format.   We are therefore working on 12 infantry figures to a 40mm base in two ranks, and 4 mounted in a single rank.

It's not the last word, as wargamers are very particualar and varied in their basing choices, but it's a working framework for us.   I personally like the idea of a single 80x40 base, being the 'grown-up' version of the 60x30 from our 6mm experience, but 10mm is a different market place and has a different basing culture.

Thanks, Peter. That sounds reasonable.

How dare you call me reasonable! 

In my experience with 10mm ancients wargames (Warmaster Ancients), me and my friends put 10 infantry men on 2 ranks (or 2 for 5 ranks per phalanxes) in 20x40mm, or 5 infantry for skirmishers, or 6/7 infantry for light infantry. Cavalry units are put in number of 4x1 rank, or 2x2 ranks for shock cavalries, for heavy cavalry, 3x1 rank for light, 2x1 rank for skirmishers. In this way we always can see the different types on the ground

Recently returned to building 10mm armies, yet again for post-Roman Britain.

I'm using 80mm wide bases which are 50mm deep. Melee troops are between 28 and 36 figures strong, missile/skirmish have 10 or 12 figures.  Light horse are 8 figures, cavalry 13 - 16 figures.

I did try following DBA recommendations way back in 1990, even with 3 times the figures the 'armies; looked awful.

Now that is the way to do it!

Bigger bases with lots of figures on is my personal preference, as it unlocks so much opportunity for the smaller figures to be used for dioramic effect.  Sadly, it is not does seem to be a popular option.