Basic Basing Addendum

[This article is part of the Painting for Tournaments article series.]

I got a great comment to my last tournament painting article, Basic Basing Principles. Basically (hahaha....), a reader asked the big "what if".  I like that because he made a good point.  None of the stuff in my article is a hard, fast rule for what you MUST do to get a high painting score.  For instance, what got my reader thinking were my statements about keeping bases simple and reproducible.  He wanted to go above and beyond and really create some sweet bases that really told a story.  To do that, there would have to be quite a bit of variation to the bases.  So, do I think this guy will fail?  Not at all. I simply wrote that keeping bases simple makes them easier to keep consistent which ultimately makes your army look more cohesive. 

The interesting thing about tournaments and paint scoring is the inclusion of a little thing called a display board.  Display boards go miles towards making your army look more cohesive and they also tell a story about your army. A well done display board will always net you additional paint points as opposed to not having one.  So, if you want to do an elaborate basing theme that is really brought together by a sweet display board, then you are set.  Take a look at Jawaballs' army for Nova this year:

Sweet job, JB, sweet job.

You will notice a variety of different bases on this board.  If the models were taken in isolation, I could see how a judge might think that they are not together or cohesive, but here's a secret.  You will never be judged for painting (in a good tournament with a judge who knows what their doing anyway) unless you are set up for judging.  I would actually go around asking players I needed to judge to set their armies up for me so that I could take a look.  If you have a display board, you have the ability to set your models up for maximum visibility and theme.  So, if you choose to go the elaborate route, then go for it!  I highly encourage this as a paint judge as it makes my job far more interesting.  As a fellow player, it gives me a lot of respect for a player to see the hard work that they have put into their army.  Definitely, go for it. 

If you are just aiming, for getting bases done, take a look at my previous article.  It's for you.  I hope that helps clarify my thoughts on basing a bit more.  I will talk more towards the end of the series about how to set up an army and display board for maximum effect.

Thanks for reading.

Other useful articles:
Caring About Appearances
What a difference a base can make
Why You Should Spend More Money on a Better Brush
____________________________________________________________

Did you find this article useful? Subscribe to Gone to Ground for more great updates.