PAUSE FOR THOUGHT

As the wargame table disappeared under a reprocessed forest I came up against certain considerations that you must too.

1. To cut-out or not cut-out?
It is possible to print, fold and then cut around the figure to give it a realistic outline. Great for one-offs but I wanted legions, hordes, big battalions. I would use squared-off pieces of card with a coloured background. I soon found that a very pale colour was better than white for this. Cutting round hundreds of small figures is no way to waste one's life.

2. Single or multi-figures ?
The figures are given as individuals for the most part. I wanted multiple bases. I started by replicating figures as if they were model soldiers, four to a base 50mm wide. This looks great until I realised I was missing a trick. If one crowd more into the space it looks better Serried ranks of men. Great!
3. Ooops, Cavalry!
Multi-figure does not work for cavalry. Cavlry are edge-on to the base front so must be folded one by one and set on the base side-by-side. So I made loads and crammed them on bases. Not a good idea. Besides being a lot of work it was not aesthetically pleasing. The figures block any viewer from seeing what is behind them. Any mass effect is spoilt by the excessive screening effect. I started with 4 or three horsemen on a 50mm base. The solution is to use just two horsemen on a 50mm base. In any case mounted troops were more thinly dispersed than infantry so 2 horsemen facing a clump of foot is not so wierd.

4.Top or base-folding?
I found the smooth folded edge much better than a cut edge at the top. If the background is coloured this gives a nice finsih. BUT most on JG are base-folders aaaaaarrrggghhh! So I had to set to work editing them for my own method.

I now had a basic method, though. My units were defined as 50mm wide for infantry with as many men crammed side-by side as possible. They are top-folders with any grass or base edited off. I fold them and glue them to a painted base. The cavalry are top-folders too, with two on a 50mm base. All have very pale tinted backgrounds, blue for French, grey or rosey for Allied troops. Russians can be pale green when I get round to them.

More little problems to be solved later. But nothing serious.