Prone Figures

[Paul]

Prone figures. I hate them. I base individually, so it annoys me having to put a guy on a different size base. Anyone else feel the same way?
Besides incorporating them on a multi-figure base, what do other people do with prone figures?

Those are brave men knocking at our door. Let's go kill them!

[PaintingLittleSoldiers]

I leave them out usually unless they are really needed.

 

It was always a shame that in 1/72 packs you would end up with at least 5 or 10 guys on the ground.

[Rules Junkie Jim]

I hate them. Loathsome blighters, lying about on the ground when there’s a war on. I never use them based individually, and rarely use them even on multi-figure bases.

[Rod Robertson]

Paul et al.:

I only use prone figures for support weapons like LMG teams, light mortars, anti-tank weapons, OP/FOO teams, etc. The prone figures represent the deployed weapon/team and the standing figures represent the weapon/team transporting the weapon. In transport mode all the figures are individually based. I  individually mount most figures but teams of two, three or four for support weapons are also made. I just use washers of different sizes to base the prone figures; no biggie except that there are more figures to paint and base.  I do avoid buying prone riflemen and the majority of the troops are either standing or kneeling. What bothers you so much about differing base sizes?

Cheers and good gaming.

Rod Robertson.

[MartinR]

As above, they are a pain to base as in the larger scales the weapons invariably stick over the edge of the base.

I tend to use them for support weapons only, although in 6mm they aren’t a problem.

They are much faster to paint than figures standing up though!

"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

[Not Connard Sage]

As this is posted in ‘General’ rather than a specific board I feel able to confidently state that in my favourite periods they’re not an issue. 🙂

Obvious contrarian and passive aggressive old prat, who is taken far too seriously by some and not seriously enough by others.

[Les Hammond]

In most units I use prone teams for the LMGs and the marching ones that come with figure packs for AT rifles, especially for MG-heavy units eg m/c troops as you can buy the strips individually from H&R (MG34 teams for Germans & PIAT teams for the Brits) and they all fit on same base I use for squads. No problemo.

6mm France 1940

http://les1940.blogspot.co.uk/
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[Thuseld]

I tend to avoid using prone figures, unless they are part of a team weapon. I recall wanting to always have prone men, because they had better cover bonuses and it was hard to keep track of who was standing, crouching and crawling (Old Airfix Guide WW2 wargame rules we found my Dad used to use). We had envisioned having four poses for each soldier, but then proceeded to put every soldier we owned onto a small table. We never finished a game, nor did we ever get all of those figures.

Since I made the switch to 6mm, I don’t see a whole lot of prone figures out there.

Experiments here: http://inexperiencedmodelmaker.blogspot.co.uk/

Tranquil Stars updates: https://tranquilstars.wordpress.com

[irishserb]

Generally, I find them less interesting than other poses, but I use them readily, as they are practical and appropriate on WWII through modern battlefields.  Usually they get based on the same sized bases as other poses, but sometimes they get based on slightly longer bases depending on the weapons.

[Paul]

I base all my 15mm guys on 16mm bases, and all my 28mm guys on 25mm slotta bases – I like consistency, so I want every man to take up the same amount of space. This is why I get irritated when I have to put a miniature on a different sized base.

I don’t mind as much if it is a guy using a heavy weapon or whatver, but I really don’t like it when one ordinary rifle-toting grunt takes up more space than the next one. Maybe its just me being pedantic, but I like uniformity.

Those are brave men knocking at our door. Let's go kill them!

[Altius]

I like to base my guys on multi-figure stands to represent squads/platoons, so it’s not really an issue. I have one or two prone figures in my Russian Civil War units, and they seem to fit right in.

Where there is fire, we will carry gasoline

[Eric Henderson]

I find 1/72 plastic prone figures come in useful as markers, casualties etc. You can dip them in boiling water and flatten them out a bit more so they look like dead figures. A lot of games need markers and you can have multiple use of the same figure; lying face up for wounded or face down for killed etc.

I also use the 6mm Mainforce figures for playing PBI. All the figures are prone which is an accurate representation of modern battlefield behaviour ie if you aren’t moving you tend to go prone.

 

[Piyan Glupak]

Some army packs don’t come with prone figures.  My Middle Kingdom Egyptians didn’t.  Come to think of it, none of my ancients armies did.  Come to that, neither did the ECW armies, the AWI, the Napoleonics…

[Rod Robertson]

Piyan Glupak:

Wait until they tangle with the Hyksos! Then you’ll need lots of prone figures, with chariot wheel marks across them!

Cheers.

Rod Robertson.

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