For the new Napoleonics project, units are on solid, one piece bases. But Napoleonics are all about the 'square' formation, is it not?
Before this era, the SYW or AWI for example, do we have units going into square to beat off cavalry? Nope.
After? in the Franco-Prussian War say. No again.
Even if the stand represents many individual units (the stand ratio 1 : 1,000 to 2,000 men). Tactics would suggest the square as a tactical option be available to the player. Rather than painting up an extra 100 or so miniatures for elements to be placed in pretty square shaped vignettes ( as nice as that would look!) is the need to have a marker to give the visual reminder to all the players that the unit may indeed get a modifier or some such.
Sooo, I need a marker. And not some lame cardboard chit or colored fluff ball. Yuck. With that in the back of my mind, I looked around the local dollar store and discovered blocks of wood. Squares for, ahh, squares!
While quite large for the table at 5/8" or 15mm a side, I sought to minimize their obtrusive effect by painting them black and terrain the top side. The effect can be make from the photo, whether it has been achieved. Hopefully visible and yet not.
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| My French Marine Artillery formation 'in square' against Perry plastic French Cuirassiers. (Obviously an internal dispute about the brandy rations or some such!) |