Flexiblity of Basing Numbers?

[Deuce]

Specifically, my viking huscarls are 3 to a stand, but would be 4 as elite infantry. Likewise the bowmen.

Also, what is the rationale of raiders having 4 to a stand? As open order I would have expected 2.

[David Kuijt]

Specifically, my viking huscarls are 3 to a stand, but would be 4 as elite infantry. Likewise the bowmen.

Are you talking about a viking army you have from a legacy game?

The DBA/DBM/DBMM bowmen with 3 guys per base are "Irregular" bowmen. If you don't want to rebase, make a simple base extender to add 10mm depth to your existing stand. I've done that (in a more permanent fashion) for lots of my armies.

Also, what is the rationale of raiders having 4 to a stand? As open order I would have expected 2.

Not quite understanding you here -- there are no open order foot with 2 to a stand. Skirmishers are 2 per stand, but they are not just open order, they are super open order (skirmisher order) because they can move through close order troops (and be moved through by them) which isn't possible to normal open order.

Archers and Raiders are open order 4 to a stand. The best open order troops, essentially.
Light Foot, Light Spear, Warband, Bow Levy, Rabble are open order 3 to a stand.
None of them are open order 2 to a stand; Skirmishers are the only foot that are open order (enhanced, as said above) 2 to a stand.

[Deuce]

I actually mistyped that!
I meant I thought raiders would be 3 to a stand.

These Vikings were based as old WRG irregular LHI and LMI. So I suppose the Bowmen are ok, but the rest are too deep.

Do you think it's a wash if I'm just using them against each other?

Am I right that depth only matters for how far you recoil? If so, in your experience, often does that matter?

(As you may surmise, I'm hoping to avoid rebasing!)

[Rod]

Longer answer:
Basing matters for the amount of distance they fall back and having enough room to fall back. It also can effect the position of troops (i.e. open order can pass through open order) and their ability to form up on the battlefield. Other than that it is just troop identification.

We have played lots of games with not properly bases figures. That said, I enjoy Triumph so much more that previous games I have rebased or adjusted basing on many of my armies and will probably rebase them all eventually.

Short answer:
Playing your own games with similarly based armies, I would just play and see how it goes.

[Rod]

Most of my old armies were DBA, I made the attached description to help DBA/WRG players by explaining some of the different troop types.

[Deuce]

Thank you for the answers. I'll give it a go!

[David Kuijt]

These Vikings were based as old WRG irregular LHI and LMI. So I suppose the Bowmen are ok, but the rest are too deep.

Do you think it's a wash if I'm just using them against each other?

Am I right that depth only matters for how far you recoil? If so, in your experience, often does that matter?

(As you may surmise, I'm hoping to avoid rebasing!)

Everyone wants to avoid rebasing. If your Vikings are based as old WRG 4th/5th/6th/7th LHI and LMI, you've already done an excellent job of avoiding rebasing -- most people on this forum probably have no idea what those are, as WRG rules mostly disappeared something like 25 years or more ago.

If you're using them against each other it will not be "unfair", if that's what you mean by a wash.

Depth has a number of subtle effects. It has an impact upon movement for both close order troops (who have to act as if the rectangles are rigid) and open order troops (where some sorts of pass-through are permitted in some conditions). The movement rate of the troop doesn't change, but if you have an Elite Foot right behind something on a 1mu deep base then it can move out to one side and come forward to form a line (total movement 3mu); if the depth of the front stand is 1.5mu (Bow Levy, perhaps) then it doesn't have the move to do that. It has an impact upon whether there is room to fall back, it has an impact upon deployment, it has an impact upon forming column, and so on. Most of these effects are subtle and new players won't be aware of them.