Saturday 24 November 2018

Labels and Battlefield Clutter

Over the years I have sought to reduce as much as possible anything on the tabletop that may detract from the figures. I have gravitated towards using orbats for recording casualties, morale status and details of units as a compromise which has gone some way in reducing battlefield clutter. This does of course mean that records have to be kept which some would find laborious. They have been used so many times over recent years that I have found it has now become second-nature and very useful for cross-referencing in campaigns. The style of orbats I use can be found throughout my After Action Reports. 

I saw a thread recently on TMP discussing the labelling of figures which has generated this post. I try to make the labels as unobtrusive as possible using a white font on black background. They are limited to being 15mm wide matching the width of my 6mm figures bases. The TMP thread got me thinking again about how I can reduce their impact. The idea behind my labels is to provide enough information about each unit to reduce the need to continually refer to the orbats. 

Here are the labels prepared for the next battle in my Napoleonic campaign, the Battle of Erfurt:

I have used this format for the last 4 or 5 years and it is probably overdue for a review. Ideally I hoped to reduce by roughly 50% the amount of label showing at the rear of the figure base. I reckon I could lose some information on the label without causing confusion or increasing unnecessarily the need to refer to the orbat. It was then just a case of defining a way of displaying what I needed in one line on each label. I have come up with this:

  
The width is maintained at 15mm for each label. Some of the command bases could not be condensed to a single line without omitting detail I felt I would need, although I may revisit this after the next game. As can be seen in the unit labels, they start with the first 2 or 3 letters of their Brigade commander, the unit and finally their status e.g. Line, Veteran etc.

I shall also trial a green background (for the Prussians in this case) as it may blend in better with the green terrain tiles.

I shall be playing Erfurt in the next few days with an AAR posted to the blog when I shall assess how these new look labels performed in action.

10 comments:

  1. Hello Jon

    Now I have been thinking along the lines of the labels being the colour that sits with an Army i.e. British Red, French Blue, Prussian Black for my bases but having read this I am now unsure. I think the narrative on your old design labels is much more pleasing to the mind but as you solo wargame I suppose what you have on the label is what matters to you.
    I would like to add further but when it comes down to it, it is what you want and I am not a great follower of trends myself ..

    Regards

    Peter

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    1. Hi Peter.

      I went down the route of different coloured labels for each nationality a few years ago. In some ways it is preferable but they are more prominent on the tabletop, hence why in the end I went for the black background. I can certainly see why gamers would prefer different colours.

      I agree that the original larger versions of my labels are more informative and it really depends on how much less conspicuous the reduced version is. And also if in the heat of battle I can clearly identify the unit and which brigade it belongs to etc. Once tested on the tabletop I will hopefully know for sure.

      As you have probably gathered from the blog, I am with you in not following current trends.

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  2. Watching with interest Jon. I am re-engaging with my hordes of Alder Napoleonics and have considered there iis little way for me to play without some form of label. I am also interested in how you affix them to the underside of the bases.
    Thanks
    Richard

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    1. I rapidly came to the conclusion that labels was the best way to keep track of units.

      To fix them to the bases I used 'Zig 2 way glue' which I got from ebay. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12-x-Zig-2-way-glue-pen-Dual-action-glue-pen-NEW-12-of-them/221389021210?hash=item338bd0601a:g:u8oAAMXQySpRTxNp:rk:6:pf:0
      This particular sale is for 20 but you really only need a couple. It is a little like a felt tip pen but with a flat head. Apply the glue to the label and leave for a few seconds to dry off a little until tacky and then affix. As my bases are card, I spray the underside with a gloss varnish to protect them when pealing off the labels.

      All the best
      Jon

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  3. All my 28mm figure bases have the unit details on the rear facing edge. The labels I use for my 15mm Brigade Fire and Fury bases are also black like yours but I use different colour fonts to identify each corps (based on the corps colours used by the union army).

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    1. Using different coloured fonts is a great idea Anthony. I may have to borrow that!

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  4. Hi Jon

    I have executed a search but a present cannot find the material and size of your card bases. I am assuming 15mm x 15mm for foot 15mm x 20mm for artillery etc and that the card is white foamboard but it is wrong to assume, and the thickness of the board is it 5mm?
    Apologies for all the questions but have just painted my first batch of British infantry (only 92 of them) but I would like to get a batch of bases made up and your ideas and design really do work for 6mm.

    Regards

    Peter

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    Replies
    1. Hi Peter

      No probs with you asking questions, feel free to fire away.

      The bases are artists card which I purchase from Hobbycraft but should be available in most artist/craft stores. It is just over 1mm thick and one side is coloured. I go for dark brown but not that important. Each sheet is quite large and will do for numerous 6mm bases. I believe it is called 'Daler Rowney Canford Card A1 size'.

      If you don't want the hassle of cutting out the bases yourself and prefer mdf, Warbases supply the sizes you need (I have added a link on my blog). They are 2mm thick and of high quality. I initially used these but as you will have seen elsewhere on the blog, they were a little too thick for my liking at this scale. Others though prefer this thickness as it makes them easier to handle and more robust. Although I have had no problems with my card bases and appear perfectly strong enough.

      Best of luck with your figures and if there is anything else I can help you with let me know.

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    2. This has always been something that’s hung me up. Thank you for the ideas

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    3. No probs Itinerant. Pleased it is of use.

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