Basing Pike

I have been looking at the rules for pike units and discussing it with another player on Facebook. The question arose about basing of Macedonian pike units with 15mm figures and should they be on 30mm depth bases or 40mm?

The rules say that FP can be put on either size base so which is it going to be, 40mm gives the appearance of depth and allows for avoiding pike overhang and damage to them but 30mm is the accepted depth for heavy infantry.

What are the views of folk here and is there anything stopping one player using 40mm depth against another with 30mm?

Jim

width must be same ,as for depth using 3x 40mm= 120mm deep ,3x30mm= 90 deep, your problem is your depth of flank.

Width remains the same but depth can be 30 or 40 as per basing notes for 15mm figures in rule book. I think 40mm depth better represents the sheer bulk difference of a pike unit v a unit of spears. Hoplite phalanxes we are told usually deployed in ranks of 8 men deep; The Macedonian pike phalanxes were16 men deep, sometimes even 32 men deep. Representing both by 30mm depth is misleading, a 40mm depth for pike units better represents this in my mind and 3 deep bases of these at 120mm is 4 times the depth of a 30mm base equivalent to 8 ranks of spear to 32 ranks of like above.

Jim

Doesn't really matter it's completely personal both are ok to use. 30mm is the 'official' and 40mm is optional so both are correct.
Being someone who plays mainly 28mm 40mm is the 'official' depth for FP but every stand in all my armies are on 60s ....think it looks better.

Richard

40mm depth also gives you more scope to make a unit look like an in depth unit compared to other heavy foot units.
Light troops are supposed to by based on 20mm depth bases for 15mm but all mine are on 30s so I can't see why you couldn't go the same route with some heavy foot units?