Base Guide
Base size and base shape matter far less in Mordheim than people sometimes make them out to. The game was written in an era where square bases were standard, but in practice Mordheim plays perfectly well with square, rectangular, or round bases as long as everyone is being sensible about it.
What matters most is not gaining an unfair advantage. My general recommendation is to use the smallest base you can reasonably fit the model on. Mordheim tables are cramped by design, with ruined alleys, narrow bridges, balconies, ladders, ledges, doorways, and tight melee scrums. Smaller bases simply interact better with that environment and make movement less awkward. Modern AoS and Warhammer Quest miniatures, especially for heroes, tend to be on quite large bases. For optimal play, you can often put them on one size smaller.
It is also worth remembering that larger bases are not automatically beneficial. A bigger base makes it easier for more enemies to get into base contact with you in close combat. As a rule of thumb, a square base can usually be surrounded by up to 8 same-sized models, while a round base can usually be surrounded by around 6 same-sized models. So in many cases, especially with larger round bases, you are not really gaining an advantage at all.
Because of that, slightly larger round bases are generally fine, provided the choice is reasonable for the model and not clearly being used to manipulate gameplay. A modest difference in base style is not going to break Mordheim. What players should avoid is extreme basing that makes movement, line-up, or combat contact deliberately awkward.
So the practical approach is simple: use whichever base shape you prefer, keep the size sensible, and lean toward the smallest base that reasonably suits the miniature. That keeps the game flowing, works better on dense Mordheim terrain, and avoids needless arguments over something that has only a very minor effect on gameplay.
You can use round bases. The effect on gameplay is very minimal. When I wrote the game, all WH minis were on square bases, but this is now 20 years later and the world has changed. In the year 2020, enforcing square bases on 28mm skirmish game is not gonna help you find players. We should look to expand the playerbase, not exclude it.
Base size conversion table
| Warrior | WHFB (square) | AoS (round) | ToW (square) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human | 20mm | 25mm | 25mm |
| Large Humans | 25mm | 32mm | 30mm |
| Possessed | 25mm | 32mm | 30mm |
| Horses | 25x50 | 35x60 | 30x60 |
| Warhound | 25mm | 28mm | 25mm |
| Elves | 20mm | 25mm | 25mm |
| Dwarves | 20mm | 32mm | 25mm |
| Ogres | 40mm | 40mm | 40mm |
| Halflings | 20mm | 25mm | 25mm |
| Skaven | 20mm | 25mm | 25mm |
| Vampires | 20mm | 32mm | 25mm |
| Ghouls | 20mm | 25mm | 25mm |
| Direwolves | 25x50 | 35x60 | 25x50 |
| Saurus | 25mm | 32mm | 30mm |
| Skinks | 20mm | 25mm | 25mm |
| Goblins | 20mm | 25mm | 25mm |
| Orcs | 25mm | 32mm | 30mm |
| Black Orcs | 25mm | 32mm | 30mm |
| Beastmen | 25mm | 32mm | 30mm |
| Ungors | 20mm | 25mm | 25mm |
| Centigors | 25x50 | 35x60 | 30x60 |
| Minotaurs | 40mm | 50mm | 50mm |