I've played Gloomhaven with miniatures that use my original 25 mm bases for several months. While it's worked well, I have noticed some room for improvements, so here's my new and improved 25 mm base for Gloomhaven (or other minis)! This version has a few major changes:
- It has a cavity so that you can put a 3/4 inch (19mm) steel disc into the base.
- The numbers are on the side of the base instead of on pop-outs (I had to make the base taller to do this)
- I used larger numbers in a more legible font (sorry pirata, you looked great but weren't always easy to read when pieces were on the table!)
- I put 4 numbers on each base, since I didn't need to worry about them getting in the model's way
- The bases are now 4 mm tall, to accommodate the larger numbers (most standard bases are 2 mm tall)
I decided to put steel discs inside the bases instead of magnets for 2 reasons: cost and simplicity. It's cheaper to buy steel discs than magnets (I got 250 "3/4 Inch Steel Disc, Blank Metal Strike Plates" for less than $20 US). Also, I'm expecting to eventually have a lot of miniatures but won't need them all to be magnetized at a given time. By putting steel instead of magnets into the bases, I also don't have to worry about aligning polarity if I want to attach another piece to it or attach them to some other magnet. What other pieces might I attach?
The Gloomhaven Elite marker (or any other status marker)! I built that one with a hole for a 10mm x 2mm magnet (I ordered a set of "10x2, Heavy Duty 120-PACK Strong, Round Neodymium, Rare Earth Magnets for Tools Organization"). I didn't bother gluing the magnets in place, since they'll hold themselves in when the things are in use and storage will be easier if I can take the magnets out.
My goal is to get a few of those cheap magnetic tool holders (I've got my eye on a $5 "18 in. Magnetic Tool Holder") and use them to hold all of my minis. With the minis magnetically attached to the tool holder, I won't have to worry about them falling out or sliding around in the car, and with the minis split up amongst different bars, it'll be easier to pick and choose an appropriate set of minis for the evening.
I split the bases up into two parts for ease of printing - basically, there's the base and then a cap to go over the steel disc. I just glued it all together with CA glue; hopefully it'll hold over time. These don't need any support and have generally been easier to print than my first version, since the taper on these goes outwards at the base which gives it better bed adhesion.
I've included numbered bases for 1 thru 10, as well as un-numbered 4mm and 2mm high bases for player characters. There's also the Elite marker, which has a hole sized for a magnet so that it can be easily attached to or removed from the numbered bases to show an enemy with some sort of special status.
I've updated this to include a wood plank textured top as well as a plain top. I'll update it as I create additional textures for the top piece!
As always, the original .blend file for this model is available to my patrons at https://patreon.com/VirtuallyJason. If you appreciate my work and have a few dollars to spare each month, please consider joining!
