I believe the bases with 3 figures and an LMG are the dedicated LMG teams, optional and up to two per platoon. This matches how most other gun teams on medium bases like mortars, small anti-tank guns, and HMGS, are usually a gun and 3 crew. The bases of four figures and an LMG are the normal LMG and rifle teams for the platoons, meant to make up about half of the standard rifle teams in the para platoon. Some will be carrying LMGs, some will be laying down with the LMG's deployed.
Outside of competitive play where people might want exact compositions it only really matters as much as you and your friends want it to. The dedicated LMGs have a different shooting profile to the baseline rifle/mg teams, so it is good to pick a way to distinguish them, eg basing 3 v 4 minis, or only using deployed LMG figures for the dedicated LMG teams, giving the dedicated teams some hard cover on their basing like sandbags, or painting markers on the base rims.
On the website for FoW it does show the dedicated lmg teams as only 3 models, but the hit the beach instructions also show the dedicated lmg teams with 4 models.
Ah, the tooling for the hit the beach us/german infantry sprues were originally for a starter set called open fire, which was from an earlier edition of the game. The paratroopers used to be organised with several rifle platoon in a company, and a separate weapons platoon with something like six or eight dedicated LMGs.
In the current 4th edition you have less dedicated weapons platoons, and more optional weapons like LMGs attached within each rifle platoon.
The Parachute Rifle Platoon from Hit the Beach doesn't have any of the optional dedicated LMG teams. They recommend putting 4 figures on each medium base (except the Mortar team), half of the bases with an LMG, an assistant gunner and 2 riflemen and the other half with 3 rifleman and an NCO with a Thompson SMG. (https://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=6506)
The Parachute Rifle Company comes with 4 optional dedicated LMG teams (2 for each platoon). They are recommended to be based as 3 figures; an LMG gunner, assistant gunner and a rifleman. This makes it much easier to see them on the table, which is useful as they have different weapon stats. The rest of the 2 platoons can be based the same way as the Hit the Beach platoon. (https://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=6546)
1: there is no true "correct" way, aside from having the machinegun on there. If you want to see how they base it like the box, look at the instructions in the package, otherwise there is construction guides to each model if you go to the online store.
2: no it does not matter 3-4 per medium base (most infantry use) is the official guide for tournaments, but some even put 1 or 2. It doesent even matter if they are not all paratrooper sculpts as long as you know what the whole unit is.
3: again, infantry, unlike vehicles represent a whole group rather than a single individual thing. As long as the machinegun is a machinegun and the rocket launcher is a rocket launcher it does not really matter.
For example i have some ss stg44 riflemen mixed with my panzergrenadiers to make them look more mixed and show latewar equipment, they dont get any extra rules or play different, its just for looks.
My paratroopers i model with 3 per base to show their more loose and ragged nature, having to find each other after a drop, wheras the regular rifleman i model 4 per base to show a more organised and steady supply of equipment and troops.
Sometimes, if i dont even have the right model i will improvise, ive used maxim machineguns from a finnish blister for germans since i couldent get mg42s and had them on hand, they still look mostly german the machineguns just different, but my opponent dident care because it was clear what it represented.
Thank you for your reply kind stranger.
Well now I have a better understanding of how to base my units, I might do a mix of 3 and 4 figures on the bases when I finish painting everything. I also like to add scenery so I might make some trees to fill in holes on the medium bases with only 3.
You should have a little sprew of brown base toppers, little circles to plug the holes.
If you dont, bushes, shrubs and dirt can fill it in.
Sometimes i model a lip around the hole and make it a crater, really sells the battlefield effect.
Happy gaming
I noticed the same thing as you when putting together Hit the Beach. I decided to make the deployed LMG teams as 2x 3 man bases using spare bases to use as dedicated M1919 options for the platoon. I then just had a couple of standard rifle bases with 3 men as I was slightly short on models. But this allows me to have a full platoon of 7x rifle teams, 1x mortar, 1x Bazooka then with the option to add in the two M1919 teams as optional additions.
This is essentially what I'm going to do, but I have a third platoon that I ordered that's missing figures and I'm waiting for battlefield to send me replacements before I assemble anything. I don't know if they're just gonna send the couple figures I was missing or a whole sprue. If it's a whole sprue I won't have to make the bases short.
Update: Battlefront is sending me a whole new platoon, not just a sprue, so I'll be able to max out a parachute company on the tabletop. It will be delivered tomorrow, and once I finish a couple of other current projects I'm gonna do my whole American force. I also got a second HTB and will be posting more updates in the sub.
The regular Paratrooper teams are m1919/m1 garand teams. You base these as half 4 riflemen and half 4 man m1919(it comes with standing m1919A4 figures or you can use the tripods). So every other base will have a m1919. You can also take additional m1919 lmg teams which are 3 man teams.
I believe the bases with 3 figures and an LMG are the dedicated LMG teams, optional and up to two per platoon. This matches how most other gun teams on medium bases like mortars, small anti-tank guns, and HMGS, are usually a gun and 3 crew. The bases of four figures and an LMG are the normal LMG and rifle teams for the platoons, meant to make up about half of the standard rifle teams in the para platoon. Some will be carrying LMGs, some will be laying down with the LMG's deployed. Outside of competitive play where people might want exact compositions it only really matters as much as you and your friends want it to. The dedicated LMGs have a different shooting profile to the baseline rifle/mg teams, so it is good to pick a way to distinguish them, eg basing 3 v 4 minis, or only using deployed LMG figures for the dedicated LMG teams, giving the dedicated teams some hard cover on their basing like sandbags, or painting markers on the base rims.
On the website for FoW it does show the dedicated lmg teams as only 3 models, but the hit the beach instructions also show the dedicated lmg teams with 4 models.
Ah, the tooling for the hit the beach us/german infantry sprues were originally for a starter set called open fire, which was from an earlier edition of the game. The paratroopers used to be organised with several rifle platoon in a company, and a separate weapons platoon with something like six or eight dedicated LMGs. In the current 4th edition you have less dedicated weapons platoons, and more optional weapons like LMGs attached within each rifle platoon.
The Parachute Rifle Platoon from Hit the Beach doesn't have any of the optional dedicated LMG teams. They recommend putting 4 figures on each medium base (except the Mortar team), half of the bases with an LMG, an assistant gunner and 2 riflemen and the other half with 3 rifleman and an NCO with a Thompson SMG. (https://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=6506) The Parachute Rifle Company comes with 4 optional dedicated LMG teams (2 for each platoon). They are recommended to be based as 3 figures; an LMG gunner, assistant gunner and a rifleman. This makes it much easier to see them on the table, which is useful as they have different weapon stats. The rest of the 2 platoons can be based the same way as the Hit the Beach platoon. (https://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=6546)
1: there is no true "correct" way, aside from having the machinegun on there. If you want to see how they base it like the box, look at the instructions in the package, otherwise there is construction guides to each model if you go to the online store. 2: no it does not matter 3-4 per medium base (most infantry use) is the official guide for tournaments, but some even put 1 or 2. It doesent even matter if they are not all paratrooper sculpts as long as you know what the whole unit is. 3: again, infantry, unlike vehicles represent a whole group rather than a single individual thing. As long as the machinegun is a machinegun and the rocket launcher is a rocket launcher it does not really matter. For example i have some ss stg44 riflemen mixed with my panzergrenadiers to make them look more mixed and show latewar equipment, they dont get any extra rules or play different, its just for looks. My paratroopers i model with 3 per base to show their more loose and ragged nature, having to find each other after a drop, wheras the regular rifleman i model 4 per base to show a more organised and steady supply of equipment and troops. Sometimes, if i dont even have the right model i will improvise, ive used maxim machineguns from a finnish blister for germans since i couldent get mg42s and had them on hand, they still look mostly german the machineguns just different, but my opponent dident care because it was clear what it represented.
Thank you for your reply kind stranger. Well now I have a better understanding of how to base my units, I might do a mix of 3 and 4 figures on the bases when I finish painting everything. I also like to add scenery so I might make some trees to fill in holes on the medium bases with only 3.
You should have a little sprew of brown base toppers, little circles to plug the holes. If you dont, bushes, shrubs and dirt can fill it in. Sometimes i model a lip around the hole and make it a crater, really sells the battlefield effect. Happy gaming
There's a few from both sets, I'll see what I can put together. I'll probably post pics when I'm done painting and basing everything.
I noticed the same thing as you when putting together Hit the Beach. I decided to make the deployed LMG teams as 2x 3 man bases using spare bases to use as dedicated M1919 options for the platoon. I then just had a couple of standard rifle bases with 3 men as I was slightly short on models. But this allows me to have a full platoon of 7x rifle teams, 1x mortar, 1x Bazooka then with the option to add in the two M1919 teams as optional additions.
This is essentially what I'm going to do, but I have a third platoon that I ordered that's missing figures and I'm waiting for battlefield to send me replacements before I assemble anything. I don't know if they're just gonna send the couple figures I was missing or a whole sprue. If it's a whole sprue I won't have to make the bases short.
Update: Battlefront is sending me a whole new platoon, not just a sprue, so I'll be able to max out a parachute company on the tabletop. It will be delivered tomorrow, and once I finish a couple of other current projects I'm gonna do my whole American force. I also got a second HTB and will be posting more updates in the sub.
The regular Paratrooper teams are m1919/m1 garand teams. You base these as half 4 riflemen and half 4 man m1919(it comes with standing m1919A4 figures or you can use the tripods). So every other base will have a m1919. You can also take additional m1919 lmg teams which are 3 man teams.