The elaborate basing of miniatures has become an obsession within the Warhammer and wider miniature wargaming communities, often to the detriment of the models themselves. What began as a sensible way to add dynamism or denote important characters has devolved into an excessive use of "tactical rocks," debris, and other environmental elements.
This trend is particularly noticeable in Games Workshop's Warhammer lines. Figures are frequently depicted mid-leap on precarious stacks of rubble, or straddling multiple rocky outcrops, creating poses that prioritize dramatic flair over practical presentation. Maugan Ra, the Phoenix Lord, is cited as an example, appearing to perform a guitar solo rather than engaging in battle, balanced precariously on two separate rocks. Even a dwarf, a race known for its stature, is shown leaping off a fallen statue in an attempt to appear taller and more imposing.
While other manufacturers, such as Corvus Belli with its Infinity range, also offer separate basing elements, the sheer ubiquity of these elaborate bases in Warhammer has made them a defining, and some argue problematic, feature. Games Workshop even parodied the trend with an April Fool's joke about a life-sized tactical rock.
The original intention for these elevated bases was to make command figures and other important characters easily identifiable on the tabletop. Characters that were not inherently imposing due to size or mount were given a subtle visual cue. Examples include the 2012 miniature of Orikan the Diviner or the 2013 Chaos Terminator Lord, who arguably possessed sufficient presence without artificial height enhancements.
However, over the past decade, the size and complexity of these basing elements—including rocks, branches, ruins, pipes, and corpses—have escalated. This escalation leads to miniatures like Kragnos, the End of Empires, a deity-sized figure, still being propped up by extraneous rubble. Similarly, attempts to simulate flight through these bases have become awkward; Inquisitor Coteaz's pet eagle appears to collide with a metallic spar, and a Chaos Lord's jump pack is awkwardly attached to a helmet via visual cues of smoke.
While some might dismiss this critique as trivial, the excessive use of tactical rocks presents practical issues. They can make miniatures more fragile, more difficult to transport and store, and detract from the personal customization efforts of hobbyists who prefer to differentiate their armies through unique color schemes or banners rather than elaborate, pre-fabricated bases. The author expresses a preference for more traditional flight stands, even acknowledging their own maintenance challenges, over the current trend of miniatures appearing to surf down piles of debris.
Ultimately, the argument is that miniatures already possess their own bases for stability and display. The proliferation of gratuitous environmental elements on these bases is seen by some as an unnecessary and aesthetically displeasing crutch that diminishes the figures themselves.