Should new castles have (raised) blaseplates?

[Artifex]

Not entirely related to Castle 2016, hence the new thread.

So: Should any new castles have baseplates? And should they have raised baseplates?

I was (re)reading some reviews and I noticed that some castles do have baseplates, and some don't. Some are raised. A case could be made that the "flagship" castles did have baseplates but the smaller castles (shall we call them "fortresses"?) didn't, but I don't think that's really the point.

The point is: Does having a baseplate, especially a raised one, make a castle better in any way?

On the one hand, it seems to me that not having a baseplate makes castles more modular, because you can add and add from official sets, while baseplates tend to limit that.

On the other hand, (raised) baseplates add detail and possibilities, like 6081 King's Mountain Fortress, 6086 Black Knight's Castle, 6090 Royal Knight's Castle and 10176 King's Castle, for example. Compare, for instance, with 6080 King's Castle, 375/76075 Yellow Castle and 6085 Black Monarch's Castle.

Yes, I know that some of these castles have baseplates, like 6080, but it seems you could just swap those for plates and all would be the same.

Not that the "(raised) baseplate castles" are better, but there seems to be "more to the eye". Not sure about playability, though.

Any thoughts? WOuld you like to see raised baseplates in any new castles?

[MAB]

Simple answer for me, no. I find them ugly. They add a lot to the price, especially molded ones.

[Ardelon]

Simple answer for me as well, yes! IMO they make a castle much more interesting, unique and substantial,. All the castle you named on raised baseplates seem a lot better than the ones not on raised baseplates, which look like gray squares with a courtyard.

[nine09nueve]

Simple answer for me, no. I find them ugly. They add a lot to the price, especially molded ones.

Simple answer for me as well, yes! IMO they make a castle much more interesting, unique and substantial,. All the castle you named on raised baseplates seem a lot better than the ones not on raised baseplates, which look like gray squares with a courtyard.

Well that's settled then! :D

[nymmerod]

I always found the raised plates to be a little cheesy. Even as a kid I didn't like them and preferred the look of my Black Falcon's Fortress. I prefer no base plate on my castles. I think they can be limiting.

[amechanicalmind]

I would say no, as you can always make your own mountainous base to place a castle on. However, I do like the multi-tiered format and dungeon-esque play features of the raised baseplate castles (like 6081 and 6086). Agreed that moulded plates would add too much to the price as well.

[Jacob Nion]

I wouldn't use them either, but I would like to see them return in a new castle, because it's sad that lego doesn't use any baseplates in no theme at the moment. The last few castles were exactly the same and had no improvements. A castle with baseplate would add some variety and would end this boring circle of always the same old redesign.

Edited February 10, 2015 by Jacob Nion

[Stelario]

I personally don't think BP are good. I have a lot and never use them ;P as u need to do magic tricks to connect them anywhere except letting them lay on the ground and they dont even fit to each other as they have round corners. 3D plates are even more useless as they are design only for 1 purpose.

I would like something like was used ages ago a full brick hight plates http://brickset.com/parts/3007228

[SerenityInFire]

I'd say no because of how much it adds to the price per piece. The new castles without base plates are much better than the old ones with raised base plates IMHO.

[Eru Magnus Valar]

Not that the "(raised) baseplate castles" are better, but there seems to be "more to the eye". Not sure about playability, though.

Any thoughts? WOuld you like to see raised baseplates in any new castles?

This is the only castle I had (still have) as a kid:

http://brickset.com/...Knight-s-Castle

So I cannot speak out of experience as none of the other many sets I had/have, and/or played with as a child had these raised base plates. Except for this set:

http://brickset.com/...-I-Command-Base

Base plates with moon crater landscape, which were fantastic, to drive and jump over with your moon buggies, and use as pick-nick spots for your astronauts, or places where they could delve 'moon ore' etc.

I have read many set reviews on brickset.com, and comments on the brickset-forum of people who did play with them, and have or had them as a child, and what always lingered with me were all the people who mentioned that those raised base plates do not seem stand the test of time very well. Raised base plates apparently (at least quite a few of them) according to what I read, crack, break, become brittle over time. Personally just from having looked at photo's, some of the sets with raised base plates to me as an adult look kind of cheesy, yet with the eyes of the inner-child within me have something charming as well. It makes those castle sets, of which many don't have that many bricks, looks more impressive and grand to the eye. The pits or dungeons, inside seem to offer extra play value, and somehow the idea of role-playing as a kid, acting out a castle siege seems even more appealing with a raised base plate. Yet I know this is not necessarily true!

As a little kid I solved this problem by either placing my castles, as I did not have a vast amount of extra bricks to build a mountain to place my castle on, on a stack of books, and build a ramp for my minifigs and horses with Lego bricks on one side to climb this paper 'rock plateau'. Or I went to an arts & crafts shop and bought a blue sheet of A1 size paper (representing water), and a smaller green sheet of paper (representing land) to place in the centre on top of the blue paper on which a placed my castle. I cut some corners off the paper, and wavy pattern along the sides of the paper with some scissors to make the giant moat and island look 'organic'. Being Dutch, medieval castles in The Netherlands always rely on a moat, as there are no mountains, so my imagined castle worlds were not always that rocky and hilly either. And in case I did not have coloured paper, I just spend half the afternoon drawing, and colouring in a white sheet of paper.

Considering that flat base plates also eat into the budget and number of other bricks and minifigs that a set contains, I do not necessarily prefer their inclusion. Though base plates are handy for castle and landscape MOC'ing as well as fundamental for displaying large groups of castle minifigs.

Ultimately none of the castle sets I have bought as an AFOL included them, so I won't miss them, as the sets are perfectly fine without them.

Edited February 11, 2015 by Eru Magnus Valar

[gedren_y]

Raised baseplates have their uses, but they don't facilitate play very well. I am currently using one from a hospital set in a MOC.

I believe the most recent raised baseplate was the 2009 Pirates island, which was designed so that it could rest squarely upon other Lego. That particular piece, though, could have benefitted from some internal cross support. The raised base in the later Bionicle play sets are probably the best example of this kind of base. I don't own any, but have used them in LDD.

[BrickJagger]

Raised baseplates have their uses, but they don't facilitate play very well. I am currently using one from a hospital set in a MOC.

I believe the most recent raised baseplate was the 2009 Pirates island, which was designed so that it could rest squarely upon other Lego. That particular piece, though, could have benefitted from some internal cross support. The raised base in the later Bionicle play sets are probably the best example of this kind of base. I don't own any, but have used them in LDD.

I think the most recent one was the PQ one in 2011. I don't remember there being new ones since then, so it's been awhile. I would like a new raised baseplate, but I would prefer a tower on top, not a castle. It seems cooler to have a majestic tower on a mountain, looming over the kingdom.....

[gedren_y]

I meant the most recent design. The baseplate in PQ has existed for quite some time.

[SirBlake]

How about this answer: yes and no. :)

I think the classic castles had it right: 6080 & 6085 were large and modular with plenty of room to grow. Sets like Kings Mountain Fortress were supplemental, adding interest but otherwise smaller, which was just fine for me as a kid. I loved both styles.

Where raised baseplate castles didn't work for me was with the later, larger castles who's names I can't remember because they just don't work as well. They used the height to skip out on having good walls and an interesting structure and had nowhere to grow.

Edited February 11, 2015 by SirBlake

[Vindicare]

I'd like to see a newly designed raised baseplate, one like the old one with the long ramp on the left side. I believe it was used in an old Castle set.

[Artanis I]

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catID=243

I liked them as a kid. I agree that there are limitations, but also that when done properly they look really good.

[The_Cook]

There is no right answer:

The case for raised base-plates (also BURPs and large panels in general) is that they provide bulk and height for minimal parts/plastic cost compared to the amount required for an equivalent volume built in standard bricks.

The case against raised base-plates is that they predominantly have just a single use; as a baseplate. From a manufacturing standpoint they also require a minimum size of box in order to be shipped and TLG has been working to reduce it's box sizes in a bid to be more environmentally friendly.

Viewpoints of all parties might also differ:

AFOLs : Typically more bricks, often as cheap as possible, probably will avoid baseplates

Kids : Typically want something awesome to play with, probably quite enjoy baseplates.

TLG : Typically wants to make money by reducing production costs whilst maintaining quality standards, will do whatever is going to succeed in the market.

There is no right answer, there is a point somewhere in the middle where all three opinions are slightly satisfied but nobody is ever going to be completely happy.

Edited February 11, 2015 by The_Cook

[Hive]

Absolutely, yes! Raised baseplates gives the castles an impressive look and can add greatly to playability. It's the one piece I miss the most.

[Captain Braunsfeld]

It is very hard to decently reuse those raised baseplates. I think they only look fine in the context in which they were created initially.

I have used them once for a MOC:

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=96478

and that was a pretty good baseplate.

I have other island BPs which I now find unusable.

[Hive]

It is very hard to decently reuse those raised baseplates. I think they only look fine in the context in which they were created initially.

I have used them once for a MOC:

http://www.eurobrick...showtopic=96478

and that was a pretty good baseplate.

I have other island BPs which I now find unusable.

Great usage!

[HawkLord]

When I was younger, yes raised/molded baseplates were great and I really liked them. There were fewer types of bricks back then and the raised/molded baseplates saved time from building suitable foundations.

As an adult, I don't really like them as much. There are tons of bricks and techniques (SNOT) that can do the job better and make the finished product completely brick-built. Plus, I imagine that if Lego did produce a castle with a raised/molded baseplate, the price would be outlandishly high.

[adunaphel1]

Please, no more baseplates!

Hope for the Castle Serie 2016.

[Durins Bane]

i miss the raised baseplates.

[gedren_y]

A nice idea would be for Lego to sell a variety of raised baseplates individually. That way those who want to enhance their terrain without committing to a large number of bricks can do so.

[Graham Gidman]

I'd say no. They'd be useless for anything else, and make the set more expensive.