On Basing and Regiment Layout

As one is waiting for the ever-important models for a new project to arrive in the post, one has increasing amounts of time to sit and think of other esoteric project related details. Currently for me, this has taken shape with thoughts on basing and regiment layout.

Most recently, I have been playing skirmish style games in which all models are based as individuals. I like this for the flexibility and the importance it gives to each individual character, but I dislike it for movement of formations and playing grand-scale battles. So, with this new English Civil War project that I have undertaken, I have decided to base my army in a more large-scale group method. I am working with 28mm models and the sketch below shows how I am thinking of basing these and how I will organize them into basic regiments.

Individual square bases of 40mm that will contain four models. This regiment formation will give me a frontage of 320mm with two rows of muskets and four rows of pikemen with some room in the front and center for the command figures, ensigns and musicians. I don't want to base my army for any particular rule set (although I do have a copy of Pike & Shotte on the way) and I hope this will be a nice compromise that will allow me to play any number of different rule sets. The musket to pike ratio and exact numbers may change based on specific regiments (throw in some longbows, swords and axes for some of the Royalist northern clan levies for example).