Pogs, those illustrated cardboard disks that children (and others) collect, make great stands for miniatures wargames. They are very cheap, or even free. You might be able to get duplicates and unwanted ones from your kids. It looks like the fad is fading, though, so if you want any, perhaps you'd better act fast; maybe you can get a bunch at a garage sale. They are a standard size and are pretty sturdy. When puttied, painted, or glued and grassed, they might warp a bit while still wet, but usually dry good and flat. I scratch up the picture a little to use as the top side, so paint, etc. will stick, and use the plain side on the bottom for labeling. Of course, circular stands, like washers or pennies, have been used for a long time for individual figures, but maybe not quite as often for multiple figures. Fender washers, etc., for multiple figures, can get expensive, although they will stick to a magnetic base; and they are available in many sizes; but if a group of players uses pogs as bases, everybody's stands will be the same size. You can put about four 15mm, three 20mm, or two 25mm infantry figures on the pogs, either randomly or in a neat formation.

20mm W WI platoon level stands for my "Over There" rules have two MG figures or three rifleman figures per pog. Some of the stands have the figures all heading in the same direction, as if advancing, and some have them "circled up", facing different directions. Even small field guns with a couple of crewmen can fit on a pog. Vehicles are too large and must be left unmounted or put on some other type of stand. One neat thing about this scale or smaller mounted on pogs is that the pogs can be stored in egg cartons. That's right, they fit snugly into cardboard egg cartons, the carton lid can close, and the pogs can be transported easily and safely. There is a little room below the pogs for pieces of barbed wire, individual forward observers mounted on pennies, etc. Larger scales can be kept in egg cartons, too, but you won't be able to close the lids.

I have also mounted my 20 mm Japanese banzai charge (five crowded figures) on a pog for my "Take the Point" W WII infantry skirmish game. I glued a piece of magnetic business card to the bottom and trimmed it so I have a circular magnetic base. I can keep it in the same box with the other, individual figures, which are mounted on small square bases of magnetic business card. The bottom of the box has a thin sheet of galvanized steel roof flashing for magnets to stick to.

In 25mm, I am mounting two Jacobite Rebellion infantry figures per pog for my "Bonnie Prince Charlie" game. They are arranged side by side, or staggered left front to right rear or vice versa. It is easy to sort units not just by pose or paint job, but by the arrangement on the stands. One figure is mounted per pog for cavalry units, and I am using four stands per unit for infantry or cavalry. 25mm artillery is too large for a pog and must be mounted on some other type of stand.

These circular stands lend an interesting look to linear formations. Columns can snake around corners; lines can refuse a flank in a smooth, graceful fashion; "squares", no matter how many stands are involved, can be neatly arranged. Pogs also work well for single-stand units, like my WWI platoons or WWII Japanese banzai charge. Has anyone else has tried pogs for stands? I think they work pretty well.