How many is enough

Started by grahambeyrout, 04 March 2019, 03:36:11 PM

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Womble67

Can you ever have enough ? In my humble opinion the answer is definitely no. there'll always be unit to add here and there.

Take care

Andy
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2018 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

steve_holmes_11

I used to suffer badly form mission creep.

For example: Napoleonic Army, let's get about 12 battalions, 2 batteries, and 3 cavalry regiments.
  But I'd better keep my options open, so buy in enough slack to accommodate light or heavy cavalry, horse or foot artillery.
    Good grief, Dragoons or Cuirassiers - let's get some of each. Hussars or Lancers.
       I'd better make sure I have a brigade of guards.
           And Cossacks...


Attempts to impose order centered around building an actual formation.
In my case the 12th infantry division form Raevsky's 7th infantry corps.
This worked fairly well, providing a fixed formation to buy paint and base.
I improvised around the edges with supporting cavalry, but largely kept to the plan.

More recently I've been basing purchases on certain sets of rules.
With the smaller scale games it becomes practical to provide several matched forces in a setting.
I find that working with an army list for each force provides me with the discipline to not go completely bonkers when purchasing.


Leman

Things have changed for me recently. My last two orders have been mainly for tents, wagons, baggage, civilians, flags, and separate weapons.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

fsn

Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 05 March 2019, 10:14:41 AM
I find that working with an army list for each force provides me with the discipline to not go completely bonkers when purchasing.

Totally! All my historical stuff is based on historical army lists. This does mean you have to choose sometimes not to have the "pretty" regiments. My British Napoleonics will have Light Dragoons, but not Hussars; Dragoons, but not the Scots Greys; and Highlanders but not Guards.

I do feel that when it comes time to expand, I will have something to look forward to. 

My (as yet unstarted, but carefully planned) Russians are just the Guards. A reasonably small corps with a good mix of unit types. 
Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

Orcs

Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 05 March 2019, 10:14:41 AM

I find that working with an army list for each force provides me with the discipline to not go completely bonkers when purchasing.

I am sorry I do not understand the bit "  discipline to not go completely bonkers when purchasing :) :)"
The cynics are right nine times out of ten. -Mencken, H. L.

Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well. - Robert Louis Stevenson

Ithoriel

My Army Lists are things like "La Grande Armee 1812," "Field Army Praesentalis Secunda 395AD," "Army Group Centre Summer 1943," "Field Army of Shurrupak c.2500BCE at 1:1 figure ratio"
There are 100 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who can work from incomplete data

FierceKitty

Wot, pliss, is this "enough" meanink? Em not to speakink good your the Englis.
I don't drink coffee to wake up. I wake up to drink coffee.

Last Hussar

Quote from: Orcs on 05 March 2019, 07:02:43 PM
I am sorry I do not understand the bit "  discipline to not go completely bonkers"

Fixed it for you.
I have neither the time or the crayons to explain why you are wrong.

GNU PTerry

FierceKitty

Quote from: Ithoriel on 05 March 2019, 08:39:54 AM
I'd have been more impressed but for those last four words :D :D :D

Couldn't make it - I was writing my fifth piano concerto.
I don't drink coffee to wake up. I wake up to drink coffee.

steve_holmes_11

Quote from: Orcs on 05 March 2019, 07:02:43 PM
I am sorry I do not understand the bit "  discipline to not go completely bonkers when purchasing :) :)"

It's a niche corner of the hobby, not for everybody.

Duke Speedy of Leighton

You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

grahambeyrout

I do not think I have an answer to how many is enough, but while pondering the problem, I have worked out why I have more troops than I need. There are two factors, 1) I enjoy painting. I am very bad at it, but I find it therapeutic. Some people do yoga. I paint. So I need a steady supply of troops for my wellbeing. In theory I could just work my way though history, (I do not do fantasy) and have dozens of small armies a la DBA (but I do not do DBA either) but that brings up factor 2) I do not like starting new periods because I baulk at sitting down to start painting up say 600 figures. Far better to just add 60 to an existing period. That was why I liked Hellenistic or Carthaginian armies so much. Keep adding a unit of mercenaries here and there and soon one finds one has enough to field a full Celtic army or whatever. Now I limit myself to 10mm, and though new periods tempt me, I find myself adding a few more battalions to what I already have. At least until I succumb and get sufficient troops to refight the battle of Yarm

fsn

06 March 2019, 12:19:19 PM #27 Last Edit: 06 March 2019, 01:01:33 PM by fsn
I like to give myself the options. For British WWII (1944) I have a squadron of Cromwells one of Churchills, and one of Shermans. There is no way I'm ever going to find a place to field 45 tanks at once, but I have options.

I would say the same applies to the batteries of towed 25pdr, 25pdr SPG and 5.5" howitzers ... but sometime you just have to have the shell weight, and they all fit nicely into an off-the-table artillery box.    
Lord Oik of Runcorn (You may refer to me as Milord Oik)

Oik of the Year 2013, 2014; Prize for originality and 'having a go, bless him', 2015
3 votes in the 2016 Painting Competition!; 2017-2019 The Wilderness years
Oik of the Year 2020; 7 votes in the 2021 Painting Competition
11 votes in the 2022 Painting Competition (Double figures!)
2023 - the year of Gerald:
2024 Painting Competition - Runner-Up!

Leman

Ah well, having spoken about using figures I already have, I've now discovered I don't have anywhere near enough 15mm Swiss pike (and I know for a fact I don't have enough Landsknechts, but never mind because Lancashire Games has managed to get almost all of the old Venexia range back into production).
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

Raider4

Quote from: fsn on 06 March 2019, 12:19:19 PM
For British WWII (1944) I have a squadron of Cromwells one of Churchills, and one of Shermans. There is no way I'm ever going to find a place to field 45 tanks at once, but I have options.

A mischievous person might suggest that you'd fit right in playing Flames of War with that lot . . . ;)