I have just painted (badly) my 3000th 10mm Napoleonic, and with the Not-a-Kickstarter Germans on the way I will have 3500. I am beginning to feel I have enough for my needs. This thought struck me when I realized that the accumulation took little more than 2 years, and that 1600 were done in one. This staggered me somewhat since it took me 40 years to make up that number of 15mm SYW troops. I have never used more than 800 of these 15mm or the 10mm Naps at one time . So how many Naps is enough?.
I feel that if I can field a larger force at 1:1 scale than the original army could it's probably time to st ... start looking at the things they planned but never managed to get into action.
Must paint up my two 10mm "Maus" sometime soon :)
Always 1 order more than you have.
You say 3000, but the kickstarter indiucates that you have more than one army.
Also, you blithely say "Napoleonics", as if it were a heterogeneous subject. Surely, if you have an Prussian army of 1806, then you are lacking the glorious Prussian army of 1813!
Therefore, I would suggest that unless you have everything up to the Neapolitans at Tolentino, then there is room for more.
I am much puzzled why you seem to have demoted yourself to Napoleonics from SYW.
All of them.
Sometimes enough is enough. I want to make a base to show a camp being looted. I looked around in one of my boxes of unpainted persons and found four men carrying boxes and sacks, some women, a spare gunner with open arms, a wounded man leaning to one side and several barrels and boxes. The wounded man is now dragging a box, a man reaching for a sack is now also dragging a box whilst his lady friend looks on appreciatively and the gunner with open arms is now taking the lid off the barrel to see what's inside. All from figures bought at least 15 years ago.
Quote from: Ithoriel on 04 March 2019, 04:31:19 PM
I feel that if I can field a larger force at 1:1 scale than the original army could it's probably time to st ... start looking at the things they planned but never managed to get into action.
Quote from: fsn on 04 March 2019, 04:56:03 PM
You say 3000, but the kickstarter indiucates that you have more than one army.
Also, you blithely say "Napoleonics", as if it were a heterogeneous subject. Surely, if you have an Prussian army of 1806, then you are lacking the glorious Prussian army of 1813!
Therefore, I would suggest that unless you have everything up to the Neapolitans at Tolentino, then there is room for more.
I believe both of the above answers are correct.
However I am not sure this is the right forum to ask this question on, particularly as
most all of those here are addicts.
Quote from: FierceKitty on 04 March 2019, 05:09:15 PM
I am much puzzled why you seem to have demoted yourself to Napoleonics from SYW.
Simply, I could not justify to myself having the same army in two fairly close scales. I agree that Napoleonics (and since I have been told off for not being more specific), of the 1809 campaigns is a step down from the SYW and the ever glorious, if small army of Princess Radagund of Keinrat-Hallesbusten-Eisenberg. Napoleonics however were my first army, I ever had (in 25mm) and I was feeling nostalgic. Otherwise I might have chosen another period, say ECW or Samurai (I await the new range with some trepidation - I might yet succumb).
Finally, since I feel mischievous, I might commit blasphemy and suggest that I could, at a pinch field my eagerly awaited 1809 Saxons as SYW if desired (light blue touch-paper and duck for cover)
Quote from: FierceKitty on 04 March 2019, 05:09:15 PM
I am much puzzled why you seem to have demoted yourself to Napoleonics from SYW.
Quote from: grahambeyrout on 04 March 2019, 06:26:09 PM
I agree that Napoleonics ... is a step down from the SYW
On that gentlemen, we must disagree. I would opine that the age of Napoleon is looked down upon
because of its popularity. However, it has a variety, a scale and a whole bunch of innovations not available to the earlier war. I am not going to argue that the 7YW is less interesting that the Napoleonic Wars, but the later conflict is in no way inferior.
They are just different.
Oh yes it is! Where's widow Twankey? Incidentally Pendraken had a massive SYW line long before anything similar appeared for the Napoleonics.
For Napoleonics you need enough to do Borodino then Leipzig - that is after you have done Austerlitz
We've done Borodino and Austerlitz :) :)
Both in 6mm :-[
Just to rub in a little salt - I was at Austerlitz for the 200th anniversary.
Quote from: FierceKitty on 05 March 2019, 08:30:06 AM
Just to rub in a little salt - I was at Austerlitz for the 200th anniversary.
I'd have been more impressed but for those last four words :D :D :D
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
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.
Things have changed for me recently. My last two orders have been mainly for tents, wagons, baggage, civilians, flags, and separate weapons.
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.
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 :) :)"
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"
Wot, pliss, is this "enough" meanink? Em not to speakink good your the Englis.
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.
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.
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.
Depends on your viewpoint:
https://youtu.be/_6FBfAQ-NDE
Or
https://youtu.be/snILjFUkk_A
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
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.
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).
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 . . . ;)