Wargamers: how many figures in an army!?#!

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Let those of a nervous disposition look away now!

How my wife laughed when the news dropped that our sons were adopting their father’s hobby! I believe she was thinking more girls’ coffee meetings rather than what has actually happened!

My youngest son’s first effort!

Well Saturday was quiet for a while! Sixty pounds for an afternoon? Suspicious eyes glanced toward my hobby room!

Son #2 chose Space Marines

So far to be added to that bill is the cost of a replacement tablecloth ( damn you GW lids!) and seven or eight brushes left with paint on overnight! Then the question came, the sledgehammer dropped, “ how many models will they need?”

“ Twenty or so“ I lied!🤥

There is of course a definate decline in the number of miniatures that makes up an “ army” of course. Last club night we were treated to a run- through of Barons’ War. Fifty figures a side is definately economical but Sid did decorate the table with lots of period flavour.

The melee at the centre of town
Only four mounted knights on the table!

Would a hundred pounds cover it? A Games Workshop starter army is one hundred and five! But, with historicals you get many more miniatures per pound. I must admit that the version two rules for Barons’ War is perhaps the most attractive rulebook I’ve seen in forty years. I am a fan of Peter Dennis though so could be expected to write that.

A To the Strongest unit

Are the days of mass battles well and truly over. One compromise is of course army level games, like To the Strongest, using about a 150 miniatures. Twenty manoeuvre units maximum for that big battle without household economic collapse. As I rebased the above unit I did wonder if I’d missed a trick in not singly basing the miniatures and put them on a sabot?

I do like a single mini and you can still add a little character.

It’s been a strange sort of weekend, the good news is that I have two new gamers on the drive to the club. The bad news is a shared workspace and materials. Already they are eyeing up my rattle cans. To calm my nerves I finished the rebasing of my Renaissanc French baggage. If only GW did 15mm!

The army nears completion! ( finally)

Have a good week dear reader!

May your overdraught be small and your sons into baking!

Miguel

Every Friday, every week! Firestorm Games, Cardiff

10 responses to “Wargamers: how many figures in an army!?#!”

  1. John@justneedsvarnish Avatar

    Nice work by the newbies! 🙂

    I think if GW did 15mm you’d only have a quarter of the troops you might have otherwise! I tend to consider both storage space and units needed for an army to dictate its size. My mid-19th Century armies therefore tend to be limited to no more than 100 figures and I find that works quite well. For smaller games, like WW2 and colonial skirmishes, the forces have no more than 40-odd figures. I think if I had a permanent wargames room things would soon get out of hand though!

    Liked by 4 people

    1. redcaer1690 Avatar

      Good idea! I have always tried to get everything on an army list and the result is that some units are never utilised!
      Got to work on moderation!

      Liked by 3 people

      1. John@justneedsvarnish Avatar

        When I started my Ming Chinese and Sengoku Japanese armies (a long time ago) I just went with compulsory troop types and it took a while before I managed to add some different troop types to them. I think maybe the further back in time you go the more choices you get for some “colourful” troops within any given army (that’s an over-simplification I know) and that makes them attractive options!

        Liked by 3 people

      2. redcaer1690 Avatar

        I started my shogun approach to collecting when I needed the next tournament army. More relaxed now but space is a problem! I can at least see the floor after tidying this weekend!

        Liked by 3 people

    2. lorenzoseventh Avatar

      John your dead right wargamers can’t stand a vacuum….

      Liked by 3 people

      1. redcaer1690 Avatar

        Nor a vacuum cleaner!!!! Too many valuable pieces lying around!!!!

        Liked by 4 people

  2. Mark A. Morin Avatar

    Great job raising the next generation! Though inevitably the costs are high for the GW stuff. Not that I buy more than their paints!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. redcaer1690 Avatar

      They are draining me mark!!!! Need to get them painting in olive drab and not ultramarine blue!!!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Mark A. Morin Avatar

        Go with craft paints until they learn that the brushes and paints are not free! Instill a capitalist mindset!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. redcaer1690 Avatar

        Funny you should say that! I had noticed my paints and brushes had been collectivised!!! Wise words as always!!!!

        Liked by 1 person

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