A few big armies or many smaller one ?

[Bob2000]

Hello,

I am curious: what do you prefer ? Some of my friend prefer to have many smaller armies. Personally, I prefer to have fewer but bigger armies. I many games, I just buy about everything wich is in the army list...

Of course, the best is to have lots of big armies !!!!

I know that their are players up there with really HUGE armies. Personnalyy, I think that any armies with over 200 tanks, truck, guns, airplane plus an appropriate number of infantry is a very good size army.

I think that bigger army, with a solid diversity of troops type, is preferable because you can vary your scenarios and surprise your opponent with a new combinaison of troops.

What do you think ?

PS: I never understand why people buy, paint armies just to sold them after. Any clues why ?

[voltigeur]

I don't really build true armies. I build units. When I started I only had a company on each side for western armies. Battalion of Soviet and Arab.

Then came Airland Battle and the decision to not cross attach platoons but keep US companies in tact. I then built the US to a tank heavy battalion. Then funds had to be approved to raise the Soviets to Regimental Level.

But not gaming much so don't think it will go much further than that.

I don't build beyond what I want to deploy on the table.

[chrisswim]

I build larger armies or unit, with a lot of flexibility for type of unit, Certainly with my modern units of US, German, Brits, French, Dutch, Russian, etc., Iraq, North & South Korea. I also build a wide variety of units to represent different nationalities/nations as mention already and South Africa, Japan, China, India, Nepal, Denmark, Sweden, Switerland, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Canada, Egypt, Isarel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Finland, Norway, Jordan, Austria, Australia, Philipine, Tawain, Spain, Netherlands, etc.

So, what is your game of choice?

[rct75001]

How about many bigger ones

[Bob2000]

I played mostly late war WWII using Mein Panzer Rule Set. This is a one on one rules set, with each infantry squad represented by 2 stands of 4 minis.

I guot many, many late war US troops. Lots of Germans. And I am building my British/Canadian army.

My US have 3 full company of infantry but I have enough trucks to carry them all and enought halftracks to carry 2 company. Then I have all those jeeps and other véhicules (like M-20) to carry my recon troops.Same thing for ma Canadian or Germans: I have many more vehicules to carry them than I have infantry.

For tanks, I usually buy whole platoons at the same time except for the more specialized unit (who need a whole platoon of Brumbars ???).

Each army have aircrafts (at least 2 types), tanks, tanks destroyers, mechanised infantry, motorised infantry, recon units, at least 2 kind of anti-tank guns, AA guns, HMG, mortar (at least 3 sizes). Heavy artillery in Mein Panzer is usually of board, so I dont really need minis for this but I have some in my US Army just in case.

My British/Canadian are special for me as they have lot's of landing crafts, 6 Horsas gliders and 2 paratrooper company (including dedicated 6pdr ATG and jeeps). When I received my latest GHQ order, they will also have lots of ''funny'' tanks: 12 Sherman DD, 9 Sherman Crabs, 5 Churchill AVRE and a full company of engineer.

[Thunder]

I used to collect everything. Lately, I've been trying to reorganize what I have and fill in the holes to create company size units. I've found I usually deploy units of that size when I play, so I really don't need anything larger. The versatility of having company size units ready to go is that you can usually fit it in a bunker box and you really just need to grab the correct ones and you are ready to go.

[Bob2000]

I make a mistake in my previous post:

For tanks, I usually buy whole platoons at the same time except for the more specialized unit (who need a whole platoon of Brumbars ???).

A platoon is just one GHQ pack !!! Of course, what I really mean is I bought whole company (between 15-20 tanks) except for special units.

Thunder: do you buy one bunker box for each company ? That might be a good idea. But you will need lot's of them !

Right now, I used those drawers with lots of litle tray that are used by most peoples to store their nails and things like this. I put one kind of tanks/infantry in one or more tray. I am not really happy as this take lot's of place (I dont stack the tanks or other minis one on top of each other, so the tray look empty with just their buttom fill with troops).

[av8rmongo]

I too keep my vehicles in Bunker Boxes (or similar). I agree with Thunder it makes organization a snap. For my American forces and some smaller NATO armies, each company or headquarters element is in its own box. I am just strting to convert over my BW and UK forces to the same plan.

Russians(Soviets), Arabs and Isrealis are grouped in boxes of like vehicles. It takes longer to organize for a game but their company size is generally smaller and would cause too much wasted space.

And yes with almost 7,000 vehicles it is a lot of Bunker Boxes!

Paul

[Thunder]

I use a third party equivalent of the bunker box. Different price makes a big difference when you purchase 50 at a time. Also, I find the GHQ bunker box too big, the free space allows models to get loose and bounce around. The ones I use are roughly half the height of the BB and also have a thin foam insert to cover the tanks. I keep these stacked up on their side in Rubbermaid containers I found that hold about a dozen just right.

[Bob2000]

Wow av8rmongo, you got almost 7,000 vehicles it is a lot of Bunker Boxes!

Are they all painted ? Have you taken pictures of them ? This most be a really impressive sight !

BTW: thank for the info, now I can tell my wife that, after all, my armies are quite smalls and need to be expanded

[av8rmongo]

7,000 puts me squarely in the top 50% bracket I think. There are guys on these lists with more than 10,000.

I have been buying a lot more than I've been painting lately so a quick guestimate is that I've got about 60% complete. Of the reamining 40% less than 100 are bare metal, they all have at least primer and most have at least the base color done. With a toddler in the house its hard to find the time to finsh anything these days. My painting skills are also not as good as some of the others on this site but they're more than adequate for gaming purposes.

If you go to Redrick's website you can see some of my German vehicles that I've done kitbashing conversions on, but they're painted up. www.redrick.net

Paul

[Mk 1]

I have a few reasonably large armies, and many smaller ones.

My cold-war Soviet army has two tank battalions (T-72M1 and T-80), an infantry battalion, a BMP-2 and a BTR-80 battalion (to carry the infantry), an SP artillery battalion, and tons and tons of support units (including several additional SP and towed artillery batteries, AT and AA batteries, Regimental and Divisional recon companies, engineering road-work/mine-clearing/bridging companies, T-55, T-62, and T-80UV companies, a BMD company, and about a dozen 'copters and a dozen planes).

My WW2 Soviet army is larger. Everything from T-37 amphibious tankettes to JS-3s. Brigades of T-34s and T-34/85s. A battalion of rifles, and seperate companies of SMG tankovii desantniks and mounted infantry (cavalry, but not Cossacks), and an airforce of a couple dozen planes ranging from Po-2 biplanes to Pe-2 dive-bombers. Easily more than 300 vehicles, not counting the infantry.

I have smaller armies, that can form battalion-sized combat teams, for modern French, and 1942, 1944 and 1970s US Army. I can field re-inforced companies (or paired tank and infantry companies) for 1939-42 French, 1939-43 Italians, and modern Chinese.

In my inventory have a Romanian force (company of tanks, company of infantry, battery of artillery, and misc. support), more modern Chinese, some Cossacks waiting to become an esquadrille of 1942 French North African Ghoums, and of course at least 10 boxes of various Soviet WW2 and cold-war kit awaiting my attention.

[pmskaar]

I also used to get almost everything that GHQ makes and still get quite a bit of the new stuff that comes out plus some of the older items to round out my collection.
My primary interest at this point is WWII but I have lots of modern stuff as well. I tend to paint in units now and have several tank units including a T-34/85 battalion, a British Sherman squadron, a German Pz IVH company and most recently a German Pz IVF1/F2 company from 1942, all done in 1 to 1 scale. I also have several other smaller units and am working on some units for North Africa. I wouldn't necessarily say I have any particular large army but have enough painted miniatures for a decent game.

Pete - Binpicker, Out!

[chrisswim]

Paul (AV8) does have a lot of nice stuff. Many of you have seen his photos that he has posted here of some specialized units. He really enjoys modern Germans. So he will now need to deploy some of those Germans in Lebanon. Paul can field quite a few Germans, and he has been buying more since the last time he came to FL in Spring of '05.

I use the 'tank traps' some, but also carry my figures in the hardware cases, with 36 drawers to use, and travel with 3+ cases plus tank traps and a tackle box or two. BTW: any of you guys have an extra hardware cases? Need 1 or 2 more. With the 'tank traps', I take the foam out, at least on the bottom, then I am able to put 48 M2 Bradleys to 70-85 vehicles in a tank trap(serves as a good paper weight). Then carry 20 or so tank traps in an ammo box or hunting box. I am running out of space. I probably need to put plywood down on my tables, to help with the issue of sagging....

[Mickel]

I have good intentions about just getting 'a bit'. Never happens. One thing leads to another and then I have 'a lot' (not by some standards though), even if it is only in the boxes it came in (which a lot still is). It starts as one company/sqn of bits, then a second, then 'oh well, I might as well finish the battalion/regiment'. Then I think; 'Well, if I have this APC it will cover these tanks too'. Then I have that 'APC which will cover these tanks....' Then it needs an opponent.

It starts out as picking an army, then picking a list to use for a gvien ruleset. To that I add a few variations, then the above happens.

I always paint my own, and if I get bored with them I put them in a cupboard for a while. I can't understand the sellers either. The armies don't actually date.

Mike