A few big armies or many smaller one ?

[Thomaso827]

I was sticking with a company each of US, VC and NVA, but the lists show different structures at different times, so I have to have an extra base for each squad without a LMG, or without a rocket launcher/LAW/RPG. In one type battalion, a company has 3 platoons, in another 4 platoons. Then there is the weapons company and it's breakout of support to the company. Gotta have some Sappers. So, now I have my company + of troops. Now I'm looking at armor. This period, I need a company of M-48s. Later, a company of Sheridans. Again with the variations for a Cavalry Troop for a Division Cav Squadron or a Cav Regimental Squadron. ACAVs or regular 113s. Airmobile - Huey Bs or Hs. OH6 or OH58s. Ah, NVA armor! Need a company of PT-76s, and in lieu of T-54s, a company of T-55s just for those final years. Cant forget the Arty, so a fire base of 105s and one of 155s for division support. So, now I have a good start on those. Now the riverine. Holy cow, 13 of these, several of those, etc. And now some sampans - the bad guys have to have something there too. My little project for the simple little company has become a big army.

[rct75001]

This is exactly what happened to me - but with WWII.

I already had a large number of modern micro armour.

Then I decided to do Arnhem in micro scale - and bought for the actual TOE that I would need just for the battle north of the Rhine. This got me interested in Market Garden as a whole so I expanded so that could do that with much more and varied German armour and the need to have the Guards Armoured Division.

This moved me onto Normandy and hence more expansion of the Germans and the need for different British armour so I could do the Independent Tank Brigades (ie: Churchills and more Cromwells).

Then another company released and amazing Stalingrad grain elevator and this grabbed me so the Eastern Front forces have been gradually growing. Still looking for GHQ to do some Romanians now the Hungarians are on the way.

The sad thing - have I played Arnhem yet? But I am having a ball buying and painting.

[voltigeur]

In one type battalion, a company has 3 platoons, in another 4 platoons.

When you are looking at 4 platoon companies you are looking at a field modified organisation. I noticed this on the Grunt line web site they show the TO&E that was official but most compaies quit following it right after the LZ Xray action.

The issue came that mortar units could not defend themselves when close assaulted and company comanders had to keep a platoon with them for security. The logic followed that if you could only use 2 platoons why not just go out with 2.

Vets have told me the standard operating method was to take 2 platoons to the field with 2 on alert. If a really large fight insued the 3rd & 4th platoons would be flown in as rapid reation back up. Very few battles ever went beyond that level.

[Bob2000]

I think Mickel is right about the sellers. Historical minis stays historical. If you are feed up with your army just put it aside for a while and come back to it later or just use a different rules set or change the scale of your game (for exemple, go from one to one to one stand=a platoon).

Unless, off course, you are a talented painter and paint for money.

Do players really play with full bataillions in one to one games ??? What size of table are you using ? I guot almost a bataillion of Sheman tanks, maybe I should try this...

[Thomaso827]

The charts in Piquet's Forgotten Heroes also has some 4-squad platoons and some 3-squad, so the difference extends there as well. I had mounted squad leaders and RTOs at squad level in my first platoon, then was considering removing them and just leaving riflemen as squad leaders and no RTOs, then found the scout elements would be appropriate with those figures, so I will have some bases with and some without. Really is quite a mix. I was also considering getting some WW2 infantry and trying to convert the M-1s to M-14s with a small piece of plastruct for magazines, but Piquet does not differentiate - they are all factored as mixed assault rifle units. It also doesnt differentiate for the squad MGs, which if I went purely with that early TO&E, I would be using 2 squads with and one or two without, or mounting them seperately as part of the weapons squad supporting the other squads. Then there is the bug to just create a full battalion of infantry so I can have all the types of squads available, but common sense prevails, at least for the moment...... Bottom line, if I make up enough squad bases for 4-squad platoons, for a 4-platoon company, then I will have plenty of spares for other things like the scout elements from the M-113 ACAV scouts and everything else. 2 packs of individual infantry and one heavy weapons pack gives me more than enough of everything. With that in mind, the hevy weapons pack gives me enough support for the battalion from the Forgotten Heroes charts.

[paul]

I'm trying to build the 1st Armored division (minus all the 1:1 for support vehicles), modern German tank division and a Russian Tank Division.

[Mk 1]

Bob2000 said:
I think Mickel is right about the sellers. Historical minis stays historical. If you are feed up with your army just put it aside for a while and come back to it later or just use a different rules set or change the scale of your game (for exemple, go from one to one to one stand=a platoon).

Agreed. I still have troops that I bought and painted-up in the early/mid 1970s.

I have let some units go, occasionally. Most often it was "adversary" forces that I didn't want to own (namely WW2 Germans), or a few random units that I was never interested enough to build-up to a gamable force (WW2 or modern Brits). But for the most part, once a unit is finished and goes into the active forces box (boxes), it is there permanently. And so the collection grows.

Do players really play with full bataillions in one to one games ??? What size of table are you using ? I guot almost a bataillion of Sheman tanks, maybe I should try this...

I absolutely game with full battalions at 1-to-1 unit scales. In fact that is one of my key requirements for playing/keeping a ruleset -- I want to game 1-to-1 with battalion sized forces.

It ain't easy, BTW, to find such a ruleset. I have much praise for Mobius' rules, but we were never quite able to get fluid enough for battalion-sized games. I'd say re-inforced companies was about the limit of playability.

I still have high hopes for Mein Panzer. Particularly as the new beta moves infantry from fire-team basing to squad basing.

As to table size -- I used to play on my garage floor. I used WRG Amor and Infantry and Challenger rules with a ground scale of 1:500 or 1:1000 -- it made for some interesting battles. But eventually too many units got stepped on, and my knees got too old. So I've given that up.

Now my preference is a ping-pong table. I have a folding one in the garage. It is just the right size, in my book. I can reach half-way across, and maybe a bit further. At 1:2000 (the ground scales of both PanzerWar and Mein Panzer) it gives lots of room for maneuver. At 1:1000 it would be a bit small -- OK for company sized actions, but not enough for battalion sized, in my opinion.

You can read about our first effort at a battalion sized game with Mein Panzer in my AAR thread. http://www.ghqmodels.com/forum/viewtopi ... c&start=15 It was the second battle described. In this case we were on CG Ericksson's battle boards, not my ping-pong table. His boards are 1'x2', so our battle area was 4'x8' I believe. He set it up on two folding banquet-sized tables in his home.

[jb]

Do players really play with full bataillions in one to one games ??? What size of table are you using ? I guot almost a bataillion of Sheman tanks, maybe I should try this...

...we play with Battalion sized units. I also don't like for people to command more than a company and attchments. I feel that if you need to field higher echelons,then you need the commanders for the situation. In reality you should not need to communicate with more than 3 subordinates directly,of course this is an ideal situation. So I really try to get my games to play the same way.
As for the size A 5000m X same is usually ideal. This could vary in actual size depending on the game or rule scale used. You see I utilise maps and I can setup this size of battlefield when a conflict on the map happens...

[Mickel]

I use battalions over a 3 mile x 2¼ mile table for WWII. Not for more modern things though, unless they're mostly infantry. I haven't yet found a happy balance for units to front width yet. It depends on terrain as well I guess.

[av8rmongo]

I'm trying to build the 1st Armored division (minus all the 1:1 for support vehicles), modern German tank division and a Russian Tank Division.

Paul,

What list are you using for your German Division? PM me if you want to see if there are areas where we overlap for swaps or whatever.

Paul

[chrisswim]

Paul, of course, I am delighted to try to help. Thank you for those roland hulls, hope you enjoy the bradleys.

Mick is now wanting tons of t-80 ERA, BMP3.

[ikara198]

i sort of build units based on current events- you can always get some afteraction reports off the web aslo the old wasrsaw pact attack during the mid 80's is great fun (mainly because it never actually happened). Most of the TO&E is availiable online via google.

[Theodore]

I'm more of a lots of little units guy. I also like platoon level games, feel you get more tactics than bullet counting that way.
I started in the 80s doing scifi on the rhine games. My lead has been transformed into mostly middle eastern stuff now. I generally build battalions with them ranging from 7-15 vehicles depending on TOE. I have a few thousand pieces but it is widespread. A few brigades of Isrealis from 1967, 1973 to 1982, with a battalion of UK and a Couple of battalions of Americas for 1991 and forward. As for arabs, I have about 2 divisions of Syrians, a few battalians of Egyptians that double as Iraqis (sand colored T55s and such) I have some Iranians too but need to do more infantry.

[ZMONSTER]

Hello,

This is my first reply. I have spend years collecting GHQ Micro Armor for the game Advanced Squad Leader So I don't really have an Army at all. Just a collection of Platoon to Company size elements or big Kampfgrupens: German, USA, USSR, French, and British.

For those that don't know the game, its a former Avalon Hill game, bought out by Hasbro in the late 90's, and is still owned and printed by MinuteMan Publishing [url]http://www.advancedsquadleader.com[/url] . ASL covers all of WW2, just like any game has a big rule book. Players navigate on a hex map where 1 hex = 40 meters, each turn is equivalent to 2 min. of real time.

I initially purchased the ASL GHQ packages, and was disappointed when they stopped. I purchased my first package of Tiger I's in 1979 at Fort Knox, KY at the U.S. Cavalry Store, a very well equipped surplus store.

[Mk 1]

This is my first reply. I have spend years collecting GHQ Micro Armor ...

Hiya ZMON! Welcome to our little corner of the web.

Pull up a tank and sit right down. As a long-time collector of GHQ Microarmor myself, I have found this forum to be a most remarkable fount of information and delight. My own skills in painting (and building) my Microarmor have improved notably from the tips and techniques of this breatheren, and my own enjoyment of the hobby has multiplied many times over.

I don't really have an Army at all. Just a collection of Platoon to Company size elements or big Kampfgrupens: German, USA, USSR, French, and British.

My collection must number well above 1,000 vehicles, maybe even higher than that. And that is not including the infantry, of which I have many bunches as well.

Most of my stuff is in company-sized units too. Some even just in platoons or batteries. Much not organized into units at all, just 5, or 10, or 15 of some item of kit.

More recently I have focussed my purchasing and painting on full units, generally of company size. I have only a few full battalions. But I have MANY companies of this or that. Many ...

I purchased my first package of Tiger I's in 1979 at Fort Knox, KY...

Several of the fellows I game with are ex- or current tankers. One of my best gaming buds is currently commanding recon squadron in the 11th Cav. He's at Knox now as I write this.

He spent a year commanding a platoon of Abrams tanks in Iraq. Within 2 months of getting home he was pushing little toy tanks on my ping-pong table!