"How many times do you need to play with an army?" Topic

I recently saw a post where a gamer talked about getting his whatever army out once a year to play a game. This could very well be one of those armies that has run its course because he played it every two weeks for 3 years, and moved on to other things. Did anyone specifically assemble an army knowing you were only going to put it on the table once a year? Do you have an internal expectation about how many times a new army must get on the field in order for you to invest your time and money? For the sake of discussion, an army is composed of hundreds of 15 or 25mm figures -- not a dozen gunfighters or a couple of airplanes.

My Vietnam War army – U.S./Anzac/VC/NVA in 28mm numbers over 500 figures and less than 100 have seen dice rolled on pleasure.

On the other hand, elements of my British Colonial armies make an appearance a few time a year.

I've got a lot of collections and the vast majority of them have seen many games over the years. When I realize I am no longer utilizing a particular collection for whatever reason, I sell it. Use the fund to buy more lead..err pewter.

I have a large collection of armies though I game with 3 many times during the course of a year and 4 others which I may play only once a year.

I play with each of my armies at least once a week.
Sadly, I am also quite delusional about my hobby.
The reality is that I'm more of a collector and occasional painter than a gamer.

I got several armies bought and painted for a period we were all excited for, then, guess what, they moved on to something else and the figures have remained in the box ever since!
Actually, I have sold off most of these now, but the effort wasted is heartbreaking, at least to me.

This is a good way to decide if you have to weed out your collection.
When I no longer had any interest in going to Ancients tournaments, that meant that armies I hadn't played with in years were suddenly red haired stepchildren.
Ditto when I couldn't find anyone who wanted to play against my Orcs or Blood Bowl teams.
The armies I am down to now get played with quite often.

I've never thought about it like this. For the last 20 or so years (maybe closer to 30 years), I have only been acquiring things that I think I will use for science fiction gaming in the Traveller universe, so I never make the calculation described in the original post.

I still own a lot of other stuff that I played with and enjoyed, but that is outside my focus now, such as 15mm fantasy and 1/72 WW2. Maybe I should Marie Kondo my way through it this year.

My calculations are more on the interest in the period of history than how many times a figure or army has seen the table

I would expect to get about 100 games out of an army in year 1 of build. After that about 16 a year.

I'm certainly more of a painter and collector than gamer. If every army only gets a run or two a year I'm fine with that. The time I spend enjoying painting far outweighs the time I'm able to spend playing games.

I have both sides of the Battle of Puebla (which together constitute a little more than 100 figures). They get on the table once a year. They might get out other times for form FFL or Zouave action. Maybe some other mid-19th Century Mexican scenarios as well. But they weren't acquired for the other random games or for playing Puebla more than once or twice a year around the anniversary.

Most of my other anniversary battles have figures that easily work for other fights, so see the table more frequently.

No, I don't have any special use interval planned when I purchase figures.

Good question

Depends but there are a few armies I have that see battle much less than once a year

I don't build an army any more unless I think it has no limit--that I could go on playing with it once a month or more for the rest of my life. The remaining "one trick pony" armies I hope to use for 12-24 games and then sell. Otherwise, sold off armies tend not to be played out so much as surplus to requirements: I have something else which gives me the same tactical options.

But everything depends on circumstances. I had a pair of armies out in November and December--and more games planned this year--which I hadn't had in a game in 15 years, and which no one had had in a game for better than three.

I'm a painter.
I've got 700+ beautiful 28mm samurai that I painted in '95, that have never seen the table.
700+ 28mm Turks/Poles that are the same.
20 tripods, 40+ vehicles, an a couple hundred infantry for All Quiet that have not been played.
Ad nauseum.
Doesn't bother me at all

I don't think about how many times I will play with an Army.I buy and paint them because I like the figures and have an interest in the period. I'll admit that now as I get a new army they're for games that use smaller forces and have a limited Order of Battle.

A new "army" for me would at this stage be something like Spanish for the AWI. I'm not sure how often I would use it. But since it's there, I'll just paraphrase Field of Dreams: If you paint it, it will get played.

Had the current Army Modern German for a good 10 years, still not complete, still learning and it plays most weeks. I am building a small Modern Soviet so I have somthing if friends are not available but hope fully its use will be minimal, more an insurance policy.

It depends what you mean by an 'Army'. I've got individual vehicles which took over 30 years to include in an actual game….

I'm not a great one for weeding out unused stuff. I've got rid of the odd thing over the years and usually regretted it later (why oh why did I sell that 15mm Western Desert Force? what was I thinking??)

If stuff gets used a lot, then great. If not, well hey ho, I can always get the boxes out and look at it. If I really care 'll write a scenario and/or some rules to use it.

Fortunately I belong to an active club. With the exception of November and December, I put on a game the last Saturday of every month.

I go in rotation. I do 3 to 6 games for each period, usually based on a historical campaign. So the number of games can vary for each period. Right now I have four periods and look to be adding two more.

I got out of one period and sold the figures, 28mm WWI. If I decide to make another run at 1914. I will do it in 15mm.

I have figures that haven't been in action for over 20 years. They're available whenever I get the urge though, and I don't have to start from scratch.