"How many units is enough for one player?" Topic

Obviously this is dependent on what rules are used but I am thinking this could apply to any set of mass combat rules. In my 30 odd year experience in gaming a comfortable number of units for a player is about 4 infantry or cavalry plus maybe some guns or artillery (era dependent).
Too many games have been bogged down with a player controlling a division or even a corp. Fire and Fury I find a division plus some artillery is perfect, In an old school game like WRG then a brigade and a gun or two and maybe a couple units of Cav. Skirmish style games like musket and tomahawk or the sword and the flame is 3-4 units with commander and an attached gun. More 20th century games that I have played I think a platoon at 1:1 is a good-sized force but this period is not my strong point.
I am mainly a horse and musket era gamer so that's where I come from. Really interested to hear your experience and ideas,
Also mainly thinking multiplayer games as that's my main experience as well

FM

Here's my two cents worth regarding The Sword and the Flame.
Back, as a GM, I have set up games where a single player commanded up to 10 units. Or more.

I've also run games where a player commanded no more than 2 units. Guess what? He was much less prone to sacrifice a unit "for the greater good" when he only had 2. 🤔

I usually aim for a minimum of two per player, but sometimes just one. Depends how many units, how many players,, mode of game (pbem, f2f, remote etc) , and what you mean by a 'unit'. A maximum is probably around a dozen per player.

In Midgard, I have found 5 or 6 Units and a 'Hero' sufficient for me to have a good game, but I can happily run a whole army.

As the OP says, it depends a lot on what constitutes a "unit." A single DBA base? Twelve or more. 20-30 individual figures with officers and enlisteds, possibly elites or specialists and capable of multiple formations? Far fewer.

There may be a specific numerical answer--but not without specifying the rules.

I always feel a dozen or so units is optimum; DBA got that right. I went for a similar number in my rules.

I have never liked convention games where the GM tried to allow 10-12 players by giving each person 2-3 units, meaning in real terms that you could sit around for ages only to move twice then sit again for ages. While superficially the GM could think "everyone only has two units" what actually happens is a couple players have their units engaged in meaningful combat while more than half of the players just dance around the periphery of the battle/board.

I think about 12 units per side, divided by the number of players on that side, is a sensible maximum.

It kind of depends on the rules as noted – I think at least for our games with the lads 2 units is too few, eight or ten is probably too many – most mass combat games we have 4 – 6 units per player which given the playing style of some of the guys (a full out frontal charge being considered a subtle tactic) works out just fine

4 units seems pretty meagre to me. I agree with those who say around a dozen. Now if it is a convention game where most players are unfamiliar with the rules I'd pare that back to 7 or 8.