Are the Perrys to blame?

[TWD]

Actually quite a few of the Perry plastic sets have miniatures in factors of 6. A box might have 40 minis but it breaks down into troops that are factors of 6.

So if you ignore the models that don't fit in to the groups of six then the sets are definitely packaged as multiples of six? 
40 is a multiple of six as long as you ignore four of them?
I'm not sure that's how maths works, but if you say so....

[Blackwolf]

This thread is funny; figures per base is an abstraction, unless the rules require you to remove miniatures, either way use counters for casualties, much more aesthetic 

[pixelgeek]

Perry metal figures were in 6s long before Lion Rampant was on the scene.

You have my question turned around backwards I think

[pixelgeek]

So if you ignore the models that don't fit in to the groups of six then the sets are definitely packaged as multiples of six? 

I think if you look at the number of figures you can build in their plastic sets you might see the point

For instance, the Plastic British Napoleonic Line Infantry box set has 40 minis but 36 of them are Line Infantry and 4 are Riflemen. So 6 groups of 6.

And the Plastic Wars of the Roses Infantry again has 40 minis but it has multiple factors of 6 of Billmen and Bowmen and then 4 armoured minis.

So it seems as if they are still trying to aim for factors of 6 in their plastic sets

[SotF]

You are quite correct I'm misremembering. 7th went from four to five.
I think that led to six being default/optimal so you got an extra attack against five wide...

They swapped from the full ranks down there, I think that's also when you also had the option for Hordes with a 10 wide rank.

[Jemima Fawr]

I always wanted an armoured Mini.  I just had to make do with an ordinary Clubman though.   

[Captain Blood]

So it seems as if they are still trying to aim for factors of 6 in their plastic sets

Ah, okay. Now I get you.

No, I don’t think the Perrys are to blame.

Many manufacturers down the years have produced miniatures in packs of 4 or 8 (including, for a long period, the then dominant supplier, Wargames Foundry). That didn’t feed through to the size of units in rulesets as far as I’m aware, so not sure why 6 figure packs might be held responsible either.

The Mersey rulesets are reliant on units being half-strength for certain mechanics. That’s a lot easier to calculate with a base unit size of six than five. I suspect that’s the only reason for it. I further suspect that in creating Never Mind The Billhooks, Andy C simply adopted the same sized units as Lion Rampant, because that’s probably the most accessible and widely used ‘large skirmish’ set currently on the market, and so many people would already have organised their medieval armies in multiples of six (although interestingly, Billhooks has cavalry units in eights, so that doesn’t quite follow... )

[Silent Invader]

Are the Perry’s to blame?

I’m not clear why multiples of 6 are a bad thing for which anyone should be blamed
 

[Cubs]

  When I used to play Napoleonic wargames - I honestly forget what ruleset it was, but this was in the 80's - it was usually with units of 24 line infantry, 12 cavalry. That 'multiples of 6' rule is so handy for flexibility of deploying into line, column or square.

  I've also always liked the aesthetics of an infantry unit in 6x4 formation and a cavalry unit in 6x2.

[TWD]

For instance, the Plastic British Napoleonic Line Infantry box set has 40 minis but 36 of them are Line Infantry and 4 are Riflemen. So 6 groups of 6.

....with four left over.

And the Plastic Wars of the Roses Infantry again has 40 minis but it has multiple factors of 6 of Billmen and Bowmen and then 4 armoured minis.

... left over.

So it seems as if they are still trying to aim for factors of 6 in their plastic sets

As long as you ignore the four left over, you're absolutely right

Sorry, I'll stop now. 

Your point is that some of the sprue are in multiples of six  (12 in both cases I think). I suspect that's more to do with what can reasonably be fitted on to a sprue than anything else. On a standard sized sprue you'll get up to 12 humsn sized 28mm models plus equipment. The Afghans being more dynamic for instance have only eight on the sprue.

[Cubs]

As long as you ignore the four left over, you're absolutely right

He's already explained, the 4 extra figures are the 'command stand' in each boxed set, on a separate sprue. The rank and file are made up of 6 sprues each containing 6 bodies.

[TWD]

He's already explained, the 4 extra figures are the 'command stand' in each boxed set, on a separate sprue. The rank and file are made up of 6 sprues each containing 6 bodies.

So, were agreed then that the *set* (not the sprues) is a multiple of six as long as you ignore the four "left over" command/rifles or whatever else they are.
Excellent.

[RSDean]

So, it’s my impression that Lion Rampant/Dragon Rampant have a certain amount of the Ral Partha intro rules Chaos Wars (from the mid-‘80s) in their DNA, and those rules used 12 infantry or 6 cavalry as a unit, which did neatly correspond to two packages of Ral Partha troops per unit (as they were packed 6 infantry or 3 cavalry to a blister pack).

[pixelgeek]

So, it’s my impression that Lion Rampant/Dragon Rampant have a certain amount of the Ral Partha intro rules Chaos Wars (from the mid-‘80s) in their DNA, and those rules used 12 infantry or 6 cavalry as a unit, which did neatly correspond to two packages of Ral Partha troops per unit (as they were packed 6 infantry or 3 cavalry to a blister pack).

Interesting.

[vodkafan]

12 models  to a "unit" (Rampant, Billhooks) is relatively recent and feels like more to do with reduced model counts in modern systems (12 models would be barely a tiny unit of skirmishers to the likes of Grant and Featherstone) and the fact that 12 is divisible by 2,3,4 and 6 rather than just 2 and 5 for a ten man unit allowing a little greater flexibility in formations, casualties and other "gaming" factors.

At a larger scale 24, 32 or 36 man units in Napoleonics make it easier to model flank companies, columns and the like than 15 or 25 man units.

For me it is exactly this. I like the divisibility of 12.
I have gone as far as rationalizing to myself that my Rebels and Patriots units are at a ratio of approx 1:8 or 1:9 so that a unit of 12  represents (to me) a company of 96-108 men, which is just nice.