A perennial question for me

[Conquistador]

As I looked at my Galactic Grenadiers (referred to as "G. G." after this) figures (15 and 25 mm) I realized that my figures in 25 mm included too heavy weapons equipped to represent a "reasonably" equipped assault section yet too few in number to be a platoon.  Sigh.   

And since they are OOP it is unlikely the numbers will change substantially.   

So that raised the question in my mind I have always dealt with since the 1970s - when is buying "X" number of newly produced  figures in an initial buy too many and when is it too few?  How do I determine the "right" number of figures to buy initially?

In relation to the G. G. figures, finances, to a large degree, and scattered interests kept my G. G. figures small in number when I started painting my SF armies but the Starguard Power Armor of the Terran Federation  figures (and Nektons, Good Lord, how I loved those Nektons!) distracted me too.  I was relatively younger then but that is only an excuse, not a reason, for the situation.

I prefer (and have preferred most years) battles over skirmishes - hence my love of 6 mm and 3 mm armies/aircraft - so it has always been a matter of how many infantry figures or AFVs do I want to field?  A Fire Team, a Squad, a Section, a Platoon, a Company, more??

Given many years of experience and 20/20 hindsight I have reached some conclusions about what I think I should make an initial buy of figures for gaming when new lines are introduced.

Colonial, modern, and future skirmish (which I play sometimes) "needs" a base Platoon of Infantry to choose elements from that includes attachments such as Machine gun equivalents if post 1850s plus any anti-vehicle/anti-tank or artillery teams that might have been attached.  Cavalry as appropriate...

Small to Medium Battles require three or four infantry elements plus possibly a unit or two of Cavalry (if era appropriate) and a MG and/or artillery piece.  "Elements" should/could represent Infantry companies for rules like my friend Blake's beloved TS&TF or Battalions for other rules.  More Modern era forces  would include a squad of Tanks/AFVs (MBTs/APCs/IFVs/ACs/Recon) to support the Infantry plus markers for off board artillery/Air Power support.

Medium to Large Battles would require proportionally more Support Weapons and vehicle/Cavalry elements but by the time we are talking this size of a game I would be fielding "mass armies" after 1679 and before 1914 so this becomes more of a collecting figures over time issue than a theoretical buy once decision.

How do you approach this kind of decision on how many figures to buy for a non-skirmish force of a newly introduced line of figures?

Gracias,

Glenn

[hearts261]

I was just asking myself the same thing RE: the new victrix romans. I ended up buying 1 box of each to get started but ill probably end up with 1 or two more. I know i won't get to them for a while, and I've got quite a few projects going so i went light on the purchase.

[Bergil]

Previously I was very much an all or nothing sort of person. For instance, if I wanted several 15mm armies for sci fi, they would need support vehicles such as supply trucks or air lift, let alone the basic infantry elements.

These days though I'd most likely do things in stages, buy the necessary minimum amount to play a skirmish game with them if I so desired and then build up from there.