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Post by crazycaptain560 on Dec 17, 2017 8:56:13 GMT
In terms of collecting a new army, do you choose based upon historical interest, or purely gaming interest?
I always find my way to an army (for any game) by getting interested in the history first. I have some friends that always look at the gaming aspect and then discover the history later (if at all). They look at the power of lists before they buy anything. That is fine, but it does trouble me a little bit for some reason.
How do you normally find your army?
Poll added for fun, added other as an option because I am sure others have different approaches to finding an army.
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Post by martin on Dec 17, 2017 9:03:03 GMT
History primarily, though I might not build an army if it was a total washout.......having said that, some of my armies are pretty poor, so maybe stick with "History" 😎
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Post by jim1973 on Dec 17, 2017 9:19:13 GMT
Now that's an interesting question. From my point of view my wargame armies have been influenced by (in no particular order):
- heritage and culture
- travel (museums, battlefields, etc)
- historical reading
- movies
- quality miniatures
- ebay specials
- memories of childhood daydreams (Andrew McNeil's Battlegame Books have a lot to answer for!)
- opponents for my original army
and that's why I love wargaming so much!
Jim
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Post by Baldie on Dec 17, 2017 20:56:42 GMT
First army gets picked cos a regular opponent got me hooked on a period or a game and no one in group has that force yet.
Second army gets chosen as an enemy to first so i can provide two armies if showing someone new.
Tend not to go for a killer force, mainly cos i cant play em well.
My Early Imperial Romans lost to the Welsh five times today until someone else took control and slaughtered the welsh seven nil.
I then took over to get trampled by late Romans clearly not respecting their elders.
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Post by weddier on Dec 18, 2017 5:59:19 GMT
My original armies were chosen for historical reasons, and the second group was inspired by some movies. The most recent group was developed to make more historical opponents for the other groups, so I picked history as the reason in the poll.
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Post by Tony Aguilar on Dec 18, 2017 14:54:16 GMT
Well, there are several reason I built each of my armies.
Below are the reasons in the order I built my armies in:
III/35b Feudal Spanish
My first army – I already had the figures as I was going to build them for Armati before I got into DBA. Spanish is my ancestry, so that was the draw.
III/74 Fanatic Berber
I Built this army as a matched pair for the Feudal Spanish.
II/76 Koguryo Korean
Rudy Nelson had this army as an army pack with the Alain Touller figures. I really liked the figures and they were a unique list.
III/10b Rajputs
I won this army/purchased them with a gift certificate as an Essex army pack. This is the only Essex army pack I have built as picking the individual figures for various manufacturers is one of my favorite things to do.
III/20b Tang Chinese
A matched pair for my Koguryo and an Asian army no one in my area owned.
II/33 Polybian Roman
Built these guys for a Punic Campaign they were going to run at Historicon.
II/49 Marian Roman
Built these guys for Historicon 2009 as there were several Marian events scheduled.
II/28b Armenian
My matched pair enemy for my Marian Romans and as an ally of my Marian Romans to use in a BBDBA game with Jeff Franz.
IV/59b Post-Mongol Samurai
I saw the new Peter Pig figures at Historicon and was so enamored with them I had to build them.
IV/54d Medieval Norwegian
I wanted to try snow covered bases and when I picked up a potential camp at the Norwegian pavilion at Epcot is was done.
II/4a Warring States Chinese – Qin
Built this army for the Two-Davids campaign game at Historicon.
III/61 Song Chinese
Can’t get enough Asians. I wanted an army with artillery and one no one had. Also I used them in a Horde wars theme game.
II/79b Southern Liang Dynasty
Chinese and Elephants what is not to like.
III/40d Swedish Leidang
I painted a few extra stands and added to my Norwegians for a Historicon campaign.
IV/82a French Ordonnance
I picked up a French dice, so I needed a French army that I had never seen in action.
II/20b Ptolemaic
I wanted to try my hand at Successors and making desert stands and terrain.
IV/13c Medieval German
A matched pair for my Ordonnance and wanted to model the deep knights.
III/3 Italian Ostrogoth and II/67b Early Ostrogoth
Needed some barbarians and decided to try with 6 knights and 6 psiloi.
III/36 Nanzhao
Loved the figures and they are allies and enemies of my Tang.
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Post by timurilank on Dec 18, 2017 17:12:52 GMT
This is an interesting question.
I collected the Middle Imperial Roman army (nearly 3 years ago) as these seemed the least popular among the Roman armies to be found in the rule book. The period proved fascinating enough that my library grew and so did the collection (40 armies).
This proved to be my preferred method of collecting – total immersion in the history and let the collection of figures evolve from the process. Among the forty are three armies which are not listed in the rule book, the mountain kingdoms of Colchis, Iberia and Albania.
Other projects followed adding more armies to the collection, the Consular era (post 2nd Punic War), Later Imperial Rome/Early Byzantine and lastly, Under the Black Banner (Umayyad/Abbasid).
I am currently between projects and began restoring a small Biblical collection that produced an early Libyan, an early Bedouin and a Later Amorite army. A recent order for Old Kingdom Egyptians will complete the collection to a pre-chariot era one and I have Armies of the Ancient Near East on order so who knows where this may lead.
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Post by edonaldson on Dec 18, 2017 17:28:54 GMT
For me its all about the figures. Figures that inspire me to want to paint them will lead to me acquiring and army I otherwise might never notice. Along the same line figures that don't inspire me will prevent me from creating an army that I should want to have.
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Post by mustrum on Dec 18, 2017 17:51:42 GMT
Depends really. I will list my armies in order like Tony.
Xyston Thebans: Really liked the figures and was a present for completing a college course to get into uni. Wouldn't get Xyston again though, sod drilling more holes for spears!
Essex Andalusians: Got them for the Autumn Paws event, turns out they were the wrong ones.
Lurkio Huns (attilas): Always loved the figures so picked some up.
Lurkio Sassanids: Martin gave me some as a present as he knew I was looking at them as a matched pair for the Huns and had them lying around unused.
Essex Free Canton: Picked these ones up for the Winter Paws.
Essex Feudal English: I like knights. A lot. Hopefully will be able to go to Petes Tournament in Coventry so these will be used.
Baueda Normans: I study Medieval history and have recently done an essay on 1066 so got the inspiration to pick these up when they were on sale.
Essex Shang Dynasty Chinese: Along with knights I love Eastern cultures and the Spring Paws uses a large theme with these chaps being the ones that my eye was drawn to instantly.
I will be doing large, large, large armies of my particular periods of interest in time, but they will be ongoing projects because I will continuously add to them over a number of years but currently nothing for them btoh as of yet, WoTRs and the Mongolians under Kublai Khan.
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Post by Michael Demko on Dec 18, 2017 18:24:22 GMT
For me the gaming comes first, but has motivated a lot of exploration of the history (not just with DBA, but with wargames in general). I love the spatial and kinetic properties of wargames, which is the first motivator for me, but I also enjoy the painting and crafting, and I'm always curious about how well the experience of the game maps on to the real experiences of the people we are simulating. My first army is tied to a period of history my wife is especially interested in  |
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Post by ammianus on Dec 19, 2017 15:25:38 GMT
My reading, historical and historical fiction, plus movies of interest. Very interesting miniatures (Splintered Light Picts for example) may catch my eye. On the other side, my limited painting skills prohibit certain armies, medieval era etc.
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Post by Haardrada on Dec 19, 2017 21:24:13 GMT
I aquire armies from several motivations...History being most prominent. Late Hoplite Spartan & Athenians(Xyston),Hsuing Nu (Essex,Donnington and an Unknown manufacturer),but my Vikings and Normans are also inspired by cultural Heritage and possibly DNA.lol
However, My Sea Peoples,Late Swiss and Timurids are "anti-armies" from campaign themes being less popular choices in their respective era.For example our club was Bristling with several Knight armies..English,French,Burgundian (×3),Italian Condotta,Low Countries and Medieval German...so Swiss were an easy choice as they Historically fought most of them and didnt have many Knights.
Other armies like Welsh,Ghaznavid and Rajputs come from working in the the country and visiting sites or from talking to natives of the country of origin whilst whilst working away.I discovered a lot from the Indian perspective of the Muslim invasions and an interest to find out more about them.
Figure ranges also influence my choice as I also enjoy picking the figures and models.
Since the release of 3.0 I have had a tendancy to also morph my armies and/or add allies....Hsuing nu morphed into Early Hu,Juan-Juan and Southern Hsuing nu.The Rajputs expanded so much I added Hindu and Tamil armies!I opted for the Southern version of the Norman army but added enough to cover 1066 and added enough Lombards to complete an opposing army.
I would like an "anti-Roman" army but have not settled on my choice yet... (its either going to be Galatians,Pre-Islamic Arabs,Alans or Picts)...I hate Romans and live approx.14 miles North of the Roman Wall so should be really interested since I'm surrounded by a wealth of Roman-ness.But my interest is dated later (Corbridge is within 30 miles)in Vikings and Normans or Medieval (I live at the base of the Northumberland Castle route.😊).
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Post by macbeth on Dec 20, 2017 1:46:37 GMT
I have built up several armies being inspired by Historical Novels - the most important are
Pre Feudal Scots - from Nigel Tranter's "Macbeth the King" - I bought a painted version of this army for WRG6th Edition, moved on into WRG7th with it and then bought up figures and rebuilt it with my own painting.
Jewish Revolt - from Andrew Meissel's "Son of a Star"
Tang Chinese from Eleanor Cooney and Daniel Altieri's "Court of the Lion"
My beloved Sung however were inspired by playing in a WRG7th campaign and watching the Sung player collapse like a house of cards - I felt for the army and built up my own - they translated well into DBA especially at v2.2
I get interested in an army and then look at the opponents and from there build up "Campaign Sets" of usually 13 armies and then build up a map that accommodates all of them then start shaving off countries so I have a set of maps that cater for 4 to 13 players.
I have around 107 armies now with 67 of them fully up to DBA3 compliance.
Cheers
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Post by goragrad on Dec 20, 2017 8:16:00 GMT
I have an interest in nearly every period of history. Lots of historical novels from every epoch growing up and nearly any mythology the school library contained.
Therefore when I started buying figures - Airfix plastic were the first - I got nearly everything I could find. Dropped out for years and then got back in with a club. They were big on DBM at the time and so I started hitting ebay and the Marketplace on TMP for figures. Picked up anything that I could get at below retail prices. Ended up with some painted and based miniatures that gave me a couple of armies - Anglo-Normans, Han, Scyth (sold as Koreans...), and Pict with some elements that were the base for other armies - LIR, Goth, Early Saxon, Gepid, Ottonian, and Parthian (more so-called Koreans).
I had been using a loaner Palmyran at the club so built a DBA then BBDBA army for them. Expanded the LIR Han, Anglo-Norman, Scyth, and Parthian into BBDBA size.
Got a FOG Indian box off TMP so Classical, Republican, and Mountain were next. Have more Indian miniatures so Vedic and Pre-Vedic are in the works.
Have always had a fondness for Romans so a MIR is in progress. Have enough figures to morph the Han to a Three Kingdoms (Chinese warwagons!) and they are nearly there.
I accumulated enough figures from enough periods that I can (with some supplemental purchases) build. a major percentage of the armies in the DBA lists. Given enough time I hope to do so.
Back to the original poll - history is there as well as some gaminess. Sassanids are an opponent for the Palmyrans and future Byzantines. The Early Bedouin were just because - running into so many KN armies in tourneys led me to see what might be a different opponent for for them.
Oriental history is also a favorite (as is cuisine) so T'ang, Tibetan, Sung, Ming, various Korean figures are in the wings awaiting painting. Actually the Tibetans are in progress awaiting finding the appropriate palette for the Nepalese CV (may just go with Magister or another source and get them on the table).
But chance has a role as well - did I pick up some painted figures that will make building the rest of the army less effort? That batch of 12th Century Minifig SP will be the core of Feudal French, German, and Later Crusade armies until I finish more SP at a later date. At some point I will pick up some mounted to get a Samurai army finished (lots of BW and SP/BD from that 'Korean' army).
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Post by AndreasJ on Dec 22, 2017 18:00:47 GMT
Some of my armies have been acquired purely because they appealed to me out of historical interest, a couple due to list quirks (e.g. Khitan-Liao with the distinctly challenging combination of mounted and Horde - this was in 2.2 when you couldn't treat Hd as expendable), but probably most because they were enemies and/or allies of armies I already had, or of clubmate's armies. Which particular enemy or ally is mostly down to historical interest.
One - Ancient British - was aquired mostly because someone gave me a great offer on a CB army box.
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