Was there once a list of DBA armies with the most 'x' etc?

I'm not sure who did the analysis, but I think this was done shortly after DBA 3.0 was released. I can't attest to its accuracy. Here it is:


## Note on Methodology ##

All of these statistics are about the gross mechanical natures of the lists, and are based on the assumption that the various glosses within an army list are not mechanically relevant. If an entry read "3x Blue (Ps) or Red (Ps)", then I have treated it as a single 3x Ps, and not as two options each of which are 3x Ps. If the types are different, such as "2x Purple (3Ax) or Green (Ps)" then that represents a significant choice. Likewise Fast/Solid pairs such as "3Ax/4Ax" entries are treated as the option between "3Ax or 4Ax".



## The Special and Not So Special Snow Flakes ##

Thanks to the variety of options within each list, there are 27739 unique army configurations permitted by the 605 lists and sub-list variations allowed in DBA 3.0. The following three configurations are the most frequent, each shared by 8 armies which can field that particular array of elements by selecting the right options:



1xGeneral(Cv), 1xCv, 2xPs, 8xSp

(Shared by: I/35d, I/52i, I/55b, I/55c, I/57a, I/57b, II/81c, III/1b)



1xGeneral(Cv), 2xCv, 1xPs, 8xLH

(Shared by: II/38a, II/41a, II/61a, II/61d, III/11b, III/30b, III/74a, III/80)



1xGeneral(Cv), 2xCv, 9xLH

(Shared by: II/38a, III/14a, III/30b, III/44, III/74a, IV/35, IV/52, IV/67)



After that, the number of armies sharing a configuration are as follows:

3 by 7 armies

2 by 6 armies

2 by 5 armies

23 by 4 armies

45 by 3 armies

470 by 2 armies

27191 unique to 1 army.



## The Kaleidoscope ##

The individual armies with the greatest number of possible configurations are:

II/4e Other Chinese Armies 355-202BC: 6384 configurations

III/69 Western Sudanese Army: 1080 configurations

III/17 Maurikian Byzantine Army: 864 configurations

II/25 Bosporan Army: 810 configurations

I/13b Shang Chinese Army 1299-1017 BC: 756 configurations

III/20a Sui Army 581-611AD: 750 configurations

I/4b Guti "Great Revolt" Army 2250-2112 BC: 600 configurations

II/7 Later Achaemenid Persian Army: 600 configurations

III/39 Late T'ang or Five Dynasties Army: 567 configurations

II/55c Beja Army 832-1500AD: 456 configurations



If you had a complete II/4e army, and played 3 games a day on average, you could play a new configuration every game for almost 6 years.



## The everyday working Joe ##

The most "average" army configuration would be:

1xGeneral(Cv), 2xCv, 2xLH, 2xSp, 2x3Ax, 3xPs



This result was achieved by averaging the number of times an element appears across all armies, sorting them, then rounding up to the nearest whole number (since partial stands would probably affect combat with weird frontages...) and taking elements until 1 General and 11 troop units were fulfilled.

## We Get All Types 'round Here ##

These are the armies which have the greatest number of different element types allowed. Each general type is counted uniquely from any similar non general type.

III/39 Late T'ang or Five Dynasties Army: 15 unique element types

II/79a Northern Dynasty Army: 14 unique element types

III/62b Southern Sung Chinese Army 1127-1279AD: 14 unique element types

II/4e Other Chinese Armies 355-202BC: 13 unique element types

IV/4b Feudal French Army 1200-1330AD: 13 unique element types

II/56 Early Imperial Roman Army: 13 unique element types

III/20a Sui Army 581-611AD: 13 unique element types

IV/61 Italian Condotta Army: 13 unique element types



## We Don't Serve Your Kind Here ##

The flip side are armies with the least number of unique possible elements. Again, each general type is counted uniquely from any similar non general type, so the minimum is going to be 2 types, which only 1 list, IV/12e Maori Army, can fulfil, with a 3Bd General and 11 3Bd troops.



After that, there's a 21 way tie among armies which have only 3 unique element types.



## Monomania ##

You can build armies which have all 12 stands, including generals, of the following single types:

LH, Cv, 3Kn, 3Bw, 3Bd, 4Ax, 4Bd, Sp



## They Are Legion (but not necessarily Roman) ##

The armies requiring the most number of elements in order to field every possible configuration.

II/4e Other Chinese Armies 355-202BC: 39 total elements

III/69 Western Sudanese Army: 33 total elements

I/13b Shang Chinese Army 1299-1017 BC: 29 total elements

I/48 Thracian Army: 29 total elements

II/41a Western Han Army 202BC-24AD: 29 total elements

III/20a Sui Army 581-611AD: 29 total elements



## Any Colour You Like, So Long as it's Black ##

67 lists require 12 specific elements with no alternate options allowed.



## Painter's Nightmares ##

These armies have the most number of figures required for every possible option in the list, including both halves of elements which can dismount. As noted above, this does not differentiate any national/tribal/stylistic differences in elements, so your Numidian Javelin skirmishers are treated the exact same as Balearic Slingers for purposes of these numbers as long as they're both Ps in the same list entry.



III/15 Tibetan Army: 87 figures

I/60c Achaemenid Army 539-420 BC: 69 figures

IV/64b Medieval French Army 1347-1400AD: 69 figures

III/7b Ritsuryo or Early Heian Army 646-900AD: 68 figures

IV/64c Medieval French Army 1401-1445AD: 68 figures



## Never Have So Many Owed So Much To So Few ##

Armies with the least number of figures required to build every possible option. This counts Chariots and Elephants as a single model.

II/80d Other Hunnic Armies 374-558AD: 24 figures

I/21b Later Babylonian Army 889-747 BC: 25 figures

I/21a Kassite Babylonian Army 1595-890 BC: 25 figures

III/6b Emishi Army 700-878AD: 26 figures

IV/46 Ilkhanid Army: 27 figures

I/7c Early Libyan Army 665-476 BC: 27 figures



## The Few, The Proud, the Army in a Weekend ##

The smallest number of figures you can have to make any single army, of any possible variation allowed, again, counting Chariots and Elephants as a single model.

I/5d Early Susiana or Elamite Army 1400-800 BC: 21 figures

III/47 Pecheneg Army: 23 figures

I/21a Kassite Babylonian Army 1595-890 BC: 23 figures

II/40 Numidian or Early Moorish Army: 23 figures



Then a 14 way tie for armies which require 24 figures, including several of the LH-based horse army’s and a number of Ps based armies with Chariots or Elephants.



## I Think I've Met You Before ##

How often each element appears as a separate entry in any army list. ("3xPs" counts as one, "2xPs,1xPs”; counts as 2.)

Ps: 779

Cv: 623

LH: 460

3Kn: 347

Sp: 301

3Ax: 288

3Bw: 234

4Ax: 226

4Bd: 211

7Hd: 146



## Popularity Contest ##

The total number of times elements appear in all army lists. ("3xPs" and "2xPs,1xPs”; both count as 3 appearances)

Ps: 1504

LH: 906

Cv: 880

3Ax: 819

Sp: 810

3Bw: 594

4Ax: 518

3Kn: 495

4Bd: 423

4Pk: 366



## The Loudest Yellers Ride Horses ##

The most common general element types across all configurations of all armies:

Cv: 249

3Kn: 151

LCh: 70

HCh: 41

4Bd: 34

Sp: 33

4Kn: 29

3Bd: 27

LH: 26

4Ax: 24





## They Ride Single File to Hide their Numbers ##

These are the element types with the highest ratio of total element count to number of entries. If only 2 armies had entries for 6Cm, one at 4x 6Cm, and one a 2x 6Cm, then for 6Cm, the average count per entry would be 3.00.

6Bd: 5.00

Cm//3Lb: 4.00

3Kn/4Wb: 4.00

Cm//Sp: 4.00

3Pk: 3.08

Cv//3Bw: 3.00

4Wb: 2.98

3Lb: 2.93

4Pk: 2.90

3Ax: 2.84



## And My Other Brother Darryl ##

The most common troop entries, including quantities as part of the uniqueness, by number of armies:

1xPs: 176 lists

2xPs: 136 lists

1xCv: 109 lists

1xLH: 104 lists

2xCv: 61 lists



The most common entries with an options:

"2x 3Bw or Ps" and "1x Cv or LH": each appearing in 20 lists.

"1x 3Bw or Ps" and "1x 7Hd or Ps": each appearing in 17 lists.



The most common general entries, by number of armies:

1xGeneral(Cv): 132 lists

1xGeneral(3Kn): 102 lists



The most common general entry with an option is "1xGeneral (Cv) or (3Kn)", in 13 lists, followed by "1x General (LCh) or (Cv)" in 12 lists.



## Hey, a 4 Leaf Clover ##

The following elements appear only in 1 entry in any army or variant:

3Bd/Cv: I/8c Dilmun, Saba, Ma'in or Qataban Army 1300-312 BC

LCh//3Bd: I/30a Greek Army 1160-901 BC

Cv//4Wb: II/72b Alamanni Army 250-506AD

3Kn/4Wb: III/2 Early Lombard Army

Cm//4Bd: III/25a Arab Conquest Army 622-638AD

Cv/4Bd: III/25a Arab Conquest Army 622-638AD

Cm//3Lb: III/54b Qaramita Armies 897-1078AD

Cm//Sp: III/54b Qaramita Armies 897-1078AD

Mtd-4Bw: IV/5b Sicilian Army 1194-1266AD

3Kn/3Pk: IV/13e Free Canton Army

Cv//3Bw: IV/18 Lithuanian or Samogitian Army

Mtd-4Cb: IV/43b Hungarian Army for Crusade of Nicopolis 1396AD

4Bd/3Kn: IV/83a Wars of the Roses Armies 1455-1485AD or Tudor Army 1486-1515AD

8Lb: IV/85a Burgundian Ordonnance Army 1471-1477AD



[Note: 4Bd/3Kn in IV/83a seems like it should be 3Kn/4Bd, as that's pretty common and exactly the same as far as I can tell. The 3Bd/Cv in I/8c also probably ought to be specified as Cv/3Bd for consistency & #39’s sake of having the mounted type first.]

Yup, that was BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!

BIG THANKS.

This is fantastic work by "chaotic". Thanks, great fun to read

Gary,  l see that you are channeling  Agamemnon now. Perhaps a  Mycennean army in the wings?

Cheers, 

For 2.2, you can use this tool I made for myself. It's a little raw, but you can find a lot of data in it on army composition. Google Sheet

At the risk of getting even sillier, I've developed the habit of referring to my Pacific Islands armies by their given names - Mel and Polly, the Austronesian sisters.