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It means sense for units like Space Marines and other 1W models, but why are units like Terminators and Wraithguard have to start with 5?
It also makes sense to need 5 before 1 can upgrade to a special/heavy to create the feel that those weapons are rare, but still.

3-min Termies might actually be playable.
Heck, 3-min WG actually used to be a thing a few books ago.

Any thoughts?

Newer variants of them do indeed come in 3 minimum, such as Custodes, Paladins, and Interceptors. I suppose for some of the older kits it's just to avoid having to redesign the sprues and repackage them as 3's, and also as 10 is a nice round number, you start producing packs of 3's you'll end up with an unwanted surplus.

I liked being able to do 4 man Chaos Terminator squads and 3 man Deathwatch Terminators. It was fun for sure.

Meganobs can still be taken in units of 3 and its quite usefull. I think ot would be good for terminators and wraithguards too

 Valkyrie wrote:
Newer variants of them do indeed come in 3 minimum, such as Custodes, Paladins, and Interceptors.

Yeah, I've noticed that. Kinda seems like they're flip-flopping. Making 3-man units require 5, only to release new units with 3-min.
It'd be nice to be able to take 3-man WG units in a Falcon

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I'd say it usually depends on how they're sold. Termies are sold in 5s, so they start with 5.
But as usual it's not totally consistent within GW, Chaos Spawn are sets of two and start with one model per unit.

I guess if Termies started with 3 people could complain that they have to buy 15 Termies in order to get 3 min. squads of 3 with heavy weapon...

Edit:
DG also has some outliers with their plague brethren and Lord felthius with his cohort, which are named squads of 3 and 4 respectively to make these models playable out of the box.

Although smaller unit sizes make sense, I'm not in favour as I'd imagine GW would happily release boxes of three terminators at the current price of five

To stop DE players from putting an Archon in a Venom with anything but a Court.

Why, you ask?

Because F**k Dark Eldar, that's why.

 Valkyrie wrote:
Newer variants of them do indeed come in 3 minimum, such as Custodes, Paladins, and Interceptors. I suppose for some of the older kits it's just to avoid having to redesign the sprues and repackage them as 3's, and also as 10 is a nice round number, you start producing packs of 3's you'll end up with an unwanted surplus.

Take a look at AoS and see how many unit sizes match what comes in the box. Almost none of them do.

Sales.

It’s based on the number of models in the kit. Really apparent with the like of Blackstone Fortress, whose datasheets limited you to fielding a maximum number of models you get in a single boxed copy.

I’d like to see a lot more 2-man or 3-man starting size for teams. It would certainly make sense for special/heavy weapon teams (heavy weapon user + assistant) and sniper teams (sniper + spotter).

 Galef wrote:
It means sense for units like Space Marines and other 1W models, but why are units like Terminators and Wraithguard have to start with 5?
It also makes sense to need 5 before 1 can upgrade to a special/heavy to create the feel that those weapons are rare, but still.

3-min Termies might actually be playable.
Heck, 3-min WG actually used to be a thing a few books ago.

Any thoughts?

Well, if every Razorback out there can be equipped with a twin Assault Cannon those things aren't exactly "rare". So I kind of wonder why those things aren't the standard loadout for a Terminator. I mean, they are the most elite of all SM, and there are like, what, 50 or even less in every chapter fluffwise? Seems like a chapter master could spare the teef to give his elite warriors who have proven themselves on a thousand battlefields som proper guns... instead they end up with a pitiful storm bolter

And to add something that is not , aforementioned rarity of Terminators would be a good reason to allow them in units of 3, but as has been mentioned, them coming in boxes of 5 is probably the reason that things are the way they are.

You can go lower if you include only a single squad.

nareik wrote:
You can go lower if you include only a single squad.

Only in an auxiliary detachment.

ccs wrote:
Sales.

Real life example would beg to differ:

Not sure about the rest of the world, but for the longest time here in the US, hot dogs came in packages of 8 while buns came in packages of 6, which would force consumers to buy more buns than needed in order to make those 8 hot dogs. Fortunately, the manufacturers realized by offering 8-pack buns, they can compete with other companies still selling package of 6, because it made more sense for consumers to buy the brand that has 8 buns per pack instead of any other brands because it. makes. sense.

Similarly, if you want to build two 3-man squad of termies with a specific load out which the box only comes with 1, then the consumers will be forced to buy 2 boxes of termies, which you can build 10 termies out of, just in order to build two 3-man squad.

Now THAT'S sales.

I remember when all Eldar aspects came in 3 to 7 or 3 to 10.

I think only the Dark Reapers and Wind Riders still have that option.

It made list building much easier when you did not have to find room for a big block of 10 troopers.

 Valkyrie wrote:
Newer variants of them do indeed come in 3 minimum, such as Paladins

Fun fact: Paladins used to be 1-10 when they were introduced in 5e.

My favorite is that before Tooth & Claw, Aberrants came as a sprue of 4 in Deathwatch: Overkill. 4 to a sprue, min squad size...5.
Have fun spending $250 to run one unit of Aberrants!

Talinsin wrote:
My favorite is that before Tooth & Claw, Aberrants came as a sprue of 4 in Deathwatch: Overkill. 4 to a sprue, min squad size...5.
Have fun spending $250 to run one unit of Aberrants!

...or just being patient until the inevitable solo release with the codex....<_<

Codex is January. 8th Ed started when?
"Be patient, you can use the models you bought in a year and a half."

"I think only the Dark Reapers and Wind Riders still have that option."
Reapers are 3-10.
CWE Bikes (Wind Riders and Spears) are 3-9.

Within the Codex, I think that's it for units with mins below 5 (aside from solos and squadrons, of course).

That's only because GW sells packs of 5. In 7th edition min squad of ork nobz was 3 dudes, a legacy from the old times when they were sold as single miniatures in blister. With the plastic kit their min size became 5 nobz. Things like inceptors or centurions are 3+ because their kit have actually 3 models.

SW long fangs were just two dudes, now also 5.

I don't think there's a kit of infantries, other than basic troops, which includes more models than the min squad anymore. Reapers seem the only exception, maybe also some GK dudes?

It would be silly to increase min size of those units that can field 3 dudes but got kits of just 3 models as it would be really upsetting to buy a box without being able to field the models since they're under the min size allowed.

Necron Warriors are 10-20, but have always come in boxes of 12, 3 sprues of 4.

Right, the necron warriors kit is a very odd one because it's actually both the warriors' and scarabs' kit.

 backlash13 wrote:

Talinsin wrote:
My favorite is that before Tooth & Claw, Aberrants came as a sprue of 4 in Deathwatch: Overkill. 4 to a sprue, min squad size...5.
Have fun spending $250 to run one unit of Aberrants!

...or just being patient until the inevitable solo release with the codex....<_<

Genestealer cult hardly started with so many units that a massive release schedule was required. Should have been able to purchase everything required when they launched, including separate box sets of aberrants. It's this sort of thing that gives GW a bad rep.

Not being able to get a character and four chaos terminators inside a land raider ruined my fun.

Certainly box sets have influenced squad size, but there are a few exceptions, like the aforementioned 12 Necron Warriors box (but min 10) and 5 Dark Reapers (min 3).
Granted both of those could use and update, however it still doesn't explain why sets that were once 3 min got boxes of 5.
WraithGuard, for example were once min 3, but once they got a plastic upgrade, they went to min 5.
GW could have easily put 6 WG in the box and kept the squad size at 3, so the set included 2 min units, or 1 "full" unit. That's how 10-man Marine unit boxes are

My point is, many "elite" infantry units, like Terminators and WG, would have so many more options if their squad size was 3-10. How many you get in the box shouldn't affect this.
In fact, GW would probably sell MORE boxes of either if the squad size went down.

For example, I want to take some WG, so I buy a box. I could field all 5 in 1 unit, but if I buy another box, I can take 2x 3 and 1 of 4. Thus purchasing 2 boxes has more value in the end.

-

Possibly a carry-over with the switch from metal to plastic for some of the oddball sizes. I believe the old metal Wraithguard came in blisters of 3 (I recently acquired an old blister of Swooping Hawks, 3 figures in that pack). Not much of an explanation for the Necrons though, other than “there’s at least 10 minis in the box already”. (Though I wonder if an older version of the kit had 10 in the box? Usually the models per box goes down - such as with Dire Avengers - not up).

I do wish the game had smaller starting size for squads. The game’s gotten too big and I feel it would benefit if the expected game size was about half what it currently is.

Because of the Marketing Department. You're free to use understrength units if you pay 1 CP for it.

Talinsin wrote:
Codex is January. 8th Ed started when?
"Be patient, you can use the models you bought in a year and a half."

Indexes were a thing, and it looks like the second half of our army is showing up with the codex.