conditions for neutral army deployment

[fireshadow]

When a game is created I've noticed that sometimes grey colored armies are deployed. These are neutral armies that just still there until one destroys them. I was curious as to the logic behind the deployment of the neutral armies. I've yet to find this documented. Can someone direct me?

[sully800]

It's so everyone has an equal number of armies and countries at the start.

If you play 6 player classic there are 42 countries so everyone ends up with exactly 7 countries and 21 men. If however there were 43 countries on the map each player would get 7 countries for 21 men, and the neutral army would have 1 country of 3 men. So no one has an advantage.