Motivated by the recent successes of particle models in capturing the precession and interactions of vortex structures in quasi-two-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensates, we revisit the relevant systems of ordinary differential equations. We consider the number of vortices N as a parameter and explore the prototypical configurations (‘ground states’) that arise in the case of few or many vortices. In the case of few vortices, we modify the classical result illustrating that vortex polygons in the form of a ring are unstable for N≥7. Additionally, we reconcile this modification with the recent identification of symmetry-breaking bifurcations for the cases of N=2,…,5. We also briefly discuss the case of a ring of vortices surrounding a central vortex (so-called N+1 configuration). We finally examine the opposite limit of large N and illustrate how a coarse-graining, continuum approach enables the accurate identification of the radial distribution of vortices in that limit.