The Reviewing Stand

Dutchman, Spaniard, Switzer, Swede
30 Years War Rules

Douglas Hubbard

by Terry Gore


This rules booklet for miniatures battles of the Thirty Years War is quite nicely done, following the layout and computer graphic illustrations of the popular FIRE AND FURY, minus the color photos. The booklet is 27 pages long, 8 1/2 by 11 inches in physical size with summary sheets, counters for unit status, army lists and three scenarios to start you out.

Douglas Hubbard, the author, assumes each player to be a Wing of Division commander, eliminating the need the be a 'micromanager' of each and every stand of figures. The figure scale is 1 casting to 50 actual men with WRG/DBM/ARMATI size basing for 15mm, a real plus these days as most of us refuse to remount our armies to try out a new rules set. Historical formations are used...another excellent idea, giving a correct feel for the period of play. The sequence of play is fairly standard: initiative roll to determine who moves/fires first (acting player), then a close action phase followed by the command/control phase.

Units last a long time in DS3! They fight until they have accumulated 6 disorder markers or only 1/4 of their strength remains<197>shades of the armies in those G.A. Henty novels I read thirty some years ago where the men fought virtually to the death. There's nothing wrong with this, in fact I prefer it to DBM's 'early retirement' situation insofar as gaming goes, historically it is of questionable merit.

Leaders do not seem to have an overwhelming effect on the battle. They help with morale activities, when in close proximity or actually with a unit and in melee. There is a chart included in the army lists which gives each general (Tilly, Wallenstein, Gustavus Adolphus, etc.) a modifier factor.

Movement, to one used to WRG is slow, with foot moving 3" and cavalry 6", halved for rough terrain, doubled on roads. Each unit rolls for how many 'activities' it can perform in a turn (up to a maximum of three, but most units only may do one or two) including: fire, move, deploy, change formation or facing with various penalties for certain operations i.e. in town, wheels, etc. There is also a 'Zone of Control' of 1" surrounding each unit which requires any enemy unit entering it to immediately halt. Its activities are then limited to one operation...the only movement allowed is 'retreat', of course they may initiate an attack in the Close-Action phase of the turn.

Firing units use a 45 degree arc of fire, LOS blocking, and two ranks allowed to fire (with exceptions). Modifiers result in figure removal<197>a clean, simple resolution with no unnecessary bookkeeping. Melees are resolved with unit vrs. unit with modifiers for outnumbered, flanked, cavalry exploitation, Swedish cavalry/musketeer support, etc. Artillery are all required to be grouped together in a battery at the start of the game, but are mobile, to a degree. They are affected by various visibility factors (smoke, haze, etc.) thus cutting down their normal 20" range to as little as 5".

The army lists are basic, with differing sizes for the units depending on year and troop type. The scenarios are quite good, with o.b.'s, terrain and historical setups given. Finishing up the booklet are designers notes, a bibliography and errata sheets. All in all, a well-done effort. Doug promises future scenarios, lists, etc. as well as an adaptation for ECW. These rules give a good feel for the times with many 'period specific' items that a targeted rules set can do. DS3 are available from Tactical Realities, Inc. P.O. Box 8484, Cincinnati, OH 45208-0484 for $12.00.

More Reviews

Back to Table of Contents -- Courier #66
Back to Courier List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1994 by The Courier Publishing Company.

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com