De Bellis Antiquitatis (DBA) is a fast and simple game produced by the Wargames Research Group. Each army consists of only twelve elements, ensuring that major battles can be fought in a manner of minutes. However, with a few additional rules, DBA can be made bigger, involving well over a hundred figures, corresponding in size and scale to games such as "Days of Knights"and "Armati" . This version of Big-Battle DBA is really a combination of DBA and De Bellis Multitudinis (DBM), but several rules are also taken from Wim Oudshoorn's excellent "Warweyck" ruleset, which combines DBM/DBA with Avalon Hill's "Kingmaker", to produce a full-scale campaign based on the Wars of the Roses. But, no matter what the source of the rules additions, the most important thing to remember about,DBA is that the game is really about an attitude, and not a set of rules. DBA is really about player co-operation and experimentation. It can be as simple as playing the published game but with 24 elements instead as twelve. Or it can be as complicated as what follows. Take what you will from the following; use one rule, two rules or everything. But make a game that's tailored to you and your-group; a game you can enjoy and expand and develop.. Make it YOUR game. That's what DBA is really all about. ARMY SIZE AND ORGANIZATION The simplest method of organizing your army is to just take a regular DBA army list and multiply the number of elements by two or three. Minor alterations to these lists are acceptable if both players agree. The armies are each divided by the owning player into three commands. Each command may contain any number of elements, and may contain elements from more than one of the original 12 element DBA armies. As a better alternative, choose armies based on the DBM army list books, observing all maximums and minimums and correct AP costs, and then organize it into commands as in DBM. You can create, for example, a 350 AP DBM army but then use it to play Big-Battle DBA. This points systems has problems as it will costs you different points for, say, a Reg Kn(S) than a Irreg Kn(I), yet both will be played as Kn under DBA. However, it using historical opponents, points costs should be close enough on both sides to give a well-balanced game. Yet another alternative is to use maximums and minimums as outlined in the DBM army lists, but use the following point cost per element: Knights 12 Cavalry 8 Light Horse 5 Spears 5 Pikes 4 Blades 7 Warband 5 Auxilia 4 Bowmen 5 Longbows 7 Psiloi 2 Artillery 8 War-Wagons 10 Hordes 1 Superior elements add +1 Inferior troops subtract -1 Add +20 if the element is the C-in-C's or a sub general. Add +10 if the element is an ally-general. Add +1 for mounted infantry. Note that this point system will not work for non-Big Battle DBA games, where pikes receive +3 for rear support from a single supporting rank of pike. Grading Factors Grading factors ONLY apply when two elements of the same type are in close combat or shooting at each other. A Superior element adds +1 when fighting against, or shooting at, a Ordinary (0) or Inferior (1) element. An Ordinary element adds +1 when fighting against, or shooting at, an Interior element. For purposes of this rule, Longbows and Bows are NOT considered the same element type. OFF-TABLE FLANK MARCHES One command per army can be sent on an off-table flank march. Its flank of arrival must be recorded at deployment. A PIP score of six by a flank-marching command indicates it will arrive on its next bound. If the enemy also has a flank march on that flank, the larger command drives back the smaller, an equal or smaller flank march to the one arrivi,ng appears in its next bound qnywhere on its own half of the specified flank edge. , All elements of the smaller comniand immediately flee directly away from that flank. A flank march arrives anywhere in the opposing sides half of the specified flank edge. Any element within 300 paces of the arriving flank march must immediately flee directly away from the flank edge. VISIBILITY AND AMBUSHES Troops within a wood or built-up-area cannot be seen from beyond 50 paces unless they reveal themselves by shooting. Troops on a hill cannot be seen by those on the other side of the crest. Psilol in difficult going (except steep hills sides) cannot be seen beyond 150 paces unless moving or in close combat. Ambushers are elements initially placed where they cannot be seen by enemy troops. Their location is written down at deployment, but they are not placed on the table until they are spotted or they shoot. Ambushers can be placed anywhere on the owning players half of the table. RASH ELEMENTS Rash elements are impetuous troops that are liable to advance without orders. They are usually irregular knights, toot knights (blades) and warband, but can include any elements agreed on by both players. Unless moved, halted, in combat, or providing rear or overlap support to an element already in combat, rash elements automatically advance as individual elements, without PIP expenditure, towards the nearest enemy, or the enemy camp. They seek combat or to offer rear or overlap support to a unit already in combat. It moving to offer overlap support, rash elements stop as soon as their front edge is parallel with the front edge of the engaged element they are supporting. A rash element will move to an engaged enemy unit's flank or rear only if that is the closest edge to the rash unit. A rash unit ~providing overlap support wiii not move to flank the element they are ovelapping without PIP expenditure. Rash mounted troops ignore toot in bad going. Once a command is broken, any Rash elements in it are no longer Rash. PLAYER INITIATIVE POINT (PIP) DICING The simplest method is to have each command roll its own PIP dice. It a command has an interior general it rolls a d4; a normal general a d6; and, a superior general a d8. However, any general flankmarching uses a d6 until he arrives on-table. An alternative method: (1) Irregular generals are handled as above. (2) Roll 1D6 for each regular general but, before any moves are made, decide which regular general uses which die and its PIP score that bound. (3) Exception: regular generals that would be considered allied generals under DBM roll their own PIP dice as if they were irregular. A third 'Fog of War" alternative is to have your opponent roll your PIP dice, and keep the scores hidden from you. You then move elements until your opponent announces your PIPS have run out. Better halt those Rash Knights before trying other moves! If using Regular generals, you can assign the PIPs as: "Highest"; "Lowest"; and, "Middle", without actually knowing what the PIP scores are. TROOP DEFINITIONS Add Hordes. Hordes include all unwilling and incompetent foot brought together to swell army numbers. They include such troop types as Crusader pilgrims, French peasant jacquerie, ungrganized mobs and camp followers. They move the the same as Warband, and have the same combat factors as Psiloi. Hordes are destroyed if bettered by Knights in good going, or by elephants or warband, and are destroyed by any opponent if doubled. An element of Hordes only counts as half-an-element lost if destroyed (see "Command Breakpoint" below). MOUNTEDINFANTRY Mounted Infantry are those troops who rode horses to battle but fought on foot. Examples include Anglo-Saxon huscarls, most Vikings, and Burgundian longbows. Mounted Infantry move as Cavalry until they shoot, engage in melee, or make a spontaneous or outcome move, at which point they become normal foot for the duration of the game. The owning player may decide, at any time, to dismount any Mounted Infantry. Once dismounted, they are treated as normal foot for the remainer of the game. ARTILLERY An element of artillery is destroyed when shooting if it rolls a one and its target rolls a six. PIP COSTS Subtract one PIP it the element or group to be moved includes the C-in-C. This modifier can be used only once per bound. Add one PIP to any group move (not halt) that includes any knights, cavalry or light horse, other than a general, and also any unmounted foot other than psiloi. It costs one PIP to halt an element or group in a demoralized command. It costs two PIPS to halt an Rash element or group from making a spontaneous advance. It costs +1 PIP to all moves and halts if the command's general is in close combat or has been destroyed. MOVE DISTANCES Use DBM move distances rather than DBA. GROUP MOVES A group is considered to be a number of elements which are both in edge and corner-to-corner contact with another of the group's elements. This differs from regular DBA where the corner-to-corner requirement is not included. Although this may seem a minor point, it is very important when it comes to deciding whether or not rash elements remain in a group after an impetuous advance. MARCH MOVES An element or group can make as many march moves a turn that is has PIPS for, but cannot be combined with a tactical move. March moves cannot go closer to enemy than 200 paces. The first two marches a element or group makes cost 1 PIP each, but any thereafter cost 2 PIPs. A unit that has marched cannot fire in the same bound. HALTS Halts are used to prevent an Rash element or group from making a spontaneous advance or to prevent elements of a broken command from fleeing. It costs 1 PIP to halt an element or group from a broken command, and 2 PIPs to halt a Rash element or group of Rash elements. REAR SUPPORT Pikes add +1 for each supporting 2nd, 3rd or 4th rank of pikes if in good going. A second rank of bowmen lined up directly behind bowman who are of the same command and armed with the same type of bow can aid their shooting. Bows add +1 for a supporting line of pikes. Non-knightly Blades (Blades which are not dismounted Knights) fighting mounted Knights add +1 for a single supporting line of Blades. COMBAT FACTORS Longbows bows have a factor of three versus foot both when both shooting and in melee. TACTICAL FACTORS -2 if a non-general element of a demoralized command. COMBAT OUTCOMES Non-knightly (dismounted Knights) Blades are killed by mounted knights when outscored in good going. Knights are killed if outscored by longbows they have moved into contact with this bound, but not by other bows. REAR-RANK SUPPORT CASUALTIES As in normal DBA, any element providing support in melee is destroyed if the supported element is destroyed. In addition, if an element of bows or longbows is destroyed in melee, and there is a second element behind it in position to provide missile fire support, it is also destroyed. COMMAND BREAKPOINT For purpose of determining command breakpoint, count each element as one element-equivelent, except for Hordes and Psiloi, which are one-half an element equivalent. Count each element destroyed as one element lost, except for Psiloi and Hordes, which count as one-half an element lost. For example, a command consisting of 22 elements, one of which is hordes and none-of-which are psiloi, would have 21.5 element-equivelents and would break when it loses 7.5 element-equivelents. A command is also broken when its general is lost and its next PIP score is not greater than the cumulative total of element-equivelents lost by the command. This is only checked for on the owing player's bound after the general is lost, and not again. BROKEN COMMANDS Demoralized troops suffer a -2 to all combat factors. The general's element of a demoralized command dois not suffer this penalty. Any element of a demoralized command will flee towards the their original base edge unless pips are spent on it. It takes +1 pip to move a demoralized element or group. However, regardless of how many PIPs are available, only one element or group per demoralized command may move. Other elements may be held in place. VICTORY AND DEFEAT When at the end of any bound by either side an army's cumulative losses, including all troops of commands that are broken, totals at least half of the army's original total, the game is over. An alternative method is to play until one side loses at least half of their on-table commands, at which point the game ends. Back to Dispatch March 2001 Table of Contents Back to Dispatch List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by HMGS Mid-South 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