Once upon a time there was a request for someone to translate DBA into a standard hexagon board map wargame. I have a few ideas for this: Scale should be 1 hex = 100 paces (250 feet = 75 meters). This seems appropriate since movement and missile ranges are in 100 pace increments. However, each hex won't represent a frontage of approximately 100 paces each. A line of hexes facing the same way has each hex slightly overlapping its neighbor. Each hex is surrounded by 6 other hexes at 60 degree intervals begin-ning at 30 degrees above the horizontal (a line passing through a unit's flanks perpendicular to its facing direction). The distance between hex center points is 100 paces and acts as the hypotenuse of a 30 degree angle. The true horizontal (representing the actual hex frontage) is 100 paces x cosine of 30 degrees (0.866), or approximately 87 paces. Therefore, each hex has a frontage of somewhat more than 80 paces. Each standard DBA unit has a frontage of 40 mm, or 1.6 inches. This is equivalent to 160 paces at 100 paces per inch (400 feet = 120 meters). Since each hex has a true frontage of about 80 paces, it is limited to roughly 1/2 of a standard unit (not counting doubled up pike and spear or supporting psiloi). So each DBA army should be represented by double the standard number of 12 units, or 24 matching units. Each facing change should be done in 60 degree increments. The circumference of a hex/circle with a diameter of 100 paces is equivalent to 300 paces (using the "Biblical" value for pi). Each 60 degree turn represents a movement of 1/6 of this circumference, or about 50 paces. But since a turning maneuver is inherently more difficult and time consuming than a straight forward march, each turning movement should be considered to be equivalent to 100 paces. Terrain movement limitations per bound apply to marching and turning, with each turning movement treated as if it were another 100 pace increment. Turning costs don't apply to road movement. Alignment headaches are not a concern with hex regulated movement. The units themselves could be 2 figure stands with 20 mm frontages, or old fashioned cardboard counters. Stacking of up to two units per hex can be allowed for doubled pike, spear and for psiloi support. All other units are limited to 1 unit per hex. The board itself should be 24 hexagons x 24 hexagons, or 2 feet by two feet if 1 inch hexagons are used. A plastic sheet overlay with non-smearing wipeable markers can be used to delineate area features (according to the standard terrain set up rules). Actual battlefields could be reproduced at the 1 hex = 100 paces = 250 feet (about 21 hexes per mile) = 75 meters (about 13 hexes per kilometer); and one unit = approximately 500 men or horsemen. Any thoughts or comments? Back to Table of Contents -- Game! # 2 To Game! List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by George Phillies. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com