Top: Massed Recalcitrants! David Tan’s Malays take the field. Introduction The two rules sets are in many ways similar, at least between DBR 1.1 and DBM 1.3, with similar basic troop types, command structures and game sequencing. There are significant subtle changes, however, which need to be borne in mind. Ground Scale At 15mm 50 paces = 4 cm not 1” or 2.5 cm. Troops DBR dispenses with the arbitrary Regular/Irregular dichotomy of DBM. There are troop types peculiar to DBR as follows: Ln (Lancers) = Kn (Knights) Dr (Dragoons) = No DBM equivalent Pi (Pistols = No DBM equivalent Sh (Shot) = No DBM equivalent Si (Sipahis) = Cv (Cavalry) Sk (Skirmishers) = Ps (Psiloi) Po (Pontooneers) = No DBM equivalent Bg, LH, Cm, Pk, Bd, Bw, Wb, Hd, Art, WWg and El are pretty much as per DBM. Art, El, WWg, Po and Bg are defined as “Train”. Ln, LH, Pi, Si and Cm are defined as "Cavalry". Baggage Each command must include its own 2 baggage elements. Note: Baggage is deployed before command areas are decided and so do not necessarily have to conform to that deployment area. Artillery Draft Teams Art if (O) or (S) require a depicted draft team if they are to move more than a 45° pivot. Note: it takes a 1 PIP move to limber or unlimber in such instances. Portable Obstacles These are only permitted by list. They inhibit enemy cavalry and are lost if the carrying element initiates hand to hand. Basing All foot (other than Dr) are ideally based 20mm deep. If using DBM style 15mm deep Wb, Pk or Bd, treat such elements for all recoil and other purposes as if they were 20mm deep. Set Up If using pre-placed terrain, the Defender chooses which side of the table to deploy on. Remember to designate which short edge is north before you dice for agg ression. Night Attacks These are quite special in DBR and will not be permitted for this competition. [Refers to Vic. DB comp, see ‘Argus’ for details -Ed.] Weather Snow, rain or dust storms start and stop on an average pip dice score of 5. Wind direction does not shift. Rain is not a combat disadvantage to Bw if in hand to hand. Deployment The defender sets up within 600 paces (48cm) of his table edge and the attacker 300 paces (24cm). Either can set up within 100 paces (8cm) of either table side edge unless in ambush. An invader cannot deploy F (fortifications) but can deploy FO (fixed obstacles). Flank Marches These are not permitted in DBR. Ambushes Ambushes can occur within the central zones and in unfortified BUA’s. T he defender cannot ambush within 500 paces (40 cm) of the invader table edge. PIP dicing Sub-Generals use the same coloured dice as their CinC. Allied generals are never unreliable nor do they change sides. All Sub-Generals and Allied Generals get their own 1 free PIP per bound. Any group more than four elements wide costs 3 PIPs to move. Thus, generally a good initial deployment is of a command no more than 8 elements wide with deep columns on either flank to expand once you come within striking range of the foe. PIPs for beaten (demoralised) and pursuing elements are quite unlike DBM and repay careful examination. More on this later! Marches Troops in DBR stop marching at 300 paces, not 200 paces, from known enemy. All group marches after the second, unless following a road in column, cost an extra PIP. Group Moves Steadied Pk (S) can do one free 180° turn each bound. All troops, including Sk, must move in or into a single element wide column when moving into or through difficult. A group may slip sideways up to half an element width to line up directly opposite enemy. Note: there is no such thing as “impetuous” troops in DBR except for “pursuers”! DBR differences with DBM and comparisons (as published in the “Argus”) Move Distances These are quite different to DBM, particularly along roads (note the light speed LH!), and should be studied carefully. Note that in DBR (X) troops gain the 50 pace bonus of (F)! Moving through friendly troops This can generally only be done if passing through troops facing in the same or opposite direction. Note:-6 Any land can pass through Sk or LH other than when recoiling. Sk can pass through any land. LH can pass through any cavalry (ie. Ln, Si, Cm, Pi or LH). Bd can pass through Sh or Bw. Art, Po, WWg and Bg not on road can be passed through in any direction by troops not of those types. Moving into close combat Art, WWg, Po or Bg cannot move into edge or corner contact with enemy. Distant shooting All Art, Sh and Bw shoot. WWg(O), Pi(I), LH(I) and Sk(S) also shoot. Sh, Bw and Pi of the same grade as the front element may shoot from the rear if not in difficult going or manning F. Check shooting ranges carefully as they are dependent upon both the type and grade of the shooters, eg. Sh (I) or (F) shoot 100 paces whereas Sh (O) or (S) shoot 200 paces! Art other than (X) may shoot over head if they are on a hill or behind F. Ar t can choose to ignore and shoot through enemy Sk or LH if they are beyond 200 paces. Art only shoot in enemy bounds and (S) or (O) Art which is limbered cannot shoot. Art (S) or (O) have a range of 1,800 paces or 144 cm! Elements fighting as overlaps but not in front edge contact with enemy can shoot and be shot at! Rear ranks counting as hand to hand support can be shot at! In DBR you shoot at the nearest target in arc not the nearest directly to front and the nearest shooting element is the element which determines shooting outcomes! Close combat rear support factors Check these carefully. Remember troops providing rear support must be in the same command, and unless a list otherwise specifies, of the same grade as the front figure. No rear support applies in difficult unless on a road. The main differences with DBM are:-rd Pk gain no bonus themselves for a 3 or 4 rank, but each of these gives a -1 to enemy foot or train! Ln (other than S) and Si count +1 for a supporting against cavalry in an enemy bound! Close combat flank support factors DBM has no equivalent of this and so read the rules carefully. In short, a permitted element of the same command and facing the same direction in side edge and front or rear corner contact may give such flank support. Sh gain +2 against cavalry or Wb if flank supported by Pk, or Pi other than (I). Sh or Art gain +1 if flank supported by Art (I). Pi or Pk fighting cavalry give the enemy -1 if f lank supported by Sh. Note: these factors appear to count even if in difficult going! Tactical Factors These are generally similar to DBM with some exceptions: Troops behind F do not count +2 verses Bw or Art(S) shooting. Foot entirely in a BUA count +1, unless shot at by Art. Troops of a beaten (ie. demoralised) command only count -1. Wb, Bd, Hd, Bw are not penalised by rough or difficult going. Troops shot at by Art from a hill (but not from Art behind F) count +1. Grading Factors These are quite different to DBM. They are as follows:-6 (X) count +2 if their total score against cavalry, Pk, El or WWg is an o dd number. (X) count -2 if their total score is an even number. (S) count +1 if their total hand to hand score against any except El, or if being shot at by Bw, is less than their opponents. (S) land shooting count +1 if their total score is more than their opponent’s. (I) count -1 if their total score is equal to or less than their hand to hand opponent’s, or if shooting, or if land shot at by Bw. (F) count -1 if their total score in hand to hand is less than their opponent’s in an enemy bound, or if more than their opponent’s when shooting. Combat Outcomes Read these carefully for each of your troop types each hand to hand resolution. T hey often depend on whose bound it is and sometimes whether their or the enemy’s final score is odd or even (eg. if Pi fighting Pi S, O or F). Note: Ar t in a friendly bound or routers contacted to flank or rear cannot adversely affect hand to hand opponents! Destroyed Elements If a front rank element is destroyed by shooting, any friendly element immediately to the rear must recoil. Destroyed Art never destroy a friendly element to their rear. The “kill zone” is always a single base depth of the destroyed element and never its width. Recoiling If an element recoils onto the side or rear edge or rear corner of an enemy element, both are destroyed. Fleeing Units fleeing other than from a rout get two free 180° turns and always end facing the direction from which they came. Following up Ln, Pi(F), Cm(S), Wb, Hd(S) or Ships(X) in front to front edge contact with enemy who recoil, flee or are destroyed must follow up a number of their own base depths as their final score exceeded that needed to produce the relevant recoil, flee or destroyed result. They stop when they reach enemy (conforming normally with turning to face and combat resolved next bound), difficult or impassable g oing or a table edge. Other cavalry, Pk, Bd and Sk in these situations may chose to so follow up. Example: Pi(F) verses Si(O): (i) Pi final score = 6, Si final score = 5 - Si recoil but no follow up by Pi. (ii) Pi final score = 7+, Si final score = 5 - Si recoil and Pi follow up 1 base depth. (iii) Pi final score = 10, Si final score = 4 - Si destroyed and Pi follow up 2 base depths. Lost Elements This is pretty much as DBM except that once a command is beaten, its Bg are immediately added as losses when determining whether the army is beaten. Beaten Commands A command is beaten (aka “demoralised”) when its losses, including Bg, exceed one third of its original total (excluding Bg) at the start of its own bound. Sk an d Hd always count as 1 whole element each for all of these purposes. A command is never beaten simply because of the loss of its General. Lost Bg only ever count as 1 element each for losses only. Once a command is beaten, the controlling player must try to steady as many of its elements as possible. This costs 1 PIP for an element and 2 PIPs for a group. Once an element or group is steadied it remains so for the rest of the game. Elements in a fortified BUA not yet entered by enemy do not need to be steadied. Once troops are steadied they may thereafter act normally, simply counting -1 for hand to hand and shooting. You can use PIPs to both steady and move an element or group in the same bound without this counting as marching. All beaten elements not steadied, including those in hand to hand combat, rout immediately (unless Pk in hand to hand, in which case they and their rear support are destroyed). Routers move as if fleeing without the final free 180 degree turn, moving in both player’s bounds. If contacted in the flank or rear by enemy routing elements do not turn to face and cannot adversely affect such enemy. A routing element may be rallied in a subsequent bound at the cost of 2 PIPs per element. It may make a 180° turn as part of its rally and may not move further that bound but may move normally thereafter. Pursuers Any cavalry, Wb or Hd which is not in hand to hand, has not already rallied from pursuit and has no steadied or unbeaten enemy within 200 paces must pursue any one routing element which started within 300 paces of it and which is in rough or good going. It seeks to contact the router or to join in as an overlap, moving its full move in both player’s bounds. It may be rallied similarly as for routers. Victory & Defeat An army is beaten once it has lost its two largest commands or two thirds of its original strength. If commands are equal in size, that which is beaten first counts as the larg er. DBR/DBM Differences & Comparisons was prepared by Mark Robins & published in the May edition of the DB e-zine “The Argus” provided to Kriegspieler by Editor Thomas W hitelake. To subscribe contact email: thomas@whitelakecomms.com.au Back to Table of Contents -- Kriegspieler #9 To Kriegspieler List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Kriegspieler Publications. 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