1. In this issue, a public 'thank you' to Fred Haub, who has taken over the unwelcome task of actually reproducing these issues. Unfortunately, I still retain the even more unwelcome title of chief stamp-licker and mailer. 2. At last! I think I've discovered the secret behind the unwholesome popularity of the WRG/DBA/DBM/DBR, etc., series of rules! The clue was supplied during our Saturday gaming activities... John Shirey and Jeff Wiltrout, two staunch advocates of the series, always subject to a thorough review the 'new' figures I set out on the table. "Aha!", would say John, "This one is a Cristopherean Bumbalottsa Lancer of the Eighth Zlontic Empire and that one is a Bumbalottsa Grammarian, armed with blade." And Jeff would pick up another figure..."Why, here's a Sciatic Rhondilla, armed with blade, of the Tranajical Dynasty!" Time after time, I would note that these guys didn't just deal in generic two-legged infantry and four-footed cavalry... they dealt in eras, in specific troop types, in historically-accurate classifications. To me, the Bumbalottsa Grammarian and the Sciatic Rhondilla were simply 'infantry'... both had a sword, and both were paid to stick it in the enemy. While it was nice to know that I had a Sciatic Rhondilla in my ranks, I still gave him the same '+4.35' in combat that the Bumbalottsa Grammarian received. In an effort to follow up on this classification business, I went to the DBR rulesbook. I found, for example, that in the Venetian Italian army of 1494 AD, one could have "Elmetis"... what's an "Elmeti"?... why, mounted men @ arms in full plate, of course. Now you'll agree that an "Elmeti" is an easy one... in another army, however, there were "Akinjis"? What's an "Akinji"? As a hint, you can upgrade "Akinjis" to "Sipahis". Let's try another... a "Quilughci". How about a "Haiduk"? A "Voynuk"? A unit of "Tufangchis"? Or one of "Bonnachts"? Some "Chimus", perhaps? "Otomis"? The list goes on. My point (and you're probably asking: "And what is your point?") is that the WRG/DBXXX boys don't just play with 'infantry' and 'cavalry'... they actually play with Chimus and Otomis and Voyuks and Sciatic Rhondillas and Bumbalottsa Grammarians on the field. Many times, I've heard them discussing victories and losses and army content... the comments never come down to the simple level, my level, of "My infantry were victorious." Instead, they run to remarks such as: "My Sciatic Rhondillas were upgraded to Superior troops, while your Bumbalottsas, as Inferior, were easily overrun. You should have countered with your Chimus!" Never mind that all the elements concerned added the same +3 to the die roll, and that the Rhondilla's victory came about simply because their toss was higher than the Bumbalottsa's. In short, the essence of the WRG/DBXXX success lies in the army listings. How much more exciting it is to move Tufangchis and Otomis across the field, then just plain 'infantry'. I'd love to discuss this further, but you'll have to excuse me... I've got to get my unit of "Stinkards" ready for Saturday's battle. Back to PW Review July 1996 Table of Contents Back to PW Review List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1996 Wally Simon 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