This article works from the premise that the basic mechanisms of DBM (De Bellis Multitudinis) are easily understood, and that most newcomers will have familiarized themselves with the system by playing DBA (De Bellis Antiquitatis) first. The advice which follows is therefore intended to help those who have as yet only acquired DBA armies to choose their first "full sized" DBM army, and to give hopefully useful tactical advice to both newcomers and those converting from other rule sets.

Choosing an army

This is largely a matter of personal preference. If you intend to play against historical opponents, you will find that most armies have a good chance against these. If your local group prefers only to fight within historical and geographical subperiods, you will be well advised to choose an army which historically fought several of the available opponents. In most sub-periods this should still allow you plenty of choice.

If you intend to fight non-historical opponents in competition, some armies have Achilles' heels which car. make them a risky bet. For example, warbands are very effective against most of their historical opponents, but will succumb rapidly in open terrain against a knightly array- This is reflected in their points cost, which may in fact give them the advantage against historical opponents who have no Kn. Similarly, knights will rapidly be destroyed by elephants. On the other hand. you will find that some armies which had little hope against anachronistic opponents under 7th edition are a good bet now. This is particularly true of chariot armies, previously kept down by the ineffectiveness of the light chariot and 2-horse heavy chariot. New Kingdom Egyptians and Hittites, for example, formerly only used in competitions by the truly dedicated, are now probably competition armies of the first rank.

The most important thing is to choose an army to suit your temperament and preferred style of play. If you like to have maximal control over your troops, you should choose a regular army. If you enjoy defeating the enemy by sheer ferocity and do not mind being unable to manoeuvre, you should choose an impetuous army of warbands or knights.

If it amuses you to run rings around the enemy, you should choose a cavalry army with plenty of light horse. If you prefer to win by virtue of sheer hard fighting, a Roman or Swiss army may suit you. If you fancy exotic troop-types there are plenty to choose from, such as scythed chariots, Khmer elephant artillery. Chinese firelancers and many others, although I cannot vouch for their effectiveness!

Another consideration if you are starting from scratch is the potential interchangeability of troops. In the long run it will be useful to be able to use some or most of the figures you acquire in more than one army. This can save you from disaster if you find you do not like your initial choice of army after all, or cannot find historical opponents. It can also allow you to try a wider variety of historical confrontations within a sub period.

For example, most of the troops in a Hellenistic army can be used in any Hellenistic army. On the other hand, you will not find much tactical difference between one Hellenistic army and another.

Roman armies may appear to vary little from one list to another, but in fact the appearance of the troops did change substantially over time You will probably attract derision from knowledgeable players if you use the wrong figures for the period of your army, so you need to make a decision about which Roman army to acquire right from the start. This is especially true of the legionary figures, although Late Roman legionaries can be used in a Middle Imperial, Late Imperial. Patrician or Early Byzantine army without raising any eyebrows.

Steppe nomad cavalry are largely interchangeable from one army to another if you are not too picky. If you plan to do this, get as big a variety of figures as possible in the first place, so as not to tic the army too closely to one nationality. Remember that the illustrations in "armies" books are often based on a single contemporary illustration, or at least only on the commonest contemporary variant. In fact there was probably quite wide variation in appearance from individual to individual and sub-tribe to sub-tribe.

Medieval armies are particularly interchangeable. Knights of a certain date can be used in any Western European army of the same approximate period. and much of the infantry is also interchangeable. Despite this, there is more tactical variation between 15th century armies than between different Hellenistic armies or different steppe nomad armies.

The flip side to interchangeability is that you will identify with an army more closely if all the figures are correct and you have researched shield patterns, flags, unit names and generals' names where such information is obtainable. To field the army of a hero such as Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Alexius Conmenus or Vlad Dracula certainly gives a boost to the player's morale. It can also save you from endless alchemical attempts to produce an invincible army by juggling the army lists instead of by perfecting your tactical skills.

Troop Types

Elephants [EL], although they are not numerically a major constituent of many armies, may have an effect disproportionate to their numbers. They are mainly effective against enemy heavy cavalry (Kn or Cv]. particularly the first of these, against which they are deadly. They are also sudden death to warbands [Wb] and quite effective against Roman legionaries [Bd] They cannot make much headway against spearmen [Sp] or pikemen [Pk], who will usually defeat them after a long struggle. Although they have a much higher combat factor, they are vulnerable to light infantry [Ax or Psi and to a lesser extent light cavalry [LH], especially if overlapped. They should therefore be well supported, and should also keep clear of rough or difficult going. Elephants are always irregular and require an extra PIP (Player Initiative Point) to move other than straight ahead their full move of 150 paces

This means that if they are included in a group with close order infantry such as pikemen [Pk], whose own move is 100 paces, the group will require 2 Pips for each tactical or march move. (See rules p. 16).

Knights [Kn] include the shock chariots of later chariot armies, Hellenistic xystophoroi, cataphracts and Gothic cavalry of the 5th century AD as well as actual medieval knights. They are effective against most troops in good going. They are very vulnerable to elephants, and will probably be destroyed if they charge into contact with good longbowmen [Bw (S)]. They will also, of course, be destroyed eventually if they stand around in front of the latter, so should if possible avoid them altogether. They are not particularly likely to win a frontal contest against pikemen [Pk] or spearmen [Sp], so these should also be avoided. They should keep away from rough or difficult going.

The main problem is that, if irregular, they are impetuous, and can fairly easily be drawn into spontaneous advances by enemy light cavalry [LH] as will be described later. Once out of formation it is almost impossible to bring them back under control and they may be attacked in flank by enemy light horse, or drawn into rough going to be destroyed by enemy light infantry (Ax or Psi. Regular knights ate easier to control, but [unless (S)] have a built in disadvantage against their more enthusiastic irregular colleagues.

Cavalry [Cv] include the skirmishing chariots of many chariot armies, as well as being the main heavy cavalry type of most ancient armies and most eastern cavalry armies. They are not quite as vulnerable to elephants as knights [Kn] are. but should still avoid them. They cannot stand up to knights in frontal combat, so need to achieve sonic tactical advantage in order to defeat them. They have little or no chance against pikemen [Pk] or spearmen [Sp]. They should keep away from rough or difficult going. They are faster and more easily controlled than knights, even if irregular.

Light horse [LH] are found in most ancient and medieval armies after the introduction of the ridden horse. They are unlikely to defeat most enemy in frontal combat, but can use their speed and manoeuvrability to attack enemy flanks or rear, Because they can make 180 degree turns as 3 group move, they can retire in front of enemy without difficulty. They are thus useful for harassing enemy infantry you do not wish to contact or keeping the enemy cavalry occupied on a refused wing. Enemy infantry (other than bowmen [Bw]) are unable to destroy them in frontal combat in good going - but can destroy them if they also contact them in flank. They should keep away from rough or difficult going.

Camelry [Cm] are only found in a few armies, They are effective against enemy mounted troops, but not against foot. [But note that some camel mounted troops fall into the category of Light Horse (Inferior) - Ed.]

Expendables [Exp] are found in various armies, notably Seleucid or Pontic armies using scythed chariots. They can occasionally be effective, particularly against legionaries [Bd]. but are almost impossible to control. Realistically. your best hope is to let them charge straight forward against the enemy immediately the battle starts, in the hope that even if they do no damage they may disrupt his plan. Opponents often over-react to expendables, so this can be successful. If the enemy is wise he will counter them with Psiloi [Ps] who will very likely destroy them before they can reach his heavier troops.

Spean [Sp] are one of commonest infantry types in ancient and medieval armies. They are good allrounders, with high combat factors against both mounted and foot. They are quite vulnerable to enemy warbands [Wb]. Their normal formation is two elements deep. They should keep away from rough or difficult going.

Pikes [Pk] are the mainstay of Hellenistic armies, but are also found in several later medieval armies. If deployed four elements deep, they are more powerful in frontal combat than hoplites [Sp] or legionaries [Bd]. Despite their lower points cost, however, their deep formation means that they occupy less frontage. They are therefore vulnerable to outflanking unless well supported by other troops. Against armies without effective infantry they can safely be deployed two elements deep. They should avoid rough or difficult going.

Blades [Bd] occur throughout the ancient and medieval periods. Notable exponents include Roman legionaries, Dacian falxmen. Viking huscarles, and medieval halberdiers, billmen and dismounted knights. They are very effective against enemy foot, but less so against mounted troops. They can operate one element deep against enemy foot, but need to be two elements deep against mounted troops. Because their factor starts so high, they can hold their own in rough or difficult going despite the -2 tactical factor.

Warband [Wb] occur mainly in the ancient and early medieval periods. They are especially effective against spearmen [Sp] legionaries [Bd] and shallow pike [Pk] formations. They are extremely vulnerable to elephants [El] and knights [Kn]. Their normal formation is two elements deep. Wb (F) can operate equally well in all types of terrain, but Wb (0) and (S) should keep away from rough and difficult going.

Auxilia [Ax] occur in most ancient and some medieval armies. They are the most cost-effective troops in rough or difficult going- They can be used to seize such terrain from which they may be able to attack the flanks of enemy attempting to pass by. In good going they are very vulnerable to mounted troops and unable to stand up to heavier infantry [Sp, Pk or Bd] for long.

Bowmen [Bw] are common in eastern and medieval armies. They are mainly effective against cavalry [Kn. Cv or LH], although they are at risk of being ridden down in good going- They will not last long against heavy infantry [Sp, Pk or Bd]. They shoot most effectively if two elements deep, but this does not improve their close combat strength. Bowmen (X) are stronger in close combat. but less manoeuvrable and more adversely affected by terrain.

Psiloi [Ps] are another ubiquitous type. They are very effective in a number of roles. such as contesting rough or difficult going (though they are not as effective at this as auxilia [Ax]). skirmishing against enemy foot to delay them, driving off less well equipped psiloi, supporting heavier infantry [Sp. Pk, Bd or Ax] against mounted troops. fighting elephants (El] or scythed chariots [Exp], attacking the flanks of enemy foot, or hiding in ambush in vineyards, marsh, rocky areas or brush where more densely arrayed troops would be visible to the enemy. They should not be left out in the open against enemy cavalry [Kn. Cv or LH], who will easily ride them down.

Artillery [Art] is found mainly in regular armies. Being unable to move and shoot, most artillery needs to be placed in a suitable position, then must wait for the enemy to move into range. Not surprisingly most opponents will be sensible enough not to oblige, although impetuous troops may be unable to restrain themselves. In some circumstances, however, carefully placed artillery can restrict the enemy's scope for manoeuvre. Artillery is particularly effective in forcing enemy to come out of an otherwise impregnable defensive position. Artillery (F) can move and shoot, so should be more flexible. All artillery, however, is vulnerable to close combat. so needs to be closely supported by infantry or protected by temporary fortifications [TF].

War wagons [WWg] are something of a novelty type, found mainly in late medieval eastern European armies. They can be effective against mounted troops. but are fairly useless against infantry.

Hordes [Hd] are common in eastern armies. They are fairly useless in combat, but can bolster the morale of the rest of the army by increasing its apparent size (in element equivalents). Of course, if the enemy does reach them they will not last long.

Organising Your Army

You should first consider how many generals you require. Most armies are permitted a C-in-C and two subgenerals. This should be taken as being the standard organisation for a regular army (arid indeed most irregular armies). A fourth general may be available either in the form of a third subgeneral or an ally-general.

A fourth general may be thought desirable to improve control of the troops by providing extra PIPs, or to allow a command to flank march without compromising control of the on-table commands. However, particularly in the case of a fourth regular general, the cost of the general will reduce the size of the army. and dividing the army into four commands may leave each command very small and hence vulnerable to early demoralisation. The unreliability of an ally-general, even one not liable to change sides, may also outweigh the benefit of an extra PIP die.

It will seldom be advisable to have less than three generals. except perhaps in 300 AP armies. However, in the case of an army where only one sub-general is permitted, the player must very carefully weigh up the benefits arid risks of employing an ally-general as third general. In the case of Hellenistic pike armies, where about half the total elements are phalangites. it may be wise to stick to a C-in-C and one sub-general, otherwise the flank commands may be too brittle. One general can command the phalanx and the weaker wing, while the other commands the attacking wing. This can work quite well, as the phalanx seldom needs to do much manoeuvring.

There are various ways that a three command army can be organised. The commonest will be as a centre and two wings, with the majority of the close-fighting infantry in the centre and the majority of (he cavalry divided between the two wings. This has the advantage that the slowest and least manoeuvrable troops will usually have the shortest distance to travel and the straightest path. One cavalry wing can be larger or heavier than the other, so that an oblique attack can be attempted, with the other wing refused.

A medieval army, on the other hand, may be historically and effectively deployed with knights in the centre and infantry on the wings, particular if the latter include a large proportion of bowmen.

Sometimes it will be more effective to deploy two commands in the front line and die third in reserve or on a flank march. Occasionally it may be worth having one large command to take the brunt of the fighting, and two small reserve commands. This is historical and can work well in late medieval armies where the high points cost of the troops results in a small total number of elements.

It is usually advisable to avoid a complicated organisation in an irregular army, particularly if sonic of the troops are impetuous. Mixing two or more sorts of impetuous troops in the same command makes for poor control and can be a recipe for disaster.

If your army contains only a few impetuous troops, it may be wise to put them under the direct command of the C-in-C, whose "free" PIP allows him to halt his own group even when his PIP die score is 1.

Plans and Deployment

The most important lesson that a beginner has to learn is that he should have a plan. Almost any plan is better than no plan at all. A good plan. however. is the first step to victory. It should take into account the strengths and weaknesses of your own forces, the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy, the terrain. and the enemy's possible deployments and plane. If you misjudge, you will find it difficult to change your plan or redeploy, so best get it right first time if possible.

Ask yourself how your army differs from that of the enemy. Who has the best close combat infantry [Pk, Sp. Bd or Wb]? If you do, you should plan to attack with them. If the enemy does, yon will need to avoid his, or delay contact with them. Who has the best rough/difficult terrain infantry [Ax or Ps - or at a pinch Bd or Bw]?

If you think you can use terrain to secure your flanks and outflank the enemy. If the enemy does, you should plan to avoid such terrain. Who has the better cavalry? If you do, you may be able to outflank the enemy. If he does, or if his army greatly outnumbers yours, you must attempt to avoid yourself being outflanked. Does the enemy have any troops that are deadly to some of yours? If not, you had better take steps to keep them occupied with other troops better able to cope with them.

Do you have troops that are deadly to the enemy? If so. you should plan to hit the vulneraable enemy with them, if you can do so without exposing them to enemy troops they themselves cannot cope with. Are the enemy troops impetuous? If so, you should aim to draw them out of formation before the decisive impact. Are your troops impetuous? If so, you must take steps to keep them under control until the decisive moment.

Unless your army is impetuous, it is not always necessary to attack. If you adopt a defensive position. your opponent may be impatient enough to attack you. He may not be able to avoid doing so if his troops are impetuous. Some players can be taunted into attacking. If you adopt a rigid defense, however, a clever opponent will concentrate his main attack on your weakest point while demonstrating against the rest of your troops to keep them occupied or lure them out of position. A defensive stance followed by a preplanned counter-attack can be more effective.

It is often effective to attack on one wing while skirmishing or defending on the other. Such a plan is particularly beneficial to regular armies, as the refused command can absorb the worst PIP die each turn - this presumably represents its receiving least of the C-in-C's attention. Obviously the attacking wing should contain shock troops and the refused wing should contain suitable light troops or be in a secure defensive position. If your refused wing looks as if it is in danger, do not be tempted to siphon off troops (and PIP dice) from your attacking wing to bolster it. All this will do is ensure that your attack Peters out. and that you lose effective control of troops that move out of command range (over 1200p or out of sight and over 600p) of their general. If you are playing with several players a side, make sure that you give control of the refused wing to a defensively minded player. Some players are unable to restrain themselves from attacking whatever the situation. usually with disastrous results. Similarly, avoid giving command of your attacking wing to an overcautious player.

You should try to keep your plan and your deployment as simple as possible, particularly if your army has irregular generals or impetuous troops. You should plan always to be able to cope with a PIP die score of 1. The bulk of each command should initially be deployed as a single group. Where appropriate they can separate out into multiple lines when they are closer to the enemy. Different types of troops should not be inappropriately mixed together, particularly if irregular. Solid lines of troops are nearly always best- You should not [cave gaps between commands - except possibly, as will be discussed later, if you have a cavalry army.

Your plan should if possible avoid troops moving out of command range of their general. If you plan a masterful wide on-table outflanking move, you should take the whole command on this manoeuvre, otherwise it will become very difficult to control the part of the command furthest from the general. Similarly, you should try to avoid deploying a command on either side of a visibility obstructing terrain feature, unless the general can be placed in a vantage point from which both parts of (he command can be seen.

If the battle is to start in fog or mist or at night, you may be able to force march some troops into useful positions while visibility is restricted. but remember that they will only be able to move straight ahead in a single element wide column, so must be deployed in column facing their target position.

Off-table flank marches can be effective. but may arrive too late or never.

The defender has the greater scope for ambushes. If the terrain is suitable, a large ambush comprising a whole command can be devastating if the enemy believes it to be off table on a flank march. Even if he suspects the truth. the uncertainty will cramp his style. Single elements of psiloi in ambush between the armies can interrupt enemy march moves and hence disrupt the enemy player's plan.

Ally-generals may turn out to be unreliable. The effect of this can be minimised if they are deployed in such a position that the enemy will be forced to attack them in order to prosecute his own plan. This will then commit the unreliable ally to your side. It is risky to send an allygeneral on an off-table flank march, as he may not arrive for several turns and when he eventually does so may stand around doing nothing or change sides.

Support Lines and Reserves

Most armies will benefit from a deployment in some depth. Spears obviously require to be formed 2 elements deep to benefit from rear support factors, pikes 2 to 4 elements deep, and blades 2 elements deep if fighting mounted troops, but other troops who cannot directly benefit from rear support will also usually benefit from a second line. This is because of the danger of enemy breakthroughs.

If troops are deployed in a single line, and a front line element is destroyed. not only will the enemy immediately benefit from overlaps. but he can subsequently contact the flank of the elements adjacent to the gap, which will result in their being destroyed if the enemy close combat total is higher, instead of only if it is double Thus the initial breakthrough can result in a rapid collapse of the line.

A second line, however, would prevent the enemy contacting the flank of the adjacent front rank elements, as this would entail crossing the front of a rear line element. Subsequently, a rear line element can move forward to plug the gap. Of course, the rear line must be at least one element width behind the rear edge of the front line to avoid being swept away when a front line element is destroyed, but less than two element widths behind the front edge of the front line to prevent enemy contacting the flank of front rank elements adjacent to the breakthrough

Second line elements can also be redeployed to face enemy threatening the flank of the front line. At a pinch they form a last ditch reserve which can be moved elsewhere if necessary, This should only be a last resort. however, as the proper role of the second line is to support the first line and prevent breakthroughs and outflanking.

An army should have reserves additional to any rear line. These should ideally be mobile and of good quality. Unless you plan to have a whole command in reserve, it will usually be best for each command to have its own reserves. This is because you do no( want the reserves to have to travel too far from the rest of their command, otherwise part of the command is likely to got out of command range from its general.

An army with a second line and reserves will obviously occupy less frontage than an army deployed in less depth- There is therefore a risk of being outflanked. However, terrain can be used secure flanks, and failing that the rear line and reserves are available to counter any enemy outflanking manoeuvre. This flexibility and ability to deal with all eventualities can be contrasted with the brittleness of the army deployed on too wide a front, which has no counter to an enemy breakthrough and cannot compensate for any deficiencies in its original plan.

One possible exception to the above general rule might be armies largely consisting of light horse, who cannot expect to win a frontal contest and must therefore attempt to outflank the enemy on one or both flanks. In my view, however, they will still benefit from deploying each command in at least two lines, even if this leads to gaps between their commands. If the enemy attempts to exploit these gaps, he will have to break up his own formation to do so. This may present the more mobile light horse with additional flanks to attack!

A more valid exception would be armies of impetuous troops. There is no point in deploy' impetuous troops as a separate second line, as are unlikely to be able to prevent them catching up with the front line.

Fighting The Battle

When a regular army fights another regular army it can be important to seize the initiative. If player presses an attack by his stronger wing . . . . . opponent, particularly if inexperienced, may waste his best PIP die (i.e. most of his C-in-C's attention each turn on a vain attempt to stem the tide, instead of using it to press his own attack on the player's weaker wing. This is an example of importance of the classic tactical precept "Maintenance of the Aim".

An irregular army fighting a regular will usually be best advised to exert pressure on whole enemy line. both to take advantage of own probable superiority in numbers, and to give the regular player no safe haven to dump his PIP die score each turn - representing stretching the regular army's command system to its limits.

If you wish to delay the enemy, you should rush forward light cavalry [LH] or psiloi [Ps] obstruct his path and prevent him using march moves. They can then fall back slowly in front the enemy staying just out of his tactical reach. Remember, however, that psiloi are vulnerable to mounted troops in the open and not be able to move fast enough to get away. They may be able to delay the enemy more effectively deployed in ambush in rough or difficult go obstructing his path. Troops other than LH and cannot move backwards as a group, so cannot expected to retire safely in front of the enemy.

Troops close to the enemy should remain in deeper formations than required for support. Additional rear rank elements will not add to the strength of the formation and will be swept away if the front rank element is destroyed. least an element's width gap should be left between front and second lines. Troops moving across rear should avoid getting too close to the front line. Elements that must get close to the front line should end their move facing the same direction the front line elements, so as not to obstruct them they recoil.

Flank attacks can be deadly, as they result in several elements being swept away, you should try to ensure that you do not leave your lines exposed to this danger. If a flank is protected by terrain or the board edge, it can protected by leaving an element as a flank guard set back with its front edge level with the rear edge of the flank element or its supports. The enemy cannot then contact the flank of the flank element of the line without crossing the front of the flank guard, which is riot permitted. If the enemy attacks the flank guard in its flank. it can turn to face. and if forced to recoil will not be pushed back into the line.

Conversely, you should try to attack enemy elements in the flank where possible, but not if this puts your own element at risk. Remember that if your element fighting the front of an enemy element recoils, any element you have in contact with the enemy element's flank must also recoil. If it meets enemy. or friends facing the wrong direction, it will be destroyed.

A general fighting in the front rank will give your attack extra impetus, but you must support him well to avoid losing him, which would be disastrous. If you are going to move your general into contact with enemy, remember to move him last, otherwise all other moves by that command that rum will cost an extra PIP. (This is one that I just don't seem to be able to remember myself - curses and gnashing of teeth!)