DBR covers the era of Renaissance Warfare: 1590's to 1700. The first army list consists of 48 armies grouped into The Great Italian Wars (7 different armies), Valois-Hapsburg-Tudor Wars (4 different armies), Turkish Wars (10 different armies), Chinese and Japanese Wars (7 different armies), the Americas (14 different armies, including my favorite: Buccaneers 1624-1700) and the Reformation (6 different armies, i.e. Elizabethan English, Old Irish, French Huguenot, French Catholic, Low Countries Spanish and Dutch Rebellion).

The second list will have the 30 Years War, the English Civil Wars, Africa, India and East Asia plus more, of which, I am not aware.

Phil says in the introduction to the rules: "While its principles and mechanisms are similar, DBR is not DBM with extras." This seems quite true. Maybe like German is to Dutch. I will cite a few examples of what is different but do not assume everything else is the same. There are the familiar pip rolls, distant combat and close combat (not to be mistaken for the older term - melee), combat factors and outcomes, troop types based on behavior, not formation/armor/weapon/etc. All element base sizes are similar to DBM for the various scales but nothing is smaller than 30mm deep (in 25mm scale) and 20mm deep (in 15mm), although the old heavy infantry depths may be used, but they are to be considered to be 30mm/20mm for purposes of recoil, etc.

There are two game "scales" (not to be confused with figure scales): normal and condensed. In 25mm, 50 paces = 60mm (normal) or 30mm (condensed) and in 15mm, 50 paces = 40mm (normal) or 20mm (condensed). (ed note: I find this very unusual and just a tad inconsistent as the DBM figure scale is comparable, yet all movement and ranges are doubled for the same troop types and conditions. ???!!!)

Playing areas can be smaller for condensed scale. Picking troops for the two scales is somewhat different too. In condensed scale, it is possible to play a DBA like game. The army lists are for normal scale so for condensed scale, you halve the cost of the general and divide the minima and maxima for the troop types by 3.

Thus, my favorite Buccaneers end up with a 12 point c-in-c (a captain not a general, I assume), 8- 12 pirates with cutlass, pikes or pistols (instead of the normal 24-36) as Warband (0) at 4 AP, 4-6 musketeers as Shot (F) at 6 AP, 0-1 sharpshooter as Skirmisher-Sk (S) (0 4 AP, 0-1 guns as Art (S) at 25 AP, 0-2 Cimaroons as Sk (O) at 3 AP and assorted long boats, pinnaces, and ships. Thus, a nice little 100 AP army can be made from a CinC (12 points), 8 cutlass men (32), 4 musketeers (24), a sharpshooter (4), a gun (25) and a Cimaroon (3).

As you have noted, there are some new troop types. Gone are knights to be replaced by Lancers. Cavalry is divided into Pistols and Sipahis. The former as typical European style heavy horse, some of whom actually fired the pistols at a distance (I) such as reiters and ECW early Parliamentarians and others who only fired at close range when charging - (S) if cuirassiers, otherwise (0) if charging at the trot or (F), such as Royalist Cavaliers, if not very armored or even armed with pistols. The Sipahis are the mailed Asiatic and East European cavalry who skirmished with missile weapons but also charged. Light Horse (I) may now shoot at a distance.

Dragoons are added. These move as mounted and fight as foot, including shooting. No trading mounted for dismounted figures. Each stand has the foot figures and their horses. Bases are a 60mm x 60 (25mm) or 40 x 40 (15mm).

Pikes, Blades, Hordes and Bows remain with some changes. Shot are added to depict the arquebus (1), the matchlock (O), and the flintlock (S). Psiloi are converted to Skirmishers, the (S) grade of which can shoot at a distance. Elephants, Artillery and Warwagons remain with changes. Artillery (S) and (O) have separate limbers and shoot 1800 paces.. Because of the more frequent occurrence of rivers, Pontooneers are added to provide bridge building capability. Ships, Galleys and Boats remain. Also new are a variety of artificial defenses both portable and fixed.

I was disappointed by the inclusion of the phrase, "You need not declare army composition to an opponent or tell him things he should be able to deduce from your figures."

Setting up a battle is very similar to DBM, with just enough variation to get different results. Most important is that if the defender has chosen the terrain, the attacker picks the side--no die rolling. If a third party picks the terrain, the defender picks the side.

Defender can put down 3-5 terrain pieces, the first 3 may be up to 1000 paces but not less than 100 paces and no more than 4 times as long as wide (like DBM) but the 4th and 5th pieces may not be further across than 300 paces. The attacker may remove, replace from the defender's list of different type or size, or move up to 2. Also, the table is bisected into 4 rectangular quarters. A number of other subtle changes in deployment, weather, and terrain. Note there are no flank marches, but ambushes remain.

The sequence of play is essentially like DBM. Player initiative point dicing is quite different. Note there are no longer regular and irregular types, so control is not such an issue. No irregular generals, but there can be allied ones who must roll on their own.

There are some new difficulties to control. Commands do not get demoralized and thus, leave the table. Rather, they are "beaten" and elements may try to stay and fight by steadying or rallying. The victors will have to pursue unless they are controlled. These will all take certain pip rolls. Groups larger than 4 wide need extra pips to move; bridges need pips to put up and take down. Marching other than on a road needs extra pips for all after two such moves. Good news--all generals get the -1 pip for their first move each bound.

Most of the battle rules use the same principles as DBM but with different numbers for movement and combat. One nice clarification is in regards to crossing the front of an enemy. "No element can cross the front of or retire from in front of any enemy element which is within one element base width distance and not at least PARTLY separated from it by an intervening element or fortification, or having done so continue moving, ...." The "partly" clarifies a problem that has been plaguing DBM players.

Distant shooting and close combat remain about the same. Some items to consider are the Pistols (I) get to shoot with 3 ranks (but their range is half that of shot and they fight less well), elements which are in overlap may be shot at, some troops get "flank support," such as shot with pike next to it, and the picking of targets is changed. One interesting feature which will speed up close combat is that pikes add 1 for a second rank but the third and fourth rank will give foot opponents a -1 for each such rank. So two pike blocks 4 deep will fight each other at +3+1-1-1 or a total of 2. Only elements a base depth (as opposed to width in DBM) behind a destroyed element is also destroyed.

Phil has shown some very creative ideas in the combat outcomes. Certain types of elements are destroyed if they lose but not doubled if it is in the other person's bound or if the outcome die roll is even or odd. For example, Pistols are destroyed by Pistols (O) or (F) if just beaten if in the enemy bound and they have an odd final score. Conclusion, attack him before he attacks you. Pikes are destroyed if beaten by Pistols in own bound but in enemy bound by Lancers and Blades (F). Conclusion, do not attack Pistols but do attack Lancers and Blades. Artillery (S) and (O) which are beaten in distant combat lose their limbers if the final score is even. Artillery doubled in close combat is captured and may be turned against the opponent.

As I mentioned, the zone of death is much less. Also, if an element is destroyed by shooting, any element in rear edge contact must recoil. A nice touch has been added to following up. Lancers, Pistols (F), Warbands and a few others must follow up as many base depths as their final combat score exceeded that needed to produce the results. So, if your Lancers beat me 6 to 2, then you follow up 4 base depths (or until you come into contact with an element). This causes much disruption in your attacking lines.

I mentioned earlier that commands are not demoralized but are beaten, when their loss exceeds 1/3. At the start of the bound when this has happened, the player may try to steady elements or groups by allocating the required number of pips. If not enough pips to steady some elements, they will rout towards their board edge. Enemy cavalry, hordes and warbands must pursue in the same bound but may try to rally in their own bound. This routing and pursuing continues in each bound for both players until they have rallied the elements. Steadied and rallied beaten elements will then carry on as normal but will fight at -1.

Victory goes to the player who has beaten the opponent's sole command or the two largest or the total enemy lost or beaten equals 2/3 of the original strength.

All in all, I have found these rules to be great fun and they seem to capture the flavor of the era. So far, I have played about 5 English Civil War games, all with people who know the DB concepts. They all like it. I have played with some of our local group who do not like DBM (but do like DBA) and they really liked the DBR. They felt that because the rules are dealing with a fairly short span of time they do not have to meet with all the variety of things that ancients rules covering 5000 years do. I have not tried the condensed scale yet, nor any games of the early part of the era nor any outside of Europe. Will send along my thoughts on such, as I can do so.

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© Copyright 1996 by Terry Gore

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