Introduction

It has been awhile since I put pen to paper or sat before the computer to write a column. I can blame this lack of production partly on work as who wants to write for leisure when spending many hours each day writing to earn a living. I no longer have that excuse, but it is not always easy to find a suitable topic. Recently, there has been little activity in the local gaming club which was of an ancient or medieval subject. There were a few games of DBM, which has certainly gained some notoriety in these pages.

Even travels of the last few months have encompassed historical events of more modern periods. There were a few occasions in Croatia to see older sites, but these were few and far between and I did not have time to study any site in detail (except from a modern tactical stance). Traveling in that part of the world is not usually good for sightseeing when helmet, flak vest, personal weapons and armored vehicles are the standard equipment for road moves. I did see some areas of Zagreb on a more casual basis, but all were of civilian rather than military interest. I did spend a sunny day touring the sights at Waterloo, which hardly falls into a period usually covered in SAGA.

I have been working on several columns about the Later Roman Empire, although none are ready for publishing. I keep finding new sources of information and need more time to research these books. Just as I was finishing up one article, a friend presented me with another book which contained two essays which pertained to the subject. I may have to resort to a publication deadline in order to finish them off.

For this issue, I decided to make the plunge and use DBM as a subject. It may not be in keeping with the title of the column (military intelligence in archaic Greek for those not familiar with earlier articles), but it is controversial. As my defense (read excuse or rationale), I plead that my exposure to non-US gaming groups may allow some new insights. I was also inspired by Terry's article in Number 52 (The Current State Of Ancient/Medieval Wargaming Rules) as it has been said before, quote "all is fair in love and war" unquote, so I can bend rules just like so many rules lawyers some of us know (and maybe wish we did not?).

Simplistic?

While in general I agree with Terry about the idea that DBM and ARMATI can be too simplistic for the hard core Ancient/Medieval gamer, who knows both the history and rules of his/her particular period. These gamers represent only a portion of the miniature gaming community, which is in turn only a part of the wargaming/adventure gaming hobby. There are relatively few exclusive Ancient/Medieval gamers and even fewer exclusive WRG 7th Edition gamers. This is a general comment based on attendance at conventions, magazine subscriptions and observation rather than on historical evidence. I willing to change my opinion if someone can present more accurate information; however, I think that there are many more generalists than elitists (this does not mean snobs but a select group--my definition) in this hobby. We all dabble in other periods and possibly other forms of games including computer and board games. Some of us may have been drawn into historical gaming after trying adventure gaming. Most of the gamers that I know like to attend conventions to try new rules, periods, formats and figures/playing pieces. It is to this much larger group that rules such as ARMATI, DBM and DBA may be more attractive.

Just as WRG ancient rules have evolved through the years from the first to the latest version of the seventh, so too do the playing habits of many gamers. Some remain faithful to rules, while others prefer to experiment. Currently, there are groups still using WRG 6th Edition and others which sought alternatives. The membership numbers of the SOA and NASAMW have fluctuated over the years and this is not always a result of a change in interest. I for one have not always renewed my membership because of various reasons (I tend to move around frequently between 18 and 36 months with intervals of several months in out-of-area tours). Cost may also be a major factor for some as not everyone can buy all related publications. There are now several monthly or bimonthly publications from which to choose so maintaining a steady and loyal membership is not easy.

This is probably also made difficult by the clashes between gaming factions. For example, both SOA and NASAMW have been subjected to politics. There have been some very spirited political campaigns within these two societies as groups sought to dominate the elected positions. Not all the members favored the editorial policies or preferences of the dominating groups NASAMW has often been cited for being predominantly WRG, and while SOA has not had a preferred rule set, its journal {of which many articles have reappeared in these pages) has been used to cater to elitists by demanding high standards of writing (on par with university expectations). Thus for a hobby, ours can have the appearance to the casual observer as being very rigid at times. This can take the fun out of some of the events.

The recent introduction of DBA, DBM, DBR and ARMATI over the past few years has presented some gamers with a viable alternative to the more complex rule sets and provided new gamers {new to the period for experienced gamers! They can enjoy a relatively simple system which requires little knowledge of the historical period and requires only a short playing/learning timeframe.

The number of articles in SAGA is likely an indication of the popularity of these rules amongst novices and veterans. It is not surprising that Jamie Fish laments that novices want to buy according to the rules rather than according to history. If this is resulting as Jamie says to the, quote "dumbing of the hobby" unquote, than it is unfortunate. I prefer to say that the veterans are not being aggressive and passing on their wealth of knowledge.

On Rules Nomenclature for Troop Types

There have been many articles that have used terms specific to a period or rule set For example, writers will use a technical style when describing their armies or battles. Is the casual reader expected to know what is meant by HC or LH? There are many fields in which such jargon is appropriate but after a few years in the military, I can appreciate the danger of using abbreviations or technical terms. Even in the English speaking parts of the world there are major differences in the use of the common tongue It is even more confusing for those of us who are speaking English as a second language. I suggest that those gamers who do know about troop types, tactics and history pass on their knowledge and experience. This may also require the use of simple rules to instruct new gamers before introducing them to WRG 7th Edition with the NASAMN interpretation handbook with army lists from a variety of sources. As well, try to avoid using terms that are unfamiliar to your opponents or if writing an article to use complete words instead of abbreviations

Rather than criticizing someone for being ignorant, may be it is better to educate Invite novices to join in a friendly game using simple rules. It may result in growth instead of decline for local clubs and national/international groups There are lots of gamers (remember that GENCON attracts more people than HISTORICON, but historical gamers attend both) who can be involved in this period. They just need to be given some incentive.

Another attraction of these simpler rules is that it in not necessary to spend a long time to refresh ones memory about their nuances. There are many veteran gamers who like to play several different periods or at least different rule sets. Some veterans can play on a regular basis and this means less time to regain expertise; however, many only play infrequently and thus may prefer a simple rule set. The playing time may also be a factor as DBA can be played in an hour or less and DBM in about four hours. This includes setup and takedown.

It is not always easy making the transition from micro-armour to New Kingdom Egyptians and simple rules can be a real boon. Many of my club members like to keep to simple rules for this very reason. It also speeds up the induction of new members to our club. Recently we added several new members who had no prior miniature experience or were not familiar with a specific period to our weekly games. They were able to grasp the basics and enjoy the games because of the easy to follow quick reference guides that we use for each rule set. To the new members it was not as important to know exactly what each troop type/unit was according to history but it was essential for them to know how to employ them in the game. Once their interest was aroused then we provided the historical information about the period and rules.

Tinkering with Rules

There is a separate issue which is also worthy of noting here. It has been my experience that regardless of the rules, we all like to tinker with rules once we believe that we are knowledgeable. In the last club game using DBM (a refight of Ipsus 301 BC based on a scenario available on the internet), one veteran commented that the victory conditions were not reasonable. He had been playing ancients for many years and has several armies, which he has developed based on historical research. His point was that an army was not likely to break just because half of it was demoralized or destroyed. He felt that as the troops were not recording each loss that they would not know when this arbitrary point had been reached.

His point is valid in that many armies have sustained heavy casualties but kept fighting because of various factors. It is still useful to have some victory conditions to ensure either a game ends within a set time period or when losses reach a designated total. Particularly if the services of an umpire are not available. In this case, there was little debate as most were ready to end the game and depart for home.

The tinkering is not confined to the rules as these pages bear witness to the many alternate army lists. This has become almost an integral part of the hobby. We either create new rules, club/group interpretations or develop alternate lists. I consider this a natural outgrowth from a fairly competitive hobby. Our efforts are usually aimed at improving the overall experience (possibly making it more historical) or to improve our chances of winning. Either way, there is plenty of scope for improvement as no one person has yet gained a monopoly on presentation of tabletop combat or troop organization. Recently, there have been some very good ideas put forward in the pages of numerous publications and on the internet. There are several good playing aids for the various ancient/medieval rule sets now in circulation. All of these concepts help to clarify rules and provide direction for troop employment. While some may see the introduction of rules and playing aids as negative actions, there are many of us who welcome new innovations.

Let us all be thankful that there are so many different ideas from which to choose to play our games. With so many choices, surely there is something that will either attract new players or revitalize the interest of veterans who have grown weary of the same old thing.

I have not always had the luxury of regular opponents and would rather play whatever was in vogue than do without. Over the years, I have enjoyed a variety of historical periods, rule sets, figure scales and opponents. All have contributed to maintaining my enthusiasm for this hobby I believe that my own development would have been limited if I had done the same thing every time that I played on the table top. So I support all the new innovations no matter how outlandish they may appear to some. No one really knows what will be the next major idea to expand our hobby. Would anyone believe that card games could be a suitable form for historical gaming when Magic was introduced?

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© Copyright 1996 by Terry Gore

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