Our Detroit based group has started a DBR campaign which is proving to be a lot of fun. As a result, we have played nothing but DBR for the last four months. I have become familiar with the rules and some of the nuances of play. As previously reported, it is very similar to DBM, however it is even more like the old children's game of Rock: Paper: Scissors.

The key to winning is getting the right match ups of your troop types against your opponents. This article explores that concept and how to make it happen.

There are three basic steps to success. First, develop a good plan; second maintain the initiative; and third execute the match ups which you desire. Use your PlPs for this purpose.

First lets took at desirable matchups. There are many instances where one type kills another with a simple advantage on the modified die roll, you do not need to double your opponent. There are other instances in which the factors are so unbalanced that doubling will be relatively easy. Some of these are listed below:

Type	Killed By
Blades	Lancers
Sipahis	Shot
Bows	Blades
Lancers	Elephants
Pikes	Fast Blades
Shot	Lancers
Sipahis	Lancers
Skirmishers	Light Horse (in the open)
Dragoons	Cavalry

If your opponent has any of the types listed in the left hand column, they should be attacked by those in the right hand column. All of this is painfully obvious, right?? Well, I manage to do it wrong frequently. In order to get the match ups, you must maintain the initiative. Initiative is a function of good planning and daring bravado.

Winning the initiative battle usually happens in the early rounds. The attacker clearly has the advantage in that he moves first and also gets to see how the defender deploys his biggest command. This can be mitigated by the skillful use of terrain by the defender to block the line of sight into his deployment area or to delay or channel the advance of the attacker.

A low initial roll by the attacker can also cost him the early initiative advantage. In this case, it is a good idea to throw out a light horse screen to pin the defender and deny him the initiative needed to get the match ups of his choice. In any case, whichever side can swing his units laterally across the board to get the match ups shown above, will probably win.

Now, back to the first stage: the plan. Many games have been played (and lost) by simply deploying in a long line and pushing straight ahead into the enemy. Moving long lines in DBR is a slow process (unlike DBM where long lines are useful). As all the troops are inched forward, the other player can move smaller groups (four or fewer stands wide) so that he gets the match ups of his choice. Undesirable matches are held back or screened by light troops. The point here is to plan the flexible deployment of your troops, do not count on a steam roller.

A flexible deployment is facilitated by carefully selecting troops from your list and grouping them into commands which can be controlled given the fickle nature of the dice. Troops of similar speeds should be grouped together. I like to have one small command of no more than two maneuver groups which can absorb the inevitable roll of a one. The other command, or commands can gave four or five groups. The more groups per command, the less they will move.

The Terrain Option

The last element of the plan involves terrain. This part of the De Bellis rules draws a lot of unwarranted criticism. This is one of the key areas where the player can directly influence how the battle will be fought without the impact of bad dice. The defender can attempt to block off parts of the table or channel the attacker into lanes which can be covered be superior troops; in this manner, denying some initiative to the attacker. Deploying some troops out of sight or in ambush can also confound the attacker.

Conversely, the attacker can remove two of the non-compulsory pieces of terrain with an eye toward keeping his options open and countering the defenders strategy. Open terrain is critical in order to maintain the flexibility to gain preferred match ups.

There are other ways to win in DBR, the flank attack and multiple overlaps come quickly to mind. These opportunities frequently appear after a hole has been opened in the opposing force by desirable match ups or fortuitous die rolls. Put together a plan, maintain the initiative and execute desirable match ups. It is a winning equation.

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