WRG's De Bellis Antiquitatas (DBA) rules have been very well received in our local area ever since it came out. After lots of games in private homes, game nights and tournaments at the local gaming store, the our local DBA group decided to run a campaign. A Marian Roman campaign was selected to be the background for our gaming.

This campaign was selected because all the armies have totally different capabilities, except for the 2 Roman armies. Everything from Blades and Pikes, to Knights and Scythed Chariots are in this campaign. The armies in the campaign include 2 Marian Roman armies (Sulla and Marius), and one army each of Spanish, Gauls, Armenians and Pontics. The campaign is organized and run by John Drye.

Besides the normal DBA campaign and battle rules, we have added an ad hoc diplomacy time period between each turn. This really has gotten some of us in trouble as will be noted below. The diplomacy effort is without any rules (just like thos good ole days), so backstabbing is not only a way of life, but fully expected.

Also, we are using an experimental rule allowing the defender to set the terrain, but both sides still dice for home base edge. This allows defenders to maximise their potential while on the defensive.

At this point, the campaign has just finished it's first campaign year. Sulla (played by Doug 'Mudd the Merciless') is in Rome, just holding on to Rome, Syracuse, and Venezia (Venice) with less that half of his army. In the first season, Sulla fought off Marius in Syracuse, and then killed the general of the invading Gauls in Venezia sending them back to the Alps in great dissary. But then came the Pontics into Napoli (Naples).

Sulla's exhausted and depleted legions were surrounded and slaughtered. Sulla spent the rest of the year besieged in Rome with only 2 units of his legions still around. Seeing no recourse and needing lots of assistance, Sulla tributaried himself to Spain. (Those ancient senators must be spinning in their graves about that).

Spain (played by Bill Rutherford) attacked Gaul (played by this barbarian) in the summer turn in an attempt to reach Rome and lift the siege being conducted by Pontus. After letting Spain besiege one city successfully, the Gauls crushed the invading Spanish army in the rolling hills of central Gaul. The Gauls chased the Spanish until they retreated into their homeland. (Those Celtiberians will pay for this as we had a treaty of nonaggression.)

Marius, after taking a shellacking by Sulla in the invasion of Syracuse in the spring turn, has marched on Spain and captured the Straights of Gilbraltar in the summer. Marius is being played by a consortium of players based upon who arrives that night to play.

Pontus (played by Bruce DeVal) and the Gauls are working in concert based upon diplomatic negotiations conducted before the first turn of the campaign. The Pontics captured Napoli in the spring after a disasterous battle by Sulla. Pontus spent the rest of the campaign year besieging Rome hoping to force Rome into submission and change history. But after two seasons, the Romans still held out (that darned Roman luck). Due to campaign rules, Pontus had to return to a previously held city for the winter allowing Sulla to recruit new troops for his legions.

While Pontus was in Italy, he lost Helispont to the Armenians (played by John Drys) in a fall turn. Those sneaky Armenians always seem to wait until your back is turned.

Well, all this action took place in just two evenings of gaming. For me, it has been loads of fun, especially with diplomatic efforts on all sides to gain "insurance" from backstabbing. But now I can truly see why Phil Barker labeled those Spanish as being treacherous "Irregular D" as allies. 

More glorious battles await us as we go into our second year. But I'm not worried. I'm playing the Gauls, and we know no fear (except for rolling "1's"). Send for the druids. Have this hex of evil "1's" removed from my dice before we go into battle.