While the DBA list are flexible enough to create or come close to creating realistic armies, the DBM Army List III-68 is more rigid and produces a less realistic army. The requirement for at least 50 stands of bow indicates a majority of archers and directly contradicts passages which revels in being able to employ only 1/5 of the army with bows. Also the sources indicate a high percentage of mailed horsemen armed with long spear (lance?) and sword with no mention of a bow. These horsemen attacked in the manner described for knights and not cavalry (O) in the rules. The aggression rating of ONE does not reflect the attitudes needed for imperial dreams.

Finally with their reliance of the various river systems in the region, I have difficulty rating them as DRY rather than ARABLE or LITTORIAL. They did conduct campaigns into Dry areas but they also invaded jungles and river valley areas.

Since most players use the DBM rules for tournament play, there seems little need to publish the twelve armies or so needed to simulate a campaign in the region. However not everyone plays DBM or DBA so some basic description of troops types may prove useful to those players.

GHANA. 500-1076AD.

Early Ghana 500-800AD: Early Cavalry was mounted on inferior horses and fought less aggressively so should be an Inferior rating) , Light Horsemen armed with javelins and not bow were common among migrating tribes and pre-empire nations. Effective archers were uncommon and highly prized. Lower class were often grouped into spear formations. Armored foot were rare.

Imperial Ghana 800-1076: Cavalry was better than its local neighbors but still inferior to its Berber enemies. The Cavalry was a full time regularly trained force. Archers were still prized and amounted to 1/5 of the army. Feudal native levies from the city were armed with long spears and some elite troops wore chain mail. Rural levies fought in formations of mixed weapons. Subject tribes still fought in local fashion, so should be light infantry or irregular loose or mass formations of mixed weapons.

MALI and SONGHAI

Armies were very similar with a high percentage of horsemen wearing mail and fighting with a long spear and sword. The cavalry relied on impact to break the dense formations of foot used by many of their enemies. Archers percentages may have been as high as ¼ or 1/3. Native foot became more heavily armored as the empires grew. The forces used in campaigns were often custom designed for whether the target was Berbers in the Steppes or a Mossi tribe located in a heavily wooded region. Feudal levies and Subject tribes still fought in local fashion, so should be light infantry or irregular loose or mass formations of mixed weapons. They were intentionally poorly trained and equipped to prevent revolts. The Songhai ghulams were a well trained and equipped regular force. The long soear for both the cavalry and foot had a very wide blade and was considered very deadly. Therefore a player may want to rate his better infantry as either long spear or blade.

Mossi, Dogon, the early Fulani and other minor tribes

Had poorer quality equipment but could inflict defeats on their neighbor empires. DOGON troops were adept at fighting in rough terrain so the army should contain various types of loose order formation troops. Similarly the Mossi Confederation was based in a more wooded area and so their armies would also contain loose order formations. Armored troops would be rare as would expert archers. If forced to fight in open areas the irregular troops would be massed together in mixed weapon formations. Only a few nobles would be mounted on horses. Other semi-permanent tribes would use formations of spears supported by bows and some horsemen or light infantry on the flanks. The nobles would form a reserve and may be mounted or fight as armored foot. Migratory tribes would have more light or medium cavalry armed with a spear and javelins. Very few troops would be armored. Archers were used but most troops fought in dense formations of mixed sword and spear weapons.

KANEM-BORNU

The contemporary term Horsemen of Bornu almost says it all for the Kanem-Bornu Empire. As with most empires the troop types employed became better equipped and trained as the nation turned into an empire. Foot troops with mixed weapons supporting mounted nobility characterized early forces. Later the number of ‘mounted lancers’ increased with the foot now supported by formations of archers. Allies and subject troops continued to be poorly equipped and trained. During one northern campaign in the 1500s, they hired Bedouin mercenaries to train a formation of lancers mounted on camels.

BULALA

Forces were a majority of spears in mass formations supported by archers and cavalry. I am not sure what percentage were armored but since they inflicted numerous defeats on the Kanembu, it may have been significant.

HAUSA CITY STATES 900-1500

Some of these rulers made an effort to provide chain mail to their citizen foot and horse troops. Like most urban armies, most citizen troops were armed with spears. Rural subject troops fought in loose formations and a few used unarmored horsemen.