DBA Version 3.0 updates the highly successful De Bellis Antiquitatis wargame rules for recreating ancient and medieval battles with miniature figures. The brainchild of well-known wargame designer Phil Barker and his wife Sue Laflin-Barker, the simple DBA rule system combines fast play play with historical realism to produce a visually realistic and exciting contest.
This book introduces the fascinating subject of ancient wargaming using the latest edition of DBA version 3.0. De Bellis Antiquitatis have become known for the combination of simple game mechanics and playability. The rules are easy to learn, but the finer details of tactics are hard to master. The rules are extensively used for competitions around the world. The book starts by discussing how to choose a period of history and build an wargaming army, then it includes the complete DBA 3.0 rules with a detailed step by step play through of a sample game- Germans v Romans on the bank of the river Rhine. There are also numerous sample army lists with discussion of the sources on which they are based. Sue Laflin-Barker was a key contributor to the development and success of WRG. This is her first solo authorship of a wargaming book.
Hordes of the Things is a fast-play heroic fantasy wargame rule set for miniature figures. Using the successful DB rule system, but based on classical fantasy fiction rather than strict history, the rules have been used since 1991 and enjoy an international player base.
From the author's introduction: Ancient battles seize the modern imagination. Far from being forgotten, they have become a significant aspect of popular culture, prompting a continuing stream of books, feature films, television programs and board and computer games... there is a certain escapist satisfaction in looking back to an era when conflicts between entire states turned on clear-cut pitched battles between formed armies, lasting just a few hours and spanning just a few miles of ground. These battles were still unspeakably traumatic and grisly affairs for those involved - at Cannae, Hannibal's men butchered around two and a half times as many Romans (out of a much smaller overall population) as there were British soldiers killed on the notorious first day of the Somme. However, as with the great clashes of the Napoleonic era, time has dulled our preoccupation with such awful human consequences, and we tend to focus instead on the inspired generalship of commanders like Alexander and Caesar and on the intriguing tactical interactions of units such as massed pikemen and war elephants within the very different military context of pre-gunpowder warfare. Lost Battles takes a new and innovative approach to the battles of antiquity. Using his experience with conflict simulation, Philip Sabin draws together ancient evidence and modern scholarship to construct a generic, grand tactical model of the battles as a whole. This model unites a mathematical framework, to capture the movement and combat of the opposing armies, with human decisions to shape the tactics of the antagonists. Sabin then develops detailed scenarios for 36 individual battles such as Marathon and Cannae, and uses the comparative structure offered by the generic model to help cast light on which particular interpretations of the ancient sources on issues such as army size fit in best with the general patterns observed elsewhere. Readers can use the model to experiment for themselves by re-fighting engagements of their choice, tweaking the scenarios to accord with their own judgment of the evidence, trying out different tactics from those used historically, and seeing how the battle then plays out. Lost Battles thus offers a unique dynamic insight into ancient warfare, combining academic rigor with the interest and accessibility of simulation gaming. This book includes access to a downloadable computer simulation where the reader can view the author's simulations as well create their own.
Version 2.1 is the latest update to the DBMM rules. It features several rule refinements and now covers the period 3000 BC to 1525 AD. Included in this edition is a selection of army lists to help new players get started quickly. DBMM offers an advanced rule system for the discerning wargamer seeking historical accuracy as well as a fast and exciting game.
March with Alexander the Great's Macedonians against the mighty empire of the Achaemenid Persians at Issus in 333BC! Experience the brutality of a Dark Ages struggle between Romano-British warriors and Early Saxon armies in AD495! Re-fight some of the bloodiest battles of the ancient and medieval worlds, using Neil Thomas's fully illustrated new book. Neil brings an authentic historical perspective to wargaming. A must for novice and veteran wargamers alike.
"De Bellis Renationis" is a set of wargames rules for Renaissance battle, covering the period from 1491 AD to 1700 AD. It was first published in 1995 and later updated to version 2.0 published in 2004. It was accompanied by three books of Army Lists descr
Irregular Wars: Conflict at the World's End provides a fun and easy, fast-play, set of rules for engagements on the fringe of the European world - Ireland, the Americas, the East Indies and the vast steppes of Central Asia. The lands discovered by European explorers seeking easy access to the trading wealth of the Indies exposed untold avenues for expansion. The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw successive waves of self-aggrandising traders, raiders, conquerors and colonists leave Europe for new lands beyond the sea. Some pursued the freedom to practice persecuted religions or the opportunity to convert the heathens, others sought raw resources in the form of gold, furs or exotic spices or plants, like nutmeg or tobacco. The game is designed for engagements between two forces of from 500 to 2,500 fighting men per side. Each player represents a leading conquistador, noble, governor, daimyo, chief, cacique or petty monarch. These leaders are given the umbrella title of 'lords'. The key to success in Irregular Wars is the lord's ability to harness the enthusiasm of volunteer or militia soldiers which, together with the effective use of terrain, counts for more than sheer numbers alone. The uncertain nature of army recruitment and variable level of centralised command and control make the rules ideal for small scale, localised and asymmetrical warfare. The game could quite easily be expanded to cover earlier or later conflicts anywhere in the world prior to the establishment of reliable and professional armies. This second edition of Irregular Wars continues the fun and fast approach of the original rules. More background information and explanations are provided and the phase sequence has been streamlined. Additional changes throughout the rules make the randomised aspects of the game more realistic... in a random sort of way. This edition includes army lists for 48 different sixteenth and seventeenth century armies belonging to the major European colonial powers and the indigenous populations of Ireland, the Americas, East Indies and Eurasian Steppe.
