De Bellis Antiquitatis

Last updated

De Bellis Antiquitatis or DBA (English: Of the Wars of Antiquity) is a fast play set of rules for the hobby of historical miniature wargaming, particularly ancient and medieval wargaming in the period 3000 BC to 1520 AD. Now in 3rd edition. These rules allow entire armies to be represented by fewer than 50 figures. The rules also include diagrams and over 600 army lists. DBA is produced by the Wargames Research Group and was the first game in the DBx series, which now includes De Bellis Multitudinis (DBM), De Bellis Magistrorum Militum (DBMM, a successor or alternative to DBM), Hordes of the Things (a fantasy version), De Bellis Renationis (DBR, a Renaissance version). and for 1700-1920 Horse Foot and Guns (HFG) An online video game titled DBA Online was also created. [1] [2]

Contents

Scale and basing

Scale: Each army is composed of 12 elements (stands), with several figures fixed upon each one. The number of men represented by an element varies according to the size of the army simulated and the number of figures that it has, but at a nominal ground it would be more or less 250 for each figure. Ground scale is 1" = 100 paces for 15 mm figures or smaller, 40 mm = 100 paces for 25/28 mm figures. One turn, called a bound in the rules, represents 15 minutes. Can be used with 25/28 mm, 15 mm, 6 mm, or 2 mm figures (54mm and larger a possible with increased base size).

Basing: The width of the base depends upon the scale of figures being used; the depth depends upon both figure scale and type. The number of figures per base also depends upon the figure's type. For instance, an element of 15 mm swordsmen is composed of 4 figures mounted on a 40 mm (frontage) x 15 mm (depth) base; a 15 mm elephant is mounted alone on a 40 mm x 40 mm base.

History of the rules

DBA traces its origin back to a two-page experimental set of rules by Phil Barker dubbed De Bellis Societatis Antiquorum that was demonstrated at the Society of Ancients (after whom these experimental rules were named) conferences for 1988 and 1989. [3] Many rulesets at that time (including Phil Barker's WRG series of ancients rules) had added greater and greater detail regarding weapons and armor, movement and orders. Many gamers perceived that this increased complexity came at a cost in playability.

The De Bellis Societatis Antiquorum ruleset was designed as a "tonic for the jaded" with the goal of providing a fun, fast and challenging game and as an alternative to the WRG series of ancients rules. The first commercial edition of DBA was published in 1990, with Phil and Sue Barker and Richard Bodley Scott as its authors. The game has continued to evolve over the years; the most recent version was published in November, 2014 with just Phil Barker and Sue Laflin Barker as authors.

Online version

An online version known as DBAOL (DBA On-Line) was published by Wargaming.net in 2000, based upon DBA v1.2 and upgraded to 1.22. However the online version of the game was not upgraded to match newer versions of DBA, and the website announced that it is closing down from 1 December 2019. [4]

Versions of DBA are available on Vassal [5] and Tabletop simulator. [6]

Gameplay

Players use a single six-sided die each, and games are played on a square field, which conventionally (though not necessarily) has sides that are roughly sixteen times the base width being used.

Though the exact details differ in different editions of the game, in the current version players roll dice to determine who will be the invader and who will be the defender. The defender uses a random process to place terrain according to his army's home territory, and the invader chooses which side his army will enter the board. The players then alternate in placing their camp model and armies, and the defender takes the first bound.

Players then alternate bounds. At the start of each bound, the active player dices for "PIPs". PIPs are the spots on a die. The number of PIPs rolled represents the player's level of control for the turn. Players spend their PIPs to move single elements or connected groups of elements on the game board. PIPs do not carry over from turn to turn. PIPs simulate (though not model) the difficulties of command and control during a battle, and players find that once battle is joined, they often need to spend all of their available PIPs shoring up their battle line, with few PIPs left over for maneuver of un-engaged elements.

After making any such desired moves, the players then conduct combat, both ranged and close combat, adjudicated in the order specified by the active player.

Combat is resolved per-element, in the order desired by the active player. To resolve combat, each player throws one die and adds modifiers for both troop type and battlefield situation (such as being outflanked or up hill). The higher roll wins the combat and results are applied immediately, before the next combat is decided. Achieving a roll twice as high as your opponent generally destroys that opponent, with lesser successes merely pushing the opponent back out of the line of battle. Note that since results are applied immediately, shrewd players resolve combats whose results can give them advantages against other elements in future combats.

Once all combats have been resolved, the other player takes their turn. The game continues in this way until one of the players achieves the win condition - the destruction of 1/3 of the enemy's army. In the event of a tie at the end of bound, play continues until the end of a bound where one player has lost more than the opponent.

Criticisms

Some players have found Phil Barker's succinct rule writing style to be difficult to decipher, referring to it as "Barkerese". The current version involved many players giving the author advice to improve the format and readability.

Due to the nature of DBA's combat system, DBA is often criticized as being over-"geometric", as elements are matched up in precise ways, and base widths must match up with some precision. Many of the improvements in the various editions of DBA have been to address geometric concerns and "millimetrics".

Legacy

Over the years, several historical and fantasy wargame systems stemmed from the original DBA rules and its fantasy derivative, Hordes of the Things. These systems tended to retain similar basing standards compared with DBA, but strived for an overall clearer presentation of the rules (in clear contrast to the "Barkerese"), while modifying existing rules and units, and introducing new ones. These systems also offered a more streamlined player support, with rules errata, Facebook groups and forums. Most systems abandoned the traditional 12-elements army model, and created a point-based system to allow for a more balanced confrontations between armies.

As of July 2022, examples include (but are not limited to):

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wargame</span> Strategy game that realistically simulates war

A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to study the nature of potential conflicts. Many wargames recreate specific historic battles, and can cover either whole wars, or any campaigns, battles, or lower-level engagements within them. Many simulate land combat, but there are wargames for naval and air combat as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Games Workshop</span> British maker of miniature wargames

Games Workshop Group is a British manufacturer of miniature wargames, based in Nottingham, England. Its best-known products are Warhammer Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miniature wargaming</span> Wargame genre

Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming in which military units are represented by miniature physical models on a model battlefield. The use of physical models to represent military units is in contrast to other tabletop wargames that use abstract pieces such as counters or blocks, or computer wargames which use virtual models. The primary benefit of using models is aesthetics, though in certain wargames the size and shape of the models can have practical consequences on how the match plays out.

<i>Warhammer</i> (game) Miniature wargame

Warhammer is a tabletop miniature wargame with a medieval fantasy theme. The game was created by Bryan Ansell, Richard Halliwell, and Rick Priestley; it was published by the Games Workshop company.

<i>Warmaster</i>

Warmaster is a ruleset for tabletop wargames written by Rick Priestley, published by Specialist Games, and set in the Warhammer Fantasy setting. It is different from Warhammer Fantasy Battles in both appearance and gameplay. It is intended for 10 –12 mm miniatures. Basic troops are based on stands, of which typically three make a unit. Generals, Heroes and Wizards are mounted individually or with their retinue.

Battle Cry is a board wargame based on the American Civil War, designed by Richard Borg and published by Avalon Hill in 2000.

<i>Battlesystem</i> Tabletop miniature wargame

Battlesystem is a tabletop miniature wargame designed as a supplement for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The original Battlesystem was printed as a boxed set in 1985 for use with the first edition AD&D rules. For the second edition of AD&D, a new version of Battesystem was printed as a softcover book in 1989.

Hordes of the Things (HOTT) is a fantasy miniature wargame, published by Wargames Research Group. The game was first published in 1991, with a revised second edition from 2002. A generic fantasy game, it can represent armies from a wide variety of settings. Some gamers even use HOTT to simulate other time periods, since, for example, a "Shooter" can just as easily be a company of musketeers as it can a company of archers.

<i>Warhammer Ancient Battles</i>

Warhammer Ancient Battles is a ruleset for miniatures wargames produced by Games Workshop's Warhammer Historical Wargames imprint. It is a rulebook for historical wargames developed from the popular Warhammer Fantasy Battle by Jervis Johnson, Rick Priestley and the Perry brothers. On 24 May 2012, Warhammer Historical closed their website and are now defunct.

Tony Bath (1926–2000) was a British wargamer who favored the ancient period. He was the founder of the Society of Ancients.

De Bellis Multitudinis (DBM) is a ruleset for table-top miniatures wargames for the period 3000 BC to 1485 AD. It is the big battle development of De Bellis Antiquitatis. As its name implies, it is aimed primarily at simulating large battles. The rules allow armies to be chosen from published Army Lists using a points system to select roughly equal armies if required.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Priestley</span> British miniatute wargame designer

Rick Priestley is a British game designer and author mainly known as the creator of Warhammer miniature wargame.

The Wargames Research Group(WRG) is a British publisher of rules and reference material for miniature wargaming. Founded in 1969 they were the premier publisher of tabletop rules during the seventies and eighties, publishing rules for periods ranging from ancient times to modern armoured warfare, and reference books which are still considered standard works for amateur researchers and wargamers. They are best known for their seminal ancient and medieval period rules, and also for De Bellis Antiquitatis and Hordes of the Things fantasy rules.

The Society of Ancients (SoA) is an international, non-profit organization based in the UK that aims to promote interest in Ancient & Medieval history and wargaming, covering the periods from 3000BC to 1500AD.

Phil Barker is one of the major figures in the development of the modern hobby of tabletop wargaming, particularly that of ancient warfare, and is a co-founder of the Wargames Research Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabletop role-playing game</span> Form of role-playing game using speech

A tabletop role-playing game, also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a form of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a set formal system of rules and guidelines. Within the rules, players have the freedom to improvise; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the game.

Demonworld is a tabletop wargame originally created by Hobby Products, a German gaming company. The game went out of production for several years but has recently been purchased and re-released by Ral Partha Europe, as announced on 8 June 2011.

<i>Archworld</i>

Archworld is a system of wargame rules for fantasy and medieval miniatures combat that was published by Fantasy Games Unlimited FGU in 1977.

References

  1. ↑ Cobb, Jim (2001-01-15). "DBA Online". CGOnline.com. Archived from the original on 2004-08-13. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  2. ↑ jkdmedia. "DBA Online Review". GameZone.com. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  3. ↑ http://reg-games.net/DBA.html%5B%5D
  4. ↑ DBAOL home page on Wayback Machine captured October 31 2019
  5. ↑ VASSAL Retrieved on 12 FEB 2020
  6. ↑ Steam Retrieved on 12 FEB 2020
  7. ↑ "Armati 2nd Edition: Rules and Lists for Ancient and Medieval Wargaming". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  8. ↑ "ADLG - Art De La Guerre". artdelaguerre.fr. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  9. ↑ "Basic Impetus 2.0 wargame fast play system with 340 army lists ranging from Sumerian to Renaissance". www.dadiepiombo.it. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  10. ↑ "Impetus wargame rules Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance periods". www.dadiepiombo.it. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  11. ↑ "Irregular Wars: Fantastic Battles". Irregular Wars. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  12. ↑ "Lion Rampant". United States. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  13. ↑ "Dragon Rampant". United States. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  14. ↑ "Mortem et Gloriam". Mortem et Gloriam. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  15. ↑ "Home". PolkovnikProductions. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  16. ↑ "About "To the Strongest!"". BigRedBat's Shop. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  17. ↑ "Washington Grand Company". www.wgcwar.com. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  18. ↑ "Fantasy TRIUMPH! Early Access - Washington Grand Company | Wargame Vault". www.wargamevault.com. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.