DBSA Fast Play Rules

Written by Phil Barker for the Society of Ancients' 1989 convention, the rules have since been expanded for the
inclusion into a coercial set kno!n as "B#$ %hese are available fro W&' (%he )eep, *a #archant Barracks,
*ondon &d, "evi+es, Wiltshire S,1- ./&, 0nited )in1do 2 %elephone -993248-235586$
INTENTION
To produce the simplest set of wargames rules that retain the feel and generalship requirements of ancient battle in a
game lasting 15 to 30 minutes.
TROOP TYPES
These rules distinguish only those arms/troop types that need different tactical handling.
Mounted troops can be:
!"#$%T&' of any breed or crew compliment.
(%)*#T&' including medie+al or %orman ,nights' cataphracts' and all other horsemen who charge without
shooting' such as Macedonian companions' &armatians or *oths.
-$.$!/0' including all armoured ca+alry primarily armed with 1a+elins' such as *ree,s' "ersians and
/omans' or with bow or bow and lance' such as &assanid clibanarii or 2y3antines' but also willing to follow up
and fight hand to hand.
-#$/)4T&' regardless of the number of horses or crew or whether fitted with scythes.
!)*#T &()/M)&#)%* #4/&' including all horsemen who s,irmish in dispersed swarms with 1a+elin or
bow and are reluctant to charge unsha,en enemy' such as %umidians' "arthian horse archers' #uns' !ate
/oman 5)llyrians5 or quites &agitarii.
6oot can be:
")(M%' armed with long pi,es or thrusting spears held in two hands' such as Macedonians' !owlands
&cots' 6lemish or &wiss.
&74/8&M%' primarily s,illed in fencing with swords or other edged weapons' such as !egionaries of any
period' huscarls' galloglaich' dismounted ,nights or &amurai.
&"$/M%' including all other close formed infantry fighting in a rigid line of shields with spears held in
one hand' such as hoplites' -athaginian $fricans' 2y3antines s,utatoi or 6yrmen.
$9:)!)$' including all close fighting infantry more mobile than those abo+e and with less cohesion' such as
peltasts' thureophoroi' &panish scutarii' arly or !ate )mperial /oman au;ilia' <apanese ashigaru' 7elsh
spearmen or )rish bonnachts.
"&)!4)' including all s,irmishers on foot with 1a+elin or sling' and all foot archers and crossbowmen' whether
regular or irregular.
7$/2$%8' including all wild irregulars relying on impetus rather than s,ill or missiles' such as *alatians'
*auls' *ermans' 8acians or .i,ing 2ondi.
BAD GOING
$n element is in bad going if in a wood' on rough or boggy ground or on a steep slope' but not if in as ri+er or a gentle
slope.
THE RULES
SET-UP
ach army has 1= 15mm elements' 1 of which0. includes its general' and a camp. "layers dice for ends of a =>;=>5
playing board of ground scale 15?50p' then to deploy 1st within 300p of base edge and mo+e 1st. $ll dicing in+ol+es a
singles 8@' but with 1 counting as 0.
SEQUENCE OF PLAY
The two sides ta,e alternati+e bounds. 8uring each sides bound: )t dices' and ma,es tactical mo+es with up to that
number of elements or groups.
$ny elements of both sides in contact with the enemy fight and ma,e outcome mo+es' in an order decided by the player
whose bound it is.
TACTICAL MOVES
$ tactical mo+e can be by single element or by a group of elements. $ll elements mo+ing as a group must be touching
another of its elements at the start of the mo+e. ach must first mo+e parallel to' or follow the first of them those mo+es'
and mo+e the same distance or wheel the same angle. *roups cannot retire. &ingle elements can. %o element can mo+e
further than:
=50p if light s,irmishing horse.
=00p if ca+alry or chariots.
150p if au;ilia' psiloi or ,nights Aincluding cataphracts and companionsB.
100p if swordsmen' spearmen' pi,emen' elephants or warband' or mounted in bad going.
$ groupCs mo+e can include reducing but not increasing its frontage. The first element of each group to try and cross a
ri+er must halt and dice ne;t bound. $ score of > or more is needed to cross that bound. The others follow it across.
"siloi can pass through any friends' or mounted through friendly psiloi not in contact.
COMBAT
This happens when an element has mo+ed into contact with an enemy element' or when one is still touching an enemy
ne;t bound. Missile combat is not distinguished from handDtoDhand combat. $n element not already in combat must
turn to face without this counting as a mo+e.
ach player dices for his element' and adds its combat factor as follows:
lephantsE F> + foot' F5 + mounted.
&wordsmenE F5 + foot' F3 + mounted.
&pearmenE F>.
(nights or pi,emenE F3 + foot' F> + mounted.
-a+alry' chariots' au;ilia or warbandE F3.
!ight horse or psiloiE F=.
lements' which o+erlap or contact a flan,' count only as a tactical factor.
"i,emen add F3 or spearmen F1' if an identical element is contiguous behind.
&wordsmen or spearmen add F1 if fighting mounted troops and psiloi are contiguous behind.
$dd to or subtract from scores for each of the following tactical factors that applies:
F= of foot defending a ri+er ban,' or if the garrison of the camp.
F1 if uphill' or if the element includes the general.
D1 for each flan, o+erlapped' and/or each enemy element in contact with flan, or rear.
D= if any in bad going e;cept au;ilia or psiloi.
COMBAT OUTCOME
$n element with less than half or half the total of any opponent must ma,e an immediate outcome mo+e' which
depends on its own type and that of the most dangerous opponent in contact.
)f its total is less than that of the enemy but more than half:
lephantsE destroyed by psiloi' or if in bad going. )f not' halt.
-hariotsE 8estroyed by foot' or if in bad going. )f not recoil one elementCs depth A>0mmB.
4ther mountedE 8estroyed if in bad going. )f not recoil one elementCs depth A30mmB.
"siloiE /ecoil one elementCs depth A=0mmB.
7arbandE 8estroyed by elephants' ,nights or chariots. )f not' recoil one elementCs depth A=0mmB.
4ther footE 8estroyed by ,nights' chariots or warband. #alted by psiloi or light s,irmishing horse. )f not' recoil
one elementCs depth.
)f its total is half that of the enemy:
!ight horseE 8estroyed by mounted' or if in bad going. 4therwise flee 300p.
"siloiE 8estroyed by mounted' au;ilia or psiloi. 4therwise flee =00p.
4ther troopsE 8estroyed.
WINNING AND LOSING
The first side to lose its general or at the end of a bound has lost > elements and more than the enemy' loses the game. $
camp still occupied by enemy counts as = lost elements.