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Post by Cromwell on Jul 24, 2023 19:22:28 GMT
I have been lucky enough to purchase Republican Roman and Carthaginian armies on eBay. Beautifully painted in 6mm each in its own wooden box. Each army has enough elements to make up all options for BBDBA.
So far I have played one BBDBA game which was great, looked good and played well.
Question. I noticed that the commands facing each other tended to face off to each other so in effect you had three mini DBA games going on, only towards the end did the flank commands of the victorious side (Roman) turn in towards the flanks.
My reading suggests that this was the case in many ancient and medieval battles and it was certainly the case in the English Civil Wars. Much of this must have been due to limited communication between commands as well as troop discipline.
Are my assumptions correct on this.
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Post by vodnik on Jul 24, 2023 21:37:17 GMT
...the command groups do not have to be of the same size. The attacking group should be superior to the opponent. The opponent must not take the initiative, but only be allowed to react. To do this, the commander must position his troops according to the terrain...
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Post by carll on Sept 19, 2023 10:56:13 GMT
Cromwell, I think your "assumption" works well for a lot of battles, and probably reflects difficulties of command and control and the adage of keeping your forces concentrated rather than spread out in smaller 'pockets' that can be easily defeated if caught alone by bigger force.
As long ago as Sun Tzu writing on strategy and tactics it was recognised that a small concealed force appearing at the right time in the rear or on the flank of an enemy could wreak havoc, but I guess that required it to be under command of an able tactician who recognised the best time to attack. Too soon and surprise is lost, too late and the battle is lost already!
Various rules try to reproduce this like dBm / dbmm with off table flank marches or likes of Armati with on table varying the number of command groups that are available to the on table CinC and allowing terrain to hide from view units within or behind the terrain.
In DBA big battle its possible as Vodnik notes to vary size of each command. I suppose in some games the terrain might also create choke points on an army's flank that could be "defended" by a small number of static or out of command (distance) elements while the active pip throwing generals are spread elsewhere creating an imbalance or superiority of command and control (if not numbers of elements) on other flank?
CarlL
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Post by Baldie on Sept 19, 2023 15:05:23 GMT
Cromwell, I think your "assumption" works well for a lot of battles, and probably reflects difficulties of command and control and the adage of keeping your forces concentrated rather than spread out in smaller 'pockets' that can be easily defeated if caught alone by bigger force. As long ago as Sun Tzu writing on strategy and tactics it was recognised that a small concealed force appearing at the right time in the rear or on the flank of an enemy could wreak havoc, but I guess that required it to be under command of an able tactician who recognised the best time to attack. Too soon and surprise is lost, too late and the battle is lost already! Various rules try to reproduce this like dBm / dbmm with off table flank marches or likes of Armati with on table varying the number of command groups that are available to the on table CinC and allowing terrain to hide from view units within or behind the terrain. In DBA big battle its possible as Vodnik notes to vary size of each command. I suppose in some games the terrain might also create choke points on an army's flank that could be "defended" by a small number of static or out of command (distance) elements while the active pip throwing generals are spread elsewhere creating an imbalance or superiority of command and control (if not numbers of elements) on other flank? CarlL Have played some great game of 8 a side Bolt Action, all dice in the bag and draw three at a time. If two of the three dice were German they went first or tother way round if two of the three were Soviet. The supreme German commander and his fellow commanders could discuss what to do with the five. The Soviets could not discuss so whichever Doviet players dice came out they had to decide on their own best course of action. To add to the chaos we sometimes drop a white dice of doom in the bag and if it comes out the turn ends and all dice back in. I really enjoy the chaos of random activations and turn overs but some of the gang prefer to know their battle plan will be followed. |
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Post by carll on Sept 19, 2023 21:40:19 GMT
Fun Baldie, even if in age of telephone line for Russians and radios for Germans!!
CarlL
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Post by Baldie on Sept 20, 2023 7:15:03 GMT
Fun Baldie, even if in age of telephone line for Russians and radios for Germans!p! CarlL It is indeed great fun, we did also do a 6 player Stalingrad game on a 7x8 board again using BA. We had six sewers you could go down roll well you came up where you wanted, average and it was a bit delayed and poor roll you came up a random sewer. Hilarity ensued as for a couple of turns the majority of the close combat action was in a 2x2 area. One veteran German squad entered a sewer on turn 1 got lost for 4 turns and then came back up randomly at same sewer opening they went down. This may explain their veteran status, what did you do in the war grandad? Survived it lad. |
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Post by Cromwell on Nov 2, 2023 8:37:57 GMT
Fun Baldie, even if in age of telephone line for Russians and radios for Germans!! CarlL Mmm! I remember back in the 1990's when in the Police Service, here on Earth a man could talk to a man in space but, it was, apparent to your average Bobby that it was beyond the wit of man to be able to develop a communication device which enabled us to speak to a colleague a mile away. Conversations were usually along the lines of... "Lima10 do you receive?" Crackle fizz crackle " This is Lima FIZZ did FIZZ call CRACKLE over?" "If that's Lima 10, you sound like your heads in a bucket, suggest move position, over" "FIZZ Lima CRACKLE, is FIZZ that any CRACKLE over" "Not Really Lima 10 but keep a look out for a Red Ford Escort VRM S123ABC, Copy?" Lima 1 FIZZ, say again you CRACKLE broke up, Something about FIZZ Ford Escort, CRACKLE?" "Yes Lima 10 Ford Escort red S123ABC needs to be stopped, over" "Oh! It went Past about CRACKLE 1 min ago, over!" The cutting edge of crime fighting in the 1990's! |
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Post by Baldie on Nov 2, 2023 19:09:48 GMT
Communication issues, have certainly had them before.
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