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Post by doolan on Dec 27, 2023 22:42:16 GMT
Hello!
Long time DBA player and forum lurker, recently come back to the fold with DBA 3.0 and having a blast.
I had been itching to expand into other periods but I've found a somewhat confusing range of options (DBN and DBSYW and DBACW, Horse Foot & Guns, DBA-HX...) with varying levels of support and based on different versions of the standard rules. I was wondering if somebody here would be kind enough to give me a hand deciding. Here are the questions that come to mind:
- Is there an "official" variant for this? Horse Foot & Guns seems official enough, but I have no idea what sort of support or following it has nowadays.
- Do these variants use the standard 12-element system we all love from DBA? I think DBA-HX does, although the version I've read is from 2015 or so.
- Are all these versions based on the 3.0 rules? I'd like to introduce the new periods to my gaming group and I'd rather avoid the rules juggling.
- Would any of these extend back into the pike and shot era, or would I need a separate rule set for that?
- Finally, which of these is the most widely played around here?
Thanks a lot! I love the relative simplicity and quick play of DBA, and while I do play a bunch of other systems, I'd be very happy to have an as-close-to-DBA-as-possible rule set for other eras to fall back to for quick games.
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Post by timurilank on Dec 28, 2023 8:23:06 GMT
Doolan, Welcome to the Forum. I cannot speak for the other variants, but DBA-HX3, produced in 2015 is the latest version and is based on DBA3.0. The period covered has expanded to include wars of the mid-17th century. These are offered as a separate set with army lists. At the second blog, 18th Century Sojourn, you can read more. Follow the link to read a test campaign in Poland (1665). 18thcenturysojourn.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-campaign-in-poland-and-assessment.htmlRecent posts cover the construction of field fortifications for the period. Cheers,
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Post by vodnik on Dec 28, 2023 8:32:36 GMT
hy doolan ...first of all i cannot help you. You have to decide. But i can tell you my experience about gunpowder. DBA is that set of rules with 12 elements. But to feel a certain fog of war you need to use a big battle version with 3 commands or 36 elements. Try to find a copy of: DBA-HX 3.0 (1700 - 1850) from timurilank... ...my adaptation for 7YW is more than 20 years old that meens old DBA-rules. But it works also for napoleunic. But for later in the period of techical explosion you need any changes...
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Post by Simon on Dec 28, 2023 9:00:58 GMT
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Post by martin on Dec 28, 2023 9:05:39 GMT
doolan, whereabouts in the world are you (roughly)?
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Post by Baldie on Dec 28, 2023 9:59:43 GMT
DBN for me, it's a great system. Don't overlook the possibility of HoTT which is perfectly capable of being used as a historical rule set.
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Post by ilkleyoldschool on Dec 28, 2023 14:17:37 GMT
DBN for me as well. It is based on DBA2 and I use the attrition option for casualties.
DBN has 12 point army lists with some nice options. DBACW and DBSYW are based on DBN.
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Post by lkmjbc on Dec 28, 2023 16:05:46 GMT
Horse, Foot, & Guns is great for SYW and ACW. I don't like it for Napoleonics or post-Napoleonics. The distortion of unit and ground scale for artillery and the blandness of system don't appeal to me for the Napoleonic period. The combat results and outcomes don't work for me when used for FPW.
SYW and ACW work surprisingly well for a variety of reasons...
The game however is more akin to DBMM than DBA. It can be quite complex at times.
More simple alternatives such as DBN and DBACW may be in order.
I'm not particularly fond of either, but I will play them if offered.
Joe Collins
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Post by vodnik on Dec 28, 2023 17:58:05 GMT
...that is the problem with later periods ysou have to many facts and ideas an gamerd also personal ideas. But if you are a gemer with an other mothrt tongue there are also other problems. You have to find gemers understanding english and espesial the english of PB. Otherwise you have to translate that slang...
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Post by doolan on Dec 28, 2023 22:28:11 GMT
Hey, thanks a lot everybody! What a warm welcome
So far I'm really liking what I see about DBA-HX (thanks timurilank!) as it looks to be the closest to DBA 3.0, plus it sticks to 12 elements per side. By far our favourite aspects of DBA are how quickly it plays, how little space it requires, and how we don't need to get a second mortgage and take a sabbatical to get armies ready. It seems to offer just the right amount of well-documented chrome without bogging things down.
I think vodnik made an excellent point too – I normally face ancients rule sets with fewer preconceptions than other periods. That said, speaking for my group of friends, DBA and its variants have a very special place on our table in that they're what we'll play by default if we have forty minutes to kill. I really enjoy the somewhat unreal feeling of abstraction, as the battle could be a small skirmish or a decisive engagement, and it could be happening anywhere and nowhere. As seasoned wargamers, we enjoy details, strong narratives, historical discourse and painstakingly researched mechanics: it's just that there's plenty of rule sets that offer those in spades, and sometimes we just want something else.
Joe, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Horse, Foot & Guns, and specifically whether you think they'd work for the American War of Independence or the French & Indian War. How good is the edition currently available on Amazon? (that's 1.1 I think!). I had the impression that it never got much traction, but truth be told I'm not sure how the community feels about it.
DBN looks really interesting, but the little I've seen of it makes it seem like more of a time and space investment with a focus on larger, specific historical scenarios. Am I right to assume this?
Thanks again for being so helpful and welcoming. This looks like a great place to hang around for sure.
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Post by doolan on Dec 28, 2023 22:31:59 GMT
doolan, whereabouts in the world are you (roughly)? I'm in Spain! How about you?
I play mainly with my group of friends, and as we haven't really painted in a while, I designed a bunch of stickers for MDF bases (beautiful looking, if I do say so myself). You can just throw them in a coat pocket and even play at a pub. I've also drawn some terrain on Inkscape and printed it on cardboard for our last few sessions. We may be getting some of Peter Dennis' WoFun plexi minis to spice things up.
That said, we wouldn't mind playing with other people, if only to see all the rules we've been getting wrong in 3.0.
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Post by martin on Dec 28, 2023 22:45:28 GMT
doolan, whereabouts in the world are you (roughly)? I'm in Spain! How about you?
I play mainly with my group of friends, and as we haven't really painted in a while, I designed a bunch of stickers for MDF bases (beautiful looking, if I do say so myself). You can just throw them in a coat pocket and even play at a pub. I've also drawn some terrain on Inkscape and printed it on cardboard for our last few sessions. We may be getting some of Peter Dennis' WoFun plexi minis to spice things up.
That said, we wouldn't mind playing with other people, if only to see all the rules we've been getting wrong in 3.0.
Southern UK, meself… very resourceful, the ‘top down’ counters equivalent 👍🏼 First time I played outside of my close friends we suddenly found out ALL those rules we hadn’t read correctly!! Enjoy!
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Post by Baldie on Dec 29, 2023 6:33:10 GMT
Hi There, glad o see you are closing in on your preferred rule set.
DBN is points based so can play small, large or grand scale games.
The standard game is 12 points and most elements cost 1 point, .5 of a point if conscript type forces and 1.5 points for elite such as grenadier forces. So most armies would still be 12 elements.
That said most elements can take 2 hits, though you can kill elements in a single phase, so game can go on a little but most games will be 45 min ish.
As you have probably seen on YouTube you can really scale it up to s much larger game as well.
Hope you find your preferred set and get some games in the NY.
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Post by Baldie on Dec 29, 2023 6:36:24 GMT
Edit
There are lists for ACW as well I believe, see DBN website
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Post by vodnik on Dec 29, 2023 9:52:11 GMT
...Scottish troops under the St. Andrew's Cross... ...Scottish troops in British service... ...i like Gunpowder-armies but it is not so easy to find the proper uniforms. ...Scottish troops in British service... Russians did change after the Krimwar. But used white uniforms against the Turkmens...
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