Post by jim1973 on Jan 9, 2023 12:00:04 GMT
I was reading about the Battle of Himera (480 BC) Wiki as I'm working on a campaign to cover The Sicilian Wars and it got me thinking about cities in DBA. Now it seems that the city rules are not well loved in their current form by most players. But when I read about this battle and I can see why PB wanted cities in the rules to cover situations like Theron sallying forth at the critical moment to flank the Carthaginians. Now this is possible with the current rules but it doesn't seem to work. So here are some alternative ideas as a first draft:
1) Modelling: Don't model the complete city but just a portion of the city wall and one gate. It can be rectangular
2) Placement: City must be placed against the battlefield edge and project no more than two BW into the battlefield
3) Size: Between 1 and 2 BW deep and between 3 and 4 BW long (so it's at least as big as the biggest camp).
4) Garrison: Up to three elements are reserved as garrison troops and are kept off the board (or placed in the city). These can be an allied contingent. If not, the troops are selected from the home army list as if they were an allied contingent (city defenders won't be dregs but higher level troops). WWg and elephants are not allowed. If artillery chosen, it's combat factor is reduced as if it were in a fort.
5) Game rules: The city cannot be assaulted by the invader whilst it's garrisoned. (If they could they would've already done it before the relief force arrived). To sally forth, the defender must pay 6 PIPs (this simulates poor communication and a reticence to leave the safety of the walls) to place the garrison as a legal group touching the city base within half a base width from the gate. They can be placed within enemy TZ and in legal edge to edge contact. Once the garrison sallies forth, the invader can enter the city via the gate. It sacks the city as per the current rules. This counts as 3 element equivalent loss for the defender (after all that's why you're fighting the battle in the first place). No government change/denizens/puppet regime etc.
Please let me know your thoughts. Is it too powerful and will be used in every battle to flank the enemy? Is 6 PIPs too expensive? Should you be able to place it on a Waterway or does this cramp the field too much? Any other feedback welcome!
Cheers
Jim
1) Modelling: Don't model the complete city but just a portion of the city wall and one gate. It can be rectangular
2) Placement: City must be placed against the battlefield edge and project no more than two BW into the battlefield
3) Size: Between 1 and 2 BW deep and between 3 and 4 BW long (so it's at least as big as the biggest camp).
4) Garrison: Up to three elements are reserved as garrison troops and are kept off the board (or placed in the city). These can be an allied contingent. If not, the troops are selected from the home army list as if they were an allied contingent (city defenders won't be dregs but higher level troops). WWg and elephants are not allowed. If artillery chosen, it's combat factor is reduced as if it were in a fort.
5) Game rules: The city cannot be assaulted by the invader whilst it's garrisoned. (If they could they would've already done it before the relief force arrived). To sally forth, the defender must pay 6 PIPs (this simulates poor communication and a reticence to leave the safety of the walls) to place the garrison as a legal group touching the city base within half a base width from the gate. They can be placed within enemy TZ and in legal edge to edge contact. Once the garrison sallies forth, the invader can enter the city via the gate. It sacks the city as per the current rules. This counts as 3 element equivalent loss for the defender (after all that's why you're fighting the battle in the first place). No government change/denizens/puppet regime etc.
Please let me know your thoughts. Is it too powerful and will be used in every battle to flank the enemy? Is 6 PIPs too expensive? Should you be able to place it on a Waterway or does this cramp the field too much? Any other feedback welcome!
Cheers
Jim
