DBA - We're Lovin' It!

Very pleased to have got into this gaming system. If it wasn't for DBA, I wouldn't be getting any wargaming in at all.

My buddy Paul and I have got into something of a routine. Paul will pop over for a couple of hours, we'll set up a game, play it, then reverse forces for a second game. Then it takes me about 10 minutes to pack up. Simples! Our limited free time has hardly been dented but we have enjoyed an absorbing and enjoyable game with real toy soldiers. 

A couple of photos from our latest session below. I am experimenting with a bit of railway scenic background that I bought a while back. Forgive the quality - these are just quick snaps.

My Ancient British warband waits on the hill in the foreground. As the legionaries inched closer, they couldn't resist a downhill charge, but it didn't come off. Too many elements lost, and victory for the Romans. 

Second game. Now I was the Romans. Waiting for a favourable turn, I charged uphill into the enemy warband, this time with even worse results than my last attack. I thought stacking my auxiliaries in column near the river, ready to pounce across the bridge, was dead clever, but casualties amongst the legionaries lost me the game anyway.

I find I'm getting back into felt scenery these days. It sticks so well to TSS tiles and is very flexible and cheap. I don't think it looks too bad either. The felt bases for woods are essential in DBA, as the wooded area needs to be clearly defined. In my SYW and Polish games, I find I am deploying my felt roads almost all the time now. The fancy rubber roads I bought a while back tend to stay in storage.

If you're thinking of moving into felt terrain pieces, these guys have an extensive range and provide good service:

The Wool Felt Company

I find the 30% blend the best for wargaming uses. Less fluffy. Happy felting!

Free And Online!

Just a heads up for the latest issue of Warning Order (no.35), which is now available online. A thoroughly interesting issue, I hope you'll agree. Please spread the word - wider recognition of this long-standing project is needed for it to continue and (hopefully) grow and develop.

And by the way, those DBA armies arrived in the post, and were just as nice in real life as in the photos (see post below). A real treat to unpack them and set them out. Very little damage enroute - just some straightening of javelins required. There was even time to squeeze in a first game with my old friend Paul, between the various weekend jobs that always crop up. A tantalising glimpse was obtained of the tactical options that will need to be considered in future games. DBA appears to be a small game with a big playabilty factor. Assuming playability is actually a word.

DBA - Coming To A Blog Near You...

1. A Long-Expected Email

Today the very lovely Neil Parsons of Mount and Blade sent me an email announcing my DBA armies were ready. He included photos so I could confirm I was happy with his efforts (which I was). Now I only have to wait a few days for delivery, but here's what I'm getting:

Early Imperial Romans (II/56 from the army lists). I'm particularly loving those blue auxiliaries.
The figures in the background on a temporary card base are to man my camp (see below).

Ancient British (II/53 from the lists). A general in a chariot - what more do you want?

Total cost for both armies, including 15mm figures from Essex Miniatures, painting, basing and all postage, £127.26. Which is a pretty good deal as far as I'm concerned. Neil charges 52p to paint a foot figure, and 92p to paint a cavalry figure. I think the photos speak for themselves - the standard is excellent and I hope to be using Mount and Blade again.

2. Camping It Up

Deciding I should do at least some work towards my new period, I have put together the required 2 camps. For the Romans a good old marching camp seemed to be the best bet. Now of course, a bit of Polyfilla and some cocktail sticks can produce you one for practically no cost if you want to spend the time. Predictably, I quickly started looking for commercially produced models. My favourite was a nice little product from Long Range Logisics. This was inexpensive and had the right proportions - 100mm x 60mm is my favoured size as it allows a Light Horse element to be easily accommodated. Unfortunately the purchase process informed me the item was a Special Order and wasn't currently available. Two emails to LRL produced no reply. Sale lost. LRL derive their name from being located in Thailand. Delivery times can be lengthy by current standards, but they have an interesting range of products. I hope you have more luck with them than I did if you deal with them.

Turning to the obvious alternative of Baueda, I quickly found their own Roman Marching Camp, which was unfortunately 40mm x 120mm, but looked fine. To cut a long story short it was purchased, assembled and painted, with the result shown below:

The log barrier is left loose to give more flexibility should the camp come under attack - its removal allows a Light Horse element to occupy the camp snugly. The model is about twice the cost of the LRL one, and comes as a kit of 9 parts. A good bit of sanding and filing is required to get a reasonable fit of parts, which I feel should not really be needed with state of the art production techniques. Nevertheless I am quite satisfied with the result.

Baueda had the right models for my Ancient British camp as well. I purchased a Thatched Straw Hut along with a Camp Cooking set. The hut might be a bit late in period, and I had to scratch off the medieval shield resting against its side, but the result is again pleasing enough. In this case the models were cast to a very good standard. I based the assembled bits and pieces on a 100mm x 60mm rectangle of mounting board.

The group of sacks and pots in the foreground are loose.
Removing them creates a space for occupying elements, enemy or friendly.

So now I await the arrival of the figures through the post, following which gaming will commence. I'll be sure to keep you informed.

I Don't Believe It!

Who'd have thought it possible. The wargamer who's 'perfectly happy with two periods' has started a new period! Butterfly wargamers of the world unite! And furthermore, the time from inspiration to first game was five days. Cost? Zero. Is this a record?

Well, no, to be honest. This has been brewing for a long time. I've been looking for an alternative wargaming experience that gave me a genuine miniatures game, but with a quick set up that didn't involve lots of scenery, scenario development and rearranging the dining room. You know how it is sometimes - middle of the week, back from work, rush that early tea then usher family out of 'gaming room'. Maybe an hour or more to get the terrain how you want it and the figures and scenario paperwork prepared. By the time everything is ready, you just want a rest. And the whole lot has to be put away once the game is over, before you can retire to bed. It's all a bit too much like hard work.

So I've been looking for a 'dining table game', for those occasions when I just can't be assed. My acquisition of the 'Bridge Too Far' boardgame was a move in this direction - a game I continue to enjoy, but it's not toy soldiers. Of course, some of you will be thinking that small scale figures (6mm or even less) are the answer - a full battle on a 4' x 3' board. Get thee behind me Satan! These days I need proper size toy soldiers to scratch that itch - perhaps it's my failing eyesight. To cut a long story short, DBA became my favoured solution.

The cynical amongst you will probably blame my enforced sojourn at home, due to an arm broken whilst skiing. I can only reply that you're probably right - reading about and reflecting on wargaming has filled much of my time over the last week and a half. So, staring at that dining table and considering the options, the decision was made. What finally swung it was the prospect of expansion into 'Big Battle DBA', where you use 3 x 12 element DBA armies on each side, on a 4' x 2' battlefield. A real wargames battle could take place on any kitchen or dining room table. My own dining table measures 5' x 2.5', and with a Games Workshop battlemat thrown over it would form a battlefield just a bit bigger, to allow for more manoeuvre. So this was a rules choice with a future.

I already had the DBA rulebook (v2.2), purchased a couple of years ago when similar thoughts were brewing. I chose the normal 15mm size of troops. My Polish WW2 wargaming in 15mm and my previous flirtation with DBR (see below) would provide me with all the terrain I needed (which isn't much for DBA). Choice of period was between Rome vs Carthage, or Rome vs Ancient Britons. For me, ancient wargaming always had to include the Romans. Eventually the Ancient Britons won out - the choice would give me two contrasting but equally capable armies. And I think I had fond childhood memories of the Airfix figures in my mind as well.

Of course, I wasn't intending to paint my own armies. My goodness no. There's still lots to do for my other two periods. The internet led me to a UK painting service with a high standard and prices comparable to those charged by asian-based companies, namely Mount and Blade. A commission has been agreed, and it looks like my two armies will be around £65 a piece, all in. But I will have to wait until July for delivery. With time on my hands, the Fanaticus DBA resource site led me to some printable paper armies which I could mount on card and which would allow me to get going with some games. The left arm was just about serviceable enough to allow some sticking and cutting to take place.

And so, within a week from deciding I would add DBA to my wargaming world, my old buddy Paul was round for a game or two.

Paul deploys his Romans

Now I'm not going to pretend that cardboard counters fill the shoes of real toy soldiers - they're fiddly to move and position, and much more importantly the visual appeal just isn't there. But two very enjoyable games were had, and the counters are better than nothing. I really do like DBA. DBM and DBR can be a little complex, but DBA v2.2 retains the simplicity of the original. The battle rules cover just 4 pages of a small booklet. It's a shame you have to get past the famous 'Barkerese' to access this delightful and unique game, but careful reading usually does the trick. The 'Unofficial Guide to DBA' is invaluable in helping you through.

I've Been Here Before

As already mentioned, the world of DBx is not entirely new to me. Around 2006-2007 I owned French and Spanish Imperial armies for the Italian Wars. I was lucky enough to hook up with a very experienced DBM player and we had some excellent games, although my opponent's guidance was vital in keeping things flowing. In the end, however, they became an 'army too far', and were sold off.

Blog posts need photos, so here are a few images of the armies taken before their sale on eBay. Not painted by me, of course - another pro job.

Italian Wars French Army

Gendarmes and generals

Spanish Imperial commanding general

Spanish pikes

Don't expect to hear too much more under the DBA label until the figures arrive. Blow by blow accounts of DBA battles with counters would be of limited interest, I reckon. But rest assured I will be filling some pleasant hours battling away on my 2' x 2' tile.