For those who may have recognized the title of this particular post, rare as most of mine can be of late, this is going to be a discussion of DBA. De Bellis Antiquitatis (if questions start here or here) has been the game I most often have been able to play, though it's been close to a year since I've been able to crack it out of storage.
So it's time for DBV, the annual regional regional tourney hosted by the nice gentlemen at WADBAG (there's also a separate tourney until recently at Huzzah Hobbies but if it happened (likely) in May I missed it this year. Thankfully DBV was themed as Rome and Its Enemies, so the armies I own fit. I once again broke out my Patrician Romans (if you absolutely need an army on the cusp of extinction, 420AD to the fall), but swapping out the army mix from last time, going Eastern instead of western, Small Knight Core, instead of my past favoring of cavalry, Auxilia instead of Warbands (though I miss the hairy barbarians), and a little extra skirmisher line.
I'd averaged around 6th out of 10 most tourneys I'd participated in throughout the past, with Patricians and Scots-Irish taking the brunt of the punishment. The way I saw it, it was a day of rolling dice, and with a first child on the way, there wouldn't be many more of these available. I had low expectations for success, but with the crew I'd encountered in the past, I expected to have fun.
Dave K. was kind enough to host the event and Chris B shepherded us through with his management of the event, with gentlemen from their pre-teens to sixties, from well seasoned to first time players pushing lead under the panoply of the flags of Sienna. I should have kept better notes, but instead I focused on the game, forgetting photos until odd moments, and I'll add those as soon as I can get them transfered over.
As I recall, and writing this after the whirlwind of the last few days, there may be speed blurring:
Round One, Rob and his Goths. Though a gentleman, loaning me measuring sticks for the day, he didn't mess around and came thundering in. I spend the entire start trying to coordiate different battle groups in some messed up ballet. I had forgotten simple is beautiful for DBA, don't be smarter than the dice. While I was trying to find my pips, he was throttling some of my light horse who got a little too close to the action (a theme I found in my play of the day until the end. I was lucky enough with a few strong rolls to stabilize my line, and while his Knights attempted to break me on my left, my Auxilia charged forward and took the fight to the warbands. It came to the dice, and the dice favored me on this one and, in the end, I eaked out a 4-3 Win.
Round Two, David K and his Dacians. Admitedly I was a little apprehensive. I figured I had the force advantage, Knight and Blade vs. Warband, and the terrain opened up with a couple of lucky dice rolls, giving me a potential valley of death wide enough to run my cavalry through. However, once more light horse got too ambitious, charged deep into the Dacian rear, and got cut off. I salvaged a little, but far from enough, and was cut down in detail, never able to maintain concerted pressure and lost 4-2.
Round Three, I met with George, a first time player, who brought forth his Spanish. This game was more of a teaching game than anything else, and George was crushed on the right wing by a quick charge of the Auxilia to a quick 4-0 resolution.
Last round was Doug and his Nobades (Anti Roman Nubians as far as I can tell, Horse, Aux, Camels, and a bunch of Bow). I was on the clock (upcoming dinner reservations with the folks) and as a result I played quick. Before I knew it I had lost the terrain on the left to ambitious auxilia, which a single skirmisher unit struggled to control. Again though, the auxilia managed to charge forward to victory, encircling the Bow, and allowing enough distraction for my cavalry and some foot to wrap around the flanks of his center. Admitedly this came to fruition from a bunch of sixes, the strongest of all strategies, and I walked into a 5-1 victory.
It was fun, I'd have done it for twice as long given the chance, which I was not, but maybe come Fall in. There remains something to be said for a wargame that is setup, played, and broken down in less than an hour. DBA remains a favorite, and I actually feel like I learned a little this time out (beyond roll sixes). Thanks again to Team WADBAG.
