A nice DBA Sunday morning

Today Michele and I played a DBA game before he left for holidays in Southern Italy. Just to stay on the topic, we had on board Nikephorian Byzantines vs East Frankish, so probably our battle could have taken place in Southern Italy too.

He chose to deploy 4 elements of 8 Bw and the double element 6 Kn. My only choice was about 7 Hd and Ps, and I mixed deploying one of each.

The initial situation. Terrain features are an hamlet near the centre of the board, a plough (which we eventually took of because we throw 2 on the first PIP) and a wood

The main battle begun on my right side, because Michele chose to advance with his Cv elements and I went on confronting them with my Kn. On the centre we carefully moved on ready to fight (my men feared the dreadful arrows of Byz 8 Bw

The two cavalry fronts made contact and started a long fight which went on for a couple of turns. Even if Kn are stronger than Cv vs mounted elements, Byz fought very well, using the Ps element in the hamlet to close the door on the enemy. Eventually I two Kn and Michele two Cv

The end of the match! Throwing away every caution (by his own admission) Michele charged with the 6 Kn, exposing himself to my Gen closing the door on him. I just wiped out his Ps on my right flank with an element of Kn in GG. The game ends 5-2 for me.

A Tale of Dark Age in Southern Italy #3

Third and last DBA game played by me and Frontlineminiaturist on a Saturday afternoon. Since now, 1-1 Byz to Lon, but there shall be only one winner at the end.

For a catch up: first game here, second game here.

NB: we took better pics for this game, clearly a sign of improvement, so we can actually track everything happened.

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Army lists 📜

III/21b Italian Lombard, Lombard Army 775-1076 AD

1 x 3Kn (Gen), 4 x 3Kn, 4 x Sp, 1 x 3Bw, 2 x Ps

III/65 Nikephorian Byzantine 963-1042 AD

1 x Cv (Gen), 1 x 4Bd, 4 x Cv, 1 x LH, 3 x 8Bw, 1 x Ps, 1 x 3Ax

Terrain & Deployment 🌳

Lon defends. Frontlineminiaturist chooses a BUA this time, a simple hamlet which goes right next his camp. Terrain is concentrated on the attacker side, with a plough, a gentle hill on Byz left flank and a difficult hill on the right.

Defender deploys as usual: Kn in the centre, Sp on his left, Ps on the right. Objectively, we tried three similar formations in this games, but every time they resulted in something different: how awesome.

Attacker sets his light troops on the difficult hill, and tempts fate with the plough by placing Cv right behind it. In the centre, the 8Bw line with 4Bd reinforcing on left flank.

Battle! 🎲

The plough is ok, so Byz can advance with the entire army. LH moves forward to strengthen the infantry line. Lon is worried about the bulk of Byz Cv in front of his Ps, so turns the Kn group towards the enemy flank.

Second turn we still maneuver on the battlefield: Lon go forward with everything but the Sp (damned low PIP's), and Byz send the Cv on the left flank, reinforced by the Gen, while on the right the light foot and an incoming Cv direct on the enemy camp. 

First contact! The hard Kn line impacts on the enemy with rage and lances in rest. Near the hamlet, the Sp finally turns towards the approaching enemy.

First blood for the Lon: Byz Varangian Guard (4Bd) surrenders under the violent blows of the Lombard Knights.

Byz reaction: 8Bw and Gen in the centre close the door on the killer Kn; Cv charges the poor Ps in good going; the other Cv unites with the light troops.

Revenge! Both Lon Kn and Ps are killed. Byz 2 - Lon 1. The Kn, however, pursue against Byz horses: this moves, typical of Knights formation, can be really tough.

For the first time in these three games, Lon Sp actually do something: they attack the Byz formation near the hamlet with a wall of spikes and fury.

And in fact Byz Cv flees from combat. Lon Kn press the enemy almost on the gentle hill.

Game changing turn for the Byz: Cv and Gen closes the door on the rear rank of enemy Kn, and the last Cv charges the Ps in good going. Are we near to victory?

Hooray! Byz 4 - Lon 1 with this nice die rolls. Here ends the last game.

So, the day ends Byz 2 - Lon 1. We had lots of fun, and we hope to play again soon with these armies and their new Frankish friends. More on this later, but my mate and me have new minis on our workbench, perfect to match Byz and Lon. The only possible outcome is a narrative campaign in IXth century Southern Italy...

A Tale of Dark Ages in Southern Italy #2

Second DBA game played by me and Frontlineminiaturist on a Saturday afternoon. After my Byz victory in the first game, his Lon take another shot.

You can find the first game here.

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Army lists 📜

III/21b Italian Lombard, Lombard Army 775-1076 AD

1 x 3Kn (Gen), 4 x 3Kn, 4 x Sp, 1 x 3Bw, 2 x Ps

III/65 Nikephorian Byzantine 963-1042 AD

1 x Cv (Gen), 1 x 4Bd, 4 x Cv, 1 x LH, 3 x 8Bw, 1 x Ps, 1 x 3Ax

Terrain & Deployment 🌳

Lon defends. They chose two Ploughs, however the dice roll states that all the terrain concentrates on one side of the battlefield.

I change my deployment and prefer a big group in the centre, with 8Bw creating a line with 4Bd; 3Ax, Cv and LH on the left and only Cv on the right. Ps cover the right flank of the group formation.

The damn ploughs are for the second time a bet for the Lon, but Frontlineminiaturist chooses a deployment similar to the first battle: Sp on his left flank, Ps on his right, strong Kn group in the centre.

Battle! 🎲

First turn sees the two armies advance one towards another. This time the ploughs are good going, so Lon can go forward without any problem.

8Bw shoot and kill one Kn element. Sometimes bows are effective!

Knights' charge! Lon try to break through the Byz line.

Byz react by closing the doors on the left with Cv and in the centre with Ps on the Lon General! Cv on the right charges the 3Bw element in the field, but they underestimate them...

In fact, both Cv on the Byz flanks are killed! The closed door on the General, however, results in the losing of the Lon warlord. Score: Byz 3 - Lon 2

Lon assault the isolated 3Ax near the plough on their right flank

And they kill it! Tie, 3-3. The Lon Kn is still pressing the Byz LH

Last photo: Byz charge on every front. Will they succeed?

Unfortunately, not: some bad dies result in recoil in both fronts, Byz of the right (damn!) and Lon in the centre. In the last turn, Frontlineminiaturist's ardent Kn will finally kill the Byz LH, closing the game Byz 3 - Lon 4. One game each. See you next time, filthy Lombard...

A Tale of Dark Ages in Southern Italy #1

Yesterday afternoon me and my pard Frontlineminiaturist played three DBA games in a row with his stunning armies of Italian Lombard and Nikephorian Byzantine.

Early in 2021 we beta-tested a little campaign with the same armies, in which I tried to defend my Lombard territories in Southern Italy from the Byzantine invasion of Frontlineminiaturist's imperial forces. It was not bad, but we want to refine the rules before playing again, and maybe add the new 15mm armies we bought along the way.

This time, we played some casual battles just for fun and to see what happened if we swapped the armies: so, I took the Byz and he took the Lon. Cool minis, cool games. Who will win in the end?

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Army lists 📜

III/21b Italian Lombard, Lombard Army 775-1076 AD

1 x 3Kn (Gen), 4 x 3Kn, 4 x Sp, 1 x 3Bw, 2 x Ps

III/65 Nikephorian Byzantine 963-1042 AD

1 x Cv (Gen), 1 x 4Bd, 4 x Cv, 1 x LH, 3 x 8Bw, 1 x Ps, 1 x 3Ax

Terrain & Deployment 🌳

Byz defends. I'm in Arable terrain, so we chose 2 compulsory Ploughs, a Forest and a Road. We wanted to place a Gentle Hill but we miscast the dice and there was no room for it.

I deploy near to the road, with 4Bd on the centre surrounded by 8Bw. My Cv follows on the left flank, and light troops controls the forest on the right.

Lon take a risk by deploying inside the ploughs, with Sp on my right, Ps on my left and Kn in the centre. Both our Generals are in the backline of the army.

Lombard Knights are a frightening view!

Lombard Spears and 3Bw

The Byz line

The Byzantine General oversees his troops from behind

Battle! 🎲

First dice is 1! Poor Lon: the ploughs are considered bad going

8Bw advancing

The Byz army advances everywhere, and the Lon send the Knights forward while the Spears trudge in the fields.

First contact is made by Lon Kn. Byz 8Bw on the right throw arrows at the enemies and consolidate their position

First blood of the game is for the Lon! Byz LH is wiped out

Lon charge the 8Bw, but Byz close the door on both Lon Kn on the left and Lon 3Bw on the right

No good for the Byz: both combats result in a recoil, and the 3Ax are killed. 8Bw however manage to disband some 3Kn.

Lon Knights close the door on the poor Byz Cv

Unfortunately this is the last photo we took for this game! We didn't register which elements went lost (yeah, we were not the most clever), but we remember a Byz victory in the end. So, 1-0 Byz to Lon for our first game!

DBA projects for 2021

During 2021, me and my pard Michele of @frontlineminiaturist have some projects in mind for DBA 3.0. We want to expand our collections and explore some historical periods we love, in different scales. We plan to buy some armies this year (not all the armies on the lists... at least not yet), but above all we plan to have some good decent games, hopefully. The following are the projects we desire to fulfill at some point for historical ancient/medieval wargaming.

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Magna Graecia

1/72 scale; VII-II century BC; southern-central Italy

Pic from me and Michele when we went to inspect the battlefield in person

This is our first idea: a collection of armies which represents the different peoples of ancient Italy during the centuries of Republican Rome (and maybe at some point earlier). We started thinking about the First Punic War, especially the battles fought between Roman and Greeks in Sicily and peninsular Italy, then we included even the Etruscans and the Latin people, and obviously Gallic tribes in Italy. We still haven't bought the Carthaginians, but we're planning to do it soon. 1/72 scale was our first choice (I had some old miniatures since I was a kid), although during this first year of playing DBA we discovered that we mostly prefer other scales. However, 1/72 minis are very cheap and nice sculpted, so we're keep going (at least until we finish this project).

Armies (the ones we haven't buy yet are marked with *)

I/14c European Iron Age Army

I/30 Dark Age & Geometric Greek

I/33 Villanovan Italian

I/36 Italian Hill Tribes

I/52i Early Hoplite Italiot or Siciliot Army

I/55 Latin, Early Roman, Early Etruscan & Umbrian

I/57 Etruscan League

I/59 Tullian Roman

I/61 Early Carthaginian*

II/5g Later Hoplite Italiot Army

II/5h Later Hoplite Siciliot Army

II/8 Campanian, Apulian, Lucanian & Bruttian

II/9 Syracusan

II/10 Camillan Roman

II/11 Gallic

II/27 Pyrrhic*

II/32 Later Carthaginian*
II/33 Polybian Roman

PS: this idea was our first shot at DBA, so we tried to field most armies we can with least minis, i.e. for Italic people we use the same elements deployed as this or that army.

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The Empire strikes back

15mm scale; IX-XI century; southern Italy

This project expresses our shared passion for Dark Ages, and for Michele this period is also the major part of his professional interest, which focus on the Byzantine Empire. From IX to XI century, the Byzantines tried to strike back in Italy to maintain their territories against the Lombards, and later the Muslims and the Normans. We started thinking to this four armies, but maybe we will expand in the future. 15mm are the standard for DBA: we tried it and we liked it.

Armies (the ones we haven't buy yet are marked with *)

III/21b Italian Lombard
III/33 Early Muslim North Africa & Sicily*
III/52 West Frankish & Norman*
III/53 East Frankish*
III/65 Nikephorian Byzantine

Everyone knows that the Byzantines need to be purple to win

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Shadows of Rome

15mm scale; V century; Britannia

Mostly inspired by Balagan's wonderful ideas, we want to penetrate the mystic land of Arthurian Britannia, to taste the legend which feeds this ancient stories. This is a project we plan for Summer 2021, and we want to buy two armies at a time, one for each player, and paint it in the same amount of time like a competition, beat our heads off on the battlefield and then buy other two armies. We want to reach a combined total of six armies in the future.

The look of someone who wants to see where it goes

Armies (the ones we haven't got yet are marked with *)

II/81a Armies of the Dux Brit, the Com Lit Sax, Britannia Prima, Ambriosus, Riothamus or Arthur*
II/81b Vortigern's Army*

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I century BC

10mm scale; I century BC; Rome

Me thinking about a cool name for this project

The last one is a personal project of mine, because I love 10mm miniatures and Michele like to play with them, but not to paint them (he will change his mind). I haven't thought of a name yet, but this period is probably my favourite of ancient history, a really difficult period for the Roman Republic: civil wars, barbarians, revolts... everything a wargamer loves. Since we started I bought three armies, and I put on the list everything I want to have one day (no rush).

Armies (the ones we haven't buy yet are marked with *)

II/11 Gallic

II/19d Seleucid Army*

II/20c-d Ptolemaic Army*

II/37 Parthian*

II/39a Iberian Army

II/39b Celtiberian Army

II/45c Spartacus' Army in southern Italy*

II/47a Armies of the Cimbri or Teutones*

II/48 Mithridatic*

II/49 Marian Roman (ne servono due per fare le guerre civili!)*

II/51 Late Judaean*

II/53 Ancient British*

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A lot of projects. We're going to be safe for some time with planning, as a matter of fact.