DBA Campaign – Steven's Balagan

Simple knock-out Arthurian DBA campaign (518-537 AD)

12 Jun 2021 by Steven Thomas

Simple Knock Out DBA Arthurian Campaign (518-537 AD)

IanH’s Simple knock-out DBA campaign (Skodbac) offers a really simple way to run a DBA campaign that will reach a conclusion really, really quickly.

So I have written yet another DBA Arthurian Campaign, but this time using the Skodbac concept. Like The Bear Exalted, this campaign is set in 518-537 AD, the most likely time period for a historical Arthur.

Being 518 AD, the Roman legions are long gone and the barbarians – Angles, Saxons, and Scots-Irish – are established on the soil of Britannia. The Picts remain troublesome neighbours, and the Gewissei are the enemy within. But the Romano-British kingdoms (Dumnonia, Powys, Hen Ogledd) and their Celtic people (Kymry), continue to fight back.

The Bear Exalted (518-537 AD) – DBA Arthurian Campaign

24 Apr 2021 by Steven Thomas

It is 518 AD. The Roman legions are long gone and the barbarians – Angles, Saxons, and Scots-Irish – are established on the soil of Britannia. The Picts remain troublesome neighbours, and the Gewissei are the enemy within. But the Celtic people (Kymry) of the Romano-British kingdoms continue to fight back.

I have written two DBA Arthurian Campaigns based on Martin Smith’s “Arthurian campaign” article in Slingshot (Smith, 2021), itself based on Kaptain Kobold’s solo HoTT campaign (Dux Bellorum). The first was The Legions Have Gone (420-439). This is the second campaign. It is called “The Bear Exalted” and is set in 518-537 AD, the most likely time period for a historical Arthur. The campaign name, “The Bear Exalted”, is based on the title Arthwyr, a possible, if dubious, old Welsh origin of the name Arthur.

The Legions have Gone (420-439 AD) – A DBA Arthurian Campaign

10 Apr 20213 Apr 2021 by Steven Thomas

The Legions Have Gone (420-439 AD) - DBA Arthurian Campaign

It is 420 AD. The Roman legions left 10 years ago and the barbarians are pounding at the doors. The Angles, Saxons, and Scots-Irish all want a piece of Britannia. The Picts and un-Romanised Welsh are also troublesome neighbours. But the Romano-British kingdoms are fighting back with a combination of ex-Roman troops and men fighting in native styles.

I have written two DBA Arthurian Campaigns based on Martin Smith’s “Arthurian campaign” article in Slingshot (Smith, 2021), itself based on Kaptain Kobold’s solo HoTT campaign (Dux Bellorum). This campaign is “The Legions have Gone” and is set in 420-439 AD. The campaign assumes Arthur existed, was early 5th century, and led Roman troops.

DBA Arthurian Campaign – What are my options?

23 May 202113 Mar 2021 by Steven Thomas

I like the Arthurian setting. I like Campaigns. I like DBA and HoTT Campaigns because they are relatively simple and quick. I’ve played a few games of Arthurian HoTT. I’ve run Britannia 600 AD as a HoTT campaign for six players, although it can be used for DBA. I like the idea of gritty dark age DBA games. A recent article by Martin Smith on his “Arthurian Campaign” for DBA got me thinking about campaigns in this period again. The question is, what to do? How can I improve on previous efforts? What does an even better Arthurian campaign look like? And what army lists to use?

The Camp – A DBA or HOTT Mini-Campaign

24 Oct 201721 Oct 2007 by Steven Thomas

I was browsing through some old wargaming magazines and found an article by Steve Burt called “The Siege of Antirhinum, an Ancients Mimi-Campaign”. It looked a good basis for a short campaign for two players. I’ve changed a few things from Steve’s original to fit DBA/HOTT and to give more choice to the players.

Campaign Rules for Britannia 600 AD

23 Jun 201810 Mar 2007 by Steven Thomas

These are the rules for the Britannia 600 AD Campaign. Use the DBA/HOTT Campaign Rules except as noted below.

Wargaming Campaigns for DBx, DBA, HOTT, DBM and DBR

24 Oct 201721 Feb 2001 by Steven Thomas

I am a fan of campaigns and I’ve tried a few things involving the DBx family of tactical rules. The campaign system included in DBA/HOTT is ideal for one day events. And the same DBA/HOTT campaign system can be tweaked to make campaigns with more detailed tactical rules; I’ve run a couple of big DBM campaigns like this. But over time I have returned to the basics and used DBA/HOTT for the tactical rules as well. My latest initiative like this was Britannia 600 AD. DBA/HOTT are also a good complement for campaigns using Engle Matrix Games.