You have gathered from my recent posts on the Reformatted DBA-RRR Spanish Army Lists and Reformatted DBA-RRR French Army List that I’m currently keen on DBA-RRR and the Italian Wars (1494-1559 AD). I started this project 20 years ago when I commissioned the Spanish from a professional painting company. I got the Spanish infantry back but I never saw my Spanish cavalry figures or the money again.
It has taken two decades to get over the shock but I’m having another go. I’m repurposing what figures I have for big bases and filling in the gaps. Of course I’m outrageously ambitious, even for a DBA variant.
Current foreces
As I mentioned I’ve already got some troops, now rebased on Big Bases. Mostly these are Spanish.
The Spanish infantry dominate my collection. Pikes (x5), Shot (x4), Sword & Buckler (x2) – as you’d expect for this period. The shot are made up of both Spanish and French figures. This is so I can use the firing Spanish figures in the front rank and the marching French in the rear.
I’ve got three artillery stands. The Spanish in the Italian Wars only need one. The others will get used by Spanish Conquistadores and French.
I’ve got both Spanish skirmishing musketeers and independent arquebusier companies.
One of the unique features of my current forces are the Spanish war carts used at the Battle of Ravenna.
Lastly I’ve got some Italians. Both Pike and Shot. These will probably get used by the French.
Spanish Wishlist
First up the Spanish based on the Reformatted DBA-RRR Spanish Army Lists. I have a few of these guys but that still leaves a lot of gaps. Of course, this is another insane Steven project as i only need 12 elements/stands to field an army. But that would be dull, so I’m inclined to get all the options.
| Troop Type | Stands Desired | Stands Possessed | Stands to get | Figures to get | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish Foot General on round base | |||||
| Spanish Mounted General on round base | |||||
| Spanish Gente de armas (Kn) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | |
| Spanish Ginetes (LH) | 8 | 0 | 8 | 32 | |
| Spanish Crossbow (Sk) | 6 | 0 | 6 | 24 | |
| Spanish Pike (Pk) | 6 | 5 (+5 fig) | 1 | 10 | the missing 10 figures out of 15 |
| Spanish Sword-and-buckler men (Bd) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Spanish arquebusier (Sh) | 1 | 12 | |||
| Italian Elmeti (Kn) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | |
| Italian Horse arquebusiers (LH) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| Landsknect Pike | 2 | 0 | 2 | 30 | |
| Indifferent Italian Foot (Hd) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 18 | |
| Reiters with boar spear (Pi) | 1 | 0 (+5 fig) | 1 | 1 | |
| Field guns (Can) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| War carts (Gun) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
French Wishlist
The Spanish need an opponent and who better than the French based on the Reformatted DBA-RRR French Army List. Another insanely large number of options that must have.
| Troop Type | Stands Desired | Stands Possessed | Stands to get | Figures to get | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French General on round base | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| Ordonnance gendarmes (Kn) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 18 | |
| Ordonnance archers (Kn) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 18 | |
| Aventurier crossbowmen (Sk) | 4 | 0 | 4 | 16 | |
| Aventuriers with arquebus (Sh) | 4 | 0 | 4 | 48 | |
| Swiss pikemen (Pk) | 4 | 0 | 4 | 60 | |
| Swiss skirmishers (Sk) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Italian elmeti (Kn) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Use the Italians in the Spanish list |
| Mounted crossbowmen (LH) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Italian mounted crossbows (LH) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Italian mounted arquebusiers (LH) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Argoulets with crossbow (LH) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| Argoulets with arquebus (LH) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| Stradiots (LH) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| Old bands of Picardy and Piedmont (Pk) | 4 | 0 | 4 | 60 | |
| Landsquenet pikemen (Pk) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 45 | Perhaps share with the Spanish and only get 4 total |
| Aventurier or Italian pikemen (Pk) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | I’ve got the Italians |
| Heavy and or field guns (Can) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 guns and 3-8 crew |
Your troops look superb. I am a big fan of the big bases.
How do you find DBA-RRR? Have you ever played DBR at it’s condensed scale before?
I have played DBR and was unimpressed. It is all about technology and not about the man. My view of war is that it is all about the man how they use technology.
I have played condensed DBR a few times for Colonial Spanish. It served the purpose but I can’t get over my fundamental dislike of DBR.
My own New World DBA uses aspects of DBR and the army lists are reminiscent of condensed DBR armies.
As for DBA-RRR … I haven’t tried it yet. It looks useful for the Italian Wars. I’m not sure I’d use it for later periods (e.g. 30 Years War). It looks good enough to give it a go. Good enough that I’m going to finish the armies for this period.
I have no vested interest in DBR, although I do own a set of rules. Have not played a game in many years. It is a pity that so many people find them sub par. I very much agree that far too much attention is given to weapons compared to troops; classing veteran Spanish tercios as Shot (Inferior) and Pike (Ordinary) illustrates this all too much.
At any rate, I look forward to reading your battle reports for DBA-RRR.