New World DBA

For many years I've been keen to wargame within the New World. Aztecs and Conquistadores took my fancy, as did Tupi and Portuguese Bandeira when I discovered them later on.  But there are a few problems with this: 

• There are lots of interesting armies and I want them all! 
• Large scale games (e.g. DBM, DBR, Armati, Conquerers & Kings, etc) require too many figures to make my grandiose schemes possible.  
• I don't know any small scale games which fit the genre well.  

DBA and the condensed (100 AP) versions of DBR and DBM seem to offer the most potential.  All of these requires a fraction of the figures of the full scale DBx games and they all have army lists to cover the Aztecs and their enemies.  Unfortunately none are quite perfect for me: 

• DBA's fixed 12 element army size is silly for battles between Conquistadors and Indians.  The condensed (100 AP) versions of DBR and DBM can offer something here, as they include mechanisms for constructing armies which aren't restricted to 12 elements; you can get large Aztec armies facing small Conquistator armies.  Of the two condensed rule systems DBR is probably more suited as it drops DBMs rather artificial distinction between Regular and Irregular; a distinction that does not appear relevant to Mesoamerica.  
• Due to a a quirk of the DBx troop classifications and the associated basing recommendations Aztec armies have many more figures than their Mesoamerican neighbors.    Seems a little odd to me, and despite my desire to keep the number of figures down, I'd like all the indigenous armies to look similar in bulk and hence equally "massed" when facing Conquistadores.  
• What about guns?  DBA is an ancients game and doesn't have guns.  DBR does have guns but I don't like the distinctions DBR draws with other missile weapons (e.g. bows) or even within the Shot class itself: Musket (Sh [S, O]) versus Arquebus (Sh [I]) versus either of these used by a nation using shock tactics (Sh [F]).  DBM's Art [X] seems just as strange.  Me, well, I'm happy to lump bows, crossbows and guns together - which is exactly what HOTT has done with their Shooter class.     
• I don't like some of the troop allocations in the Mesoamerican army lists.  I've never liked Warband as a troop type as I've typically seen it cut through Blade opponents.  And guess what, in DBA Aztecs Clan Warriors are Warband and Conquistadores are Blade!  This requires a rethink. The Horde classification offers some possibility, but more on that later.    
• Similarly, I read a review of the DBM Aztec army somewhere and it said that the elite troops (Eagle & Jaguar knights) being classified as Bd [I] were easily cut to ribbons and it was the Superior Horde (Hd [S]) of the Clan Warriors that would win the battles.  Clearly the internal differential must be maintained as well; elite troops should be better, but still worse than the Europeans.  .  
• DBA doesn't support different grades of the same troop type, e.g. the S, O, I, F of DBM and DBR.  Although this isn't necessary for all troop types, it can help with the problematic ones (more later).  

All, in all, DBA with some modifications to address the above will do it.  Many years ago I found an article (Duckworth, 1992) about adapting DBA to Aztec warfare.  It's ideas were sound, but are a bit dated now with the various rules having moved on, none-the-less I've used some of the ideas presented in that article.  

Playing Area and Ground Scale (p. 2) 

DBA in the New World is intended for the normal 2' x 2' DBA/HOTT table.  Given, however, that some armies can be quite large you might try a 3' x 2' table. If you do, then use more terrain features.   

Army Size (p. 2) 

Armies are made up of 90 army points (AP) worth of troops, plus a camp and an optional camp follower.  Each army has a general who can be assigned to any element; the default troop type for the general is indicated in each Army List by (Gen).  To allow some choice, each Army List includes about 45 AP of compulsory troops and has a maximum total - if all troops could be taken - of about 180 AP.  The camp and optional camp follower are free, but other elements cost AP.  Making a element a general requires no additional AP as all armies have one, and only one.  

Troop Definitions (p. 3-4)

Scythed Chariots and Camelry, did not feature in the New World.   

Ditto for War Wagons although except Litters (i.e. WW(I) ) were in use.  Lit can not shoot. 

Elephants, Cavalry, Light Horse, Spears, Pikes, Lit and Psiloi (renamed "Skirmishers") are as the standard DBA rules.  There were no Elephants in the Americas, but the Portuguese faced them a fair bit in India and further east. 

Knights (renamed "Lancers") and Artillery need to be beefed up to reflect their relative potency in the New World.  

Auxilia, Hordes and most Warband have been merged into Blades, but with different grades possible.  Otherwise Warband has only been retained for War Dogs, which cannot use a supporting rank.  

Bows have been replaced by Shooters thus allowing the possibility of firearms within the same category.  Shooters have different grades possible.  

Troop Grades 

Blades and Shooters have a Grade, but other troop types do not.   

European (E):  

European troops who generally because of equipment and/or attitude outclassed the locals by a considerable margin.    

Base 3 or 4 figures to an element, i.e. Bd (F, O) or Sh.   I think 3 figures per element makes the the contrast to the massed natives look more marked.  

Superior (S): 

Native troops considered by their contemporaries to be significantly superior in morale and/or efficiency compared to the general tribesmen.   Examples are members of Warrior Societies such as the Aztec Eagle and Jaguar knights, Tlaxcallan archers protected by Shield Bearers, and Tupi Archers.  

If using existing DBx figures then these are likely to be based 3 or 4 figures to an element, i.e.  Bd (I) or Wb (S) or Bw (S, O).  I, however, prefer a massed look so recommend basing them like Hordes, i.e. 5-8 per element, or double-based elements (6 or 8 figures).  To get this massed effect without rebasing you could just put two existing single elements together and treat them as one.  

Ordinary (O): 

Representing the great bulk of Native troops of that type.  

Once again we're looking for the massed effect here so 5-8 figures per element.  DBx Aztecs are perfect as is, but for nations that are classified as Ax (DBM Mixtec) or Wb (DBR Mixtec) or Bw (Tarascan, Texcalan) this will mean using two existing elements as one or double-based elements.    

Artillery 

Artillery factor, fire rate and fire effect are both increased and push back results are counted as a flee to reflect the terror that cannons induced.  

Artillery either shoot or move in a bound, but not both.  They shoot in their own bound (as in HOTT but contrary to the DBA rules) (p. 10).

+5 against foot and mounted (p. 10). 

Any indigenous Blades, Shooters and Skirmishers count a push back result as a flee.  (p. 11). 

Lancers aka Knights (Ln) 

The speed of lancers and their factor are increased to show the immense benefit that mounted troops gave the Spanish over the Aztecs, who at first thought they were dealing with magical monsters with two heads and six limbs. 

Lancers, like Knights, are Impetuous: Under the same conditions as can Warbands they can move a second or subsequent tactical move during the same bound  (p. 9), and must pursue their own base depth when a close combat opponent does a recoil, break-off, flee or is destroyed (p. 11). 

Tactical move as Cavalry in DBA (p. 9).  

+4 against foot and mounted (p. 10). 

Blades 

Including all close fighting infantry primarily skilled in fencing individually with swords, cut-and-thrust weapons, or heavy clubs, sometimes supplemented by hand hurled weapons.  Irrespective of the nationality the typical tactics were a precipitate massed savage rush to contact.   

Some Blades are Impetuous: Under the same conditions as can Warbands they can move a second or subsequent tactical move during the same bound  (p. 9), and must pursue their own base depth when a close combat opponent does a recoil, break-off, flee or is destroyed (p. 11). 

Unless otherwise noted treat them as DBA Blades.  

European Blades (BdE):  Example, Spanish or Portuguese Sword and Buckler men.   

+5 against foot; +3 against mounted (p. 10).  All BdE are impetuous.  

Superior Blades (BdS): Example, members of Warrior Societies such as the Aztec Eagle and Jaguar knights.   

+4 against foot; +2 against mounted (p. 10).  BdS of some nations are impetuous, see the Army Lists. 

Ordinary Blades (BdO):  Example, Aztec Clan Warriors. 

+3 against foot; +2 against mounted (p. 10).  BdO of some nations are impetuous, see the Army Lists. 

Shooters 

Representing foot who fought in formed bodies by shooting at long range with bow, crossbow, firearms, sling or atlal dart-thrower, and who relied on dense shooting, light spears or side arms, or sometimes interspersed shield bearers, for survival at close quarters instead of skirmishing or evasion. 

Shooters of certain nations (as specified in the Army Lists but including Portuguese and Tupi) used shooting as a brief preliminary to charging into hand-to-hand.  Such Shooters are Impetuous: Under the same conditions as can Warbands they can move a second or subsequent tactical move during the same bound  (p. 9), and must pursue their own base depth when a close combat opponent does a recoil, break-off, flee or is destroyed (p. 11). 

Unless otherwise noted treat them as DBA Bows.  

European Shooters (ShE):  Example, Spanish Crossbowmen, Arquebusiers, and/or Musketeers.  

+4 against foot; +4 against mounted (p. 10).  

Superior Shooters (ShS): Example, Texcalan archers protected by Shield Bearers, Tupi Archers, or Inca Regulars.   

+3 against foot; +3 against mounted (p. 10).  

Ordinary Shooters (ShO):  Example, other Texcalan archers.  

+2 against foot; +3 against mounted (p. 10).  

Basing Your Figures and Models (p. 5) 

In my view, one of the improvements of DBR over DBM was the reduction in the variety of base sizes - DBR mostly uses 40 mm x 20 mm or 40 mm x 40 mm, with a few 40 mm x 30 mm.  I recommend the same kind of scheme, but even more simplified.  I would put the European foot and skirmishers on 40 mm x 20 mm bases and others on 40 mm x 40 mm bases with a corresponding increase in the number of figures.  This is similar to the Square Element Bases proposed by Michael Fischer.  

Similarly for HOTT elements, if you use them.  I'd use 40 mm x 40 mm bases regardless of the type. 

Creating the Battlefield (p. 6) 

The Army Lists indicate the type of terrain features appropriate for each army.  

Because these armies have a larger number of elements than standard DBA you may want to use a larger than standard table size.  I am currently using a 3'x2' table for 90 AP armies. Restrictions on the number of features depends on the size of the table.  For terrain placement the table is divided into 1'x1' sectors.  

Winning and Losing (p. 11) 

The first side that at the end of any bound has lost either its general or at least 1/3 of its elements not including camp followers or denizens loses the battle.  A camp or BUA occupied by enemy during the battle and still under enemy control counts as 2 extra elements lost.  Elements that recoil, flee or otherwise move across a battlefield edge count as lost, but reappear in the next turn of a campaign.   

(Have to think about the Flowery War.  The real objective of some Mesoamerican nations, e.g. Aztecs, was the acquisition of live captives for ritual sacrifice.  When Aztecs achieve a recoil or destroyed result they dice to see if they have instead achieved a capture.  In effect we have the Aztecs fighting by a different set of rules, trying to achieve an utterly different objective from the Conquistatores.) 

Army Lists (p. 20-50)

These are the Army Lists for my revised New World DBA.  They are based on, but aren't identical to, the condensed versions of the DBM and DBR army lists.   The army point (AP) system is essentially that from DBR.  To allow some choice, each Army List includes about 45 AP of compulsory troops and has a maximum total - if all troops could be taken - of about 180 AP.  

Typical armies are made up of 90 AP worth of troops, plus a camp, and optional camp follower and BUA denizen.  This corresponds to a 100 point DBM or DBR army.  Other army sizes are possible, for example, the Washington Area DBA Gamers association (WADBAG, http://www.wadbag.com/) use 75 AP.  

Each army has a general who can be assigned to any element; the default troop type for the general is indicated in each Army List by (Gen).  Making a element a general requires no additional AP as all armies have one, and only one.  

The camp and optional camp follower and denizens are free, but other elements cost the following AP.  

There are specific army lists for: 

• Africa 
• Brazil
• Mexico
• Peru 
• Spanish Main 
• HOTT 
• Asia - Check out the sections on Ceylon and Japan.  

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