DB Distraction

I had intended to try out a DB variant for my coffee table trip through the battles of Frederick the Great.

Not having played DBAnything for many years I was new to the DB treasure trove that is http://fanaticus.org and immediately was sidetracked by Hordes of the Empire (HOTE).

I pulled the Sudan box from the attic and had a quick go.

Although using Mr Pigs figures based up for Patrol in the Sudan there was no problem adopting the DBA square rules for speeding up movement and aiding the frontage issues DBA can pose.

Using the points system of HOTE a couple of armies were quickly knocked together. Mostly hordes for the Mahdi but also three warbands and three shooters, with an artillery piece added.

Nothing too fancy, just a quick try of the rules, so an all out advance by the Mahdists was quickly brought to a halt by the fire of the Imperial forces and the 9th Hussars came round the flank. The Horses of Ansar are recycled at too slow a rate at the bottom table edge.

The Hussars flank the captured Krupps but made hard work of taking it.

 Poor command dice eventually cost the Mahdi the battle but it was a fun way to waste an hour.

I need to paint up a base or two of Mahdi cavalry to counter those hussars.

Hohenfreidburg

I revisited Twilight of the Sun King rules for the next quick SYW squared rules. However I incorporated the morale test at various points in the turn sequence, for units under bombardment, wishing to charge home and as a reaction to friends routing. The close combat was however a competitive exercise rather than a morale test.

They worked okay but, yet again, not what I was after as they were just too slow and require too many markers.

Hohenfriedburg was a battle of two halves and given that the first half was a foregone conclusion I had a go at the second.  The Prussians lining up against the tardy Austrians, the right wing pursuing Saxons.

The "forgotten" super regiment of Bayreuth charge home.

.... and are repulsed. These Austrians have not read their Duffy!!!!!!!!

After an hour and half of fairly tedious dice throwing these rules are destined for the waste bin.

I have been reading with interest the blog http://18thcenturysojourn.blogspot.co.uk/  and DBA variants.

I'll give them a go.