I’m looking for rules for my ancient army. I thought to write them by myself but Ferrum et Gloria is still at half of its path so I haven’t enough time. I’m a DBA 2.2 player but I want something more historically based, with formations and troops with more characteristics. Now I found “To the strongest!” by Simon Miller and bought it for 10 quid in pdf version here: https://bigredbatshop.co.uk.

I tried it with my friend Diego, using 15mm bases from my DBA armies collection. On the back of a 60×60 table for DBA I traced a square grid. This because movements are area limited with 4 fronts. With this stratagem all geometric problems are almost eliminated. It is not a boardgame, it is a smart way to concept movement. Because a game with this abstraction level wants regular and compact direction lines. It is not a skirmish, armies had contact on the fronts, so you must go straight towards the enemy! Tricks abusing geometry in rules are not a historical representation. And squares are better than hexagons because gamers abuse hexagons for constant flank attacks.

To produce activations you use poker cards. Various counters are used for disorder, victory points and shoot quantities. It is a game created for convention play, and you can feel it. It needs something more. As gamer designer I understand why some game elements were used. Well, I think that the overall structure is good but there are wrongs (shooting counters, shooting range, bonus by single based figures) and improvements to do (armour value, real veteran experience, formations, troop types, moral, bonus based on cards). When I’ll have time, I rewrite the game using my taste. I have to play a huge Late Roman army for a 28mm civil war. They are waiting too many years…

Next time the Hellana 2016 report!

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