"What Ancients armies are actually used by players?" Topic

Pre-gunpowder rulesets have one thing in common: hundreds of armies to choose from. Some of them are popular like the perennial Romans. Others I've personally never heard of nor come across any mention of them in gameplay.

How about posting the list below and finding out which armies from cavemen to Late Antiquity are actually used by players? That might make the work of rules developers much easier when it comes to thinking up the lists.

It does mean that the poll will need 283 options and allow people about 20 choices. Can TMP manage that?

ANCIENT PERIOD

Sumer & Babylon
1 – Sumer and Akkad
2 – Sumerian Successor
3 – Amorite Highlanders
4 – Elamite
5 – Old Assyrian and Babylonian
6 – Kassite Babylonian
7 – Assyrian
8 – Neo-Babylonian
9 – Assyrian Empire and Sargonid

Ancient Egypt
10 – Old and Middle Kingdom Egyptian
11 – Nubian
12 – Libyan
13 – Hyksos
14 – New Kingdom Egyptian
15 – Libyan Egyptian
16 – Kushite Egyptian

Middle East
17 – Ancient Bedouin
18 – Syrian City States
19 – Oman and Gulf States
20 – Hittite
21 – Hurri-Mitanni
22 – Syria, Canaan and Ugarit
23 – Ancient Hebrew
24 – Sea Peoples
25 – Philistine
26 – Aramaean and Neo-Hittite
27 – Urartu
28 – Medes
29 – Phrygian

Early Europe
30 – Mycenaean
31 – Geometric Greek
32 – Phoenicians of Cyprus
33 – Celts

Early Asia
34 – Indus Valley
35 – Vedic Indian
36 – Shang Chinese
37 – Spring and Autumn Chinese

CLASSICAL PERIOD

Macedonian
38 – Early Macedonian
39 – Alexandrian Macedonian
40 – Alexander the Great
41 – Early Successors
42 – Seleucid
43 – Ptolemaic
44 – Pyrrhic
45 – Later Macedonian
46 – Graeco-Bactrian and Graeco-Indian

Rome and Italy
47 – Italian Tribes
48 – Etruscan
49 – Tullian Roman
50 – Syracusan
51 – Campanian, Lucanian, Apulian and Bruttian
52 – Camillan Roman
53 – Republican Roman

Carthage and Africa
54 – Early Carthaginian
55 – Carthaginian
56 – Numidian
57 – Saitic Egyptian
58 – Cyrenian Greek
59 – Meroitic Kushite

Greece and Danube
60 – Classical Greek
61 – Hellenistic Greek
62 – Illyrian
63 – Thracian

Asia minor
64 – Achaemenid Persian
65 – Lydian
66 – Lycian
67 – Bithynian
68 – Later Achaemenid Persian
69 – Cappadocian
70 – Bosporan Kingdom
71 – Armenian
72 – Galatian
73 – Pergamon

East and Steppes
74 – Aramaean
75 – Early Arab
76 – Scythian
77 – Sarmatian

Classical Asia
78 – Vietnamese
79 – Classical Indian
80 – Warring States
81 – Ch'iang and Ti

ROMAN PERIOD

Roman Empire
82 – Triumvirate Roman
83 – Spartacus
84 – Early Imperial Roman
85 – Middle Imperial Roman
86 – Late Imperial Roman
87 – Patrician Roman

Barbarian
88 – Gallic
89 – Ancient Spanish
90 – German
91 – Dacian and Carpi
92 – Visigoth
93 – Vandal
94 – Ostrogoth
95 – Gepid, Herul and Taifali
96 – Franks, Alemanni, Burgundi, Suevi
97 – Visigoths in Spain

Great Britain
98 – Ancient British
99 – Caledonian, Irish, Scots and Pictish
100 – Saxon, Anglo-Saxon, Frisian, Jutes
101 – Romano-Britsh

East Roman
102 – Parthian
103 – Judaean Jewish
104 – Commagene
105 – Mithridatic
106 – Palmyran

Steppes
107 – Kushan
108 – Alan
109 – Sassanid Persian
110 – Huns
111 – Hephthalite Huns

Ancient Africa
112 – Blemmyes and Nobatae
113 – Moors
114 – Kingdom of Axum
115 – African Vandal

Ancient Asia
116 – Hsiung-Nu
117 – Han Chinese
118 – Hsien-Pi
119 – Three Kingdoms Chinese
120 – Chinese North. and South. Dynasties
121 – Tamil Indian
122 – Three Kingdoms Korean
123 – Japanese
124 – Emishi

DARK AGES

Byzance and Armenia
125 – Justinian Byzantine
126 – Maurikian Byzantine
127 – Thematic Byzantine
128 – Nikephorian Byzantine
129 – Armenian Principality
130 – Bagratid Armenian

Arab Empire
131 – Arab Conquest
132 – Umayyad Arab
133 – North African Arab
134 – Andalusian Arab
135 – Abbasid Arab
136 – Arab Indian
137 – Khurasanian
138 – Tulunid and Iqshidid Egyptian
139 – Dynastic Bedouin

Central Asia
140 – Sogdian and Central Asia City States
141 – Central Asian Turkish

Western Europe
142 – Lombard
143 – Italian Ostrogoth
144 – Merovingian Frankish
145 – Armourican Breton
146 – Welsh
147 – Anglo-Saxon
148 – Feudal Spanish
149 – Carolingian Frankish
150 – Viking and Leidang
151 – Feudal Irish
152 – Pre-Feudal Scots

Eastern Europe
153 – Slav
154 – Avar
155 – Bulgar
156 – Khazar
157 – Serbo-Croatian
158 – Magyar
159 – Pecheneg
160 – Rus

Sudan
161 – Christian Nubian
162 – Beja

Far East
163 – Burmese
164 – Hindu Indian
165 – Sui and Tang Chinese
166 – Tibetan
167 – Khmer Empire and Champa
168 – Nan-Chao and Dali
169 – Tang and Five Dynasties Chinese
170 – Shatuo Turkish
171 – Tribal Mongol

FEUDAL AGES

Feudal Europe
172 – Norman or Frankish
173 – Anglo-Danish
174 – Anglo-Norman
175 – Feudal French
176 – Feudal English
177 – Feudal Scots
178 – Anglo-Irish
179 – Scots Isles and Highlanders
180 – Normans in Sicily
181 – Communal Italian
182 – Imperial Frankish
183 – Feudal German

Crusades
184 – Komnenan Byzantine
185 – Cilician Armenian
186 – Crusader
187 – Later Crusader
188 – Frankish Cyprus
189 – Eastern Latin Empire
190 – Order of St John

Muslims
191 – Buyid
192 – Dynastic Kurdish
193 – Ghaznavid
194 – Fatimid Egyptian
195 – Seljuk Turk
196 – Berber
197 – Syrian
198 – Ghurid
199 – Ayyubid Egyptian
200 – Khwarazmian

Africa
201 – Sahelian Empire
202 – Tuareg

Feudal Eastern Europe
203 – Feudal Polish
204 – Feudal Hungarian
205 – Georgian
206 – Feudal Russian
207 – Cuman
208 – Prussian and Estonian
209 – Teutonic Knights

Feudal Asia
210 – Samurai
211 – Khitan-Liao
212 – Koryo Korean
213 – Medieval Vietnamese
214 – Song Chinese
215 – Xi-Xia
216 – Jurchen-Chin
217 – Qara-Khitan
218 – Mongol Empire

LATE MIDDLE AGES

Medieval Europe
219 – Granadine
220 – Swiss
221 – Medieval Scandinavian
222 – Medieval Scots
223 – Medieval Irish
224 – Condottieri
225 – Hundred Years War English
226 – Hundred Years War French
227 – Medieval German
228 – Medieval Spanish
229 – Navarrese
230 – Free Company
231 – Burgundian
232 – Low Countries
233 – Medieval Welsh
234 – French Ordonnance
235 – Burgundian Ordonnance
236 – Wars of the Roses

Medieval Eastern Europe
237 – Lithuanian
238 – Medieval Hungarian
239 – Muscovite Russian
240 – Golden Horde
241 – Medieval Polish
242 – Hussite

Turks and Balkans
243 – Serbian Empire
244 – Later Bulgarian
245 – Later Byzantine
246 – Turkoman
247 – Ottoman Turkish
248 – Catalan Company
249 – Vlach and Moldavian
250 – Albanian
251 – Ottoman Empire
252 – Besieged Byzantine

Medieval Egypt
253 – Mamluk

Central Asia
254 – Islamic Persian
255 – Ilkhanid Mongol
256 – Steppes Mongol
257 – Jalayirid
258 – Timurid
259 – Black Sheep & White Sheep Turkoman

Medieval Asia
260 – Delhi Sultanate
261 – Indonesian and Malay
262 – Siam
263 – Yuan Chinese
264 – Later Samurai
265 – Ming Chinese
266 – Yi Korean

AMERICA

Central America
267 – Maya
268 – Zapotec and Mixtec
269 – Toltec
270 – Chinantec
271 – Tarascan
272 – Aztec
273 – Texcala

South America
274 – Inca
275 – Chanca
276 – Chimu
277 – Tupi
278 – Mapuche

North America
279 – Chichimec
280 – Pueblos
281 – Forest Indian
282 – Mississippi Indian
283 – Plains Indian

I would like to see a poll of tournament players separate from one for historical scenario or campaign players.
They're two different animals with a tiny overlap.

A Khitan-Liao army rarely exists out of a tournament context, yet it possesses the troop types to be a killer tournament army. I've seen that in WRG 6th and 5th ed tournaments. Who fights historical scenarios with such an army?

We play historical DBA themes at least one day a month at the club. Between us, we regularly play with most all of the armies listed above. For the others, just give us some more painting time!

We're weak on armies of Asia and Americas, but if you wait long enough…
Recently we've been adding lots of Dawn of History and Chariot Age armies, the first 3 sub-headings in the OP.

Why would anyone want more limited options in a game?!?

Perhaps the most utilitarian approach would be to create an enemies matrix. Choose a DBA version you prefer then run the enemies lists to see who pops up the most. I did this back when a friend of mine decided to flirt with one of the early dba's. He wanted to do Romans. I ran the Roman enemies list, then cross referenced which of their enemies cropped up most often in other enemies lists. That's what pointed me to the Illyrians.

Just an idea.

I think Winston's right. Poll once for tournament players, and again for historical miniatures scenarios and campaigns.

The question mentions "rule sets". DBA due to its small number of bases in each army lends itself to covering all of these armies. Other rule sets that use more troops are somewhat limiting as to the number of armies that can be collected. Also scale probably needs to be included. Those with 6mm armies are quite likely to have more armies than those who game in 28mm. The point about tournament players is also well taken. Sounds like there could be several polls taken on this topic.

Our group has approximately 80 of the armies listed in 28mm, average 300+ figures each.

225 HYW English

I have played many games during my time playing ancient rules. From WRG 4th edition, to DBM, DBA, Fields of Glory.
Too many to list them all.
One of my favorites in large WRG or DBM or FOG
Minifig 1st Corinthian And other Classical Greek, Heritage Spanish, Thracian, NKE by Asgard, Successors, Imperial Roman, Early Persian was tournament army at my first Origins in 1980.
Samurai and my last army left by Two Dragon.
Talascan, Inca, and Aztec.i have painted all of these several times in the past.
Viking, Andalusia, Ghana, Mali, mongol once, Rus by TD, .

In DBA I have had over a hundred.

I'm only just dipping my toe into the period, but must say as an observer I'm amazed at the size of some players'/clubs' collections!

Seems like what is wanted is more of a survey than a poll.

If my inventory of DBA armies is correct, I've currently got 44 armies completed, based, and all have been played on the table. (Some of them are quite morphable, and so can easily cover another 15 or so army types.)

And another 55 on hand in various stages from: raw, trimmed, primed, some paint, a lot of paint. I'm always working a bit on some of them, and when I want to bring a particular army up to completion it's easy to pick it up and finish it!
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One of the best things about DBA is the Army Checklist!

10, 11, 13, 14, 23, 82, 88, 203, 206, 208, 209, 218. The first few are DBA armies while the remainder are much, much larger for other rules sets.

18mm Late Republican Roman, Gallic, Early German and Ancient British armies using Swordpoint rules. And how about "Ancient Europe" rather than "Barbarians" as a Classical category heading?

MiniMo – I used to love the "morphing" articles in the Courier magazine back in the day. Build a core army and then add different elements to them to make other armies. I still try to do that now. Create a core Islamic force that can be modified to make Abbasid, Seljuk, Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk, Syrian, etc armies for example.

I only play historical games, in 28mm.
Used to use DBM, then DBMM, the FOG, now To The Strongest.
There's a lot of overlap between many of those armies.
From your list, I have 7,8,9,14,20,38 to 45,50,53 to 56, 60 to 68, 71,82,88, 89, 98, 102

From WRG 4th Ed to now there is only one army to use… City State Greek. Who can resist the helments? And of course the cries of "Get off of my Long Thrusting Spear (Ahhh, WRG, that one's a classic) you Irregular D Persian peon!" are always a joy to hear.

War of the Roses, Northern Crusades and Vikings…

Since all I do is Sci-fi now … I'd say WWII …

I've seen the results of the poll (well, the polls to be exact) and many thanks everyone who took part.

Very useful info which I'll be drawing from when making army lists for my own gaming system, among other things…

I've built and used most of the armies in the Medieval Europe list.

I occasionally play (and run) tournaments using standard DBA 3.0. But mostly do historical and campaigns and battles – mostly set in Western Europe 1300-1500 using a medieval variant.

Thomas J. Thomas
Fame & Glory Games