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"Using DBA Elements to play WAB" Topic


Warhammer: Ancient Battles

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13 Jan 2017 11:51 p.m. PST
by Editor in Chief Bill

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Comments or corrections?

Markind12 Apr 2005 2:02 p.m. PST

Ok, don't get all DBA vs. WAB weird on me now, this is serious game play! :)

We want to try out the WAB rules, never having done so before, and we have no "God's own 28mm Heroic 35mm" figures to play with, and also we have no 6' x 4' table...

SO we want to organize a couple WAB armies with what we have, which is LOTS of DBA elements.

Our first thought is to HALVE the WAB scale. Thus four footmen at 10mm x 4 = 40mm frontage, that could be a Psiloi element, which we have tons of. Or it could be a 4xBw element.

As we dig deeper, we think we will run into problems. Has anyone else tried this and worked out the details?

~mArK

Dave Crowell12 Apr 2005 2:16 p.m. PST

What I do is simply count figures as figures. So a DBA Ps element is 2 skirmishing figures in WAB. A 3Wb element is 3 figures in WAB.

This does mean that close oder troops (such as DBA 4Bd) will get an advantage in the number of figures in contact for combat etc. This seems right and proper to me.

This is the simplest way of doing it I have found, as it requires no rebasing, no calculations and no modifications to game play. If you have the figures to spare a few based as single and doubles etc for making "change" for casualties and formation changes are helpful, but you can manage well enough without them.

Skeptic12 Apr 2005 3:44 p.m. PST

Dave's suggestion is a good one, and is commonly used. For distances, you may want to measure them in centimeters instead of inches.

Cheers,


-Skeptic

DyslexicBean12 Apr 2005 3:50 p.m. PST

What about 20mm figs based using the DBA 25mm bases? Would you recommend using the same thing but without switching inches to centimeters?

Pictors Studio12 Apr 2005 3:57 p.m. PST

Just use each DBA base as a "figure" in WAB terms. So get 4 bases across and 4 deep for a unit of romans, this will contain 16 "figures" for rules purposes.

IGWARG1 Supporting Member of TMP Fezian12 Apr 2005 4:25 p.m. PST

We did it several times without any problems. I don't think you even need to change distances, figures are abstract to a ground scale anyway. You'll have to be creative with changing formations or columns though.

mksiebler12 Apr 2005 6:44 p.m. PST

Both Dave and Scott's solutions would work, I think (I've seen both discussed on the WABlist). Scott's solution also leads to a nice amount of figures on the tabletop, since a smallish (for WAB) 16 "man" unit would actually consist of 16 DBx elements (for example). With each element having 3 or 4 or 5 figures on it (for Blades or Warbands), that means around 48 figures per unit. Very cool looking on the tabletop...

WAB works with most any basing system as long as you and your opponent use the same system...

Later,
Markus

IUsedToBeSomeone13 Apr 2005 12:44 a.m. PST

I use 20mm figures on 25mm DBA bases, but I have based all my figures at no more than 3 per 60mm base for infantry.

This means they are the right size bases for WAB.

The only thing you have to fudge is that Cavalry bases are wrong and should be 25mm per figure, but that is easy enough to calculate.

Mike

No Name0213 Apr 2005 12:45 a.m. PST

So long as base sizes are consistant you should have no problems.

For playing in 15mm on smaller tables I go with the cm instead of inches idea. There are some problems, elephants for example, I suggest you don't allow figures other than those in contact to fight elephants.

lugal hdan13 Apr 2005 6:16 a.m. PST

DBx bases work ok, but one caveat: I tried playing WAB that way a couple of times, but wasn't impressed. For me, WAB didn't "feel right" until I got the chance to try it with individually mounted 28mm (on a movement tray, naturally).

I'm not sure why it is, and probably it's just because I'm shallow and like the "toy soldier" aspects as much as if not more than the "battle simulation". But if you don't enjoy the DBx WAB, find some way to try it in 28mm before you give up on it.

79thPA Supporting Member of TMP13 Apr 2005 7:44 a.m. PST

I have a 25mm DBM army that I use for WAB. I simply count a fig as a fig and haven't had any problems playing against "regular" WAB armies. Of course, you will need casualty caps or some way to keep track of casualties on multi-fig bases.

JJartist13 Apr 2005 2:38 p.m. PST

Many people use multi-figure bases and play WAB.. so I cannot see what the issue is. The only relaly distressing issue is when units break down into columns less than three models wide.. if I was using multi-based models I could dela with that with a marker since there will need to be casualty caps or other markers for casualties.
JeffJ

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