NASAMW Big Battle DBA
Rules Modifications and Clarifications
By David Schlanger
NASAMW Assistant DBA Umpire
(Version: 19 June 2008)
Introduction
The NASAMW Special Tournament Rules Modifications takes the best of both DBA
2.0 and the amended DBA 2.2 rules for battlefield size, deployment, and victory
conditions in an effort to allow for balanced and timely game play in the
tournament environment. These alterations to the Big Battle DBA rules are not
intended as a criticism of the normal rules of Big Battle DBA, which is an
excellent game in its own right. These Tournament Rules are solely for the
purposes of running efficient and timely tournaments using Big Battle DBA at
NASAMW conventions.
The deployment changes revert to the BBDBA 2.0 deployment language with the
addition of the 1,200 paces restriction from 2.2. The remaining changes in the
2.2 deployment rules have been found to unbalance the game for tournament play
by favoring high aggression combined arms forces, and slow down tournaments by
consistently placing the defender in a conservative, reactionary posture. They
also encouraged extreme terrain choices that could severely slow play. Also, we
have eliminated the 0-2 element exchange for the defender because of the
advantage of placement of the last defender command.
The victory condition changes are a compromise between BBDBA 2.0 and 2.1 that
closely follows the model of the regular DBA victory conditions. There had been
significant resistance to the C-in-C command breaking or the C-in-C element
death always resulting in a loss of battle as in BBDBA 2.0. However, under 2.1
the C-in-C death never resulting in loss of battle caused game length problems
and odd instances where all three commands could be broken and the battle not
"officially" lost. The NASAMW special tournament text solves these problems,
while keeping as close as possible to the original vision of DBA.
The battlefield size increase from 48 inches to 60 inches has been tested at
the last two major NASAMW conventions and is the preferred board size by most
NASAMW Big Battle DBA players.
There is a rules clarification to specifically spell out which part of a Big
Battle DBA army is permitted to perform a littoral landing.
Finally, the NASAMW Big Battle DBA Scoring System is presented. This scoring
system was implemented to help differentiate between finished and unfinished
games. It allows a tournament organizer to quickly and easily assign point value
for battles. The system was designed to encourage quick and attentive play. In
order for the system to function properly all games should be played out until
victory conditions have been reached, or official time has been called.
NASAMW Big Battle DBA Special Tournament Rules Modifications
BATTLEFIELD SIZE AND TERRAIN
The width of the battlefield size is increased to 60 inches.
DEPLOYMENT
The defender places the terrain and the invader chooses which long side will be
his base edge, the defender taking the opposite edge. The defender deploys 2
commands including that of his C-in-C, then the invader deploys all his
commands, then the defender deploys his remaining command. Each element not in a
BUA or camp must be within 1,200 paces of its command’s general. [The defender
may not exchange 0-2 element pairs of its elements.]
WINNING AND LOSING
An army whose cumulative total of lost elements at the end of any bound other
than Scythed Chariots, camp followers or denizens is at least half its original
troop elements and has also lost more such elements in that bound than the
enemy, or an army whose C-in-C’s command is demoralized and has lost more
elements than the opponent, has lost the battle.
NASAMW Big Battle DBA 2.2
Rule Clarifications
LITTORAL LANDINGS
For all NASAMW BBDBA events, a side that has a home topography of Littoral may
make a littoral landing. "Side" can mean the main part of a Big Battle DBA army,
or any ally.
So if there is a waterway on the board...
- If the main army's home topography is littoral but the ally is not, only
elements from the main army may perform a littoral landing.
- If an ally's home topography is littoral but the main army is not, only
elements from the ally may perform a littoral landing.
- If both the main army and the ally's home topography are littoral, then
elements from either the main army or the ally may perform a littoral
landing (but not elements from both in the same game).
Elements making a littoral landing must all be from the same command. All
rules for littoral landings still apply.
NASAMW Big Battle DBA Scoring System
Victory Conditions Met
Winner:
100 points minus Loser points total.
Loser:
2 points for each enemy element killed or fled off map.
1 point for each enemy element demoralized.
4 point for taken and occupied camp serving one command.
8 points for taken and occupied camp serving two commands.
12 points for taken and occupied camp serving three commands.
Victory Conditions NOT Met
Each player/team:
2 points for each enemy element killed or fled off map.
1 point for each enemy element demoralized.
4 point for taken and occupied camp serving one command.
8 points for taken and occupied camp serving two commands.
12 points for taken and occupied camp serving three commands.
Point ranges:
Winners (51-100 points)
All others (0-49 points)
Maximum point total for non-winner is 49 points.
Please contact David Schlanger, NASAMW Assistant DBA Umpire
buckynduke@gmail.com with any
questions or comments.
|
