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Unofficial Rules Variants

Random Terrain System

The following is a system for randomized placement of terrain on the DBA game board. It reflects terrain typical of temperate climates (e.g. central Europe), although it can be adapted to other climates/geographic areas with a little thought.

The system requires a deck of cards, a six-sided die (1d6), and terrain of the appropriate type. It consists of three steps: Terrain Placement, River Placement and Road Placement.

As a random system, it is possible that a game board would result that violates DBA's rule that 3/4s of the field have some type of terrain feature. In the spirit of "randomness" in which this system was created, this DBA rule is waived.

Terrain Placement

The 24 inch square DBA game board is divided into nine 8 inch square zones (a 3 by 3 grid). Players select opposing base edges. A player then shuffles an ordinary pack of playing cards (joker removed) and then each draws four cards.

                          Player A

                  _________________________
                  |       |       |       |
                  |   1   |   2   |   3   |
                  |-------|-------|-------|
                  |       |       |       |
                  |   4   |   5   |   6   |
                  |-------|-------|-------|
                  |       |       |       |
                  |   7   |   8   |   9   |
                  -------------------------
               
                           Player B

Once all cards are drawn and examined, each player takes turns placing a playing card face down into a zone of their choice (so that only they know what the card represents) until all cards are placed. One card per zone only. A final card is drawn blindly from the deck and placed face down in the last empty zone.

Once all cards are placed, they are turned over and the following Table is consulted to reveal the type of terrain to be placed within that zone. Players take turns placing the terrain on the board and control its facing/orientation within the zone it's placed.

* Hills can have steep slope and/or woods:

Slope -- Any hill has a chance of having one or more steep (i.e., impassable) slopes. Roll 1D6 before the Hill is placed in its zone adding +1 if it is a two contour hill. On a 1-4, the Hill is gentle all around. On 5, the Hill has one steep slope. On 6, the Hill has two sleep slopes. On 7, the Hill is steep all around and impassable terrain. Once the number of steep slopes is determined, the player placing the Hill can determine which slopes are steep and their orientation on the table.

Woods -- Any hill has a chance of being wooded. Roll 1D6 before the Hill is placed in its zone. On 1, the Hill is heavily wooded (i.e., impassable). On 2-3, the Hill is lightly wooded (bad going). On 4-6, the Hill is open. Once the nature of the Hill's coverage is determined, the player placing the Hill can determine it's orientation.

Rivers

Roll 1D6 to determine if there is a river(s). On 1-2, there is one river. On 3 there are two rivers. On 4-6, there are no rivers.

If there is one river, players roll die, with high die winning the opportunity to place the river. If there are two rivers, each player is allowed to place one river.

Rivers must begin at one board edge and must terminate at either another board edge, a lake (if one is present on the field), or another river.

Any place a road crosses a river will be designated automatically as either a ford or bridge.

Roads

Roll 1D6 to determine if there is a road(s). On 1-3, there is one road. On 4 there are two roads. On 5 or 6, there are no roads.

If there is one road, players roll die, with high die winning the opportunity to place the road. If there are two roads, each player is allowed to place one road.

Roads must begin at one board edge and must terminate at either another board edge, a built-up-area, or another road (i.e., an intersection).

Deployment

Once all terrain is placed, players then deploy troops within 600 Paces of their base edge. It is recommended that players roll 1D6 to determine order, with the lower result deploying first and the higher result deploying second and moving first bound.

Conclusion

Since additional die roll and table references are required, this system can take longer to implement than the current DBA deployment system, but not significantly longer once mastered. It does have the benefit of producing a more random terrain layout and perhaps greater terrain density than the current DBA system, posing a greater tactical challenge for the gamers.

It is not totally random, however, since players take turns orienting the direction terrain faces as it is placed on the table. Also, no attempt is made to determine the size of the terrain element, which gives another measure of control to the placing player.

This system is certainly experimental. Any comments, suggestions, and criticism of a constructive nature is appreciated. Send your input to brant@erols.com.

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Last Updated: June 29, 1998