Ranged Shooting

A DBM Variant

by Larry Irons

Copyright 2002

Introduction

DBM is a popular set of miniature wargaming rules for the ancient and medieval period. The renaissance period is covered by another set of rules, DBR. DBR allows ranged shooting for troops types armed with missile weapons including javelins and mounted bows. DBM however for some strange reason does not. Probably because its origin is from DBA, which is a much different scale. DBA is also an abstraction and abridged edition of ancient warfare, compared to DBM. Previous WRG rule sets for ancients included the 5th, 6th, and 7th editions of Ancient Wargame Rules. These rules sets allowed ranged shooting for all troops types except pilum and similarly armed troops. Although there are other rules sets allow ranged shooting for pilums.

Proposal

To give the ancient period rules more feel of an actual ancient battle, I propose the addition of ranged shooting rules for DBM to bring it inline with its sister set of rules, DBR. The following troops types are allowed ranged shooting:

Missile Weapon	Range (paces)	Troop Type
Foot Bow	200	PS(O)₁
Mounted Bow	150	LH(F), LH(S), Cv(O), Cv(S), Kn(S), El(I), El(O), El(S)₁
Sling	100	PS(O)₂
Hand-thrown missiles	50	Lh(O), Ps(S), Ax(O), Bd(O), Ax(S)₃

Notes

1 - Only those armed with bows. In the case of Kn(S), only heavy chariots that have crew that were armed with bow. In the case of El(I), El(O), and El(S), only those models with crew that were armed with bow.

2 - Only those armed with slings

3 - Only late Roman and Byzantine legionary Bd(O) and auxilia infantry Ax(S) armed with darts may shoot. Ax(O) and Ax(S) armed with javelins may shoot.

Hand-thrown missiles include darts and javelins, but not heavy throwing weapons. Heavy throwing weapons are assumed to be of limited supply and range such that they are only used just prior to close combat.

Javelin-armed cavalry, classed as Cv(I) and Cv(O), did not carry enough javelins for prolonged skirmishing, and were primarily close combat troops, so they cannot shoot. This also applies to javelin-armed infantry that were primarily close combat troops, such as Warbands and Blades. However, Bd(O) and Ax(S) armed with darts were very effective at keeping enemy bow-armed cavalry at a distance.

Blades are already supermen to some degree. I propose that the adding of dart shooting to Blades incurs an additional one point cost to make it fair.

Execution

The current distance shooting rules of DBM are used as is, with the addition of the above rules for additional troops that may shoot. Factors remain the same. Note that blades are a +4 for shooting vs. foot and +3 vs. mounted.

Tactics

Spears and Pikes are now more vulnerable to Psiloi and Auxilia troops from a distance. The use of psiloi and auxilia for support is even more critical to Greek and Hellenistic armies. The petite war of skirmishing becomes even more an art using these rules.

Horse archer armies become more powerful at wearing down an enemy from a distance with this variant.