I've been trying to get a game of one of the newer "Dominion of.." sets of rules played. Of course wanted to use miniatures with the game. Unfortunately the figures I've been looking for are packed away. Probably just as well, as the figures I wanted aren't painted, which would mean a delay in playing.
The answer was right under my nose: my cigar box armies of 2mm Irregular Miniatures. I brought out the figures and fought the battle of Mollwitz, using the guide in "Dominion of Frederick the Great".
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| The start of the battle. With these rules, every unit costs at least 2 points, elite units 3 points. I put 2 stands of blocks for normal units, three stands for elite. This is for my benefit, so I remember to give elite units their bonuses. |
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| The Prussian artillery defeated the Austrian center;the Austrians push an infantry unit into the center. The Austrian cavalry on the left drives off the Prussian cavalry. A Prussian infantry unit fills the gap. |
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| The Prussian right flank infantry drives off the Austrian cavalry. The Austrians use their last reserves to fill the breach. The Austrian center manages to drive off the Prussian artillery. The Prussians send forward their last reserves. |
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| The Prussians break the Austrian center; the Austrian cavalry on the right drives off the last of the Prussian cavalry. |
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| The end of the battle. The Prussian right tries to eliminate the last Austrian infantry, but fail. The Austrian cavalry hits the Prussian center on the flank, and the Prussian center crumbles. The Prussians are down to one unit, and must retreat. |
The game lasted around 15 minutes, which was expected. I can see using these rules in those periods of inactivity when i just want to get some gaming in. I can also see using the "big battle" option mentioned in "Dominion of Pike and Shot".
2mm looks the part. I’m not sure of the look with my 28s. I got the Frederick booklet the other day and really liked the imagination rules, terrific fun.
ReplyDeleteAlan Tradgardland
I think any rules that get miniatures on the table can't be bad. I play wargames for entertainment and to play with my toys, not because I think I am a military genius. If you enjoy using your troops, the rules work.
DeleteI agree with Alan. 2mm blocks are perfect for the Dominion games.
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed the games I've played with Dominion of the Spear. It's great for quick games in the same vein as the 3x3 Portable Wargame.
I have toyed with the idea of putting magnets on the bottom of 2mm blocks and using a magnetic board. With these rulesets I could see a nice portable game that could be used if a passenger while traveling.
DeleteI like the Dominion rules but I wonder if the limited unit types in this era really do anything to make an interesting game. I can't help feeling that it's stripping things down just a little too far.
ReplyDeleteI agree that limited unit types might be too simplistic. Some of the optional rules deal with this. It seems to me that the rules were designed more to play out a campaign in an evening, rather than a one off wargame. I was thinking of the "Simplicity in Hexes" wargame I played a few years ago; that I might replay it using these rules to see how they work for a campaign game.
ReplyDeleteReading the battle reports from the time of Frederick the Great the big battles basically seem to be between Heavy Cavalry, Line Infantry, and Artillery. Then very occasionally (what, 3 battles out of 24) also Light Infantry. That just is what it is. Given that the attributes (elite, fortified/disciplined, and unreliable) can then be applied to these units, one can get quite some variety in units and armies. I tried to add some modifiers to make the Infantry-Cavalry-Artillery interactions more interesting but yes there are basically less unit types at this time. The original Dominion of the Spear rules were written to play a fun battle in just a few minutes without complicated rules, while trying to bring out the flavour or characteristics of the different armies. I used them to fight or refight Ancient Wargames Competitions with many different armies fighting each other. For longer games I am inclining towards allowing more rallying attempts - perhaps each defeated unit can attempt to rally once per game? One attempt only per army per turn though. Thanks for buying the rules and I really hope you have fun playing them and playing around with them! All suggestions for improvement gratefully received!
ReplyDeleteSteve
My main interest in wargaming has been horse & Musket, and when fighting a large battle, light infantry wouldn't make that much of a difference in the battle. As you mentioned, your different attributes makes for a varied game. Also, some of the other options are interesting, such as unreliable troops and off board flanking. I can also see using options from the other rulesets. I am a big fan of your various rules, as they are a good introduction to different periods of warfare. My knowledge of Anicent warfare is limited. However, over the years I have gathered a rather large collection of anicent figures. I see rules such as these perfect for getting some of the figures painted and into games.
DeleteOne final thought, although they are "a simple ruleset" I know I made mistakes even with the basic rules.i think if one just plays a game, the rules are entertaining, but a couple of games one might lose interest. However, if one makes a narrative of the game,I believe it would be easy to get excited about playing them. The above post was only to try the rules out with 2mm miniatures on a small play area. However, after cationing the photographs, in my minds eye's, I could see the battle unfolding, and even realized my mistake not sending the Prussian center to do a flank attack on the Austrians.
Very nice battle report! Neat set up too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Thank you. It's only the fourth wargame I've had in the last couple of months, all of them "Dominion of.." games. Without these rules, I'm not sure I would get any games played.
DeleteI agree 100%. A lot of the amusement comes from the narrative - especially when a unit surprises one by winning against the odds and then I think up an amusing rationale. Ancient Wargaming is probably my greatest interest. Although the ancient army lists may seem simple I put a very great deal of work into them - and into the underlying system, simple though it may seem!
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling that Ancients were your preferred period, since it's obvious the amount of work you put into the army lists. I still plan to make some 12 figure armies using my old Peter Laing figures. Your other rules distracted me from those plans.
ReplyDelete