Battlesystem

Battlesystem is a tabletop miniature wargame designed as a supplement for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. It was first released in 1985, compatible with either Advanced Dungeons & Dragons or the Basic / Expert Dungeons & Dragons (see editions of Dungeons & Dragons). The game was promoted as a successor to Chainmail.

In a Battlesystem game, each miniature represents a hero, a commander, or multiple troops, depending on the troops' level or hit dice. There are no statistics in the game for any troops or characters, but, instead, all are derived from the relevant Dungeons & Dragons publications. For instance, to add any creature from the Monster Manual or similar publications as troops, its in-game point cost can be derived from the XP reward listed in the Monster Manual for killing the creature.

The first edition Battlesystem set, designed by Douglas Niles and Steve Winter, was published in 1985. It featured a cover by Jeff Easley.

First edition

The first edition of Battlesystem was a set of rules and components for use in running mass fantasy battles, involving miniatures rules using metal or cardstock figures, or counters. The first edition set included rules with two levels of complexity, four scenarios, a guide to miniatures, cardboard figures, and over 800 counters. It was meant to be used with either the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game or the simpler Dungeons & Dragons rule book sets available at the time.

The first edition of Battlesystem was sold as a box set which contained:

• 32-page rule book
• 24-page scenario book
• 16-page guide to miniatures
• 2 Player Aid Cards
• 2 Metal Miniature Generals
• 3-D Adventure foldup Figures
• Army Roster Sheets
• 801 die-cut counters

The Rulebook is divided into four parts, allowing three levels of play. The first part is an introduction. The second part, called "The Basic Game", covers the basic rules of movement and melee combat. The third part, "The Intermediate Game", adds missiles, artillery, cavalry, individual Heroes, special formations and terrain effects. The fourth part, called "The Advanced Game", allows for Magic, flying, weather, night battles and special monsters. It also introduces campaign rules that allow for integration of Battlesystem games into a role-playing campaign. The game does not require a Dungeon Master, though use of a referee is strongly recommended if using certain magics such as invisibility or illusions.

The Scenario Book contains four scenarios. Three of the scenarios form a linked campaign in a generic fantasy setting, one for each level of the game. The fourth is an advanced game scenario for Dragonlance, Battle of Qualinost. It takes place during the same time period as DL2 Dragons of Flame, while the heroes are in Pax Tharkas.

According to the game's rules, it was designed to be played with either 25 mm or 15 mm miniatures. The game, however, does not require a certain size of miniatures. The official Battlesystem miniatures released at the time, except for two in the box set, were all 15 mm. At the time, many companies producing 25 mm figures were starting to make larger figures, sometimes even officially called as 'Heroic 25 mm' or 28 mm, that were difficult to fit or didn't fit on the official Battlesystem base sizes.

Second Edition

The second edition of Battlesystem was published in 1989, revised for use with 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. It was designed by Douglas Niles and featured a cover by Glen Taranowski. The second edition removed the counters, concentrating solely on miniatures.

The second edition of Battlesystem became available in the form of two books called Battlesystem (1989) and Battlesystem Skirmishes (1991).

One of the more significant changes was making the use of 25 mm miniatures as standard. According to the rules, 15 mm could still be used, but the base size was increased to allow for larger miniatures. Additionally, all photographs in the rule book were of 25 mm miniatures.

The game won the 1989 Origins Award for "Best Miniatures Rules of 1989".

Reception

Graeme Davis reviewed the original Battlesystem for White Dwarf, giving it a rating of 8/10 overall. He called the rules "concise and well-written". He felt that as a supplement to the D&D game, "the Battle System does what it sets out to do and does it very well; it may not be as detailed as some fantasy wargame rules, but it is adequate for the requirements of most role-players and can be used quite easily by anyone familiar with D&D or AD&D". Davis concluded by stating that "Battle System deserves to be given a chance, but I'm afraid that it may have priced itself out the market from the start."

The original Battlesystem set won the H.G. Wells award.

References

• Dobson, Michael (August 1985). "From first draft to last gasp". Dragon #100 (TSR) X (3): 96–98. ISSN 0279-6848. 
• Musson, Roger (September 1985). "Notices: Battlesystem". Imagine (TSR UK) (30): 43. 
• Niles, Douglas (1985a). Battlesystem Rulebook. TSR.  from Battlesystem: Fantasy Combat Supplement Boxed set.
• Niles, Douglas (1985b). Battlesystem Scenario Book. TSR.  from Battlesystem: Fantasy Combat Supplement Boxed set.
• Niles, Doug (August 1985). "The chance of a lifetime". Dragon #100 (TSR) X (3): 86–94. ISSN 0279-6848. 
• Niles, Douglas (1989). Battlesystem. TSR. ISBN 0-88038-770-X. 
• Nesmith, Bruce (1991). Battlesystem Skirmishes. TSR. ISBN 1-56076-141-5. 
• Winter, Steven (1985). The Art of Three-Dimensional Gaming. TSR.  from Battlesystem: Fantasy Combat Supplement Boxed set.
• "Battlesystem". The Miniatures Page. 1999-09-04. http://theminiaturespage.com/rules/fan/battlsys.html. Retrieved 2007-03-17. 

Additional reading

• "Sage Advice", Dragon #132.

Reviews:

• Dragon #178 (1992)
• Different Worlds #43
• The V.I.P. of Gaming Magazine #2 (1986)
• The V.I.P. of Gaming Magazine #3 (1986)

External links

• http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12614.phtml