DBA / DBM versus Warhammer Ancients

both.

What little I know about the two, I think they are quite different, with warhammer being close to the regular warhammer, 1:1, individual figure stats and such like, while dbm is played using "elements" - stands of figures. From what I've read these stands are always the same size (or maybe just same frontage?) or always have the same effective strength or something like that. I've been meaning to give it a go, as all my ancients are currently based on the same size stands, but the rules I was using with them are just a bit too technical and slow

That also reminds me: do you own any 15mm ancients? If so which manufacturer?

Ah ok, I'll let you know how the 15mm metals turn out if and when I secure any! 20mm plastics sounds interesting too. Any local suppliers?

Where did I get the rules? Enough said.

Italeri are about the best, and esci if if you can find them, but they are out of production. I also have a few Hat, which are very, very changeable; some barely passable, some downright awful, but with a bit of clever paintwork they don't turn out too bad. Sadly, Hat have got an absolutely mind blowing range, they cover everything, and unlike other mfrs don't include command figures, you buy them seperately. This means you don't end up with dozens of extra officers like you do with other ranges. but generally, the figures suck. If italeri would do the range of Hat's figures I'd be in little plastic man heaven. Revell are also changeable, as their range is a mix of original figs and remolds of other mfrs, so you never quite know what you are getting. Also strelets, caesar and orion from eastern europe are worth a look; caesar are excellent figs with an interesting range, strelets again a good range but the figures are a bit chunky, look sort of like metal figs, but don't tend to go well with other mfrs'. orion a good range too, and figs are pretty good. "interestingly", orion and strelets are sculpted actual size, rather than pantographed down (and it shows) plasticsoldierreview.com is the place to look if you are interested.

For most historicals 20mm plastics are my first choice; good compromise between small enough to have billions of figs, and big enough to a good job with. and somewhere out there you can find practically any figure you want.

so in summary, itaeri = best figs, HaT = best range, orion = reasonable figs, obscure-can't-get-anywhere-else range, strelets = chunky figs, good range too. caesar = excellent figs, limited range

(looking back over that, I'm getting myself confused - I can never remember which ones are orion and which caesar, but hey, i've got thousands of the blighters)

and not so too - their neighbours only got destroyed if they wouldn'r buckle under. If they did bow down, they were granted almost equal rights, and their original leaders would become equals with other roman leaders. This is how later roman armies ended up with auxilliria from all over the known world. In fact, the very late roman army bore almost no resemblance to the classic view of the legionaries, with heavy troops in mail surcoats, and a large contigent of missile and melee cavalry, such as the super heavy cataphracts; fully armoured, armoured horses, and carrying two handed lances called kontos. These types of troops were initally eastern goths I think.

This policy of absorbing cultures was partly responsible for the split in the british tribes when the romans invaded; some of the british chieftans looked over to their counterparts in europe who had signed up, saw the good life they now had and decided they wanted a piece of it. My dark ages arthurians are essentially late romans, with a few mid period romans thrown in, since I hadn't done a lot of research when I started collecting them.

HaT are the only mfr I know of who do 20mm cataphracts, and at least that is one of their better sets so I'm tempted to get some. But first I need to finish my tommies, DAK, confederates, cyberpunks, steampunks, lizards from outer space...

HaT's website has a mass of colour pics hidden throughout that are good refs, also I've got a load myself on the shelf, I'll see what I can find for you.

Was I right or near about the element / basing thing for dbm?

The rules I'm using are, I think, the old Wargames Research Group rules. Basically just picked them because they were free and differentiated between the different troop types I was planning on having.

did you see the pics of painted figs on that site. There are some excellent jobs; the figures, as I said above, are genrally pretty ropey, but some of those painters manage to make them look excellent.

What sizes bases for DBA? most of mine are on something about 2" square if i remember right