Battlesystem
Battlesystem is a tabletop
First edition
Contents
Battlesystem 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.[1]
In a Battlesystem game, each
The first edition of Battlesystem was a set of rules and components for use in playing mass fantasy battles, involving miniatures rules for metal or cardstock figures, or counters.[4] The first edition set contained rules with beginner and intermediate levels of complexity, four battle scenarios, a guide to miniatures, a number of 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.[4]
The first edition of Battlesystem was sold as a box set which contained:[5]
- 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
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
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.
Publication history
The first edition Battlesystem set was designed by Douglas Niles and Steve Winter with a cover by Jeff Easley, and was published in 1985.[4]
Reception
Roger Musson reviewed the original boxed set in
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".[12] 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".[12] 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."[12]
The original Battlesystem set won the H.G. Wells award.[4]
Second edition
Contents
The second edition of Battlesystem removed the counters, and focused only on miniatures.
The book features glossy, full-color photos of painted miniatures, many of them staged in elaborate battlefield dioramas.[13]
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.
Publication history
The second edition of Battlesystem was published in 1989, revised for use with 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.[4] It was designed by Douglas Niles and featured a cover by Glen Taranowski.[4] This version was a 128-page softcover book.[13] Editing and development was by Kim Mohan, Jon Pickens, and Dave Sutherland.[13] Photography was by Michael Weaver and Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc. for the battle scenes, and Dick Kahn Studio, Inc. for the rules diagrams.[13] Figure painting was by Dave Sutherland, with interior art by Jeff Easley and Keith Parkinson, and graphic design by Stephanie Tabat and Dave Sutherland.[13]
The second edition of Battlesystem became available in the form of two books called Battlesystem (1989) and Battlesystem Skirmishes (1991).
Despite positive reviews, sales for the set were disappointing.[14] This led to it not being actively supported and used in role playing systems such as Dark Sun for very long even though the Dark Sun setting had been developed with the intent of holding large-scale battles.[14] The 1992 Dragon Kings hardcover book, for example, included Battlesystem options, even though game designer Rick Swan considered them "useful but nonessential".[15]
Reception
The game won the 1989 Origins Award for "Best Miniatures Rules of 1989".[16]
Rick Swan reviewed Battlesystem for Dragon magazine #178 (February 1992).[13] Swan declared both the second edition Battlesystem and Battlesystem Skirmishes books "flat-out gorgeous, two of the best-looking products TSR, Inc. has ever published", and that they both "make terrific guides for figure painting and are a pleasure to thumb through, even for those with only a passing interest in miniatures games".[13] Swan suggests that players "frustrated by the tentative systems in the first-edition Battlesystem game" would be "in for a pleasant surprise with the second edition, a complete overhaul that's as impressive as the 1st-to-2nd Edition transformation of the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide. Gone from the original game are the math-heavy combat tables, the awkward base sizes, and the quarter-page unit rosters; they're replaced by streamlined bookkeeping systems, cleaner attack procedures, and a plethora of clever options. Particularly welcome is the reduction of relevant statistics from a dozen-plus to a mere five."[13] Swan felt that "the conversions are sound, if a bit convoluted, and produce acceptable results on the battlefield".[13] He also felt that any players "willing to swallow the compromises inherent in the system will find the basic rules elegant and satisfying".[13] He felt that while it was not unusual to roll a lot of dice to resolve a single combat engagement, "the system is preferable to the dreary bookkeeping required by too many miniatures games".[13] He considered the magic system "Less successful", in that it "doesn't translate from the AD&D game as well as the combat rules, and that the descriptions of spell effects are "sketchy" and the spell list is "woefully incomplete" with fewer than 20 wizard spells discussed.[13] Swan concluded the review by saying: "Even though it emphasizes the military aspect more than the magical, the Battlesystem game scores as a first-class miniatures game; engaging, challenging, and - considering its scope - surprisingly easy to manage. The Battlesystem Skirmishes game succeeds in smoothing over the rough spots in the AD&D combat rules, but it reaches the point of diminishing returns in battles approaching several dozen figures per side; at that point, you might as well use the Battlesystem rules. For its versatility and sheer volume of material, the Battlesystem book has the edge over the Battlesystem Skirmishes rules, but both books are recommended to AD&D combat aficionados and especially to students of figure painting - these photos are real knock-outs."[13]
Notes
- ^ "With the BATTLESYSTEM game, the AD&D and D&D games go back to their roots" (Niles 1985a:1)
- ^ (Niles 1985a:2)
- ^ (Niles 1985a:31)
- ^ ISBN 0-87975-653-5.
- ^ As listed on box and in Game Parts section (Niles 1985a:1)
- ^ (Niles 1985a:8)
- ^ (Niles 1985a:16)
- ^ (Niles 1985a:20)
- ^ (Niles 1985a:1)
- ^ (Niles 1985b)
- ^ Imagine(review) (30). TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd.: 43.
- ^ a b c Davis, Graeme (October 1985). "Open Box: Battle System". White Dwarf (review) (70). Games Workshop: 14.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Swan, Rick (February 1992). "Role-playing Reviews". Dragon (#178). Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR: 76–77.
- ^ a b Johnson, Harold; Winter, Steve; Adkinson, Peter; Stark, Ed; and Peter Archer. 30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons and Dragons. Wizards of the Coast, Inc, 2004, pages 130-138.
- ^ Swan, Rick (September 1993). "Role-playing Reviews". Dragon (#197). Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR: 78, 82.
- ^ "1989 List of Winners". Academy of Adventure Gaming, Arts & Design. Archived from the original on 2006-12-22. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
References
- ISSN 0279-6848.
- 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. X (3). TSR: 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. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
Further reading
- "Sage Advice", Dragon #132.
Reviews:
- Different Worlds #43
- The V.I.P. of Gaming Magazine #2 (1986)
- The V.I.P. of Gaming Magazine #3 (1986)