Objective of the Game "De Bellis Magistrorum Militum (DBMM)"

The aim of De Bellis Magistrorum Militum (DBMM) is to defeat your opponent by skillfully planning strategies and maneuvering your troops on the battlefield. You win by defeating a certain number of enemy units in combat and breaking their morale.

Game Components

• A playing surface, which can either be terrain made out of painted mats or modular boards.
• Miniature figures representing various historical troop types.
• A tape measure to determine movement distances.
• Dice, typically D6, for combat results and morale checks.
• Army lists that detail the available troops and their costs.
• A rulebook containing all the rules and intricacies of the game.

Setting Up the Game

1. Army Selection: Both players select armies built from an agreed points value, based on historical lists in the rulebook.
2. Deployment: The battlefield is set up with terrain features like hills, forests, and rivers. Players then deploy their troops according to the rules.

Basic Rules

• Initiative: At the start of each round, players roll for initiative. The winner decides who acts first.
• Orders: Players issue orders to their units via a commander, who can operate based on his rank and distance to the troops.
• Movement: Units move across the battlefield according to their type and terrain conditions. Cavalry, for example, moves faster than infantry.
• Combat: When units are close enough, they engage in combat. Both sides roll dice, modified by troop type, formation, and terrain.
• Morale: Units must take morale checks when taking losses. Poorly executed tests can result in retreats or even routs.

Strategic Intricacies

• Terrain Advantages: Utilize the terrain to your advantage. Hills, for instance, offer a bonus for attacking from a higher position.
• Flanking Attacks: Attacks from the side or rear are more effective and can have devastating effects.
• Concentration vs. Dispersion: Concentrate your forces to achieve breakthroughs or spread them out to control the field.
• Use of Reserves: Holding back troops tactically can be crucial for reacting to unexpected enemy movements.

Victory Conditions

A player wins when they break the opponent's army's moral integrity, achieved by eliminating a certain number of units or valuable targets.