Join me as I unbox the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Battlesystem box set in this Dragonlance Mail Time episode. Battlesystem is a tabletop miniature wargame designed as a supplement for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. This original Battlesystem was printed as a boxed set in 1985 for use with the first edition AD&D rules.
About Battlesystem
Battlesystem was first released in 1985, compatible with either Advanced Dungeons & Dragons or the Basic / Expert 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 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, although the Rulebook recommends use of a referee, especially 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.
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