First Published in Arquebusier

Having read with interest the various pieces in "Arquebusier" extolling the virtues of DBR,I approached with interest when given the chance to play an ECW game using these rules. In the past I have played (and loathed ) DBA, played DBM with little more enthusiasm but never , until now, DBR.

I have played several sets of ECW / Pike & Shot rules ,WRG (OK ish) 1644 (ho-hum),File Leader (interesting) and latterly Age of Discovery (pretty good but not perfect).

Before getting down to the detail of my impression of the ruleset, I think my overall first impression would be as follows-
" The worst piece of drivel I have ever played. Totally lacking in period feel, charecter free and dull to the point of tedium. Utterly bereft of historical background or identity. The worst case of "making history fit my rules " I have ever encountered."

Right that's that off my chest, now to a little more detail. The PIP system is a nice idea, but of course leads to gamesmanship of the worst kind- it appears that as long as a PIP and the appropriate move distance are available an element can do anything without reference to orders or period tactical doctrine for that given troop type, now bear in mind I have only played one game , but this seems a little odd to me. Now , granted up to a point, tactical doctrine is encapsulated in the silly shorthand jargon which the rules and army lists seem to find so essential but the "one size fits all" attitude makes no allowances for period nuance.