The period is known for great empires and generals. The names of Hannibal, Alexander the Great and Giaus Julius Caesar capture the imagination of both young and old, while others, perhaps less known, are just as colourful. These generals campaigned over a vast time frame in which kingdoms and empires grew and vanished. Battles were fought and lost while armies and tactics evolved. Democracies were founded, republics developed and kings and tyrants would come and go, often overnight.

My own primary interests focus on the period from Classical Greece through the Macedonian and Successor periods to the Punic Wars and early Roman Empire. 

My wargaming of this period was limited until the release of "De Bellis Antiquitatis" (DBA) 1990 and my adoption of 15mm miniatures. Though like many I had played a few games using earlier rule sets including those by WRG and Grant. However, 15mm and DBA were a turning point. At last Ancient and Medieval wargaming was on my agenda, on a regular basis. In time, like many Ancient wargamers, I adopted "De Bellis Multitudinis" (DBM). Though I hasten to point out in an attempt to get more games with a wider player base. However, my preference has always been towards fighting battles between historical, or near historical, opponents. This was not always possible and rather than play non-historical opponents, often in competitive environments, my Ancient wargaming soon became extremely limited.

A visit to Australia in 2008 sparked a renewed interest in DBA. I was impressed by the look of several 15mm DBA and Big Battle DBA (BBDBA) games on show. As a result I decided to purchase a copy of the current rules. Certainly the rules have evolved far more than I appreciated since last using them in the mid 1990's. Now, with a reasonable sized group of local players interested in DBA using historically matched armies I expect DBA and BBDBA to be my rules of choice for Ancient wargaming in the future.

I also have an interest in Phil Sabin's "Lost Battles". Lost Battles uses mechanics that are very different to traditional miniatures rules. In particular it dispenses with the traditional movement and combat systems typical of other systems. Instead the miniature battlefield is divided into 20 sectors using a five by four grid. Movement and combat then take place between these sectors. Further, instead of points values and generic rules allowing clashes between non-historical armies Lost Battles investigates some 35 Ancient battles. Sabin outlines each of these battles, with references, and explores how these battles can be simulated. Certainly a very different approach. I trust you find something of interest here and visit the again soon.