Wargames Research Group
Encyclopedia
The Wargames Research Group (WRG) is a British publisher of rules and reference material for miniature wargaming
. Founded in 1969 they were the premier publisher of tabletop rules during the seventies and eighties, publishing rules for periods ranging from ancient times to modern armoured warfare, and reference books which are still considered standard works for amateur researchers and wargamers. They are best known for their seminal ancient and medieval period rules, and also for De Bellis Antiquitatis
and Hordes of the Things
fantasy rules.
, Bob O'Brien, and Ed Smith in 1969, when they published War Game Rules: 1000 B.C. to 500 A.D..
The rules quickly gained widespread acceptance through the miniature wargaming world, espcially in the UK, and quickly became the acknowledged standard for ancient warfare. WRG followed with rules for other periods which gained similar widespread acceptance.
Innovative features of the rules included:
While very much a minority interest, both the 6th Edition and the 7th Edition continue to be played even at a competition level.. Both, however, are no longer supported by WRG.
WRG rules have been sufficiently widely adopted that other popular rule sets sometimes choose to adopt the same basing requirements for figures to avoid requiring rebasing of the large number of WRG-based armies. Aspects of the WRG basing system such as the intermediate group of infantry between heavy and skirmisher infantry have, however, come under criticism.
At the beginning of the 1990s WRG introduced De Bellis Antiquitatis
(DBA) which was a radical simplification of ancients wargaming. The concepts of DBA were adapted to allow significantly larger games, which lead to De Bellis Multitudinis
(DBM) for Ancients and De Bellis Renationis (DBR) for Renaissance. The DBx series of rules are still in widespread use, the latest incarnation being De Bellis Magistrorum Militum (DBMM).
DBA was also adapted to a fantasy setting in Hordes of the Things
.
to provide historical realism in wargames. Thus, the WRG referred to the original historical texts as the basis for their reference works, rules sets and army lists, and their historical publications are often found in wargaming, and other bibliographies.
The reference works published by WRG are aimed at the wargamer rather than the academic history student, but are nonetheless accurate enough to be occasionally cited in more scholarly texts.
Miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
. Founded in 1969 they were the premier publisher of tabletop rules during the seventies and eighties, publishing rules for periods ranging from ancient times to modern armoured warfare, and reference books which are still considered standard works for amateur researchers and wargamers. They are best known for their seminal ancient and medieval period rules, and also for De Bellis Antiquitatis
De Bellis Antiquitatis
De Bellis Antiquitatis or DBA is a fast play set of rules for the hobby of historical miniature wargaming, particularly ancient and medieval wargaming in the period 3000 BC to 1485 AD. These rules allow entire armies to be represented by less than 50 figures. The rules also include a campaign...
and Hordes of the Things
Hordes of the Things (game)
Hordes of the Things is a fantasy miniature wargame, published by Wargames Research Group. A generic fantasy game, it can represent armies from a wide variety of settings...
fantasy rules.
History
WRG was founded by Phil BarkerPhil Barker
Phil Barker is one of the major figures in the development of the modern hobby of tabletop wargaming, particularly that of ancient warfare, and is a co-founder of the Wargames Research Group.In the 1960s he was a methods engineer at British Leyland...
, Bob O'Brien, and Ed Smith in 1969, when they published War Game Rules: 1000 B.C. to 500 A.D..
The rules quickly gained widespread acceptance through the miniature wargaming world, espcially in the UK, and quickly became the acknowledged standard for ancient warfare. WRG followed with rules for other periods which gained similar widespread acceptance.
Innovative features of the rules included:
- morale rules, based on a reaction test which evaluated the tactical situation of a unit as well as the casualties it had suffered . The results of the reaction test could result in players' losing control of their troops . Not only would troops on occasion flee but they could also go into uncontrolled advance.
- Up till 1969 the normal way of recording casualties was to remove figures. The WRG rules made use of the nominal 1:20 figure scale, in which one wargames figure represented 20 men. Casualties were considered as lost men and noted down with figures being removed only when a whole 20 had been lost. This was regarded as a major innovation.
While very much a minority interest, both the 6th Edition and the 7th Edition continue to be played even at a competition level.. Both, however, are no longer supported by WRG.
WRG rules have been sufficiently widely adopted that other popular rule sets sometimes choose to adopt the same basing requirements for figures to avoid requiring rebasing of the large number of WRG-based armies. Aspects of the WRG basing system such as the intermediate group of infantry between heavy and skirmisher infantry have, however, come under criticism.
At the beginning of the 1990s WRG introduced De Bellis Antiquitatis
De Bellis Antiquitatis
De Bellis Antiquitatis or DBA is a fast play set of rules for the hobby of historical miniature wargaming, particularly ancient and medieval wargaming in the period 3000 BC to 1485 AD. These rules allow entire armies to be represented by less than 50 figures. The rules also include a campaign...
(DBA) which was a radical simplification of ancients wargaming. The concepts of DBA were adapted to allow significantly larger games, which lead to De Bellis Multitudinis
DBM De Bellis Multitudinis
De Bellis Multitudinis is a ruleset for table-top miniatures wargames for the period 3000 BC to 1485 AD. It is the big battle development of De Bellis Antiquitatis. As its name implies, it is aimed primarily at simulating large battles...
(DBM) for Ancients and De Bellis Renationis (DBR) for Renaissance. The DBx series of rules are still in widespread use, the latest incarnation being De Bellis Magistrorum Militum (DBMM).
DBA was also adapted to a fantasy setting in Hordes of the Things
Hordes of the Things (game)
Hordes of the Things is a fantasy miniature wargame, published by Wargames Research Group. A generic fantasy game, it can represent armies from a wide variety of settings...
.
Significance
WRG rules were a significant milestone in the development of modern miniature wargaming, and attempted to use historical researchHistorical method
Historical method comprises the techniques and guidelines by which historians use primary sources and other evidence to research and then to write histories in the form of accounts of the past. The question of the nature, and even the possibility, of a sound historical method is raised in the...
to provide historical realism in wargames. Thus, the WRG referred to the original historical texts as the basis for their reference works, rules sets and army lists, and their historical publications are often found in wargaming, and other bibliographies.
The reference works published by WRG are aimed at the wargamer rather than the academic history student, but are nonetheless accurate enough to be occasionally cited in more scholarly texts.
Ancients & Medievals
In seven editions, normally referred to by wargamers just by the edition number.- War Games Rules 1000 B.C to 500 A.D, 1st Edition, Ancient War Games Research Group, Feb 1969.
- War Games Rules 1000 B.C to 500 A.D., 2nd Edition, Ancient War Games Research Group, July 1969
- War Games Rules 1000 B.C. to 1000 A.D., 3rd Edition, War Games Research Group, September 1971
- War Games Rules 1000 B.C. to 1000 A.D., 4th Edition, War Games Research Group, August 1973
- Wargames Rules 3000 B.C - 1250 A.D, 5th Edition, Wargames Research Group, 1976 The 5th Edition revised the order system, laying down more rigorously what orders could be given..
- Wargames Rules 3000 BC to 1485 AD, 6th Edition, Wargames Research Group, 1980
- Wargames Rules 3000 BC to 1485 AD, Revised 7th Edition, Wargames Research Group, 1986
- Wargames Rules 3000 BC to 1485 AD, Amended 7th Edition, Wargames Research Group, 1987* Warrior is a development of this edition.
Renaissance
- Rulettes for 16th Century Naval Warfare, Wargames Research Group, 1978
- Wargames Rules 1420-1700 George GushGeorge GushGeorge Gush was the head of the history section of West Kent College's "Social and Academic Studies Department", and is now retired. He is most notable for his work on wargaming....
2nd Edition, Wargames Research Group, 1979
Napoleonic
- Wargames Rules 1750 - 1850, Wargames Research Group, January 1971.
- Wargames Rules 1685-1845, Wargames Research Group, 1979
- Corps d'Armee: Napoleonic Rules for Large Scale Wargames, Geoffrey Wootten, Wargames Research Group, 1989
Modern
- War Games Rules Infantry Action 1925-1975, War Games Research Group, June 1972.
- War Games Rules Armour & Infantry 1925-1950, War Games Research Group, June 1973
- War Games Rules Armour & Infantry 1950-1975, War Games Research Group, January 1974
- War Games Rules for Armoured Warfare 1950-1985, Wargames Research Group, 1979
- War Games Rules 1925-1950War Games Rules 1925-1950A set of rules for World War II and modern era miniature wargaming using 1:285 scale micro armour published by Wargames Research Group .Initially named War Games Rules Infantry Action 1925-1975 when first published in 1972, later split into two eras and renamed to simply War Games Rules 1925-1950...
: Wargames Rules for All Arms Land Warfare from Platoon to Battalion Level, Wargames Research Group, 1988 - War Games Rules 1950-2000: Wargames Rules for All Arms Land Warfare from Platoon to Battalion Level , Wargames Research Group, 1993
DBx
- DBA
- De Bellis AntiquitatisDe Bellis AntiquitatisDe Bellis Antiquitatis or DBA is a fast play set of rules for the hobby of historical miniature wargaming, particularly ancient and medieval wargaming in the period 3000 BC to 1485 AD. These rules allow entire armies to be represented by less than 50 figures. The rules also include a campaign...
, Wargames Research Group, 1990 - De Bellis Antiquitatis, Version 2.0, Wargames Research Group, 2001
- De Bellis Antiquitatis
- DBM
- De Bellis Multitudinis 3000 BC to 1500 AD, Phil BarkerPhil BarkerPhil Barker is one of the major figures in the development of the modern hobby of tabletop wargaming, particularly that of ancient warfare, and is a co-founder of the Wargames Research Group.In the 1960s he was a methods engineer at British Leyland...
and Richard Bodley Scott. Wargames Research Group, 1993
- De Bellis Multitudinis 3000 BC to 1500 AD, Phil Barker
- DBR
- De Bellis Renationis' 1494 AD to 1701 AD, Phil BarkerPhil BarkerPhil Barker is one of the major figures in the development of the modern hobby of tabletop wargaming, particularly that of ancient warfare, and is a co-founder of the Wargames Research Group.In the 1960s he was a methods engineer at British Leyland...
and Richard Bodley Scott, Wargames Research Group, 1995
- De Bellis Renationis' 1494 AD to 1701 AD, Phil Barker
- Hordes (Fantasy)
- Hordes of the ThingsHordes of the Things (game)Hordes of the Things is a fantasy miniature wargame, published by Wargames Research Group. A generic fantasy game, it can represent armies from a wide variety of settings...
, Phil BarkerPhil BarkerPhil Barker is one of the major figures in the development of the modern hobby of tabletop wargaming, particularly that of ancient warfare, and is a co-founder of the Wargames Research Group.In the 1960s he was a methods engineer at British Leyland...
, Sue Laflin Barker & Richard Bodley Scott, Wargames Research Group, 1991 - Hordes of the Things, Phil BarkerPhil BarkerPhil Barker is one of the major figures in the development of the modern hobby of tabletop wargaming, particularly that of ancient warfare, and is a co-founder of the Wargames Research Group.In the 1960s he was a methods engineer at British Leyland...
, Sue Laflin Barker & Richard Bodley Scott, 2nd Edition, Wargames Research Group, 2002
- Hordes of the Things
- DBMM
- De Bellis Magistrorum Militum 3000 BC to 1500 AD, Phil BarkerPhil BarkerPhil Barker is one of the major figures in the development of the modern hobby of tabletop wargaming, particularly that of ancient warfare, and is a co-founder of the Wargames Research Group.In the 1960s he was a methods engineer at British Leyland...
, 2007 (Partizan Press, not WRG) - De Bellis Magistrorum Militum 3000 BC to 1515 AD, Version 2.0, Phil BarkerPhil BarkerPhil Barker is one of the major figures in the development of the modern hobby of tabletop wargaming, particularly that of ancient warfare, and is a co-founder of the Wargames Research Group.In the 1960s he was a methods engineer at British Leyland...
, Wargames Research Group, 2010
- De Bellis Magistrorum Militum 3000 BC to 1500 AD, Phil Barker
Other
- Richard Nelson, Naval wargames rules: fleet action (September 1973, 20pp and two copies of a quick reference card).
- Decline and Fall (board game), about the fall of the Roman empireRoman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. - Robin Wyatt, SEASTRIKE ('modern' naval warfareNaval warfareNaval warfare is combat in and on seas, oceans, or any other major bodies of water such as large lakes and wide rivers.-History:Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Land warfare would seem, initially, to be irrelevant and entirely removed from warfare on the open ocean,...
, copyright 1973, the forward is dated March, 1974). Miniatures/board game hybrid tabletop game, with plastic-laminated cardboard counters depicting ships, aircraft, and emplacements, 24 page rulebook, rules summary cards, custom movement and firing range rulers, card deck for combat resolution, cardboard islands, orders envelopes contain paper mission orders and orders cards packaged in a glossy cardboard file folder with naval silhouette artwork. The play area is the table surface, with cardboard island terrain. Ships are depicted by counters of various sizes with hull outlines and systems icons to be erasably crossed off to indicate damage. The rules use measured distance and angles like miniatures rules.
Ancients & Medievals
- Army Lists For use with rules 3000 B.C - 1250A.D. War Games Research Group, 1977.
- Army Lists For use with wargames rules 3000 BC to 1485 AD Book One - 3000 BC - 75 AD, Wargames Research Group, 1981
- Army Lists For use with wargames rules 3000 BC to 1485 AD Book Two - 55 BC - 1000 AD, Wargames Research Group, 1982
- Army Lists For use with wargames rules 3000 BC to 1485 AD Book Three - Armies Originating After 1000 AD, Wargames Research Group, 1982
- Army Lists Volume 1: Armies of the Ancient Near East 3000BC - 500BC, D. Hutchby & S. Clark, Wargames Research Group, 1992
- Army Lists Volume 2: Armies of the Far East, Asia and America, D. Hutchby & S. Clark, Wargames Research Group, 1993.
Renaissance
- Army Lists For use with rules 1490 A.D - 1660 A.D, War Games Research Group, 1978.
- Army Lists For use with Wargames Research Group Wargames Rules 1420 - 1700, George GushGeorge GushGeorge Gush was the head of the history section of West Kent College's "Social and Academic Studies Department", and is now retired. He is most notable for his work on wargaming....
, Wargames Research Group, 1984
DBx
- D.B.M. Army Lists Book 1: 3000 BC - 500 BC, Phil Barker & Richard Bodley Scott, Wargames Research Group, 1993
- D.B.M. Army Lists Book 2: 500 BC - 476 AD, Phil Barker & Richard Bodley Scott, Wargames Research Group, 1993
- D.B.M. Army Lists Book 3: 476 AD - 1071 AD, Phil Barker & Richard Bodley Scott, Wargames Research Group, 1994
- D.B.M. Army Lists Book 4: 1071 AD - 1500 AD, Phil Barker & Richard Bodley Scott, Wargames Research Group, 1994
- D.B.R. Army Lists Book 1: Armies of the Great Italian Wars, Valois-Habsburg-Tudor Wars, Turkish Wars, Chinese and Japanese Wars, The Americas and of the Reformation, Phil Barker, Wargames Research Group, 1995
Reference Books
- Warfleets of antiquity.
- Tony BathTony BathTony Bath was a British wargamer who favored the ancient period. His Hyboria campaign, based on the Conan the Barbarian stories of Robert E. Howard, is sometimes cited as the first fantasy wargame. It is even said to have included role playing elements. The Hyboria campaign did not contain...
, Setting up a wargames campaign, Wargames Research Group, May 1973 (75pp).- Chapters "How to set up your campaign", "map movement", "contacts, battles and after affects", "umpires - and the lack of same", "supply and replacement", "characterisation", "campaign extras", "horse and musket campaigns", "Victorian campaigns", "World War I", "World War II", "mini campaigns", and "naval campaigns".
- Tony BathTony BathTony Bath was a British wargamer who favored the ancient period. His Hyboria campaign, based on the Conan the Barbarian stories of Robert E. Howard, is sometimes cited as the first fantasy wargame. It is even said to have included role playing elements. The Hyboria campaign did not contain...
, Setting up a Wargames Campaign Revised Third Edition, Wargames Research Group, 1986. - Alan Buttery, Armies and Enemies of Ancient Egypt and Assyria: 3200 BC to 612 BC, Wargames Research Group, 1974.
- John P Greer, The Armies and Enemies of Ancient China 1027 BC - 1286 AD, Wargames Research Group, 1975.
- Richard Nelson, Armies of the Greek and Persian Wars 500 to 350 BC, Wargames Research Group, 1975
- Ian Heath, Armies of Feudal Europe 1066-1300, Wargames Research Group, 1977
- Ian Heath, Armies and Enemies of the Crusades 1096-1291, Wargames Research Group, 1978
- Ian Heath, Armies of the Dark Ages 600-1066, Second Edition, Wargames Research Group, 1980
- Phil BarkerPhil BarkerPhil Barker is one of the major figures in the development of the modern hobby of tabletop wargaming, particularly that of ancient warfare, and is a co-founder of the Wargames Research Group.In the 1960s he was a methods engineer at British Leyland...
, The Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome 150 BC to 600 AD, Fourth Edition, Wargames Research Group, 1981 - Duncan Head, Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars 359 BC to 146 BC, Wargames Research Group, 1982.
- Ian Heath, Armies of the Middle Ages, Volume 1: The Hundred Years War, the Wars of the Roses and the Burgundian Wars, 1300-1487, Wargames Research Group, 1982
- Ian Heath, Armies of the Middle Ages, Volume 2: The Ottoman Empire, Eastern Europe and the Near East, 1300-1500, Wargames Research Group, 1984
- Nigel Stillman and Nigel Tallis, Armies of the Ancient Near East 3000 BC to 539 BC, Wargames Research Group, 1984.