Battlesystem question

[lokiqc]

Hi

I'm running the dragonlance campaign and I need to buy Battlesystem soon.

Looking for it, I noticed that there was a box version (seemed older) and a book version. Can I use any of them or are they really different?

Thanks

 

[hculpan]

The boxed version is for 1st Edition AD&D while the book is for 2nd Edition. Obviously neither is compatible with 3rd Edition, although I guess you could attempt to adapt them. I did a quick search of the net and found this reference, http://home.attbi.com/~superdan.net/battlsys.html, which talks about using either edition for 3rd Ed. I have not tried it though, so I can't say how good it is. The good thing about the boxed set, though, is that it comes with plenty of counters that can be used for running a battle.

I think AEG's War supplement and Quintessential Fighter both have massed combat rules, but I didn't like either one. As I recall, both allow you to basically resolve the battle through straight dice rolls, without actually placing and moving units. But they did have the advantage of being quick. And unless you want to run a fully detailed battle, this might be sufficient for you.

Hope that helps.

Harry Culpan

 

[lokiqc]

"The boxed version is for 1st Edition AD&D while the book is for 2nd Edition."


Thanks for the answer. Now, the dragonlance modules are 1st edition. Would it be difficult to run the battles using the book (2nd edition). More precisely, is the 2nd edition a drastic change from the 1st?

 

[hculpan]

I don't recall all the changes from the 1st Edition rules to 2nd Edition. It has been a few years since I've played either of them. The 2nd Edition book does have rules for converting 1st Edition stuff, as I recall, so anything should be playable.

Harry Culpan

 

[hculpan]

I don't recall all the changes from the 1st Edition rules to 2nd Edition. It has been a few years since I've played either of them. The 2nd Edition book does have rules for converting 1st Edition stuff, as I recall, so anything should be playable.

Harry Culpan

 

[bolen]

one of these days Eden studio is supposed to publish "fields of Blood" which is a D20 mass cambat game. We will see if it comes out. It is about a half a year late right now.