Original DnD and Daniel Collins’ “Book of War”

I long for hours to spend more time with Daniel Collins’ Book of War, an armies game based on Original DnD. This light d6 system can be played on a tabletop, 2.5  x 5 feet, with fantasy armies of humans, hobbits, gnolls, giants, orcs, and others. It’s fun because Collins made a game of the whole war-gaming event. 


Collins just started a third season, on the YouTube channel Wandering DMs, where he and Paul Siegel discuss Original DnD and interview guests about the game. On the channel, he’s recorded "actual plays" of many Book of War battles  – a consistent theme's the ease of play and the slow build-up to a big finish.

Book of War is available online – the 24-page rule book is only 3 or 4 dollars. I like the close parallels to DnD (Chaos vs. Law, wonderful details, such as “Elite Elf Archers” and the distance hill giants can throw stones). The echoes of Chainmail also put me in mind of 1970's gaming stores,with pikemen and special rules for high level wizards and heroes.

I’ve played a few scenarios with a friend, but mostly played-out solo. For example, down in Tenkeep, when gnoll raiders from the North swooped down on a unit of light bandit cavalry. All that was left were stray units, rumors of a gnoll lieutenant, and warnings about the place where it happened.

If I can, almost any player can pick-up Book of War point buys for armies; rules for randomizing terrain and weather; movement and time straight out of ODnD; and my favorite, the morale system, when a whole unit suddenly decides to run away. Check it out, and thanks for reading!


 


 

 

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