by David Sullivan

Overview    |    Rules    |    Miniatures    |    Books     |    Articles    |    Movies

When I get into a period, I like to immerse myself. It's not just playing the games that gives me enjoyment, but finding the right rules, getting the minis, and setting the mood by reading books and watching movies about the period. This article offers my overview and thoughts on gaming the Dark Ages . It also provides an annotated listing of the available rules, miniatures, books, articles, and movies for the period.

Overview

I love the Dark Ages. The name itself evokes images of marauding barbarians imbued with a lust for fight and plunder, of peaceful villagers running in terror as mead-besotted Vikings disembark from their longships to take away everything that isn't nailed down. It just makes my Scandinavian/Germanic/Celtic heart race.

But the exact definition of the "Dark Ages" is somewhat debatable. The period is usually considered to run from the fall of Rome (ca. 500) to the battle of Hastings (1066). The name came from Renaissance historians who saw the takeover of the Western Roman Empire by Franks, Goths, Vandals, etc. as a descent into darkness where art, learning, and good manners were lost for centuries. There is also an Anglo-centric aspect to it with the Norman Conquest being seen as the beginning of the light – although to be fair, 1066 did see the end of the Viking age with Harald Hardrada's defeat at Stamford Bridge.

In reality the establishment of the Holy Roman Empire under Charlemagne in 800 brought about a stability to continental Europe that segued into the Feudal and Middle Ages. In the East, the Byzantine Empire remained unconquered until the eve of the Renaissance even though it was beset by many of the same barbarians that wrecked the Western empire and was continuously mauled by the Arabs from 630 on. Even before Hastings, the Saxon kingdom had finally established a central authority after the Danelaw was reunited with Saxon England under Cnute and his successors up to Harold.

Also, the essential murkiness of the Dark Ages is seen only from a certain perspective. For Romanized civilization it was a dark time indeed, but if you were a hirsute, slobbering barbarian, the light shone brightly. The era saw the rise of societies characterized by warlords and warbands, by an heroic ethos celebrated by bardic songs in mead halls, and by ring-giving eorls dispensing wealth to their thegns. It's the world of Beowulf and Roland, where a single individual answers the warrior's call to duty, fidelity, and honor. It's a time when warriors choose to die with their lord in battle and be immortalized in song and saga, as did the Gododdin at Catraeth or Bryhtnoth's hearth-band at Maldon.

Wargaming the period offers the basic problem of how to portray all this in a rule set. The era certainly saw big battles such as Charles Martel's defeat of Adb-ur-Raaman at Tours, where over 100,000 men may have fought, or Yarmuk, where Khaled ibn al-Walid's Islamic force trounced a Byzantine army that may have numbered a quarter-million men. Rules like DBM, Tactica, or Armati are suitable for gaming large battles like this. But the essential feel isn't there for the smaller fights that make up the stuff of bardic verse.

Many of the armies of Dark Age Europe were built around the personal followings of a warlord, what the Roman historian Tacitus called the commitatis. These groups may have numbered a few hundred at the most. In many cases they were far less numerous. The way the societies were structured allowed only a small proportion, the nobility, to bear arms. Larger forces would be made up by banding together the personal forces of lesser warlords under the leadership of a higher lord, prince, or king – though each warrior exercised personal loyalty to his lord, not necessarily to the king, and there was no concept of "country" or patriotism. Right or wrong, warriors fought for their lord and his battles were theirs.

For gaming this kind of fighting, skirmish type rules work the best – especially rules that allow you to give special characteristics to individual figures who represent the warlord or some of his notable warriors. Warhammer Ancient Battles (WAB), Pig Wars, and BattleLust all provide this feel. All three rule sets use "units" to organize the forces. Pig Wars and BattleLust can be played with one unit per side allowing a relatively small numbers of figures (20 or less per side). WAB uses armies of certain points sizes that are made up of several units and so may require a hundred or more figures per side.

Dark Age wargame scenarios can run a wide gamut of situations. Raiding was a staple of the Dark Age warrior. One man's cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs were another man's plunder. Two-player or multi-player games can revolve around getting or keeping livestock (the raison d'êtreof Pig Wars). Other games could feature attacks by one side on the great hall or hill fort of another. You can also play stand up fights either in an open field, on a defended slope, or the defense/attack of fords and bridges. Ambushes are also a great scenario. The possibilities are endless and can be better realized through reading.

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Rules

Rules for the period run from the standard, popular sets for ancients and medievals to specialized rules for particular eras and some good skirmish rules.

BattleLust: Mediaeval Battle System by Columbia Games, Inc.
This is a set of rules for the Columbia Games Hârn World system. They're broadly mediaeval but are applicable to the Dark Ages as well. There are interesting rules for offensive and defensive formations that add some of the color of the era. Rosters are kept for individual figures so games usually involve small numbers so they don't bog down with book keeping.

The D.A.I.S. (Dark Age Infantry Slog) System by Andy Callan
This is a pretty innovative system for gaming the Dark Ages that assumes maneuver is minimal and so focuses on the three aspects of aggression, formation, and strength for units and on the leader's ability to do something about the first two. The system was printed in Miniature Wargames #7 (1984) so may be hard to find.

DBA by Phil Barker
Now out in version 2.0, these have been a fast and fun set of rules that require no huge expenditure for figures. They use an interesting rock/paper/scissors kind of approach where troop types have differing abilities against various opponents.

DBM by Phil Barker and Richard Bodely Scott
This is an outgrown of DBA and focuses on larger battles involving hundreds of figures. The rules are also more complex while retaining the basic DBA approach.

Glutter of Ravens: Warfare in the Age of Arthur by D.S. Mersey
I love the title. They are billed as "Rules and Resources for wargames in the period AD400-AD700." This is a well-researched set of rules for this particular period and actually focuses more on the warfare between British kings. Mersey is a British archaeologist and goes into good detail on the clothing, weapons, armor, history, tactics, etc. of the period. The rules are good and have some interesting features. They are essentially an adaptation of Andy Callan's "Dark Age Infantry Slog System." Figures are mounted similar to DBx so you wouldn't have to remount to switch between them and DBA/DBM/WRG.

Lagers and Sagas by Pete Gritton
A "beer and pretzels" set of Viking skirmish rules that emphasize the kind of conduct found in the Norse sagas. As the title implies, alcohol is a useful ingredient for a good game. These were published in Wargames Illustrated #8.

Pig Wars by Tod Kershner
This is a great set of skirmish rules for the age when, "men were men and pigs were money." The play goes quickly and bloodily. Units are 20 figures or so mounted individually. Combat, shooting, and morale are resolved using decks of cards. The set had been available from the author for years as inexpensive photocopied sheets. They have now been reprinted with official looting rules, scenarios, more sample units, and examples of play for $20.00.

There is also a Yahoo! Groups list for Pig Wars called "PigWarriors" where you can interact with other Pig Wars gamers, share house rules, and scenarios:

Click to subscribe to PigWarriors

Valhalla by John Bartlett
Rules for small scale skirmish wargames in the Saxon vs. Vikings era. Intended for games involving no more than about 20 figures. Published in Wargames Illustrated #69.

Warhammer Ancient Battles by Jervis Johnson
These are pretty good for the era since you can focus on individual warriors' skills and heroic leadership. They're an adaptation of the Warhammer Fantasy Battle rules and have their quirks. There are published lists for some Dark Age armies as well as a number of lists published online.

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Miniatures

Old Glory
For the money these are certainly some of the best figures on the market. Packs come with 30 foot or 10 mounted for $27.00 (that's 90¢ for foot and $2.70 for mounted). Most packs include 6 or more different poses, more if you count head variants, allowing for a lot of character and diversity in your units. Old Glory has a wide range for the period in 25mm and 15mm:

	•		25mm Dark Age Britain (Britons, Saxons, Picts, and Irish)
	•		25mm Dark Age Asiatic hordes (Pechenegs, Avars, Magyars, Bulgars, and Slavs)
	•		25mm Nikephorian Byzantines
	•		25mm Saxons, Vikings, Normans
	•		25mm Dark Ages Russians
	•		25mm Fall of Rome (Carolingians, Franks, Huns, Goths, Lombards, Sassanids, and Palmyrans)
	•		15mm Ancients range (includes Franks, Germans, Sassanids, Scots/Irish, Visigoths, Otsrogoths, Lombards, and Vandals)

For full lists and online ordering go to the Grandiosity/Old Glory Web site at: http://www.warweb.com/miniatures/glory.html

Or directly to the Old Glory site wher you can view pictures of the figures in each pack at: http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/

Foundry
Foundry makes some of the best 28mm figures in the world. Alas, at $2.25 a piece for foot and $4.50 to $6.00 a piece for mounted, they've become outrageously expensive – even if Bryan Ansell insists we're paying too little for our lead. Still, they make some good Dark Ages figures if you're willing to mortgage the house to buy them:

	•		28mm Age of Arthur (Britons, Saxons, Picts, Irish)
	•		28mm Vikings, Normans, and Saxons
	•		28mm Huns
	•		28mm Franks

(One bright spot about pricing is the emergence of Foundry's reinforcement packs. These are grab bags of about 30 figures from a given range including shields where applicable for $35.00. That's getting back into reasonable. I don't see these available from the Foundry Web site, but any stockist will have some on hand.)

You can see the complete lists and order from Foundry's site at http://www.wargamesfoundry.com

Gripping Beast
A very nice range of 25/28mm Dark Age figures. Foot packs come with eight figures in different poses, mounted are single figures. The figures are very good, nearly on par with Foundry in most respects. Gripping Beast also is one of the only ranges to include livestock - great for raiding! Their ranges include:

	•		Alfred's Saxon Wars (Saxons and Vikings)
	•		Normans
	•		Late Romans (includes Huns, Picts, Sassanids, Romano-British, and Germanic tribesmen)
	•		Scots-Irish and Norse-Irish
	•		El Cid range (Spanish and Moors, late 11th century)
	•		Byzantines

For complete lists go to the Gripping Beast site at http://www.bath.ac.uk/~ccspgo/gripping.html

Essex Miniatures
Essex make some good figures in 15mm and 25mm, though they offer less poses per type than Old Glory or Gripping Beast. Their 15mm range is very extensive. Their Dark Ages ranges include:

	•		15mm and 25mm Franks
	•		15mm Picts
	•		15mm Later Franks, Bretons, and Normans
	•		25mm Normans
	•		15mm and 25mm Saxons
	•		15mm and 25mm Arab Conquest
	•		15mm Sassanids
	•		15mm and 25mm Ghaznavid (Arab empire)
	•		15mm and 25mm Vikings

For list and ordering see the UK site at http://www.essexminiatures.co.uk or the US distributor Wargames at http://www.speartorifle.com.

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Books

The following is a small sampling of books and articles on the period or particular aspects of it:

Alcock, Leslie. Arthur's Britain. (1971)
A great work on the Dark Ages in Britain. Alcock is an archaeologist with extensive experience in British archeology. The book covers all aspects of the period and is especially good in its section on the warfare of the time. Currently out of print.

Alcock, Leslie. Economy, Society, and Warfare among the Britons & Saxons
Another great volume from Alcock. This focuses on the excavations at Dinas Powys in Glamorgan, Wales, though there are a number of chapters that take a broader look at such things at fortification, organizing military expeditions, and battle in the "Arthurian" era.

Aneiran. Y Gododdin. (1988) Edited by A. O. H. Jarman.
Critical edition of one of the oldest surviving British poems. This is an epic about 300 warriors from the kingdom of Manau Gododdin (the area around modern day Edinburgh – Dun Eidyn) who are massacred in battle against the Deirans at Catraeth in 595.

Beowulf.
If you haven't read it, do. There's nothing like it to give you a feel for the heroic society of the Dark Ages. The adventures of Beowulf the Geatish hero, his fight against Grendel and Grendel's mother make for a good read. (And Gripping Beast makes a Grendel figure in case you want to build a scenario around him, like an attack on Hrothgar's hall, Heorot.)

Cornwell, Bernard. Enemy of God. (1996)
The second volume of the Warlord trilogy, a novelization of the Arthurian legends set in the 5th century. Cornwell tells a good story and the books in the series are all entertaining and in some places gripping even if the history and legend are both fudged. There are some great battle narratives that can provide grist for the gamer's scenario mill.

Cornwell, Bernard, Excalibur. (1997)
The last volume of Cornwell's trilogy.

Cornwell, Bernard. The Winter King. (1995)
The first volume of Cornwell's trilogy.

Cruickshank, Graeme. The Battle of Dunnichen. (1999)
A small softback that nevertheless manages to shed a lot of light on this crucial victory of the Picts over an invading Northumbrian host in 685. (The battle is also known as Nechtansmere.) 52 pages of information about the historical background, battle narrative, topographical survey, legends, etc.

Evans, Stephen S. Lords of Battle: Image and Reality of the Commitatus in Dark Age Britain. (1997)
Interesting new study on the social and military nature of the warband. Somewhat scholarly in scope, but an excellent read. It mostly applies to continental cultures as well.

Ferrill, Arthur. The Fall of the Roman Empire: The Military Explanation. (1986)
Very good look at the state of warfare in the late Roman Empire leading to its fall. Good military overview of Roman and barbarian military practices.

Glubb, Sir John Bagot. The Course of Empire. (1966)
The third volume of Glubb's history of the Arab empires. This volume begins in 860 and goes through the Crusades. Out of print.

Glubb, Sir John Bagot. The Empire of the Arabs. (196?)
The second volume of Glubb's trilogy covers the Arab empires at their height when the single empire began to shake apart and form separate, warring states. Out of print.

Glubb, Sir John Bagot. The Great Arab Conquests. (196?)
This is a great popular overview of the period of the Islamic conquests from 630 to 680 when the Arabs destroyed the Sassanid empire and inflicted severe defeats on the Byzantines. The books reads well and is one of the most colorful accounts of the period. Out of print.

Graves, Robert. Count Belisarius.(1938)
A great historical novel tracing the career of the great 6th century Byzantine general Belisarius through his campaigns in Italy and North Africa until he was brought down by the jealousy of the Emperor Justinian.

Harrison, Mark. Anglo-Saxon Thegn 449-1066 AD. (1993)
Part of the Osprey Warrior Series. This is good detailed information on Anglo-Saxon military practice. Well illustrated with drawings and photos. Color Plates by Gerry Embleton.

Harrison, Mark. Viking Hersir 793-1066 AD. (1993)
Osprey Warrior Series. Great information on Viking warriors' weapons and tactics and some good accounts of Viking battles. Lots of drawings and photos. Color plates by Gerry Embleton.

Heath, Ian. Armies of the Dark Ages 600-1066, 2nd ed. (1980)
A great, though out of print, overview of the organization, tactics, dress, and weapons of the era. Worthwhile if you can find a copy.

Howarth, David. 1066: The Year of the Conquest. (1977)
Probably the best account of the Norman conquest. Not written as deep or scholarly tome, Howarth tells a great story with a lot of color and information and portrays the events as the actors in the drama saw them.

Laing, Jennifer. Warriors of the Dark Ages. (2000)
A good, though somewhat terse, overview of the Visigoths, Huns, Ostrogoths, Vandals, Franks, and the Saxons, Danes, Frisians, and Angles. Good section on Warfare and society, though more popular than academic.

Morris, John. The Age of Arthur. (1973)
A compendious, though controversial, examination of Britain from 350 to 650. Morris covers the history and archeology of the Dark Age Britons, Picts, Saxons, and Irish with a great deal of analysis. He also provides a reconstruction of the historical Arthur and his campaigns.

Nicolle, David, Ph.D. The Age of Charlemagne. (1984)
Part of the Osprey Men-at-Arms series. One of the best, though brief, sources on the Merovingian and Carolingian Franks in English. (Much easier than churning through Greogory of Tours' History of the Franks.) Well illustrated with great color plates by Angus McBride.

Nicolle, David, Ph.D. Arthur and the Anglo-Saxon Wars. (1984)
Part of the Osprey Men-at-arms series. Good information on Dark Ages Britain, especially good for info on the early Saxons. Also, great color plates by Angus McBride.

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Articles

A number of very useful articles have been published in the major miniature gaming magazines. (Most of them from Guy Halsall in the UK.)

Clark, Kenneth. "A Dark Age Campaign." Wargames Illustrated #36.
Rules and guidelines for a campaign set in 9th c. Britain between Scandinavians, Scots/Picts, Anglo Saxons, and British.

Hackett, Martin. "The Battle of Buttington 894 A.D." Wargames Illustrated #75.
An historical reconstruction of a battle between and Anglo/Welsh force and a Danish army in Montgomeryshire. Also includes information for gaming the battle.

Halsall, Guy. "The Merovingian Franks." Wargames Illustrated.
A good series of articles in several parts in issues 48, 51, 62, 63, 81, 82, 109. Halsall covers historical, archeological, and military aspects of the Merovingians. The final installation focuses specifically on the Franks for wargaming.

Halsall, Guy. "The Battle of Dagastan AD 603" Miniature Wargames #3.
Historical account and wargaming guidelines for the battle in northern England between the Scots/Pictish forces of Aedan, King of Scots and the Bernician forces of Aethelfrith "the Twister."

Halsall, Guy. "The Battle of Ellendum, AD 825." Miniature Wargames #21.
Historical background and gaming guidelines for this significant battle between the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex.

Halsall, Guy. "'A Conflict of Banners' The Battle of Brunanburh 937 AD." Pt. 1 Miniature Wargames #27, Pt.2 Miniature Wargames #28.
A two part treatment of the decisive campaign and battle in which Athelstan "the Thunderbolt" made a great slaughter upon a force of Scots, Vikings, and Strathclyde Welsh. The first part covers the background to the battle. The second covers the battle itself and provides guidelines for wargaming it.

Halsall, Guy. "'Stern, Sudden, Thunder-Motion.' The Battle of Clontarf, 23 April, 1014." Miniature Wargames #32.
Historical account with maps about the great epic battle between a force of Irish rebels and Norse allies under Sihtric "Silky Beard" of Ath Cliath (Dublin) and the forces of the High King Brian Boru. Good account with a lot of guidelines for gaming the battle.

Halsall, Guy. "A Woeful Disaster: The Battle of Nechtansmere, 685 AD." Miniature Wargames #19.
Historical sketch about the campaign and battle that saw a huge defeat of the Northumbrians by the Picts. The article contains maps and suggestions for gaming the battle including army compositions.

Halsall, Guy. "'Where Spears Sang and Arrows Flew.' The Battle of Menai Straits, 1098 AD." Miniature Wargames #43.
Though just out of the era (post-1066) this is an interesting account about a Viking invasion of northern Wales by King Magnus III (grandson of Harald Hardrada) and the hard, but indecisive, battle with the Anglo/Welsh/Norman defenders under Hugh the Proud and Hugh the Stout. The article also contains some interesting guidelines for gaming the battle.

Jones, Martin. "The Rus – A Thunderbolt from Heaven." in three parts in Wargames Illustrated #70, 71, 72.
Lots of information about the history and background of the Rus from the 9th through the 11th centuries.

Lucas, Bill. "The Siege of Paris 885-886 AD. Wargames Illustrated #41.
History and guide to wargaming the Viking siege of Paris.

Speight, Sarah and Michael Perry. "Emperor and Army in Byzantium, c. 900-1081." Wargames Illustrated #34.
Detailed article about the organization of the Byzantine army and its relationship to the emperor.

Tucker, Anthony R. "Disaster to Victory: Stamford Bridge." Wargames Illustrated #6.
Historical narrative and guide to wargaming the last great battle between Saxons and Vikings.

Vine, Graham. "The Age of Vortigern." Wargames Illustrated #107.
Background information for the period just after the Romans left Britain and Vortigern ruled as emperor fighting back the first incursions of the Saxons.

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Movies

No matter what the period, Hollywood usually comes through with something – even if it's bad. For the Dark Ages there are a few better than average offerings. They're definitely worth a Sunday evening and a bowl of popcorn:

The 13th Warrior. Antonio Banderas. Good story about an Arab who gets dragged into a fight along with a bunch of Northmen against an ancient "evil" afflicting a Viking town. Good battle scenes.

Alfred the Great. David Hemmings, Michael York. Entertaining story about Alfred and his fight against the Vikings (York plays the Viking chief). The movie features some interesting, if fanciful, battle scenes, but the story line in general is almost entirely divorced from historical reality.

Erik the Viking. Tim Robbins, John Cleese, Terry Jones. It's just for fun. Robbins plays Erik who searches for the Horn Resounding in far-off High Brazil. Sounding the horn will wake the gods in Asgard, end the age of Ragnarok, and bring the sun back.

King Arthur. Clive Owen, Keira Knightly, Ioan Gruffudd. I have mixed feeling about this movie. The historical premise isn't too bad. There is archeological evidence that supports the long-term existence of Sarmatian armored cavalry in Britain. Arthur (Clive Owen) is a Roman-British nobleman who has the hereditary task of leading a very small band of Sarmatian horsemen in the face of a Saxon invasion after the Romans have left Britain. Keira Knightly plays "Guinevere" in a way that no one has played Guinevere before--and boy does she look good in thong armor! Ioann Gruffudd plays "Lancelot" as a devil-may-care Sarmatian. Other names from Arthurian legend crop up as completely transformed characters. The movie tried to play off too many of the aspects of the Arthur story as well as adding its own huge dollop of "Hollywood" to the mix. (Did I mention that Keira Knightly fights a battle wearing thong armor?) However, the costuming is mostly pretty well done. When they finally get dolled up for the climactic battle, Arthur and his Sarmatians look very good in all their armor--but not as good as Keira looks in hers.

The Longships. Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier. Widmark is a Viking searching for a giant golden bell. Poitier is a Moor on the same quest. The clash is inevitable. Some good fight scenes even though the movie has some anachronisms (the bell was made with plunder from the Crusades – which occurred only a few hundred years after the Viking era). Widmark makes a lousy Viking and Poitier, a great actor, is out of place.

The Vikings. Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, Janet Leigh. Great story of Viking raiding on the English coast. Tony Curtis seems a bit too dandy for a Viking, but there are some great action scenes and Tony gets the girl - even though he loses one of his hands doing it.

The Warlord. Charlton Heston, Guy Stockwell, Richard Boone. Good story about a Norman warlord who excites the wrath of the township he rules over by stealing a bride on her wedding night. The townsfolk go to the Frisians who lay siege to the warlord's castle trying to get back the son of their prince. Great action scenes and the costuming is great. The Norman armor looks like it's right out of the Bayeaux Tapestry.

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