The armies are usually played in 15mm or 25mm scale, though 6mm and 54mm are used. Ground scale is in paces, and the number of inches to a pace varies according to the figure scale - 1" to 50 paces in 15mm, 40mm to 50 paces in 25mm. The frontage width of one stand of troops, called an element, is standardised for all troop types, the depth and number of troop models on it varies by formation type (
skirmishers - or
psiloi in DBM terminology - have 2 men per base, cavalry 3,
heavy infantry 4 etc.) Troop scale is not stated specifically, but as the number of troops represented by an element ranges from 128 to 256, and the number of figures used to represent them ranges from 2 to 4, an assumed scale of c 1 : 60 is not way off the mark. Elephants, Chariots, Artillery and Naval are 1 model per element, representing varying numbers of that type - for example 16 elephants or 25 chariots. Expanding on the system introduced by DBA, DBM has twenty different types of troops, grouped into three broad categories: Mounted - Knights, Cavalry, Light Horse, Elephants, Camelry, and Expendables; Foot - Pikemen, Spearmen, Blades, Warband,
Auxilia, Bowmen, Psiloi, Hordes, War Wagons, Artillery, and Baggage; Naval - Galleys, Ships, and Boats. These are then classed as either Regular or Irregular and graded as either Superior, Ordinary, Inferior, Fast, or Exceptions. Each troop type has its strengths and weaknesses, expressed by their movement rates and restrictions, their combat factors, their ability to support other friendly troop types in combat, and how they respond to victory and defeat versus other types of opposing troops. Although the game is designed to be used between historical enemies, the level of abstraction, standardized army lists, and points system allow players to pit 5,000 years worth of opponents against each other with fairly believable outcomes in the main. The army lists are designed to produce armies of 300-500 points in size organized in 2-4 commands. For
command and control, DBM extended the Player Initiative Point (PIP) system of DBA. Each command gets a D6 dice throw of points. The player can move only the number of blocks of units that have been thrown. Allied contingents and commands led by Irregular generals must each use a different die while those of Regular generals share dice which can be assigned as needed each turn. This system came under early criticism as "superficial and surreal" and as failing to give the player the flavor of what it was like to command an ancient army. The difference between regular and irregular generals does, however, present two contrasting styles of command and control. The level of micro management has come under criticism due to the way each individual element can be moved independently rather than being grouped into units. Moving blocks of troops is, however, more efficient than moving individual units, particularly in the early stages of the game when maneuvering towards combat. One of the most realistic aspects of DBM is the way armies become progressively more disorganized, and thus harder to control, as combat breaks larger groups into smaller groups and small groups into individual elements while the number of pips available to control them remains the same. Combat can be either distant or close, with only a minority of troop types being able to conduct the former. Close range bow shooting and the throwing of javelins is treated as part of close combat. Opposing elements must be in full front edge to front edge contact with each other in order to engage in close combat. While simplifying combat resolution, this contact rule requires element placement on the table top to be fairly neat and precise and can result in situations where the arrangement of elements prevents some from getting into combat. The wording of the rules has also come under criticism and their clarity unfavorably contrasted with other rules. ==Community==