This is a battle I've been planning on doing but haven’t been able to until now. The Example battle in Swords & Spells by Gary Gygax and editted by Tim kask has always made me wonder about how cool it would be to lead an army in “the first roleplaying game” and its OSR variants. This is the only official mass combat system introduced in the classic era of TSR, straddling the fence of OD&D becoming Holmes basic and the release of AD&D. Until the release of the Mentzer’s Companion Set for his take on Basic D&D, there wasn’t any official mass combat support for D&D, but is alluded to in AD&D without any procedures on how to do it. So between the Release of Swords & Spells in 1976 and Mentzer’s Companion Rules in 1984, there is an EIGHT YEAR GAP in the support of such rules.
I feel like the lack of these type of rules and for having a domain (again, alluded to in AD&D with scattered rules in the DMG) I think lead to a public perception on that the type of fantasy conflicts read about in classic fantasy novels wasn’t doable (or dare I say desirable) with the D&D system during its golden years when the game arguably made its largest impact in the cultural zeitgeist and the impression on the hobby. I’m sure to the average kid consumer in the early 80s, getting your hands on chainmail was underwhelming or getting a copy of Swords & Spells plainly confusing. Later attempts at mass combat were different systems which I felt added the burden of new concepts and rules to players who also would have to buy a new box set just to try out, with combat that felt disconnected to the combat procedures players are already familiar with. Bastlesystem is playable but not without its own burdens while Mentzer's War Machine feels dull and not fun. Both of these commercial attempts by TSR to sell rules that didn't seem playtested to consumers who probably didn't wholeheartedly enjoy their new acquisitions.
All of this, I feel like disconnects the hobby from its roots in wargaming and sets up the assumption that you can’t do mass combat in D&D; and OSR games by extension. This was a main motivating factor for me to write demesnes & domination. Having said all that, the following post is a combination of an example of play, an analysis of game systems, and the execution of a fantasy battle concept from 1976 using modified b/x combat. If anything, it's a tribute to the pioneers of the hobby and to the imagination of Gygax & Kask and their influence on my own gaming table.
You can find Demesnes & Domination Mass Combat Errata here
