Though Dungeons & Dragons began its life as an extension of wargaming, fantasy roleplaying quickly became its own hobby. So much so, that by the time Advanced D&D came around, these RP gamers had little to no interest in wargames.
Still, there was a palpable need to adjudicate large battles, as the AD&D rules touched on high-level characters establishing their own domains, which implied large scale battles to defend their territory. AD&D combat would invariably get bogged down when there were large numbers involved. DMs would go back to the OD&D rules for support, import other mass combat rules, make up their own, or just hand-wave the encounter.
The idea of doing a new set of miniatures rules for the AD&D system had been around for a while, but the project (originally called “Bloodstone Pass”) had been on and off the schedule. […] “Bloodstone Pass” was going to be an AD&D game expansion first, and a miniatures game second. The design team felt that it was more important to have a game that kept the flavor and structure of the entire AD&D game universe than to be a traditional miniatures game. […] Early on, the design team decided that the name “Bloodstone Pass” didn’t convey a feeling of what the game was all about. After much discussion, the name was changed to the Official ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® BATTLESYSTEM Fantasy Combat Supplement. The “Bloodstone Pass” name was freed up for other uses. (Michael Dobson, Dragon magazine, issue 100, August 1985)
The design process identified a couple of needs that set apart Battlesystem from historical wargames. That was the role of Player Characters on the battlefield and the other issue was Magic.
One point that stood out throughout the project was the strong feeling that an AD&D world is not simply a medieval world with magic slapped over it. Instead, it seemed that societies which had evolved with the common use of magic spells, items, and creatures would have become significantly different from the medieval societies of history. Naturally, these fundamental differences would affect the way these societies waged war. Supplies, formations, tactics, heroic combat – even the terrain of the battlefield would have to be re-evaluated in the light of a magical world. Obviously, simply adding magic rules to a standard set of ancient or medieval miniatures rules would not reflect these changes. (Doug Niles, Dragon magazine, issue 100, August 1985)
Doug and I, meanwhile, had persuaded TSR to use the old “Bloodstone Pass” name for the first BATTLESYSTEM game accessory — H-1, Bloodstone Pass. Because nothing related to the BATTLESYSTEM
project was done halfway, Bloodstone Pass became a “supermodule,” with more counters, roster booklets, adventures, and an entire 3-D village using ADVENTURE FOLD-UP figures. (Michael Dobson, Dragon magazine, issue 100, August 1985)
While the Battlesystem rules would be incorporated into a number of (A)D&D modules – DL8 Dragons of War, X-10 Red Arrow, Black Shield, just to name a couple – Bloodstone Pass is the obvious companion to the box set. Both sets have a lot of parts! Booklets, counters, building sheets, more. In the used market, they are frequently found punched and cut, a real headache to inventory for completeness. I’ll have full parts photos for both here. I hope this post helps in that regard.
Battlesystem would later be revised, and released as two paperback books, Battlesystem Miniatures Rules (1989) and Battlesystem Skirmishes (1991), written for the AD&D 2nd Edition rules. More about them at my classic RPG Reference.
Battlesystem Fantasy Combat Supplement [BOX SET]
1985 … Douglas Niles & Michael Dobson … TSR 1019 … ISBN 088038770X
CONTENTS:
- Rulebook (blue, 1019XXX1932, 32 pages)
- Scenario book (1019XXX2001, 24 pages)
- “The Art of Three-Dimensional Gaming: An Introduction to Tabletop Miniatures,” by Steve Winter (1019XXX1933, 16 pages)
- 2 Player Aid Cards (1019XXX0501)
- Army Roster Sheets booklet (1019XXX5101)
- 3-D ADVENTURE FOLD-UP Figures: Building/siege engine sheets (1019XXX1401 through 1405)
- 801 die-cut counters (1019XXX1201 through 1204)
- 2 Metal Miniature Generals
Box
Rules Booklet
Scenario Book
Art of Three-Dimensional Gaming & Miniature Generals (2)
By design choice, the original Battlesystem leaned well more toward counters than miniatures. However, a booklet introducing RP gamers to painting and using metal miniatures was included. (The revised 1989 book assumed the use of minis.)
As well, the box included 2 miniature generals. One is clearly Dragonlance’s Dragon Highmaster Verminaard, consistent with the final scenario, Battle of Qualinost. The other… is a head-scratcher. The opposing general is supposed to be Porthios, leading the elven army. He would not have a moustache and beard. I thought it might be Tanis Half-elven, but he was not present at the battle, and the armor and shield doesn’t seem in character for him anyway. But I’m no Dragonlance expert, maybe somebody has a better idea.
3-D ADVENTURE FOLD-UP Figures
Counters
Bloodstone Pass (H1)
1985 … Douglas Niles & Michael Dobson … TSR 9122 … ISBN 0394548566 / 0880381221
Contains: 32-page book, 24-page book, 104 die-cut counters (1 half-sheet: 9122XXX1201), 12 3-D fold-up sheets
Bloodstone Pass sold in one of those flimsy paperboard mini-boxes that TSR occasionally used at the time. Once out of the shrinkwrap, most mini boxes were were quickly pancaked.
Bloodstone as a setting would soldier on in the more usual module format, eventually transported into the Forgotten Realms setting.
Cost
Battlesystem wasn’t a hit in the market. To the best of my knowledge, it only had one printing. For a non-essential set, Battlesystem was expensive! The Summer/Fall 1986 TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop Catalog lists it at $20. (That’s nearly $60 in today’s inflation-adjusted dollars). This was at a time when the D&D core box sets sold for $12 and the AD&D hardcovers $15.
See Also: