Operational Level
Decisive Battles
Operational-level rules for the great engagements of history. Command friction, supply lines, and the strategic pressures that decided campaigns.
Rules Overview
Rules Overview
Decisive Battles operates at the operational level, where divisions and corps manoeuvre across campaign maps and the decisions of army commanders shape the fate of nations. The system abstracts individual unit detail to focus on the higher-level challenges of logistics, intelligence, and the management of a large force under the fog of war. Each scenario is based on a historical engagement, with historical orders of battle and terrain.
Key Features
What Makes This System Distinctive
Historical Orders of Battle
Every scenario includes historically accurate orders of battle, giving players the same forces the historical commanders had available.
Supply and Logistics
Armies run on supply. Cut the enemy's supply lines and watch his combat power wither. Protect your own or face the same fate.
Intelligence and Reconnaissance
You rarely know exactly where the enemy is. Reconnaissance is a vital operational tool, not an afterthought.
Campaign System
Link individual battles into operational campaigns. Losses carry forward; reinforcements must be earned. The war has consequences.
From the Designer
Designer's Notes
Decisive Battles was designed for players who want to understand why the great battles of history turned out as they did — not just to refight them, but to grapple with the same operational problems the historical commanders faced. The system is deliberately demanding. These are not casual games. They reward study, preparation, and serious engagement with the history.
Field Orders
Download the Rules
The complete Decisive Battles rule set and scenario packs are available as print-ready PDFs.