Over on the yootoob Daddy Rolled a 1 posted a “deep dive” into the history of Chainmail.
It’s a decent video, as these things go, but misses a few important things. I left the below as a comment, but either yootoob ate it, or it hasn’t been approved. Either way, I think it’s important to clarify some of the missed opportunities in the video.
The Comment
Interesting video, but I think you missed out on some opportunities to make it more complete. You could have reached out to chat with Bandits Keep & Joy of Wargaming (who have dozens of videos on their channels), Alchemic Raker (on x.com, has written a "retroclone" of Chainmail that is excellent), Dragons Beyond or myself (posted complete games on video, turn by turn) to discuss the rules and how the game plays, as we have been running Chainmail games for the past few years. There are a few others who have published videos on Chainmail with good explanations of play.
There has been a very vibrant and active Chainmail discussion on X.com for the past couple of years.
I'd like to address a few things in particular:
- Chainmail is "incomplete" in that it assumes a strong general knowledge of wargaming principles.
- Dan Boggs has done extensive research to show Dave Arneson's Blackmoor game was likely using a hybrid of Strategos and Chainmail for combat https://boggswood.blogspot.com/2017/07/blackmoor-as-chainmail-campaign.html?m=1
- Joy of Wargaming put together a Chainmail QRS https://jonmollison.com/2021/12/10/chainmail-quick-reference-sheet/
- If you look at p 43 of Chainmail, you see how various "fantasy creatures" are rated for Attack & Defense Troop Types, as Light or Heavy Infantry, etc. This means the fantasy creatures are easily translated to the battlefield in massed combat formations.
- Many people, in recent months especially, have insisted that "Gary never used Chainmail" in his D&D games. This is extremely unlikely, as Chainmail is referenced over 20 times in the 3LBB on many topics besides massed/man-to-man combat rules.
Just for Elves, "advantages noted in Chainmail":
p29 Elves may split-move and fire...as infantry
p30 Wraiths...paralyze any enemy man...until touched by a friendly elf
p34 Elves kill trolls and ogres with 3 hits
p38 Elves may wield magical weapons...treat Elves with enchanted arrows as Hero-types
p43 Elves may become invisible
- Post Melee Morale is not as complex as it seems, especially if you play out a combat rather than just try to imagine it. I've done a couple of videos on the topic
The Video
You can check out the original video here
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It's very telling that so many Chainmail-isms appear in AD&D. To end up there, they had to have survived straight through OD&D - and many do!
People claiming "Gygax didn't play that way" are just trying to muddy the waters.
If Chainmail wasn't meant for use with 0e, then there would be no impetus for Chainmail-isms to appear in 1e. But 0e repeatedly says to use Chainmail, and its influence is clear in 1e, so any such claims are distractions from the Truth.
The unfortunate thing is that so few people actually know Chainmail, so they don't recognize it when references to Chainmail appear all over 0e (even where not explicitly cited), or when so many Chainmail patterns then reappear in 1e years later.
There is no question whether OD&D was designed for use with Chainmail. There is only the decision of people to be crabs in a bucket, or to bring Chainmail (or The Old Lords) to the table and learn the Truth for themselves.
Thanks for this, i really enjoyed Martin's video, and wondered what those more knowledgeable than me might have to say about it