Short answers, pulled from the story.
Battlesystem is a tabletop miniature wargame designed as a supplement for Dungeons and Dragons. The first edition was published in 1985 as a boxed set compatible with Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and the Basic/Expert D&D rules. A second edition followed in 1989 for AD&D 2nd Edition.
The first edition of Battlesystem was designed by Douglas Niles and Steve Winter, with cover art by Jeff Easley. It was published by TSR in 1985.
The original 1985 Battlesystem set won the H.G. Wells award. The second edition won the 1989 Origins Award for Best Miniatures Rules of 1989.
In the second edition, each figure represents either ten infantrymen or cavalry, or a single hero. Five statistics govern play: Attack Dice, Armor Rating, Hits, Morale, and Movement, all derived from AD&D statistics. Attackers roll dice based on their Attack Dice rating; the defender then rolls to cancel successful hits, and uncanceled hits become casualties.
Sales for the second edition were disappointing despite winning the 1989 Origins Award and receiving strong reviews. The poor sales led to the game losing active support, and it was not sustained even in settings like Dark Sun that had been designed with large-scale battles in mind.
The first edition box set contained a 32-page rulebook, a 24-page scenario book, a 16-page guide to miniatures, two player aid cards, two metal miniature generals, three-dimensional foldup figures, army roster sheets, and 801 die-cut counters. Four battle scenarios were included, among them an advanced scenario for Dragonlance called Battle of Qualinost.