 Whirlwind  | 19 Aug 2013 10:53 p.m. PST |
What are the best rules you have used/come across for dealing with or playing sieges – including blockades and storming operations – in C18 and Napoleonic Campaigns? Regards |
| arthur1815 | 20 Aug 2013 3:43 a.m. PST |
For dealing with sieges, without playing them on the tabletop, see the Map Kriegsspiel chapter in Paddy Griffith's Napoleonic Wargaming for Fun [Ward Lock, 1980; republished in John Curry's History of Wargaming Project]. |
| The Gonk | 20 Aug 2013 5:22 a.m. PST |
I'd keep your eyes on Vauban's Wars: link |
| bsrlee | 20 Aug 2013 6:59 a.m. PST |
Fire and Stone by Christopher Duffy – it is an appendix to the book of the same name, in and out of print, I have the 1st Edition HB. |
| Rod MacArthur | 20 Aug 2013 7:49 a.m. PST |
Interesting. Having served 30 years in the Royal Engineers, I have often wondered about a playable set of rules for sieges. I have a Paper Terrain Vabaun Fort (as yet unbuilt) and perhaps this will inspire me to put it together. I have visited various Peninsula fortifications during the past few years (including Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz) and Wargaming a siege would seem to be a different scenario to the norm. I had not realised that there was an appendix in Christopher Duffy's book about this. I have a hardback copy on my bookshelves, and will look when I get home. The Vabaun's Wars link play test game also looks very good. Rod |
| Keraunos | 20 Aug 2013 8:08 a.m. PST |
I would have thought that the hard bit would be getting figures for the besiegers which fit the scale for the fort being sieged. |
| DinOfBattle2 | 20 Aug 2013 1:47 p.m. PST |
Thanks for the plug Andy. Yes, Vauban's Wars should be able to handle your siege needs from 1672 to 1815. There are some abstractions, but you can complete a siege in a fairly short period of time. Nobody wants to do all the crazy book-keeping you can find in existing rules. My blog goes through a lot of the details (link above), and I just finished another playtest at the house. Looking to publish in early 2014. Cheers
Eric |
| vtsaogames | 20 Aug 2013 2:48 p.m. PST |
Ooh, that looks good. We have a 15mm Vauban fortress complete with covered way and ravelin that needs a workout. Barbecued rat, anyone? |
| Major Mike | 20 Aug 2013 2:54 p.m. PST |
The old "Warfare in the Age of Reason, 2nd edition" had a section that covered sieges. |
| Dan 055 | 20 Aug 2013 7:56 p.m. PST |
I second the Age of Reason seige rules (in the back of the book). I've not seen better. |
| Nick Stern | 27 Aug 2013 10:28 p.m. PST |
The Courier Vol. 7 #6 has a rules set by Howard Whitehouse for siege assaults in the Horse and Musket period. I just downloaded a copy from Wargame Vault. |
| bobblanchett | 02 Jan 2019 9:34 p.m. PST |
Festung Krieg was the Konig Krieg siege set.
Best of the lit in my book |
| von Schwartz | 03 Jan 2019 4:16 p.m. PST |
bobblanchett stole my thunder, that was the one I was going to recommend. Haven't used it personally but some friends found it very entertaining. Gonna need some good and spicy Bar-b-que sauce to dress up that fried rat. |
| 4th Cuirassier | 04 Jan 2019 5:53 a.m. PST |
Quarrie gave some rules for this, the gist of which was don't, as sieges make really boring games (because they are campaigns of several weeks in which there is no movement). He proposed resolving them arithmetically, as the rate of sapping etc was predictable. Of course any actual breach assault just gets set up as a game. |
| WKeyser | 05 Jan 2019 2:13 a.m. PST |
If you can find it the Art of Siege by SPI games from the 70s I think. Uses non hex maps and a system of building the trench system towards the enemy fortress a great game. |
