"Best rules for a siege game?" Topic

This may have been asked before but hey is not like we do not enjoy recycling on TMP. I was following up on a thread I started here:

TMP link

And it hit me that one of the problems with having a castle in just about any scale is that siege games can be kind of static. So how to make them exciting other than just visually and what rules do you find fits the bill the best?

I think Tactica made a seige version that was fairly simple and worked well.

Both sides have to sit at the table without food or drink. The first one that wants to break for dinner looses.

My favorite of those I've read/played (and that's not extensive, I grant you) were the Siege rules for WFB 3e. It was something of a mini game, with supply counters, mining/countermining rules, etc., plus the requisite assault rules, but still seemed manageable and fun to us. Effectively a pretty simple boardgame with limited record keeping, punctuated by exciting assaults.

My friend Bob Duncan created a fun set of rules that we have used for games and also run at conventions. The game starts with the defenders running about the playing area outside the castle and trying to collect items (horses, pigs, sheep, barrels of apples, etc., as the attackers appear. These collected items will feed the defenders which has an impact on morale. Once the defenders have fallen back behind the walls the siege begins. One player, on each side, in the engineer who tries to build siege engines, erect defenses, dig tunnels, repair walls, etc. They have a limited number of men, so there is only so much that can get done in the weekly siege turns. Each turn, IIRC, first had every attacking player (maybe defender too) roll for the effect of disease, 2) engineering tasks from the previous week are placed upon the board and men are committed to new tasks, 3) skirmish archery combat must take place for a minimum of one round (each side selects a player to participate, the attacker always has the option of conducting two additional rounds), 4) each side must attempt to conduct a raid by selecting one player each (there was a table rolled upon that would kill horses, destroy food or siege engines, raiders get caught and publically executed, etc. 5) Morale would be checked for both sides after the defender decided what level of food distribution would be used for the week (full, half, or no rations). The attacker could declare an assualt at anytime just as the defender could attempt to sortee and break the assualt. Our longest siege has lasted about 25 weeks and ended when the attackers assualted the town and broke thru the defenses after two major breach's were made in the walls and siege towers assisted in the overrunning of a different section of the towns walls. We have managed to bring about a resolution within 4 hours of game time.

Try 'Siege' in the 'Cry Havoc' games series. It has a paper based campaign system, with tactical rules for assaults. Check out the Cry Havoc Fan website -there are lots of siege scenarios there, and much else besides.

Major Mike, that sounds like a really good way of doing things. Would the rules be available in any form?

I think another issue is that we have a limited time to play a game. I think a game where the wall has been breached at the start might be fun.

Every siege game I have played has been rather dull.

There was a very good book of WAB on the subject, if you can find it.

Two Hour Wargame's "Montjioe" rules contains siege rules that I enjoy playing. Most aspects of siege warfare are included. The siege is handled on paper until events lead to actual combat at which point you move to the tabletop.

THW has just come out with "Captains and Kings" which also has siege rules. I have not seen these rules though.