The Art of Siege
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- Phil Kosnett
- Mark Herman
- David Werden
- Rob Mosca
 | |
| Designers |
|
|---|---|
| Illustrators | Redmond A. Simonsen |
| Publishers | Simulations Publications Inc. |
| Publication | 1979 |
| Genres | Siege warfare |
The Art of Siege, subtitled "Four Great Siege Battles", is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1979 that simulates four famous sieges.
Components
The Art of Siege is a "quadrigame" — a set of four games in the same box — that simulate four famous historical sieges:
- Acre: Richard Lionheart's Siege (1191): The siege of Acre by Crusader armies (designed by Phil Kosnett).
- Tyre: Alexander's Siege and Assault (322 BC): The amphibious assault on the island fortress of Tyre by Alexander the Great (designed by Mark Herman).
- Lille: The Classic Vauban Siege (1708): The siege of the French fortress by the Anglo-Dutch forces of the Duke of Marlborough (designed by David Werden).
- Sevastapol: The First Modern Siege (1854–55): The siege of the Russian fortress by the British and French during the Crimean War (designed by Rob Mosca).
Each of the four games has its own set of components, which includes a paper hex grid map and 200 double-sided cardboard counters. Unlike previous SPI quadrigames that featured a common set of rules used by all four games in the box, each game in The Art of Siege has its own unique rules and gameplay.[1]
Gameplay
Tyre
Each game turn is one week and is broken down into "impulses". Both armies spend the first few turns preparing for the coming naval assault. The Greek attacker must choose between spending time on a naval bombardment or starting the actual assault.[2] Once the Greeks launch their attack, they have 16 impulses to take both the Agrendium and the Temple of Hercules or they lose the game.[3]
Acre
Each game turn represents two days and is broken down into a number of phases, including Planning; Bombardment and Repair; and Assault, Regrouping, and Repair. There are rules for catapults, tunnelling, repairing walls, ladder assaults, and leaders.
If at the end of any Assault phase, ten Crusader units plus one leader occupy hexes within Acre, or if Saladin is killed, then the Crusaders win. If at the end of any Assault phase, Muslim units occupy 12 Crusader camps, or if both Richard I and Philip I have been killed, or if the Crusaders fail to win by Game Turn 16, then the Muslims win. (If both sides claim victory at the end of an Assault phase, then the game ends in a draw.)
Lille
Unlike Tyre and Acre, Lille uses a hexless map, where ranges and movement are calculated using a range stick to measure distances. The game begins with the besiegers constructing a series of trenches to approach the walls of the fortress while under cover, while the defenders strengthen their defenses. Once the attacker is ready, the assault begins. The besieging player must capture one star bastion from the French before the end of Game Turn 12 in order to win. The French player must prevent this to win.
Sevastopol
Like Lille, this game also uses a hexless map and also starts with siegework construction, this time by the English & French, while the Russians strengthen their defences. The game lasts 18 Game Turns. The French/English player must capture two bastions — at least one of them a major bastion — before the end of the game to win. The Russian player wins by preventing this.
Publication history
In 1975, SPI published Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles, its first quadrigame — four different battles using the same set of rules, packaged into one box. The concept proved popular, and SPI published an entire series of quadrigames, including The Art of Siege in 1979.[1] Redmond A. Simonsen provided the graphic design for all four games in the boxed set.
It was not a popular product, and did not appear in SPI's Top Ten Bestseller list.[4]