Monday 25 May 2009

Attacking a town

Although this picture is a little early for this blog I thought the wargamers among us might enjoy this image. I suppose sieges are difficult to replicate on the tabletop...anyone have any ideas?
Comment il faut ordonner l'artillerie pour la défense d'une ville [Traité 2 - dialogue 11]
Description :
Créé vers 1613 (?) ; planche 10a du "Artillerie, ou Vraye instruction de l'artillerie et de ses appartenances. [...]" de Diego Ufano, Rouen, David du Petit Val, 1628
Author :
Bry Jean Théodore de (1561-1623) (attribué à) Dessinateur et graveur français
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3 comments:

  1. Motorway25 May 2009 at 01:37

    Nice plate indeed!

    IIRC most wargame rules have some kind of siege rules, but of a rather basic nature. The most detailed I have read came from the Spanish Fury website.
    http://perfectcaptain.50megs.com/request.html

    Without decent campaign rules, I don't think siege rules will give a true feeling for the era.

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  2. Sir William the Aged25 May 2009 at 07:01

    I have tried several sieges, and in different time periods, but with limited success. So far only two have appeared satisfactory. There is the somewhat abstract tactical method; my fleet vs your star fort, broadside for broadside, one side is assumed to capitulate when the fort is breached or the ships sink. Then there is the skirmish level, where the breach is either asumed to already be there, or is created by countermine, and one gets down to the "Dick Sharpe and Patrick Harper into the breach" level so favored in Bernard Cornwell's novels.

    I have yet to find a set of rules that I felt (purely my opinion) accurately replicated siege warfare at the battalion or even company level. I have not tried one, but it is possible that a satisfactory company-level siege could be worked out using single-based figures in the style of Charles Grant, or Young & Lawford, or even Bill Protz's "BAR" rules. The single basing would at least allow for irregular movement and house-to-house fighting. Might have to try one with "BAR" and see.

    Bill

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  3. littlejohn25 May 2009 at 21:18

    I'm facing the same problem since I have been working on a section of Vauban fort for my table and as soon as its done I'm going to need some good rules. I've got a copy of Duffy's "Fire and Stone" on siege warfare and in the back of it is a simple set of rules that seem promising...the "Perfect Captain" sets are also good, well produced, and you can't beat the "donate to a good cause" price ;)

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