Friday, October 31, 2025

Great Western Trail Again

Not so successful this time, I was one cow short at Sacramento. So it goes. Great game.

Friday, October 24, 2025

Nubian versus New Kingdom Egyptians and subsequent siege

I decided to try something almost contemporary to face Karl and his New Kingdom Egyptians. I had to cobble the Nubians from my Carthaginian and Arabian armies and add in a DBA army that I had purchased but never used. How would it all go?

Please note, for this post photos are mostly after each player's turn rather than pair of turns. This should provide a better feel for the action.

The Egyptian went up the Nile and invaded Nubia.

The Nubians were ready, deployed with a scrubby wood on their left

and some broken ground in the centre.

The Nubian wings fly forward

as the Egyptian chariots start to roll.

Nubian skirmishers run forward,

while their archers start shooting.

But once they get in range the Egyptian chariots have significant missile fire power.

The chariots mostly annihilate the Nubian archers.

But there are plenty of Nubians and their arrows continue to rain down on the Egyptian chariots.

In the centre the Nubian warriors are now with strike range.

The charge by the Nubian warriors cleared away the Egyptian archers,

but was not able to prevail against the Egyptian foot.

The Egyptian chariots are now faced with redeploying while avoid being shot at.

A mighty charge by the Nubian warriors lead by their nobles scores a massive set of hits.

But hits alone do not do it.

The Egyptians reel back,

but are not broken.

The Egyptian chariots are trying to get back into action.

However, the Egyptian foot must be feeling a bit abandoned.

Nubian archery decimates the Egyptian chariots

And the Egyptian morale collapses.

Subsequent Siege

The Egyptians flee until they find refuge in a Stronghold on the Nile. The Nubians pursue.

The Egyptian force is just 3 units with 3 steps, 7 manpower and 10 combat strength.

The Nubians have 8 units, 15 steps, 18 manpower and 20 combat strength.

They can easily lay siege but being on the Nile the Egyptians have the benefit of a port and are therefore not blockaded. The Stronghold has a Resistance Factor of 7 and would resist any immediate call for surrender.

The Nubians start by filling in the moat, reducing the RF to 6. They then deploy catapults further reducing the RF to 5. Thinking they will get the Egyptians to surrender they supply lavish gifts, but the Egyptians can see bad omens if they accept and refuse to surrender.

At this stage the Nubians have run out of playable options and call upon the Fortunes of War, only to find a traitor in their ranks and the RF raised to 7.

But things get worse as an epidemic breaks out in their camp. They still have 8 units, but now only 9 steps, 10 manpower and 12 combat strength. The epidemic spreads to the Stronghold, but has lost it virulence and with the Egyptian washing of hands policy, has no effect on the defenders.

The Nubians continue to call upon the Fortunes of War only this time to find their supplies are running low which sees their force drop to 6 units, 7 steps, 8 manpower and 10 combat strength. They might still have a significant force, but its strength has been halved. The RF has risen to 8.

However, the Fortunes of War start to smile upon them. They construct a siege tower which brings the RF down to 6. And then another siege tower is constructed, and the RF falls to 4. Finally ladders and mantlets are deployed causing the RF to drop to a low of 3. In desperation they would try an assault, but the Nubian combat strength, after adjustment for the RF, prohibits such a venture and the siege fails and the Nubians withdraw.

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Great Western Trail

Another week another new game to play. This time Richard arranged a cattle herding game that was a bit like a peaceful version of Pony Wars (not really, but it had the feel for that era).

Excellent game.

The previous week we had played Pictura, as I had inside knowledge after having visited the Prado when I was in Madrid recently. Sadly, I forgot to take a photo.

Sunday, October 19, 2025

The Siege in Detail

My description of the process was getting too detailed and spoiling the narrative of the previous post:

https://onesidedminiaturewargamingdiscourse.blogspot.com/2025/10/lusitanians-versus-romans-and.html

I am working on a set of siege rules for use in campaigns but also as an after-battle adjunct for Basic Impetus games. They are based on the siege rules that are in the boardgame The Kingdom of Heaven.

The first step is to take stock of the remaining forces.

Lusitanians (the besieged)

LC VBU 3 reduced to 2
FL VBU 4 reduced to 1
FL VBU 4 reduced to 1
S VBU 3 still fresh
S VBU 3 reduced to 1
Commander was killed

Romans

CM VBU 4 reduced to 3 with Commander
FP VBU 6 reduced to 5
FP VBU 5 reduced to 1
FP VBU 6 still fresh
FP VBU 6 reduced to 2
S VBU 2 still fresh
S VBU 2 still fresh

The siege system needs a calculation of number of units, steps, manpower and combat strength.

The Lusitanians have 5 Units the Romans 7. For the Romans this represents a significant force which required them to have more than 6 units.

The Lusitanians have 6 Steps and the Romans 10. Steps are calculated as 2 per fresh unit and 1 for a worn unit (regardless of losses).

The Lusitanians have 7 Manpower and the Romans 18. Manpower varies between 0 and 4 and calculated as the units VD plus 1 if the unit is fresh, minus 1 if the unit is mounted. The Lusitanian FL are VD 2 and the rest VD 1. The Roman FP are 3 VD, the CM 2 VD (which includes the Commander) and the S are 1 VD.

As the Roman's Manpower at least matches that of the Lusitanians a siege can be initiated.

The Combat Strength is the sum of the units' VBUs. The Lusitanians have 8, the Romans 21.

The next process is to calculate the Resistance Factor (RF) of the Stronghold into which the defeated Lusitanians have retreated. Obviously, a very campaign-based thing, but simply put Strongholds are either Wall Cities or Forts (Castles). Forts are more for campaigns so I will ignore the distinction and just go with the generic term Stronghold. Every Stronghold has a base RF of 3. As the Lusitanians have more than 2 Steps the RF is increased by 2 to 5. If the Stronghold was a port (either sea or major river) the RF would be increased by 1. Let's assume it is not and for imaginative purposes the battle took place near Óbidos. The Lusitanians have lost their Commander so there is no Leader bonus to the RF.

The Lusitanian Stronghold has a RF of 5.

The Romans can call for surrender. There are various campaign factors that may come into this, but simply in this case the Romans, on a D6, need to roll higher than the RF.

Assuming the Lusitanians don't surrender or that the Romans don't call for a surrender the next step is to see if the Romans can blockade the Lusitanian Stronghold. Blockade is achieved by comparing the besieging Manpower to that of the garrison. Each sides rolls a D6 and adds that to their Manpower. The besieger also adds one per cavalry unit that they have. If the besieger’s result exceeds that of the defender a Blockade is successfully implemented.

The Romans can easily establish a Blockade.

The siege is now established.

Each side receives seven siege event cards. I have taken these from the game Kingdom of Heaven which is here I got the idea and system for this siege process. Their deck has 60 cards. Of these 40 are can only be used by the attacker, 3 by both and 17 for the defender. There are 11 cards with a diplomacy value and range in value for -2 to +2.

Each card has an Operational Points value; an indicator of whether it is for the Attacker, Defender or Both; a possible Diplomacy Value; and an Event with any associated prerequisite.

The siege lasts as long as there are cards to play.

If the siege is not successful by the time all the cards are used, then the siege is over and the attacker withdraws. For a campaign game other options can obviously be considered.

Starting with the attacker/besieger a Siege Round is conducted by playing a card.

A Siege Round consists of one of four actions:

1. Starvation attempt (only if stronghold blockaded)

2. Call for Surrender (using a card with a diplomacy value)

3. Siege event (as per the card)

4. Fortunes of war

After one of the above actions is complete there is the option to perform an Assault.

Starvation is made by rolling on the Starvation/Attrition table using the Ops value of a card marked as Attacker or Both as a die roll modifier and the result being the number of steps lost.

A call for surrender requires a card with a diplomacy value and marked as Attacker or Both. The card's diplomacy value is used to modify the die roll.

A siege event is as described on the card. The attacker can only use events on cards marked as Attacker or Both. If they play a card marked as Defender, nothing happens (sieges can be boring). In their turn the defender can only use events on cards marked as Defender or Both. Some events have prerequisites or conditions.

Fortunes of War is available for the attacker by discarding a card in their hand. A random card is drawn and its event takes place regardless of Attacker Defender.

When a card is played the opponent may be able to play a card to cancel or alter the action.

Some cards provide for an additional card to be drawn.

With hopefully the process adequately explained, let's get on with the siege!

A random draw has the Romans holding:

#4 Ops=1 Attacker No Diplomacy "Lines of Circumvallation" Manpower required 3 "You may make a blockade roll if Stronghold is not a port. Or play to cancel Sortie by Besieged."

#16 Ops=1 Attacker No Diplomacy "Lines of Circumvallation" Manpower required 3 "You may make a blockade roll if Stronghold is not a port. Or play to cancel Sortie by Besieged."

#34 Ops=2 Attacker 0 Diplomacy "Battering Ram" Manpower required 1 "Reduce defender RF by 2."

#37 Ops=2 Attacker No Diplomacy "Fleets Blockade Stronghold" Only if fleet is available.

"Play to blockade any port and reduce its RF by 1. Draw replacement card."

#43 Ops=3 Attacker No Diplomacy "Rats in Enemy Food Supply" "Reduce defender RF by 2 and reduce up to three fresh units in the stronghold to worn if it is blockaded. Draw replacement card."

#46 Ops=3 Defender No Diplomacy "Traitor In Enemy Ranks" Increase RF by 2 as countermeasures are taken. Draw replacement card.

#55 Ops=3 Attacker No Diplomacy "Fleets Blockade Stronghold" Only if fleet is available.

"Play to blockade any port and reduce its RF by 1. Draw replacement card."

The Lusitanian hand is as follows:

#11 Ops=1 Attacker No Diplomacy "Fill in Defender's Moat" Manpower required 3 "Reduce defender RF by 1."

#20 Ops=1 Defender No Diplomacy "Blockade Broken" Make combat roll for garrison (no modifiers). Opponent takes casualties (but there's no determination of victory). If one or more step losses inflicted remove any blockaded marker. Draw replacement card. A blockade need not be in place for this card to be played.

#25 Ops=1 Attacker +1 Diplomacy "Ladders and Mantlets" Manpower required 1 "Reduce defender RF by 1."

#28 Ops=2 Defender No Diplomacy "Countermines" Manpower required 2 "Play to cancel Sappers and Miners."

#33 Ops=2 Attacker No Diplomacy "Severed Heads Tossed Into Enemy Stronghold" Manpower required 1 "Roll a die: 1-3 reduce defender RF by 1; 6 increase RF by 1. Draw a replacement."

#36 Ops=2 Attacker No Diplomacy "Fleets Blockade Stronghold" Only if fleet is available. "Play to blockade any port and reduce its RF by 1. Draw replacement card."

#56 Ops=3 Attacker No Diplomacy "Sappers and Miners" Manpower required 4 "Reduce defenders RF by 3."

Round One

The Romans play "Rats in Enemy Food Supply" which reduces the resistance factor to 3 and the Lusitanians lose 1 step and their combat strength drops to 7.

This event also provides for a new card to be drawn and the Romans add the following card to their hand:

#3 Ops=1 Defender No Diplomacy "Sortie by Besieged" Manpower required 1 "Commit up to two steps to attack. Roll 1 die for each: 1-3: committed step is lost; 4-6: increase RF by 1. Draw replacement card."

The Lusitanians play "Blockade Broken" This event gives them a free roll on the Assault table. They roll a 3 on a D6 and add two as the besieged force and cross reference 5 on the 7-10 column. The Romans suffer 2 step losses which they take on the two fresh S units. They drop to 8 steps, 16 manpower and 19 combat strength, but still have 7 units.

This event also provides for a new card to be drawn and the Lusitanians add the following card to their hand:

#12 Ops=1 Attacker No Diplomacy "Fill in Defender's Moat" Manpower required 3 "Reduce defender RF by 1."

Round Two

Angered the Romans play "Battering Ram" reducing the resistance factor to 1 and the Romans make an assault. The Romans have 19 combat strength and are on the 11-16 column having been shifted left by the residual RF of 1. They have a commander who adds 1 to the D6 roll which was 4 thereby becoming a 5 and inflicting 3 step losses on the Lusitanians. The Lusitanians are on the 7-10 column but throw a miserable 1 but have a +2 as the besieged. They inflict 1 step loss on the Romans. As the Romans caused double the number of step losses than they received it is a major victory and the stronghold is taken, the siege is over.

Conclusion

This siege played out very quickly. The Romans had some good cards, but the critical thing was the very poor roll by the Lusitanians. Anything but a 1 would have denied the Romans a major victory and the siege would have continued.

I will continue to develop the rules and conduct more test games.

These rules are based on the siege mechanics in the boardgame Kingdom of Heaven. The rules and cards for which can be found on Boardgame Arena:

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/25900/kingdom-of-heaven-the-crusader-states-1097-1291

Friday, October 17, 2025

Lusitanians versus Romans and subsequent siege

Could almost be from the Lusitanian Wars 155 - 139 BC and certainly had an historical result as they couldn't beat the Romans commanded by Consul Stefanus.

The Romans were out scouted and look scattered before the Lusitanians.

The Lusitanians press forward.

Getting close with the Lusitanians holding the advantage.

Both sides took a battering, but the Lusitanians are feeling confident.

The Roman cavalry, charged by the Lusitanian cavalry,

defeats them and then emboldened follows up,

routing the Lusitanian left flank.

Meanwhile the Romans have bounced back in the centre

and are pummeling the remaining Lusitanian infantry.

Decisive victory to the Romans.

I am working on a set of siege rules for use in campaigns but also as an after-battle adjunct. This game gave me a chance to do an initial playtest. I will provide another post with all the detail. They have been adapted from the boardgame Kingdom of Heaven which is where the terminology comes from.

The Lusitanians have 5 units providing 6 steps, 7 manpower and 9 combat strength. They have lost their commander.

The Romans have 7 units providing 10 steps, a massive 18 manpower and 21 combat strength. This means they can initiate a siege without problem.

The Lusitanian stronghold has a resistance factor of 5. For purely imaginative purposes the battle took place near Óbidos.

The Romans decline to call for immediate surrender and move on to easily blockade the Lusitanians.

The Romans play "Rats in Enemy Food Supply" which reduces the resistance factor to 3 and the Lusitanians lose 1 step and their combat strength drops to 8.

The Lusitanians play "Blockade Broken" The Romans suffer 2 step losses, and they drop to 8 steps, 16 manpower and 19 combat strength.

Angered the Romans play "Battering Ram" the resistance factor drops to 1 and the Romans make an assault. They inflict 3 step losses on the Lusitanians but receive only 1 in return. The stronghold falls.

The siege is over.

Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Óbidos, Portugal

Our tour took us to this town in Portugal for a brief look. While Karen shopped, I walked the walls, well, as much as I could. Óbidos, Portugal

The castle is at the top of the image, but my walk started near the bottom where the main gate to the town is. Annoyingly Blogger has uploaded my photos in reverse order, so while I went clockwise, the images will start with the castle and work back.