Sevastapol: The First Modern Siege

Last updated

Sevastapol: The First Modern Siege is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that simulates the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. The game was originally part of the four-game collection The Art of Siege , and was also released as a stand-alone "folio" game.

Contents

Background

During the Crimean War of 1854–1855, French and British forces laid siege to the Russian fortress of Sevastapol in an attempt to prevent Russia's Black Sea fleet from attacking Turkey. [1]

Description

Sevastapol is a two-player wargame where one player controls the Anglo-French besiegers, and the other player controls the Russian defenders. With a small map and only 200 counters, the game has been characterized as "simple".

Gameplay

The game system, adapted from SPI's 1972 game Napoleon at War , uses an alternating "I Go, You Go" series of turns, where one player moves and attacks, followed by the other player.

Unlike most wargames of the time, Sevastapol does not use a hex grid map,. Instead, counters are moved from area to area. [2] Artillery fire uses a measuring stick, like miniatures wargames.

Publication history

In 1975, SPI published Blue & Gray, 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 1978. One of the four games included was Sevastapol, designed by Robert Mosca, with graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen. Sevastapol was also released as an individual game. [1]

Reception

In Issue 48 of Moves , Geoff Barnard commented, "I must admit that, as a game, Sevastopol works well. There is a lot of color, the objectives of both sides are clearly defined, and there are interesting things for each side to do. Sevastapol is, however, supposed to be a simulation, and what I'm more concerned about is the extent to which it is valid." Barnard noted, "One is left with the impression that the designer of this game may have left out more than necessary in order to make the game fit the format." He concluded, "Although Sevastapol remains an interesting game, as a simulation it is true only to a very limited part of the activities of the siege." [3]

In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames , game designer Jon Freeman commented that the game "may not have the most playable of systems; it does however, fill an important historical hole in the hobby." [2] : 96  Freeman concluded "Except for being somewhat less interesting than Lille, the game is quite similar. [...] There is, however, a bit more movement by the defenders in this case." [2] : 146 

Other reviews

Related Research Articles

Sniper!, subtitled "House-to-House Fighting in World War II", is a two-player board wargame about man-to-man combat in urban environments during WWII, originally released in 1973 by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI). After TSR purchased SPI in 1982, TSR released an expanded edition of Sniper! in 1986, and followed up that up with releases of various "companion games" and a videogame.

<i>Panzergruppe Guderian</i> (game) 1976 WWII board wargame

Panzergruppe Guderian is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. in 1976 that simulates the 1941 Battle of Smolensk during World War II.

<i>Napoleons Last Battles</i> Board wargame

Napoleon's Last Battles is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications in 1976 that simulates the last four battles fought by Napoleon. It was one of SPI's most popular games, and also received many positive reviews.

<i>Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles</i> Collection of four board wargames published in 1975

Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles is a board wargame originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates four battles from the American Civil War.

<i>The Art of Siege</i> Board wargame published in 1979

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.

<i>Crimea: The Dawn of Modern Warfare</i>

Crimea: The Dawn of Modern Warfare is a board wargame published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1975 that simulates the Crimean War.

<i>La Grande Armée</i> (wargame) Board wargame published in 1972

La Grande Armée, subtitled "The Campaigns of Napoleon in Central Europe", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1972 that simulates three campaigns of Napoleon.

<i>Napoleon at War</i> Board wargame published in 1975

Napoleon at War, subtitled "Four Battles", is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates various battles fought by Napoleon.

<i>Thirty Years War</i> (wargame) Board wargame

Thirty Years War, subtitled "Four Battles", is a "quadrigame" — four separate board wargames packaged in one box that use a common set of rules — published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976. The four games simulate different battles during the Thirty Years' War, and were sold individually as well as in the quadrigame format. Some of the games were well received by critics, but overall, the quadrigame did not sell well.

<i>Breitenfeld</i> (wargame) Board wargame

Breitenfeld, subtitled "Triumph of the Swedish System", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1631 Battle of Breitenfeld during the Thirty Years' War. Breitenfeld was a free game that appeared in Strategy & Tactics, designed to promote SPI's soon-to-be-launched wargame Thirty Years War. Breitenfeld proved popular and was also published as part of SPI's "folio" series of games.

<i>Austerlitz</i> (wargame) Board wargame

Austerlitz, subtitled "The Battle of Three Emperors, 2 December 1805", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1972 that simulates the Battle of Austerlitz between Napoleon's French forces, and the Austrian-Russian forces of the Third Coalition.

<i>Westwall: Four Battles to Germany</i> Board wargame published in 1976

Westwall: Four Battles to Germany is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications (SPI) in 1976 that simulate battles in Europe in late 1944 and early 1945 during World War II.

<i>Blue & Gray II</i> Board wargame published by Simulation Publications, Inc

Blue & Gray II, subtitled "Four American Civil War Battles", is a collection of four board wargames originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that each simulate a battle from the American Civil War. It is the sequel to Blue & Gray published earlier in the year. Each of the four games was also published as individual "folio games."

<i>Four Battles from the Crimean War</i> Board wargame published in 1978

Four Battles from the Crimean War is a "quadrigame" — a set of four thematically linked games that use the same set of rules — published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that simulates four battles during the Crimean War.

<i>Modern Battles II: Four Contemporary Conflicts</i> Board wargame published in 1977

Modern Battles II: Four Contemporary Conflicts is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1977 that simulates three hypothetical contemporary battles as well as the battle for Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967. This collection was a sequel to SPI's popular Modern Battles published two years before.

<i>Road to Richmond</i> Board wargame

Road to Richmond, subtitled "The Peninsular Campaign, May–July, 1862", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1977 that simulates the Peninsula Campaign of 1862 during the American Civil War.

<i>Panzer 44: Tactical Combat in Western Europe, 1944–45</i> Board wargame

Panzer '44: Tactical Combat in Western Europe, 1944–45 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates historical tank combat during World War II.

Acre: Richard Lionheart's Siege is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that simulates the Siege of Acre in 1191. The game was originally part of the four-game collection The Art of Siege, and was also released as a stand-alone "folio" game.

Lille: The Classic Vauban Siege is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that simulates the Siege of Lille in 1708. The game was originally part of the four-game collection The Art of Siege, and was also released as a stand-alone "folio" game.

<i>The Siege of Constantinople</i> (game) 1978 board wargame

The Siege of Constantinople, subtitled "The End of the Middles Ages 1453 A.D.", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that simulates the land combat during the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 CE. It was published as a promotional precursor to SPI's four-game collection The Art of Siege, but was received so poorly that one critic speculated it may have actually convinced players not to buy The Art of Siege.

References

  1. 1 2 Olivier, Luc (April 2004). "The Art of Siege". Simulacrum. No. 20. pp. 11–15.
  2. 1 2 3 Freeman, Jon (1980). The Complete Book of Wargames. New York: Simon & Schuster.
  3. ↑ Barnard, Geoff (December 1979). "The Art of Siege". Moves . No. 48. pp. 20–21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.