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.
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.
The Art of Siege is a "quadrigame" — a set of four games in the same box — that simulate four famous historical sieges:
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]
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]
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.)
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.
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.
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]
In Issue 19 of Phoenix , Ralph Vickers liked the use of hexless maps, saying that for the two battles chosen, "Not only were hexes not needed [...] but they would have been a hindrance." He also called these two games "a very interesting experiment, and are worth the consideration of everyone in the hobby who wants to keep up with the latest developments." He concluded, "Let us hope that SPI continues to maintain the generally high standards they have achieved in these Art of Siege quads." [3]
In Issue 36 of Phoenix, William Hamblin reviewed Acre, and found several inaccuracies in the historical reconstruction, from weapons and armor to tactics and the names of various types of units. But he admitted, "On the whole, the game is enjoyable to play and offers a number of interesting challenges to players on both sides." Nevertheless, he concluded, "In a sense, the historical inaccuracies make it so that the game is not really an historical simulation of the siege of Acre, but rather a 'fantasy' game wearing an historical mask." [5]
In Issue 48 of Moves , Stephen Clifford, Pete Bartlam, and Geoff Barnard combined to review three of the four games. Clifford liked the naval engagement rules of Tyre, but felt "the system is too inflexible to give the full picture of the siege of Tyre." Bartlam thought the opening phase of Acre dragged on, and felt the final assault didn't feel right, saying, "It should be much more dangerous up against the walls, making it necessary to employ a lot of arrow-fodder, with units who successfully breach the defenses having much more effect [...] One doesn't get the feeling of desperate men clawing their way to the parapets, rung by rung, through a hail of arrows." He concluded the game was "an enjoyable, playable game, a good simulation of a siege, with one or two caveats, but a minus for medieval flavor." Barnard found that 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." But he was disappointed in the historical accuracy of the game, and felt that the designer might have had to simplify the game too much in order to fit it into the quadrigame format. [2]
In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames , game designer Jon Freeman commented "The Art of Siege may not have the most playable of systems; it does however, fill an important historical hole in the hobby." [6] : 96 Freeman also reviewed three of the games in the boxed set:
In Issue 22 of Fire & Movement , Peter Mantini was quite complimentary about Tyre, calling it "a dandy little simulation [...] Tyre is an integrated land and sea conflict of sustained excitement." [7]
In The Wargamer , Peter Hatton liked Lille, saying, "SPI are to be congratulated on having brought us a siege of our period (Lille) with a real map on which to build our trench counters. The rules deal well with the approach work, and the actual assault is also probably good. Recommended." [8]
In a retrospective review in Issue 20 of Simulacrum, David Chancellor and Luc Olivier noted that twenty-five years after its publication, the game remained a highly collectible item: "The Art of Siege has traditionally been one of the more sought-after quadrigames. As one of the only simulations focused on siegecraft, its unique gameplay and topics make it a must-have for fans of fortress-based warfare." [1]
Cemetery Hill, subtitled "The Battle of Gettysburg, 1–3 July 1863", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 as part of the "quadrigame" Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles that simulated four battles of the American Civil War. Cemetery Hill was later released as a stand-alone "folio" game.
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.
Marengo: Napoleon in Italy, 14 June 1800 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 as one of four games packaged together in the Napoleon at War "quadrigame". Marengo was also released as a separate game the same year. The game simulates the Battle of Marengo between Austrian and French forces.
Modern Battles: Four Contemporary Conflicts is a collection of four board wargames published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates four modern-day battles set in the early 1970s.
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.
Bloody Ridge, subtitled "Turning Point on Guadalcanal, September 1942", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Guadalcanal Campaign during World War II. The game was originally published as part of the Island War: Four Pacific Battles "quadrigame" — a gamebox containing four games simulating four separate battles that all use the same rules. Bloody Ridge was also published as an individual "folio game."
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.
Lützen is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1632 Battle of Lützen during the Thirty Years' War. Lützen was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame". Many critics called it one of the better games of the four, and Lützen was also published as an individual game.
Rocroi, subtitled "19 May 1643 – The End of Spanish Ascendancy", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1643 Battle of Rocroi during the Thirty Years' War. Rocroi was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame", but it was also published as an individual game. It received mixed reviews from critics, some of whom called it a "bland tactical problem", while others declared it was the best game of the four in the Thirty Years War box.
Freiburg, subtitled "3–9 August 1644 – Conquest of the Rhine Valley", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1644 Battle of Freiburg during the Thirty Years' War. Freiburg was originally sold as one of four separate games packaged together in Thirty Years War, a "quadrigame", but it was also published as an individual game. It received poor reviews from critics, who called it the weakest of the four games in the Thirty Years War box, "a series of slogging matches", "not much fun", and "relatively boring."
Arnhem, subtitled "Operation Market-Garden, September 1944" and also published as A Bridge Too Far: Arnhem, is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates Operation Market Garden during World War II, when Allied forces attempted to create a salient in the Netherlands, using paratroopers to take strategic bridges over the Rhine. Arnhem was originally published in the WestWall "quadrigame", but was also packaged for sale as an individual game.
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.
Four Battles in North Africa is a collection of four board wargames published in 1976 by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) that simulate various battles during the North African Campaign of World War II.
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.
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.
Tyre: Alexander's Siege and Assault is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that simulates the Siege of Tyre in 332 BCE. The game was originally part of the four-game collection The Art of Siege, and was also released as a stand-alone "folio" game.
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.
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.
Crusader: Battle for Tobruk, November 1941 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates Operation Crusader during World War II. The game was originally published as part of the Four Battles in North Africa "quadrigame" — a gamebox containing four games simulating four separate battles that all use the same rules. Crusader was also published as an individual "folio game."