Siege Notes: Getting the "Leaguer" Rules Back on Track?

Before We Get Started 

A minor detour. I thought I'd get this in first, since it is likely that not many people might read through to the end of the main feature...

As part of my WSS reading, I am currently following Marlborough's adventures on the way to the Siege of Venlo (1702). I can find odd maps online, but one thing I could really do with is a decent atlas of the WSS.

Is anyone aware of an example of such a thing which is easy to get hold of?

 

Siege Notes

I think I've been reading about sieges, and developing rules and collecting scenery to fight siege games, for about 20 years now. I've enjoyed it hugely.

My starting point was Christopher Duffy's wonderful Fire & Stone - The Science of Fortress Warfare 1660-1860, which even includes an account of a siege wargame at Sandhurst in Appendix 3! I loved the book, and my interest was well prodded. It was obviously possible to conduct such a game, and it looked marvellous. The rules were very simple, omitting a lot of the detail of real sieges in the interests of playability, and Duffy himself has commented subsequently that one feature of the Sandhurst games was that the umpire normally outranked the participants, even if only on a brevet appointment, so that debates were minimal.

However, one lightbulb principle was established in Duffy's game; yes, sieges consist of long, plodding periods of digging and relentless bombardment, interspersed with occasional spells of feverish activity during storms or sorties, so there should be different rules in play to cope with this. This has been adopted by other, later rule-writers, and my own Leaguer rules still use Siege Turns, with two game turns representing one week, and Tactical Turns, for which normal(ish) miniatures wargame rules come into play, with a game turn representing 10 minutes (or whatever).

Bruce Quarrie, in his Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature, states that 'most wargamers ignore sieges for the very good reason that they make extremely boring games'. My view of his book suggests that Quarrie may have been something of an expert on boredom, but the point is well made. Perversely, I have adopted this as a challenge - do not develop a boring game if you can avoid it - and Ron Miles' legendary Siege of Dendermonde, though breathtaking in its way, may sound a faint warning bell...

I waited for some years for Eric Burgess to complete and publish his Vauban's Wars rules (didn't they start life as Coehorn's Wars, by the way?) and he did a splendid job; these rules are educational, apart from anything else; they cover elements of siege gaming which no-one had touched before, and they also embrace Duffy's 2-speed system. If anyone wants an off-the-shelf game for sieges in the horse-and-musket period, Vauban's Wars remains the way to go, clear of the field. I bought a copy, along with the expensive card deck, as soon as it appeared, and played a few games, solo, including games converted to a hex grid. For me, the only problem is that the rules are a full-fledged member of the Piquet family, which makes them ideal for solo play, but some general characteristics of Piquet's house style I find laborious and even irritating, so I have made the decision to borrow some of the ideas, and carry on with development of my own Leaguer game.

Which brings us to the obvious question. So how is it going?

First off, I think that sieges are ideal for solo play, and I have come to accept that by nature I am probably a solitary gamer; Zoom has been a big help, and I treasure visits to friends' homes for games, but as time passes health and geography push me towards playing on my own. I should have played through more sieges in recent years, but can only try to improve on this.

Significant highlights of my sieges latterly, and the development of the rules, are illustrated by a small number of blog links. I'll keep this short, since that's all it warrants, but it avoids my quoting myself at length!

(1) In April 2016 I set up a fairly ambitious ECW test siege, using my own rules. I found myself improvising things which either didn't work or which I'd forgotten about, and there is a series of blog posts starting with this one... 

(2) In February 2022 I played through a solo test game of Vauban's Wars (tweaked for hexes) - a fictitious Peninsular War siege, which is described in 2 posts starting here...

(3) In June 2024 (to my considerable surprise) I managed to set up a Zoom game, with an actual opponent! Back to the ECW, this was Prince Rupert's Siege of Liverpool, with the Jolly Broom Man playing the part of Rupert (he won, though I think he was killed...). This was a surprise on two counts, since I had considered it almost impossible to play a siege via Zoom, because of the difficulty of siting the cameras to give a satisfactory view (I wish I could remember how we got this to work), and because of playing it as a competitive game (it wasn't very competitive, it was more of a laboratory game of "what would happen next?"). We used the extant version of Leaguer, but the siege was almost artificially simple, since it was small and uncomplicated, and since the town being besieged could still be provided with food and ammunition from the river, so that supply management was not required. We completed the game, but it was obvious that the dovetailing of Siege and Tactical Turns needed a lot more work, and there were some other issues. JBM and I exchanged thoughts for a few days afterwards, and I made some changes to the draft rules. There are two blog posts, starting here...

(4) In November 2024 I played through a lengthy test WSS siege, solo, allowing for re-runs as necessary to get to all bits of the updated Leaguer rules. It went well, though I didn't get to Tactical Rules (unseemly things like storms and sorties not welcome in the WSS). I wrote loads of notes for proposed changes, and changed some things permanently on the fly. There are some blog posts, starting here...

By November 2024, my draft rules consisted of a loose-leaf file full of printed sheets, pencil scribblings, copious Post-It notes and printed email correspondence. At this point, I regret to say that the Real World really messed everything up - apart from family issues, the US election rendered me unfit for service.

I stowed away my siege toys and my loose-leaf folder, and didn't look at them again until a few weeks ago, at which time I was horrified to realise that the scribblings were hard to understand; I had lost that thread of continuity that serves to keep the dreaded Entropy Creep under control. I have got back to work - I am trying to get the scribblings into some sort of coherent form, and am pleased that things seem to be shaping up. [I feel there is a lesson here for all of us, boys and girls]

It occurs to me that some of this thought process might be of general interest - it will also help to keep me honest - so the plan is that there may be occasional posts on fascinating topics such as powder consumption, the use of mortar shells to set fire to towns, sapping and digging parallels, artillery misfires, trench raids, espionage - maybe even mining...

Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye. 

 

It Was Such a Long Time Ago, and It Wasn't Even True

Mention of the late Clive Smithers came up in an email exchange this week with a friend, who remembered that around this time of year Clive would have been burning the midnight oil, researching and perfecting one of the celebrated April Fool pranks he used to post on his blog. 

I was involved in the skulduggery surrounding a couple of them, my favourite of which was the JRR Tolkien Hoax of 2010. All right, I confess I took a minor role in the construction of the plot, but I was responsible for this photo, which spread far and wide among the online fora of the gullible; the picture is a rather crude assemblage of bits from here and there, the medium was PhotoShop, but the idea was solidly Clive's.  

 

"Peter Young playing the game, in the garden of 

20 Northmoor Road, September 1939"

This July will be the 5th anniversary of Clive's passing, which is certainly worth a respectful nod when it comes around. I realise that these have been a hectic few years, but my friend and I were both surprised that it was only 5 years, and we agreed that Clive would have been less than impressed with most of what has happened since.

His family planned to preserve his blogs, and as far as I know they are all still online. 

Guest Contributor Issue - Steve Cooney

 Always a pleasure to hear from Steve, and he very kindly sent some photos of his wondrous ECW collection.

Steve writes:

...inspired me to take a look at my Hinton Hunt ECW collection last week and dug out some of the old figures .

Attached pics of some conversions I did way back when my sight was a bit better , shows a small Forlorn Hope party , all conversions done with soldering iron and needle files , no filler , and painted with oils.

 

Excellent - thanks for these, Steve - inspirational stuff. I'm hoping to get back to some figure painting in a month or so!

 

Hooptedoodle #494 - Google AI Gives Us the Lowdown...

 A friend of mine - who must be remarkably short of things to think about - asked Google AI about my blog (this very one you are reading), and he sent me an extract from the reply, since he thought it would amuse me. At least I hope that is why he sent it.

Here it is:

Can't really protest too much about any of that, though I am maybe a little saddened by the perceived balance. It makes no direct reference to bullshit, for which I guess I should be grateful. You probably expect me to set about checking out all sorts of AI reports now, but no. 

Not going to.

Out of perversity, I asked Google AI to describe Google AI (yes, I used to watch Star Trek many years ago - I know how to upset robots). Disappointingly, the description read much more like a marketing push than an analysis - I shall not reproduce any of it. There is enough bullshit around already... 

Unfamiliar Ground, Me Boys - Fire and Fury

 I've just returned from a most pleasant weekend trip; I travelled to visit Baron Stryker and his lovely wife on their Northern estates. Apart from the quiet surroundings and splendid hospitality, I also enjoyed an ACW game - unfamiliar ground indeed for me these days. Although this period was the context for my very first involvement with wargaming, it has been a long, long time. I estimate that my last ACW miniatures game must have been in 1973... 

If you weren't around in 1973, you may find this difficult to visualise. Rest assured that you probably didn't miss much - especially as far as my prehistoric wargames go.

I think that Ian may put together a post on his own blog, so all I'll do here is present some of my own photos, just to show what a nice game it was. 15mm figures, and an OOP version of Fire and Fury's brigade level rules - I was the Confederate commander; this was all new to me. The rules are reassuringly straightforward, and Stryker made an excellent job of guiding me through.

 

Troops in my centre at the start; lovely armies - it's some years since I've been involved with 15mm, and I have to say I approve very much

 

My cavalry makes an inauspicious entry on my left. The rules put Confederate cavalry at a disadvantage, but these fellows exceeded my expectations...

 

Troops deploying in the early stages. Both armies were waiting for reinforcements around Turn 3 or so

 

I spy Tigers - I recognised these fellows from an Osprey book I haven't seen for 50 years

 

Enemy approaching, looking worryingly brisk and professional

 

Partly because I wanted to see what would happen using F&F, I launched an enthusiastic but wildly optimistic attack with my right flank infantry. This worked much better than I had any right to expect, wrecked two opposing brigades and captured two limbered batteries...

 

...Crikey!...

 

One of my successful right brigades - still amazingly fresh [official F&F terminology] moved across to threaten the Union centre

 

As the reinforcements came into play, it seemed likely that both armies would win on their respective right flanks, but things started to balance out, and towards the end of our day I had regained control on my left (I think so, anyway)

 

My thanks to Ian and Sharon for their kindness and my appreciation for a most enjoyable trip and a stimulating (and thought-provoking) game are supplemented by my sincere apologies for outrageously lucky dice-rolling. Can't understand that at all...

Hooptedoodle #493 - Cherry Cake - They'll Never Believe It

As I get older and less receptive, I am saddened to note the increasing importance of Schadenfreude as part of my life mission.

Despite my better judgement, I spent some time yesterday watching highlights of US Attorney General Bondi's Congressional Reality Show on TV. American politics is really none of my business, but decency and the future of the planet are certainly worthy of focus.

If the facts are against you, argue the law. 

If the law is against you, argue the facts.

If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell

― Carl Sandburg

 

It seems to me that, years from today, people all over the world may remember that there was once a very strange woman who postured and smirked and overacted her way through a very serious, very noble and very visible forum, and committed the most public career suicide in history.

 

I can only assume that she is getting paid an awful lot of money and has the promise of a very big piece of cherry cake. I doubt whether anyone will remember her name.

 

Speaking of names, I have a little list of them, and I have a special bottle of wine put aside for Prizegiving Day. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

WSS: Action at La Jongleuse, Wallonia (1703)

 Yesterday I hosted the Zoom game I previewed in my previous post. My guest general was David, who has not played this game or this period before, and had no previous experience of remote gaming, though he is a serious Zoom user in his working life.

 

Spoiler picture. Very early in the action, the Earl of Cirencester is hurried into deploying his infantry brigade in the enclosures at La Jongleuse farm, in face of a full-on assault. He was lucky enough to get a "brigade bonus" with this activation which gave his troops extra movement to get ready

 Because the game was primarily going to be a walk-through of the rules, and because we knew in advance that we had limited time to play, I kept the army sizes down to a moderate size, and we set the required score for a win to 7 Victory Pts. We had a 2-hour clock on things; in fact we ran to about 2 and a half, but we never expected to complete the game - this was always going to be an introductory taster. It was, in any event, a lot of fun.

The commanders were provided with the briefest of briefing notes...

Battle of La Jongleuse (1703) – Briefing Notes and OOB

An Allied army under Sir Charles Churchill has been sent into Wallonia to intercept a French force commanded by the Comte de Rabachière, which is on its way from Verviers to support the French siege of Huy. The armies meet in open country at the farm of La Jongleuse, near the River Meuse.

The action is a straightforward encounter. No-one has prepared any fieldworks, there will be no preliminary bombardment.

The game is to be played using CJ Lite rules. Any unit currently holding the (strongpoint) churchyard of St Gaspard l’Oublié will gain 1 temporary Victory Point. 7 VPs wins the day.

The forces are of very (extraordinarily?) similar composition. The very large Gendarmérie de France is fielded as two units, both being rated as elite; the British Foot Guards are also elite, and 2 of the British foot units have attached battalion guns. The Hessian troops are actually in Dutch service, and are considered to be equivalent to British regulars.  [The two commanders are both regarded as competent and experienced, so there are no advantages in the Activation process.]

 

All units and generals have a mini-dice attached to their bases, bearing the number (1 to 4) of the brigade to which they belong. These mini-dice are dark blue for the French, red for the British and white for the Hessian contingent in the Allied army. 

 French Army (Maréchal de France Clément-Alibert, Comte de Rabachière)
(6 horse; 10 foot; 2 art; 5 leaders)

Bourgeois’ Cavalry Brigade [1] (Marquis de Bourgeois)

Gendarmérie de France (6 Sqns) (elite)

Dragons de La Vrillière (3 Sqns)

Saint-Gervais’ Cavalry Brigade [2] (Marquis de Saint-Gervais)

Régt du Mestre de Camp (3 Sqns)

Régt du Roi (3 Sqns)

Régt de Tarnault (3 Sqns)

Pelletier’s Infantry Brigade [3] (Comte Pelletier de Montmarie)

Régt de Béarn (2 Bns)

Régt de Champagne (2 Bns)

Régt de Languedoc (1 Bn)

1 field battery

Coustine’s Infantry Brigade [4] (Marquis de Coustine)

Régt de Navarre (2 Bns)

Régt de Poitou (2 Bns)

Régt de Saintonge (1 Bn)

1 field battery

 

 Allied Army (Lt Gen Charles Churchill)     

(6 horse; 10 foot; 2 art; 5 leaders)

Pickering’s Cavalry Brigade [1] (Br Gen Sir Mortimer Pickering)

Cadogan’s Regt (3 Sqns)

Lumley’s (Queen’s) Regt (3 Sqns)

Hay’s (Scots) Dragoons (3 Sqns)

Whitstaple’s Cavalry Brigade [2] (Br Gen Lord Whitstaple)

Wood’s Regt (3 Sqns)

Leibregiment zu Pferd (Hessen-Kassel) (3 Sqns)

Spiegel Karabiniere (Hessen-Kassel) (3 Sqns)

Cirencester’s Infantry Brigade [3] (Br Gen Earl of Cirencester) [2 Bns have battalion guns]

1^st Foot Guards (1 Bn) (elite)

Chas Churchill’s (Buffs) Regt (1 Bn)

Ferguson’s (Cameronian) Regt (1 Bn)

Howe’s Regt (1 Bn)

Hamilton’s (Royal Irish) Regt (1 Bn)

1 field battery

Pentecost’s Infantry Brigade [4] (Br Gen Jan-Hendrik van Pentecost (Dutch))

Lord North & Grey’s Regt (1 Bn)

IR Leib zu Fuss (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

IR Erbprinz (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

IR Prinz Wilhelm (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

IR Stückrad (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

1 field battery

 

David took the role of the French commander, Rabachière, and I was Charles Churchill. In each army, the brigades were set out with No [1] the cavalry on the right flank, No [2] the cavalry on the left flank, No [3] the infantry on the right of the centre, and No [4] the infantry on the left of centre.

 

At the very start of play, the gods of probability were having a laugh; the first 4 brigades activated in the first turn were all French, which meant that, whatever his initial intention, Rabachière found that he was attacking - here you see his army in motion, advancing across the table from our left. When the Allies finally got to do something, their first artillery shot rolled double 6 with 2 dice, and it was clear that something odd was going on. After this, things did calm down a bit!

 

Saint-Gervais' cavalry on the French left, moving up with the general advance. The Régt du Roi shows two hits, from that early artillery hit...

 

Here we see Churchill's response to being hustled, from the Allied right flank - Pickering's cavalry and Cirencester's infantry brigade move to cover the farm, before the the attack arrives

 

Down on the farm - Cirencester places his men to take advantage of what cover is available

 

On the Allied left, Whitstaple finds that he, with the Hessian Leib zu Pferd, is confronted by the entirety of the Gendarmérie de France, which is not what he had in mind. Note here that the French cavalry are uniformed in red, to confuse matters. This did not go well - the LzP recoiled, and kept on recoiling, right off the table. At such moments I still have to check the rules, to see what happens to the brigadier (p16 in this instance) - in fact he was left behind, to fall back on his own, and did well to rejoin his troops later!

 

Over on the other flank, things are going from bad to worse for the Du Roi lads (4 white counters and you are out) - this was one area where the Allies did fairly well

 

Back at the farm, this time from the French side; Cirencester had a few early disappointments, cover or not - two of his battalions were routed very quickly - Churchill's own foot regiment (later the Buffs, which I mention because it is traditional to identify British units by names they did not have until years later) and Ferguson's (aka the Earl of Angus' Regt, aka the Cameronians, which serves to emphasise how complicated this all is) 

 

Pentecost's brigade, mostly Hessians, belatedly start to assert themselves. If we had had more time, this might have made better progress, but in the first couple of Game Turns this brigade were left without orders when the turn ended early

 

The cavalry fight on the French right was still sputtering away when we ran out of time. The on-table VP markers show that the French were 5-4 ahead at this point - including a red counter for possession of the churchyard...

 

...a situation which they gained very early in the game, when the 1st battalion of the Régt de Béarn just walked in, and were never opposed

 

By the end of the day, Pentecost's boys were still in a nice straight line and might have done OK with more time, but the likelihood is that the Allies would probably have lost it elsewhere

 

General snapshots from the end of the game: Pickering's horse probably had the edge on the Allied right...

 

...2nd Bn of Navarre threatening the farm, with General Pelletier de Montmarie looking on from a safe distance...

 

...for fans of vintage Britain's farm pieces, here's a close up of a field which I think contains the British Foot Guards...

 

...and, calmness personified, le Maréchal Comte de Rabachière (on the left of this photo with his staff) finds - maybe to his surprise - that his lads have probably won the day

My sincere thanks to David for joining me for the session - it was great to meet up with him at last, and he performed well in unfaniliar surroundings. Of course, as required by our gentlemanly upbringing, we each came up at the close with reasons why, though it was technically undecided, the game had probably been won by the other side, but no - I'm happy to concede defeat on points; I got off to a poor start and only made up a little ground thereafter. Thanks David, and well played!