After making the observation that it wasn't much like the usual sort of Piquet game, it went out of its way to prove that it was. The besiegers got all the initiative and turned all their Sapping cards, rolling a whole bunch of 3s on their siege dice. They have reached the glacis before the garrison got a chance to make any raids this turn.
This is important because raids can't be made on besiegers once they get that close. After that the defenders have to rely on...well actually, I am struggling a bit to see what they can do after that point.
They tried a sap of their own to see if they could outflank the attackers. They couldn't, although the fortress guns did damage a heavy gun and force its withdrawal from this emplacement.
However, there are others ready to move up.
And there are mortars shelling the town.
This is the position at the end of the turn. Much of this information would be secret and would be the basis of the espionage element to the game.
The images look great but things are looking quite dicey (excuse the pun) for the besieged right now. Maybe the clue is in the name of the game - I recall a quote about Vauban that went something like "Upon viewing any fortification, he could calculate in a short time, to the day, how long it would take to successfully overcome it". If the game mechanics try to represent this state of affairs, then its really just a matter of when the siege will succeed, not it....!
ReplyDeleteThat's a very valid point. I was also aware of similar statements from Vauban and, even allowing for a certain amount of boasting, it does make one wonder how well it will translate into a game.
DeleteThis looks cool but I have never tried a siege game. Seems like an exercise in optimization.
ReplyDeleteYes, I assume that's what Vauban meant by his comments, albeit expressing them in a non mathematical way. Certainly with the wrong rules this could easily turn into an Operations Research exam question. I shall return to this point when I've finished playing through once or twice.
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