NOT SO EASY WINS

As in oratory, lists are best in threes.  My initial post was "easy wins", those games that require no, or virtually no effort.  My second post highlighted those games that, with very small effort, are easily within my grasp.  This post required some thought - obviously the third and final post should be about pushing the envelope, something a bit more ambitious - but the aim should still be about the achievable with what I have available.

So, I thought I would use a theme that will allow me to explore several periods, enhance the battles I have already played and possibly link them all together with many of the same terrain pieces - and the answer was sieges!  They are always a good basis for campaigns and an excuse to further expand existing armies and terrain.

Ancient Sieges

Mark already has a rule set from "Little Wars" which I would love to try. I think this could inspire development for later periods.

Medieval Sieges

I really want to buy the Norman motte and bailey castle from Total Battle Miniatures but not before I have a set of rules for gaming on it. I may use a version of my 1066 rules but I would be happy to develop a set that may lead into the later Middle Ages.  The 15th century would be spectacular as you have both traditional catapults, siege towers and artillery.

Renaissance and the 18th Century

I did try out the PoW siege rules earlier last year and they worked very well.  I have been building the siege entrenchments and I would like to create the actual trace with glacis and ditch for my existing fortifications.  If I am to complete the SYW India campaign I will need to finish off some specific Persian/Indian fortifications.  Also, there may be opportunities to do some combined operations in conjunction with the 18th century naval scenarios that I'm developing. And if I get Operation Nostalgia up and running I can use the same islands to do a Venetian v Ottoman game with galleys and fortified harbours.

WW1

In a sense the great trench assaults are siege battles and we've played the Somme, Verdun and some of the 1918 actions.  I would like to do Cambrai but that may be one for the future.

WW2

Again, we have played some assaults on fortified positions; Sword, Tarawa and Pelellui come to mind; and I would like to give all these another try in the future.  I would like to develop some city scapes for Stalingrad, Berlin and Budapest.  I would also like to explore the city fighting in Toulon and Cherbourg with their large shore batteries in support.  The landings in operation Torch or the attack on Elbe or Walcheren could also be part of this development. We touched on this with the Monte Casino test game but I would like to add marshalling yards and factory complexes.  The railway embankment that I'm keen to build for the Goodwood scenario can be used for another Rapid-fire scenario set in Stalingrad so that would be an easy first step.

To some degree, Operation Nostalgia would involve some sieges and island assaults, especially if this was rolled out in the Pacific as well as the Mediterranean.

Modern

I am continuing to build a representation of Khorromshahr from the Iran-Iraq war - motorways, ports, oil refineries, airports - this was dubbed the Stalingrad of that conflict.  This will open other potential conflicts like the Israeli siege of Beirut.





There may even be options to develop any WW2 city scapes into more modern equivalents as we game the the cold war in Europe?