Game of Sieges
History Teaches Us
The best teacher is history and Game of Sieges is an engaging way to bring history to life. Originally the game was designed to help soldiers and nobility learn and practice tactical thinking for battles and sieges. These games were taken seriously and strategies were deeply studied and could take days to complete, and had real world implications. There are records of generals who performed poorly, or used unethical methods to achieve victory, being demoted or pushed to retire.
Evolving Warfare
As the understanding of magic and its practical applications in war were improving in the Experimental Era sieges became less important. New strategies devoloped and the Game of Sieges became a less serious endeavor. By the end of the Experimental Era, the game was simply a way for nobility to pass the time. In the last thousand years the game has filtered down to the common people and is used as a way to pass time during winter, in taverns, or whenever a person has liesure.
How to Play
The Board
Game of Sieges is played on a board with a simulated castle wall and can be constructed with simple wooden pieces that slide together and come apart for easy storage. More expensive boards are used to show off wealth and are often carved out of stone with delicate details carved on the wall. There is an open area for the attacker to place their troops and a ledge on the wall for the defender to place thier armaments.
At least two six sided dice are needed to determine if an attack hits and calculating damage. Less afluent players have been known to use a series of coins to replace the dice. More elaborate boards are crafted with matching dice sets that can be highly decorated or use precious gems to mark the numbers on each side.
Game Length
Games originally lasted as long as both sides could fight and the longest game on record lasted a month, but it wasn't uncommon for games to last for three or four days. Now games are limited by a set number of turns depending on the desired result. Short games will last 25 turns, medium length will range from 30-50 turns and long games will last up to 100 turns. There are a few sects who take their games seriously and won't set a turn limit to respect the origins of the game, although most speculate that those who adhere to this are simply competative.
The Attacker
Attackers are supplied with a set number of troops to use, but their type is up to the player. Different troops use different resources wich are represented by cards, these resources can be used to buy troops. The attacker can roll a set of dice to determine if they get new resources and reinforcements every five turns. The player's goal is to either knock down the wall or force the defender to use all their resources and starve them into surrender.
Troops can deal a range of damage determined by rolling dice. Foot soldiers deal the least amount of damage and siege engines deal the most but have a chance of missing.
The Defender
Defenders begin with a set amount of resources that they must make last to the end of the game, or find a way to spend them in a way that can defeat the attacker's army. Civilians use the least amount of resources, and soldiers consume twice as many resources per turn. The wall has an initial amount of health but soldiers mounted will boost this number and also influence the accuracy of some attacking troops.
A special consideration for the defender is the spy piece which can be used to roll for new supplies to be delivered in secret. This can only be done every 10 turns in a short game, every 15 turns in medium length games, and every 20 turns in a long game. However, like most games there is room to negotiate terms at the start of a game, and house rules vary.
It is impossible to wage an ethical war, but you should never throw ethics out the window. Better to lose a battle and save lives who will be loyal to you and your cause tomorrow, than win and make a city full of enemies along the way.
Lilibet's Victory
It is said that Monarch Lilibet Ustrana First and Last Queen of Ustrana, Hero of Crosston, First Monarch of the Fourth Era was a genius of Sieges and while the game, along with siege tactics in general, had already been in steep decline by the end of the Third Era she had been able to use the tactical thinking honed by the game to win during the Crosston Conflict.
Games and Politics
Records from the Royal Oscanan Archieves point to the scholar Ophimae Strativa's prowess in the game, with tactical notes and examinations among her journal entries. It had previously been thought that women and lower class citizens and servants had been discouraged from playing Sieges, but Ophimae's journals pointed to an underground network of players who competed more viciously than the typical Kings, Princes and soldiers. Scholars today are exploring the impact this may have had on the political landscapes of the times.
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