The Siege of Stonemarch - An English Civil War solo siege wargame

Continuing the English Civil War siege of Stonemarch from the previous post which has the game report where Colonel Ezekiel Hartwell’s Parliamentarian army is investing the town, and a Royalist supply column successfully breaks through an outpost to reach the fortified town. Lifting the town garrison's morale.

Defensive preparations for Stonemarch.

The garrison of Stonemarch is commanded by Sir Edmund Darnell, a seasoned soldier who has wasted no time in strengthening the town’s defences. In addition to the earthworks, constructed earlier in the war, a fort has been established on high ground beyond the town, its position made stronger by the natural protection of the river and surrounding marshland.

Colonel Ezekiel Hartwell and his engineers survey the town.

After surveying the ground, Colonel Ezekiel Hartwell and his engineers decided to begin their first parallel on the high ground south of the town, keeping clear of the river and marshland. The fort by the river poses a significant obstacle. Its cannon threatens to disrupt any bombardment of the town through counter-battery fire, and will have be assaulted and captured before any effective bombardment of Stonemarch’s defences can begin.

The tabletop setup.

The rules used in the game…

For this game I am using a variation of the pen-and-paper game "Siege Works" by Solo Wargame. They were purchased from Wargame Vault last month and I have adapted them for use on the tabletop in the English Civil War period. 

It is a solo, resource-based game where you play as the besieger, allocating limited resources to siege activities in order to capture the town. The activities resources can be used for, include:

• Digging parallels and trenches (saps) – Each successful dice roll equates to 6 inches of earthworks constructed on the tabletop.
• Establishing gun positions – These require 12 inches of completed parallels before they can be sited.
• Guard Lines – Resources can be assigned as guards to repel enemy sorties. Sorties may cause casualties, delay progress, or even allow messengers to slip through to relief forces and shorten the time you have to capture the town.
• Bombardment – Guns can pound the walls to create and widen breaches. In this game, until the fort near the river is taken, bombardments are limited to a maximum of one per turn. You really need two bombardments over turn to make inroads in the ramparts.
• Launching assaults – Attacks may be made from a trench within 6 inches of a wall. Wider breaches improve the chance of success, and multiple breaches allow several assaults, increasing pressure on the defenders. However, defenders can inflict casualties, draining your resources, and may also have countermeasures such as mines.
• Planning and reconnaissance – Improves your chances of success, for example by allowing dice re-rolls.

Each turn, your progress can be disrupted by a dice-driven events table. In the original pen-and-paper game Siege Works, each Napoleonic siege scenario has its own unique table of events. For this English Civil War adaptation, I selected the following events:

1. Messenger through the lines – A messenger reaches a relief force, reducing the game’s timeline by one turn.
2. Accurate cannon fire – Limits the number of bombardment attempts and gun batteries that can be established this turn.
3. Sortie (temporary setback) – Reduces available resources for the following turn. Can be ignored if guard lines are in place and a successful dice roll is made.
4. Sortie (lasting impact) – Reduces available resources by 1 for the rest of the game. Can be ignored if guard lines are in place and a successful dice roll is made.
5. Desertion and disease – Permanently reduces resources by 1 for the game.
6. Enemy countermeasures (e.g. mines) – May be applied once against assaults, subtracting 1 from all assault dice rolls.

Hopefully, the above summary of the rules will give you an idea of how the siege game is played and help when reading the game report.

 A variation of the pen-and-paper game "Siege Works" by Solo Wargame has been used for the game. 

When setting up the tabletop, I measure from the earthworks to determine where the first parallel should begin, ensuring the second parallel can be constructed two trench lengths forward from the first parallel and within another two trench lengths of the walls. All trenches and parallels are built in 6-inch increments.

The measuring stick shows where the first parallel will be built.

Game Report… 

For this game report I have opted to write it from the Parliamentarian perspective, which works out well as this is a solo game with any Royalist action being generated from the event table. I also used ChatGPT to reword my game notes to those of a 17th century commander writing their diary.

An account of the siege of Stonemarch from the diaries of Colonel Ezekiel Hartwell.

The siege did now begin in earnest with the laying of the first parallel. Our engineers, having well surveyed the ground, chose the higher ground as most advantageous for the work. The soldiers fell to their labours with great diligence and spirit, little dismayed by the occasional shot of cannon that the enemy discharged from their fort and town walls.

Construction begins of the first parallel.

By the close of the first week our men had brought the first parallel to completion and did set their hands to the opening of a sap. In like manner, our engineers and gunners had sited a battery wherein was mounted a great piece of ordnance, which the soldiers, in their rough humour, have christened "Long Tom" for the notable length of her barrel. Being ever watchful of the enemy’s malice, I maintained a stout guard line, which did handsomely repulse a sally the foe made in hope to hinder our labours.

A Royalist sortie.

As the second week did commence, we had thrust our works forward apace, and so set ourselves to the making of a second parallel. Yet many of our number were stricken with grievous sickness, which the men ascribe to the unwholesome damp rising from the river and the marshy ground that lies nearby. This did somewhat diminish the hands fit for labour, but by God’s favour it stayed us not from finishing the said parallel. By week’s end, our second battery was likewise in place. The enemy, seeking once more to trouble our endeavours, made a sortie upon our defences, but our watchful guard met them with resolute courage and drove them back without loss.

Saps push forward from the first parallel to begin the second parallel.

Gun emplacements to established.

By the third week our men were busied in driving saps toward the fort, which I judged of prime importance to gain, for its ordnance might grievously hinder and diminish the effect of our great guns upon the town’s earthen ramparts. The soldiers laboured with much diligence, and before the week was out we had likewise thrust a second sap to within musket-shot of the town’s defences. Though our adversary made no sallies against us in this time, there was much stir and movement discerned upon the fort and the town walls. My engineers counsel me to look for mines and other trickery when at last we press the assault.

Saps are dug to with musket range of the fort and town ramparts.

In the fourth week we set upon the fort with assaults, and by God’s favour at length carried it, striking no small blow unto the enemy’s courage. Yet the victory was dearly bought. Our devious adversary had laid mines beneath the approaches, which when fired wrought grievous slaughter amongst our troops. Moreover, they issued forth in a fierce sortie, and by reason that many of our guards had been drawn off to give strength to the storm, their onset did us much hurt. By the week’s end our poor soldiers were sore spent and in pitiful condition. Nevertheless our great cannon had by then opened fire upon the town’s ramparts, which I trust shall weaken their works and cast down the spirits of the defenders yet further.

The fort is assaulted.

The fort is captured and occupied by Parliamentarian forces.

With the fort now in our possession, all our labour in the fifth week was bent upon the battering and breach of the town’s walls. Mindful of the late mischief wrought by the enemy’s sally, I ordered strong guard lines to be ever kept, which proved most prudent; for the foe did adventure another sortie, yet were handsomely repulsed by our men. By the week’s end our engineers declared the first breach to be made, and were well advanced upon a second with supporting saps. Yet if this success did strike fear into the hearts of our adversaries, they gave little outward sign, but rather kept busily upon their ramparts, preparing such counter-devices as might oppose our further progress.

The town ramparts and assaulted.

Our men were sore spent, and the thought of raising the siege did trouble us, when word was secretly brought by our spies that the enemy’s spirit within the town was much diminished, their courage failing fast. Thus, at the dawning of the sixth week, I did call my officers together and bade them stir up the hearts of their soldiers for a final assault. Our cannon was set to work widening the breach, and the thunder of the guns gave fresh life to our weary troops.

With voices lifted high, they rushed forth and mounted the ramparts with resolute fury. Their foe, unable to withstand their assault, gave ground apace, so that our men soon held a goodly portion of the earthworks. Not long after, the gates of the town were thrown open, and the garrison's commander yielded the place into our hands.

Assault on the town's ramparts.

The ramparts are stormed.

Wrap up...

This was a very close game, with Parliament reduced to its last remaining resource by the end. Had the final assault failed, they would have been forced to abandon the siege. I am not entirely sure the scenario that I set up was well balanced, as Parliament was very fortunate that all their attacks reduced the Royalist morale factor rather than inflicting casualties on their troops. The inclusion of the fort certainly added interest to the game, but in hindsight the fort might have been too advantageous to the defenders without providing the attackers with some additional resources to compensate.

Next, I may see about trying some of the smaller sieges of the English Civil War, such as fortified manors, to see whether these rules are suitable or adaptable for such scenarios.

ECW game report - The investment of Stonemarch town

The siege of Stonemarch begins with a small game on a 4x4 foot tabletop. The game represents the investment of the fortified town. Details of the game setup can be found in my previous post here. If the Royalists succeed in getting their supplies through, it will provide a morale boost for the garrison in the up coming siege game.

Rules for the game use a variation of the One-Hour Wargames Pike and Shot rules. The rule changes include:

• Dragoons and artillery are treated as half-units. They shoot with D3 and are eliminated after taking 8 or more hits. Both must also check for ammunition after shooting.
• All cavalry are treated as gallopers.
• The first two “out of ammunition” results for an army can be resupplied.
• Movement tests are required for all unit moves. A roll 2+ on a D6 is required for the unit to move. If a roll fails, no further units may move that turn, and play proceeds to the shooting phase.

Parliamentarian outpost guarding the road.

One of Colonel Ezekiel Hartwell’s first actions, as the Parliamentarian commander tasked with capturing Stonemarch, was to invest the town. His forces established outposts and pickets along the roads to cut off any supplies reaching the defenders. In response, a Royalist force is now attempting to break through the blockade and deliver supplies to the town in readiness for the up coming siege.

Battle Report…

On sighting the Parliamentarian outpost guarding the road, the Royalist force began to deploy and advance. However, they remained wary of additional Parliamentarian units arriving to reinforce the defence. As the Royalists moved forward, Parliamentarian artillery opened fire, while a detachment of their dragoons appeared on the hill, soon followed by a supporting a unit of cavalry.

Royalist force arrives and begins to deploy.

Parliamentarian reinforcements appear on the hilltop.

The arrival of another small unit of Parliamentarian dragoons south of the wood, along with those already positioned on the hill, was disrupting the Royalist deployment as they adjusted to these threats. Royalist cavalry charged the dragoons near the wood and quickly routed them, but their success was short lived as Parliamentarian cavalry arrived south of the wood and counter-charged.

In the centre Royalist dragoons and infantry advanced along the road to engage the outpost. While on their right flank a unit of dragoons, supported by cavalry, pushed forward towards the occupied hill.

The engagement heats up as Parliamentarian reserves arrive and take up position.

The supply carts and their guards hurry up down the road, while a cavalry melee to the left is underway.

The cavalry melee near the woods was dragging on while the supply carts and their guards hurried down the road. As the Parliamentarian cavalry began to gain the upper hand, and the Royalists feared they might break through to harass the wagons. However, the Parliamentarian cavalry were left disorganised after routing their opponents, and a timely volley from some nearby Royalist dragoons was enough to put them to flight.

Elsewhere, the infantry engaged the outpost, to their relief the artillery had exhausted its ammunition. While Parliamentary dragoons continued to hold and defend their position on the hilltop. Their remaining cavalry moved in behind the outpost, ready to lend support.

The cavalry engagement on the left sees the Parliamentarian cavalry gain the upper hand. Elsewhere the dragoons on the hilltop are engaged.

The supply carts push forward as a unit of dragoons puts to flight the exhausted Parliamentarian cavalry after their cavalry engagement.

With the threat from the woods dealt with, the Royalists turned their attention to the outpost. They routed the Parliamentarian infantry blocking the road, only to be counter-charged by the reserve cavalry. Time was now an issue for the Royalists, who needed to clear the road quickly for their supply carts. Meanwhile, the Parliamentarian dragoons on the hilltop were holding firm and continued to harass the Royalist right flank.

The road is cleared of infantry, but Parliamentary cavalry are in reserve.

The cavalry charge.

With the support of a nearby infantry unit, the supply carts and their guards manage to drive off the last of the Parliamentarian cavalry. Finally, the road was clear, and the carts move swiftly along the road and towards Stonemarch.

The road is cleared.

The supply carts move towards Stonemarch.

A Royalist victory. The supplies have successfully reached Stonemarch. This success will boost the garrison’s morale in the next game, which will be a siege of the fortified town. For this game I will be using the Siege-Works pen-and-paper game rules, adapted for play on the tabletop.

Beginning the English Civil War siege of Stonemarch

Following Parliament’s victories at Naseby and Langport, Royalist resistance continues to remain strong in the west. One such area is the town of Stonemarch which is serving as a rallying point for Royalist cavalry raiders harassing nearby regions controlled by Parliamentarian.

Stonemarch defences.

Colonel Ezekiel Hartwell has been ordered to capture the town. Upon his army’s arrival at Stonemarch, he quickly realises a direct assault is impossible. The town's defences were reinforced early in the war with earthwork bastions and will require a full siege. Hartwell’s engineers begin surveying the town’s walls, gates, and approaches to identify weak points, while the rest of the army is ordered to establish a fortified camp and began the investment of the town. Posting outposts and pickets along every road to block supplies and reinforcements.

An outpost defending a road.

To begin wargaming the siege of Stonemarch, the first scenario will see Royalist forces attempting to get supplies into the town. If successful, the defenders will gain a morale boost, giving them an advantage in the siege game.

The Royalists will have to breakthrough the outpost.

The scenario is based on One-Hour Wargames (OHW) Scenario 13: Escape, with a few adjustments. The Royalists are marching north when they find their route blocked. To achieve victory, they must escort at least one of their two guarded supply carts down the road and off the southern table edge.

The game will be played using a variation of OHW pike and musket rules.

Royalist Forces:

• 2 x Pike and musket infantry
• 2 x Dragoons
• 2 x Cavalry
• 2 x Supplies with guards.

All units arrive along the road on turn 1.

Parliamentarian Forces:

• 1 x Gun (start on the tabletop)
• 1 x Pike and musket infantry (start on the tabletop)
• 2 x Cavalry
• 2 x Dragoons

A cavalry unit and dragoon unit arrive on turn 2 on the hill and on turn 4 south of the wood.

Note: all dragoons and supply guards are half units and are eliminated after 8 hits rather than 15 hits.

The tabletop. Parliamentarian reserves arrival areas marked with blue arrows.

The next post will be the battle report...

English Civil War fortified town ready for a siege game

My original plan was to make and paint a simple backdrop of a fortified town, with a couple of earthwork bastions placed in front for another English Civil War siege game. However, after trying out a few options with the two foam earthwork bastions I have made over the past few weeks (see here for details) and looking at the illustrations in "English Civil War Fortifications 1642–51", I decided to use all the bastions and my woodblock houses to make a more substantial looking fortified town.

A fortified English Civil War town.

The first step was to determine what additional ramparts I needed. I set up the town layout, positioned the earthwork bastions around it, and then measured and cut foam ramparts to connect them and create a wall for a gate. The upholstery foam was cut with a sharp carving knife, then shaped with scissors. very much the same steps as with making the earthwork bastions.

The shaping process can get to be a messy business with lots of small bits of foam which seem to stick everywhere. I used masking tape to help collect and pickup the bits of foam. 

Working out the size of ramparts to connect the bastions.

A messy business cutting the foam.

Masking tape used to collect up the mess.

Easily picks up the bits.

Once the foam was cut and shaped, I painted it with a couple of brown washes, followed by touches of green. While the paint is still wet, and it takes a long while to dry, the colours can be blended with a clean brush to achieve the desired look.

For the gate, I used some MDF scraps to build a three-sided arch that fits neatly over the foam rampart. It was quickly painted brown and lines added to suggest wooden planks.

The painted ramparts.

The gate is made to slot over the wall.

Gate simply painted painted in brown and lines added to suggest wooden planks

The gate slots over the wall.

A close view at ground level.

The completed fortified town.

All is now ready for my next siege game.

The defenders man the walls.

English Civil War game report - assault on fortifications

Last week, I finished a second earthwork for my English Civil War games. These foam earthworks (click here for the steps on how to make them) can be used either as standalone forts or as bastions in a siege setup. With two forts now complete, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out the One-Hour Wargames (OHW) Scenario 15: Fortified Defence.

Fortified defence

Scenario and rule notes…

The game was played using a variation of the One-Hour Wargames Pike and Shot rules. It begins with the Parliamentarian forces defending two fortified earthworks. Each fortification is garrisoned by musketeers and a small gun, boosting their shooting value of D6+2. The forts are also well-stocked with ammunition, so the “out of ammunition” rule does not apply to the garrisons.

Some of the other rule changes:

• Dragoons and artillery are treated as half-units. They shoot with D3 and are eliminated after taking 8 or more hits. Both must also check for ammunition after shooting.
• The first two “out of ammunition” results for an army can be resupplied.
• Movement tests are required for all unit moves: roll 2+ on a D6 to succeed. If a roll fails, no further units may move that turn, and play proceeds to the shooting phase.

Parliaments forces:

• 2 x Fort with musketeers and gun.
• 2 x Infantry (mixed muskets and pikes)
• 2 x Dragoons
• 1 x Cavalry

The two dragoon half-units are stationed near the woods on the left flank. The two infantry units are positioned close to the forts, ready to provide support if needed, while the cavalry remain in reserve on the right flank.

Parliament waits and prepares for a Royalist attack.

The attacking Royalists are allowed to regroup at the end of any turn. When they choose to do this all their  units are removed from play and can re-enter in the next game turn with all hits removed. Both forces can resupply any unit out of ammunition. Parliamentarian units do not remove any hits.

To win the Royalist forces must seize and occupy both forts by the end of game turn 15, otherwise Parliament wins.

Royalist forces:

• 3 x Infantry (mixed muskets and pikes)
• 2 x Artillery units
• 2 x Cavalry units

Background…

Parliamentarian commander Colonel John Haversham, having successfully besieged and captured the town of Greyford (see here for the siege game report), received orders to prepare for a Royalist attack. Greyford is located in the Harrow Valley, the main north–south route used for supply convoys, messenger riders, and troop movements.

Acting on his orders, Haversham directed his troops and the townsfolk of Greyford to construct two earthwork forts along the Harrow Valley road, intending to halt or at least delay any Royalist advance through the valley.

Royalist attack plan…

After assessing the situation, the Royalist commander decided to concentrate the first attack on the left fort, leading with his infantry. His artillery was ordered to take up positions to bombard the right fort, softening it up for a later assault. The cavalry’s role was to screen and protect the infantry and guns against any Parliamentarian cavalry or dragoons that might advance. Once the left fort was captured, the plan was to retire, regroup, resupply, and then launch a second attack against the right fort.

Game report…

The Royalists advanced their infantry, but delays hindered the arrival of their artillery and cavalry. After a few rebukes from the Royalist commander, the remaining forces finally arrived and took up their positions as the assault on the left fort commenced.

Only two Royalist infantry units arrived on the first turn.

The Royalist assault begins as their remaining troops and artillery take up position.

With the assault on the left fort was quickly in full swing, Royalist artillery bombarded the right fort to soften it up for a later attack. Although the Royalists suffered losses from the defenders’ fire, they managed to drive out the garrison, only to see fresh Parliamentarian troops to take their place. After a few more assaults ammunition was low and the Royalist commander withdrew his forces to reorganise and resupply in preparation for a second attack.

The assault on the left fort is in full, while artillery bombard the right fort.

The Royalist forces break off their first attack to reorganise and resupply.

During the lull in the fighting, both sides resupplied their troops. The Royalist second assault began in a rather disjointed and piecemeal fashion. Precious time was lost, but eventually the attack on the left fort resumed. Meanwhile, the artillery’s bombardment of the right fort continued with some accurate shooting.

Before long, the defenders of the left fort broke and fled, allowing the Royalists to shift their focus to the right fort. Their bombardment had been effective, and its defenders were routed. Yet, the Royalists failed to advance quickly enough to seize the opportunity, and the Parliamentarian infantry began preparing to reoccupy the fort. As evening fell, the Royalist commander ordered a withdrawal.

Royalist troops were slow to take up their position for the second attack.

The left fort is cleared.

The right fort is cleared by artillery fire, but a slow advance by Royalists were unable to take advantage. 

Summary...

A Parliamentarian victory, the Royalists just ran out of time and failed to occupy the forts. During the first assault, the Royalists failed to use their cavalry effectively to block or tie down Parliament’s reserves, allowing them to reoccupy the fort. Poor luck with movement rolls (several early rolls of 1) further hampered the Royalist advance, so their units were slow to take up their positions and begin the attacks.