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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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
Note: all dragoons and supply guards are half units and are eliminated after 8 hits rather than 15 hits.
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| The tabletop. Parliamentarian reserves arrival areas marked with blue arrows. |
The next post will be the battle report...
A neat idea for the start of the campaign Peter and am looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds. As always, rooting for Parliament;)!
ReplyDeleteI was looking for a quick game before getting started on the siege game and this seem a nice tie in.
DeleteYour siege scenarios sound like a fantastic mini-campaign Peter. The picture of the fortified town is excellent by the way.
ReplyDeleteIf the town holds out in the siege game, there may be opportunity for a third game with a relieving force trying to lift the siege.
DeleteLooks interesting.
ReplyDeleteA small game to start the siege.
DeleteA cracking scene setter, very nice set up, really interested to see how the siege pans out.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a fun lead up game to the siege.
DeleteNicely set-up for a scrap ⚔️⚔️
ReplyDeleteAs I mostly game solo I like to add a touch of uncertainty about things like reinforcements. For example, if a scenario says (something) will arrive on turn 4 then I’d probably give a 10% chance of arrival on turn 3 - if that dice throw “fails” then throw again on turn 4 with an 80% chance of success. If that throw fails then automatic arrival on turn 5.
I look forward to finding out how the battle turns out.
Cheers,
Geoff
The suggested approach, which I like, does help with the uncertainty. The rules I am currently using require all unit movement to roll a D6 and score a 2+ to successfully move. Any failure ends all movement for a player’s turn. I am a bit wary of having too much variability, but may still give it a go.
DeleteGreat looking game Peter. I look forward to the report.
ReplyDeleteAll being well the game will get played over the weekend.
DeleteExciting stuff, I look forward to following the progress.
ReplyDeleteAlan Tradgardland
Thank you. I am looking forward to playing the game.
DeleteA great idea to kick of the siege campaign with an attempted Royalist resupply, Peter. I will be very interested to follow your progress on this one.
ReplyDeleteAfter setting up the supply scenario, I am wondering if the siege drags on and time runs out, should the campaign wrap up with a battle against a relieving force?
DeleteLooks very interesting, Peter. This is a great way to start a seige campaign. Look forward to the report.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the game adds a little bit more interest.
DeleteAlmost missed this one! I assume this is based arouns Siege Works, I shall be watching with interest.
ReplyDeleteYes, I will be using the mechanics from Siege Works for the game.
DeleteJust found your blog and you have come up with a solution to a problem I have been pondering for sometime.How to build significant ECW Fortifications cheaply and lightweight. Your use of upholstery foam is a very good idea.
ReplyDeleteHow easy is it to cut ? You see to have achieved a fairly flat surface area, is that easy to achieve ? I am looking to copy what you have done.
I used a large kitchen calving knife. I made sure I sharpened it beforehand and used a slow slicing motion. More info here https://gridbasedwargaming.blogspot.com/2025/08/making-some-english-civil-war.html
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