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.