The Siege of Jerusalem

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File:Rulebook for Siege of Jerusalem.png
Historical Perspective's 2nd edition Rulebook, 1980

The Siege of Jerusalem, 70 A.D. is a board wargame published by Historical Perspectives in 1976 that simulates the Roman attack on Jerusalem by Cestius Gallus. The game was subsequently bought by Avalon Hill, revised and republished in 1989.

Description

The Siege of Jerusalem is a two-player game in which one player controls the besieging Roman army, and the other player controls the Jewish defenders.[1]

Components

The 1st edition ziplock bag holds:

  • a four-piece 29" x 45" cardboard hex grid map of the walled city
  • 800 die-cut counters
  • Rulebook
  • Game Rulebook
  • Five scenario books: Rebellion, Assault on the Temple, Assault of Gallus, Night Attack, and Full Siege, which is a combination of the previous four
  • Loss & Replacement Record
  • Time Record
  • Terrain Effects Chart
  • Conference Map
  • Errata Sheet
  • Two sets of charts
File:Cover of The Siege of Jerusalem wargame.png
Box cover of Avalon Hill's 3rd edition, 1989

Gameplay

The Roman player's main objective is the capture of the Temple, and there is a time limit of only five phases in which to successfully complete this task. The designers reasoned that although the siege would be successful eventually, the longer the Romans took, the greater the Jewish resistance in other areas of the country would become; therefore only a short and efficient success would allow the Romans to bring the rest of the country under control.[2]

Publication history

The first edition of The Siege of Jerusalem, A.D. 70 was designed by Stephen Weiss and Fred Schacter, and published by Historical Perspectives in a ziplock bag.[2] The designers published a second edition with errata sheets in 1980. Avalon Hill bought the rights to the game, revised and repackaged it as a boxed set, and published the resultant 3rd edition in 1989 using the shortened title The Siege of Jerusalem.

Reception

In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming, Nicholas Palmer noted the many different units involved: "Infantry, cavalry, siege towers, battering rams, catapults, onagers, zealots, leaders." He rated the game of "Moderate complexity, fairly long."[3]

Richard Berg, writing in Issue 32 of Moves, called the 1st edition of this game "one of the most delightful surprises of the past several months [...] a well-researched game on a relatively obscure topic [...] executed with great care and a desire to produce a 'good game'." Berg did note that the printing of the rulebooks "leaves something to be desired, in that they tend to be a bit muddy and hard to read." He also noted that some "rules can be hazy, and even confusing in spots." But he concluded on a positive note, saying,"The whole game is just a marvelous bit of fun for anyone interested in the era, the type of warfare, or just a good old-fashioned game [...] Siege of Jerusalem could be the best buy of the year."[2]

Charles Vasey reviewed Avalon Hill's 3rd edition for Games International magazine, and gave it a poor rating of 4 out of 10 or a very good rating of 8 out of 10, depending on if the player likes a long, complicated siege game with a lot of counters. With this in mind, Vasey asked "Who is Siege of Jerusalem for? Well, you must be able to resource a long and big game, so you need a spare room with a big table. In addition you must be very interested in the tactical side of sieges in the Ancient Period, because it is the technical side of the siege that gives the game its feel. Finally, you have to enjoy games with a very large number of operations where you serve almost as centurion rather than legate."[1]

The Chicago Tribune said of Avalon Hill's 3rd edition that "It is designed for experienced players with a lot of time on their hands and beginners should stay away from this one. Siege of Jerusalem is, however, one of the best games available on ancient warfare. It is moderately suited for solitaire play and easily adapted for teams."[4]

Awards

Avalon Hill's 3rd edition of the game won a Charles S. Roberts Award in the category "Best Pre-World War II Board Game of 1989", and was a finalist in the category "Best Wargaming Graphics of 1989."[5]

Other reviews and commentary

References

  1. ^ a b Vasey, Charles (February–March 1990). "Wargames". Games International (13): 36–37.
  2. ^ a b c Berg, Richard (February–March 1981). "April-May 1977". Moves. No. 32. pp. 32–33.
  3. ^ Palmer, Nicholas (1977). The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming. London: Sphere Books. p. 172.
  4. ^ "War". Chicago Tribune. November 23, 1990. p. 144. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  5. ^ "The Siege of Jerusalem (Third Edition) (1989)". boardgamegeek.com. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  6. ^ "Index to Game Reviews in Magazines". spotlightongames.com.
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