House Rules: Mass Combat - Sieging Settlements

An army of sufficient size can siege a settlement without engaging its defenders. The attacking army forms a military blockade of the settlement, preventing anyone from coming in or out. As long as the settlement is sieged, its nation no longer gains the benefit of the bonuses it provides, although its penalties and increases to Unrest continue to apply. In addition, its nation gains 1 Unrest every week the settlement is sieged. Smaller armies can attack and siege larger settlements, however the blockade is incomplete, and the settlement does not count as being sieged, remaining accessible to its nation and continues providing its benefits. The following rules also apply to terrain improvements where armies can be garrisoned, such as Forts and Watchtowers. See Table: Settlement Siege Army Size to see the minimum army size required to to completely blockade an enemy settlement.

When an army attacks a settlement, the defenders can determine if the outer edge of the settlement, which includes City Walls and Moats, is in the Front or Rear zone. The Command and Camp zones are always located within the area containing the rest of the settlement's buildings.

When a sieging unit is in a zone behind the settlement's outer edge, it can attempt to destroy a building. This is treated as attacking an enemy unit, with a building having an effective DV equal to 15 plus the building’s Defense modifier (if any) and hit points equal to its BP value. The unit can attack once per Battle phase (if a battle is still going on nearby) or four times per day (if not). A building reduced to less than half its hit points (BP value) ceases providing any benefits to the nation that owns it. A building can be repaired on its owner’s next nation turn, spending BP equal to the damage the building has taken. If the building is reduced to 0 hit points (BP value), it is destroyed.

Settlement Size: Settlements larger than a Small Town encompass an area large enough that they require two or more battles to take complete control. Large settlements contain so many buildings and streets that defenders are able to retreat to secured fallback zones to regroup against the enemy. An attacking army needs to rout, destroy, disband or force the surrender the defending army from each control zone in order to gain complete control of the settlement.

Table: Settlement Siege Army Size

Settlement Size Minimum Army Size
Thorp, Watchtower Platoon
Hamlet Reinforced Platoon
Village Company
Small Town, Fort Reinforced Company
Large Town Battalion
Small City Regiment
Large City Reinforced Regiment
Metropolis Brigade
(+1) (+Brigade)

Table: Settlement Sizes and Require Battles

Size Number of Battles Control Zones
Thorp, Hamlet, Village, Small Town 1 Town Center
Large Town, Small City 2 Town Center, Outer City
Large City 3 City Center, Inner City, Outer City
Metropolis 4 City Center, Inner City, Middle City, Outer City
(+1) Increase the number of required battles for the Inner City, Middle City, and Outer City each by 1

Settlement Supplies: When one of your settlements becomes under siege by an enemy army, determine how much BP is in the settlement and deduct that amount from your nation's treasury. The settlement's BP supply can be supplemented by any BP carried by an army inside the settlement while it is under siege. A settlement's supply BP reduces by 1 for each week that passes while the settlement is under siege. In addition, the consumption of any army garrisoned at the settlement must be paid every fortnight instead of monthly as they must remain constantly on alert. Once the settlement's BP supply reaches 0, the Morale of any defending armies reduces by 1 for each week that passes in addition to any Morale penalties due to not paying consumption. Defending armies may also pillage their own settlement for BP to pay consumption.

A sieged settlement can be resupplied by an allied army's BP supply. If the settlement is completely blockaded, the relief army mush enter battle with the sieging army. The BP is delivered to either the settlement or the defending army if at least one of the relief army's units reached the settlement's Rear zone. If the blockade is incomplete, the relief army can enter the settlement without battling the sieging army if its commander's check beats the enemy commander's Leadership check. If not, then the two army enter mass combat as previously described. If the relief army is defeated, the sieging army may claim the supplies for themselves.

An army garrisoned at a Fort or Watchtower inside your nation's territory follows the same rules as a settlement when sieged. However, if the Fort or Watchtower is outside of your nation's territory, the only BP supply the army has is whatever BP it was carrying at the time.

Flying Units: A relief army with flying units can enter and deliver supplies to a settlement (except for aquatic and cavernous settlements) without battle by dropping them from the air, unless the sieging army also has have flying units. If it does, then the relief army's attempt to resupply is resolved as normal, but only involving the flying units.

To deliver the supplies safely, they must be dropped in the settlement's Camp zone. The flying unit needs to make a DC 20 ranged attack, and add the settlement's modifier to the check. Weather conditions also affect the drop's landing. Depending on the weather, add the Ranged modifier listed on Table: Weather to the range attack. It is impossible to safely deliver the supplies in hurricane or windstorm conditions. If the attack roll misses by 4 or less, then the supplies land in the settlement's Command zone. For every 5 that the attack roll misses, the supplies land in one zone further away from the settlement's Camp. If the supplies land outside the Camp zone, a defending unit in the same zone as the supplies must spend their Melee phase to pick up the supplies, and then spend their next actions moving back to the Camp zone. Until the supplies reach the Camp, it is vulnerable to attack by enemy units who can claim the supplies for their own army.

Burrowing Units: A relief army with burrowing units can enter and deliver supplies to a surface or cavernous settlement without battle by tunneling under the ground, unless the sieging army also has burrowing units. If it does, then the relief army's attempt to resupply is resolved as normal, but only involving the burrowing units. If the sieging army has units with tremorsense, but none with burrow, then they are aware of the relief army's movements, but are unable to stop them.

Magic: Units capable of magical means of traveling can enter and deliver supplies without battle if they are able to target the settlement, such as using the teleport spell, unless the settlement is in an area or under an effect where such magic does not work. A teleport circle, barring exceptional circumstances, allows the siege to be incomplete and allow the settlement to be regularly supplied, unless both settlements containing either ends of the teleport circle are simultaneously sieged.

Swimming Units: A relief army with swimming units can enter and deliver supplies to a barge, causeway, or underwater settlement without battle by swimming under water, unless the sieging army also has swimming units. If it does, then the relief army's attempt to resupply is resolved as normal, but only involving the swimming units.

Restocking: Once a settlement is no longer under siege by enemy armies, it replenishes its supplies at a rate of 1 BP per month. The nation's Councilor may use their leadership action to supply the settlement with additional BP during the nation's Decision phase. If the settlement is attacked before its supplies reach its limit, then its supplies decrease starting at its current amount.

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