Siege Resolution (TCG)

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Although sieges lasting months or even years are realistic, they're not much fun to play out in their entirety. This section describes a system by which the results of sieges can be quickly determined: whether the garrison surrenders or is overrun, whether the attackers abandon the investment, and how many troops on both sides are slain.
This system is obviously very superficial-how else could an 18month investment be reduced to a dozen or so die rolls?-and thus not particularly satisfying emotionally. It is strongly recommended that the DM running the campaign use these results as a basis on which to build more textured descriptions of events.
The system doesn't have to be used throughout the siege. Quick resolution could be used until things start getting interesting. and then the players could resort to standard BATTLESYSTEM™️ or AD&D game rules to resolve the "good bits".
==Phases==
By their very nature, sieges almost never consist of continuous action. The attacking commander can pretty well control the pace of activity. If he or she wants to wait a few days before the next major assault, the garrison generally has little say in the matter. This issue of timing changes the whole tenor of sieges, of course. In an all-out attack, where the besiegers know they have the advantage in manpower, or where time is of the essence, one wave of assault will follow close on the heels of the last. Where the attackers don't have so great an advantage, or have the luxury to let the garrison starve a bit, the same number of waves can be spread out over weeks or months.
For this reason, the quick resolution system refers to "phases" rather than days, weeks or other absolute measures of time. Each phase represents one wave of assault, and the attacker (usually) can decide how frequently phases occur. For example, the attacking general can start the next phase as soon as the last is complete, or can wait a week or two while the garrison's morale drops further.
Quick Resolution System Depending on current conditions, one player-attacker or defender-has the initiative to determine exactly when a phase is going to start. That player (the "phasing" player) rolls percentile dice. The roll is modified depending on current conditions (see "Modifiers" following), then the result is referenced on the siege resolution table (SRT) in the next section.
This table can return various results, ranging from "Attackers revolt" (the attacking troops have had enough of this nonsense and give up the investment...no matter what their commander has to say about it) to "Garrison surrenders". Most results, however, are of the form "5% Defender/15% Attacker". These figures refer to the percentage of the current point count for the army that were lost during the phase (point costs are discussed in Appendix III of the BATTLESYSTEM™️ rules).
For example, the attacking force currently has a total point value of 150. The results of the current phase state "10% Attacker". The attacking player must remove from play figures (or equipment) worth at least 15 points. The choice of the figures actually removed is completely up to the attacking player. This description and the section that follows assumes that miniatures are being used for at least part of the siege. If not-that is, if the whole thing is taking place "off screen"-the two forces can be viewed as "point pools", analogous to a character's hit points in an AD&D game.
Results also frequently include penalties or bonuses to morale, such as "Defenders morale-1". These are applied immediately and remain in effect until the siege is fully resolved.
In addition to the two final results that can come from the SRT "Attackers revolt" and "Garrison surrenders"-there are other victory conditions as well, mostly morale-related. Should any of these conditions come about. the siege is immediately over... one way or the other. This is why it's important that morale penalties or bonuses be applied immediately.
 Siege Resolution Table
DieRoll	Result
0 	Attackers revolt 01-15 0% Defenders/15% Attackers; Attacker morale -2. Defender morale +1
16-25 	0% Defenders/10% Attackers; Attacker morale -1, Defender morale + 1
26-40 	0% Defenders/5% Attackers; Attacker morale -1
41-65 	5% Defenders/20% Attackers
66-80 	5% Defenders/15% Attackers; Attacker morale +1. Defender morale 1
81-90 	5% Defenders/10% Attackers; Attacker morale +1, Defender morale -2
91-99 	5% Defenders/5% Attackers, Attacker morale +1, Defender morale -2
100+ 	Garrison surrenders
==Siege Resolution Table Modifiers==
Modifiers to rolls on the SRT fall into several categories. Each of these groups is detailed below.
===Force Size===
The relative sizes of the two forces (as expressed in their BATTLESYSTEM" rules point values) is very important. As you can see by examining the SRT, the attacker will tend to lose many more troops than the defender. This reflects the fact that the defender has had time to "dig in" and that a castle is very difficult to take by force.
-15% Attacking force has a total point value equal to or less than that of the defending force.
-10% Attacking force has a point value which is not more than 150% of the defenders.
-05% Attacking force has a point value which is not more than twice that of the defending force.
+05% Attacking force has a point value which is not more than thrice that of the defender's forces.
+10% Attacking force has a point value which is greater than thrice that of the defending force.
===Special Forces & Equipment===
The weapons employed by one side or another, as well as the special skills and abilities of the force, can make a big difference in the outcome of a battle.
+10% Attackers have cannon and defenders do not.
+10% Attackers have spell casters and defenders do not. +05% Attacking force includes undead, highly magical, or otherwise awe inspiring creatures.
+05% Attacking force has flying units and defenders do not.
-05% Defenders have cannon and attackers do not. -05% Defending force includes undead, highly magical, or other awe inspiring monsters.
-10% Defenders have spell casting units and attackers do not
===Length of Siege===
The total duration of the siege has a significant effect on morale. and hence on the outcome of any particular wave. Consult the table below to determine the effect of the time spent in this engagement and its associated modifier.
00 to 20 days	Nil
21 to 40 days	+5%
41 to 60 days	+10%
61 to 80 days	+15%
Over 80 days 	+20%
===Supply Conditions===
Units which have begun to run short of food and water will begin to see the "advantages" of surrender. Likewise, those who are well supplied will tend to hold out until things get worse.
+10% Defender is out of supplies, and has suffered troop losses due to attrition. +05% The defender is out of supplies, but has not yet suffered any losses from attrition.
-05% Attacker is out of supplies and has been forced to scavenge for food.
-10% Attacker is out of supplies and is in an area where scavenging for supplies is either difficult or impossible.
===Morale===
The base morale value for an entire force is the average of the morales for all the units making up that force, adjusted for any modifiers applied due to the SRT. The following chart gives the SRT modifiers based on the current morale of the various sides. When applying the morale modifier to the SRT roll, add the bonus for the attacker's morale and subtract the bonus for the defender's morale.
For example, if the morale of the attackers is "steady" apply a +5% modifier to the roll. If the defender's morale is "elite", apply a -10% modifier to the roll.
Note that the values for "unreliable" or "unsteady" troops do not follow the above logic. Modifiers for such units are reversed. Thus, "unsteady" attackers subtract 10 points from the SRT roll and "unreliable" defenders add 20 points to it.
Unreliable (4 or less) 	20%
Unsteady (5 to 7) 	10%
Average (8 to 10) 	Nil
Steady (11 to 12) 	5%
Elite (13 to 14) 	10%
Champion (15 to 16) 	15%
Fanatic (17 to 18) 	20%
Fearless (19 or higher)	25%
===Command===
The competence of the individual commanders will have a huge effect on the outcome of any siege or battle. For this quick resolution system, the level of the commander will be the key factor in deciding his or her ability.
To determine the command modifier, subtract the level of the less experienced commander from the level of the more experienced one. For every two levels of difference, apply a 5% modifier in favor of the more experienced commander (that is, a minus to the roll if the defender is more experienced and an addition to it if the attacker has superiority).
Thus, if an army of ores headed by an 8th level commander is attacking a fortress held by a 12th. level elven king, the elven defenders have a 10% bonus which is reflected by a 10% to rolls on the SRT.
==Phase Initiative==
Normally, the attacker controls the timing of phases. There are two conditions under which this is not true, however. If the modified morale of the defending force is higher than that of the attacking force by at least 2 points, or if the attacker's modified morale drops below 9, the defender decides when phases will be initiated.
==Victory Conditions==
In addition to the "Garrison surrenders" and "Attackers revolt" results on the combat results table above, there are other conditions that bring a siege to an end.
If the average morale (modified) of all surviving defending units drops to 3 or less, or is 10 points or more less than the average morale of all attacking units, the garrison immediately surrenders.
Conversely, if the average morale of all attacking units drops to 6 or less, or is 8 points or more less than the average morale of all defending units, the attackers give up the siege.
Finally, if the attacking force is ever reduced to 25% or less of its original size (determined by points), the attackers abandon the siege.