Richard Berg's simulation of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453.Â
The Siege of Constantinople, 1453 AD Deluxe Edition simulates one of the classic sieges in all of history. Considered the strongest fortified city in the western world, Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, had withstood over twenty sieges. Only once had Constantinople fallen, in 1204 to Dandolo and the Venetian Crusaders, who used guile and treachery to gain entry. The city’s final, gallant stand against a foe that outnumbered her by more than 15 to 1, is one of the most exciting stories of courage and heroism in all military history.
This game enables the players to recreate the famous siege, commanding the powerful forces of the Ottoman Sultan, Mehmet II, the Conqueror, or the small but able garrison under Emperor Constantine XI and Giovanni Giustiniani. The objective is simple in that the Ottoman player must gain entry to the city in strength, while the Byzantine player must keep him out.
This Deluxe Edition reprints the original SPI game from Strategy & Tactics magazine, maintaining the earlier edition’s rules while incorporating known errata, and adding variant naval rules, new graphics, enlarged counters, and a larger mounted map board.
There are two scenarios in Siege of Constantinople Deluxe Edition.
- The primary Campaign scenario, which covers the siege and can be played in about four hours includes bombardment and tunneling as well as fire and melee combat.
- The Assault scenario covers the second half of the siege, when most of the actual fighting took place, removing the bombardment aspect of the game. This enables a quick (two hours or less) game that incorporates all the major portions of the rules.
For solitaire play, the Assault scenario is recommended. Optional naval rules from Moves magazine are included for the Campaign scenario. Since the original naval rules can add considerable time to game play, this edition also provides a simplified set of naval rules which speed up play considerably.
With Siege of Constantinople Deluxe Edition you decide how to strategize and replay this historic siege. Will the fortified capital of the Byzantine Empire survive the siege or will it fall to the overwhelming Ottoman forces? It’s up to you.
