Designed by Fred Schachter and Steve Weiss
Published by Avalon Hill, 1989
Era\tab Ancient: 70 A.D.
Players\tab 2, but suitable for solitaire and team play
Playing Time 4 hours minimum; 30 hours or more for the campaign
Time scale 90 minutes per turn
Map scale 50 meters per hex
Unit scale 200 men per counter

Components
1 cardboard box
1 34"x48" unmounted, full color map
520 1/2" backprinted full color counters 176 5/8" backprinted full color counters
1 8 1/2"x11" Game Card
1 8 1/2"x11" Scenario sheet
1 16-page Instruction book
2 7/16" white six-sided dice
1 5 1/2"x7" yellow card, with game registration on one half and "Do A Friend a Favor" on the other

Counter Manifest

Judeans (260) black on pale blue
22 Zealot Infantry (7-7)
90 Regular Infantry (5-7)
108 Militia Infantry (2-6)
40 Markers (10*Rout; 10*Broken Testudo; 20*Damage)

Romans (260) black on red
40 Veteran Infantry (7-8)
40 Line Infantry (6-8)
40 Recruit Infantry (5-8)
36 Velitae (3-9)
24 Foederatti (2-10)
12 Syrian Archers (1-9)
48 Missile Capability

Markers
6 Multiple Attack Markers
13 Damage Markers
1 Game Turn Marker

Escalade, Cavalry, Siege Engines
24 Cavalry (3-15)
7 Roman Leaders
5 Judean Leaders
12 Towers (4)
4 Rams (1-5)
6 Armored Towers (1-3)
13 Cauldrons (1-2)
6 Ballista (4*Roman; 2*Judean)
9 Onagers (4*Roman; 5*Judean)
23 Catapults (16*Roman; 7*Judean)
32 Breach Markers
29 Escalade Markers
5 Ramp Markers
1 Wrecked Siege Engine Marker

What the designers say:

“Siege of Jerusalem is a simulation of one of the most dramatic of ancient battles, the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The game consists of a Campaign Game, simulating the entire siege, and an Introductory scenario, simulating the battle which preceded it. Additional scenarios simulating specific periods of the siege will be made available in Vol. 26, Number 4 of The General.”

Additional commentary by one of the designers appears after this review and the three new scenarios following it.

What the reviewers say:

“Moderate complexity, fairly long.” Richard Berg in S&T 58 (1976).

“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.” Richard Berg in Moves 32 (1977).

“Tactical simulation of the Roman sieges during the Jewish Revolt in AD 66-72. Four cardboard map sections; five scenarios with a rule booklet each. Infantry, cavalry, siege towers, battering rams, catapults, onagers, zealots, leaders and special scenarios rules feature. Moderate complexity, fairly long.” Nick Palmer in The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming (1979).

“Simulation of the tragic prelude to Massada during the Jewish revolt against Rome. An elaborate labour of love, physically magnificent for an amateur game, with copious play notes and historical background in a booklet for each scenario. The game system is complicated by the possibility of fighting on the walls as well as at ground level, and several rules are ambiguous, but there are no serious problems.” Nick Palmer in The Best of Board Wargaming (1980).

“The Siege of Jerusalem is one of the finest amateur games ever published. Aside from the usual physical drawbacks of nonprofessional games (here kept to a minimum), this is a masterful job from all angles. In terms of player excitement, it is almost as good as Caesar, which it resembles in situation as well as system, and head and shoulders above many other siege games. What makes it work is that the designers have abstracted a great deal of the tedious ‘wall-busting’ and concentrated on the bloody assaults.

Both players fight the clock as well as each other. Some of the rules are a bit hazy, and a stronger sense of organization might have helped. But this is a game that was not only designed well but developed well, and it shows in the level of excitement it provides.” Jon Freeman in The Complete Book of Wargames (1980).

“The big complaint about the first edition was against the rather shoddy way in which the rules were put together. They came in five different booklets, giving players a hard time when they tried to find a particular rule. That has all been changed in the new edition. The rules are now presented in a single booklet and are much better organized.” Kim Turner in F&M 25 (1981).

“Siege of Jerusalem matches a military machine of deadly proficiency against a force that, though definitely a mixed bag, has some impressive units of its own and, very importantly, cannot only sustain massive casualties and maintain its superior size but actually grows larger as reserves are committed.

The simulation on this paper battlefield is far more complex than just another case of quality pitted against quantity.” Jim Werbaneth, the General 26/4 (1989).

“Combining the realism gained through its sophistication with a system meant for players, it is one of the finest ancient games published, and the very best tactical simulation of the era.” Jim Werbaneth in F&M 64 (1990).

“The Siege of Jerusalem is The Avalon Hill Game Company’s extensively redesigned reincarnation of the old Historical Perspectives game, itself highly regarded. After long delays the new version is finally available, and fortunately it does full justice to the historical event. As well, it sets a new standard for ancient tactical games ...

The Siege of Jerusalem incorporates a perceptive view of ancient tactics, and simulates it well in a package that measures up on both artistic and functional counts. The consequence is a superb game.” Jim Werbaneth in F&M 66 (1990).

“The Siege of Jerusalem proves to be effective in bringing to life one of the greatest battles of all time. It is not a game to be trifled with.” Joe Miranda in F&M 66 (1990).

“The physical components of the game are vintage Avalon Hill circa 1989 ... [t]he system is fairly simple, though it takes time to get used to its many nuances ... though there are rudimentary command and control rules, the main functions of leaders are to rally units back to good order, and lend themselves to combats ... the heart of Judean strategy is to remember that he begins the game with a clear victory, and his overriding goal is to make sure that it stays that way.” Jim Werbaneth, Line of Departure 21 (2002).

Other games by these designers

Fred Schachter: none.

Steve Weiss: Rolling Thunder

Other games of this type

There are a number of games that simulate sieges, the Art of Siege quad; the Sieges of Constantinople, Leningrad, Hong Kong, Peking and Port Arthur; and the Sieges of Gondor, Minas Tirith and Barad-Dur. But The Siege of Jerusalem is not so much a simulation of siege warfare as it is of the type of manus ad manum combat associated with clearing buildings one at a time in a recently captured town.

There are many games that deal with Ancients warfare, but the most similar is probably Caesar at Alesia, which has a similar provenance, being Robert Bradley’s labor of love before it was reprinted by Avalon Hill.

Collector’s value

Boone’s 4th lists low, high and average prices of 45/68/54.33 for the Historical Perspectives version and 21/ 34/26.38 for the Avalon Hill version. Boone’s 3rd lists low, high and average prices of 17/80/44.56 for the Historical Perspectives version and 11/ 52/21.62 for the Avalon Hill version. Since the first printing (Historical Perspectives) amounted to only 2,000 copies, it is no surprise that this edition demands higher prices. The pricing trend shows increasing average prices, with less extreme highs and lows. This suggests that the prices are beginning to reach their peak.

Epilogue

One of the concerns with Avalon Hill’s reprint was the reduction in the number of scenarios. Three new scenarios follow, to complement those published in the General.

The Siege of Jerusalem: 70 AD Scenarios

Introduction
1: The Rebellion
2: Delayed Rebellion/Quick Roman Response
3: The First Assault Period

The Siege of Jerusalem Review and Analysis
The Siege of Jerusalem: Designer's Notes
Jerusalem and Matthew 19:24 : Camel Through Eye of Needle