Napoleonic Siege Wargame play test - digging parallels and batteries

Digging parallels and batteries is the task of the infantry battalions taking part of the siege. While out of artillery range (the first and second parallels) this is relatively risk free, but owing to the survival of the majority of the defenders' artillery attempts to establish the third parallel led to heavy casualties among the digging parties. This was only resolved by the success of the third mine, which meant the third parallel was not required.


In the test, wooden blocks (from cheap Jenga-like games) were used for trench sections. Parallels need to have both a front and reverse side. Parallels are dug by subunits (six men in two ranks).


Batteries require digging parties two sub units deep, which provide consequently better targets. We used field emplacements from the Italeri artillery sets (French Napoleonic and American Civil war) for the battery postions once established.