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Why the word 'siege?' Why not 'war', 'battle', or any
other word implying conflict? Because as the book explains, vampires can't just march to battle any more or order armies of
soldiers to attack a neighboring province. Humanity would learn about vampires and a second Inquisition would destroy them
all.
Vampiric conflicts must be under the cover of darkness,
literally and figuratively. So why not 'guerrilla war?' Because you can shoot a vampire once a night, every night for eternity
and he will still come back to haunt you. The only way to win a battle against the undead it total, utter destruction. And
vampires rely on their resources - most importantly blood - to remain strong.
So a vampire or group of vampires must be weakened
before being attacked. This is classic siege warfare. You remove their resources until they are too weak to fight, then attack
in strength and destroy them.
Siege: an encirclement of fortified place by an opposing
armed force intending to take it, usually by blockade or bombardment; any persistent attempt to gain control, overcome opposition,
etc.
Vampires generally don't store their sustenance like
mortals do, like cans in a cupboard. Blood is all around them. So when a siege occurs, the goal is to limit access to this
resource that can normally be replenished. Conflicts between the Camarilla and Sabbat are called sieges because they are more
about draining resources than attacking with military might.
In a siege, the attacker will stake out havens. No
one goes in, no one comes out. Then the defender's mortal allies are attacked. This not only damages business interests, but
it drains the defender of blood or forces them to hunt (rather than rely on known mortals).
However, the attackers didn't bring vessels with them
and have to rely on the resources they find when they get there. While domains and prestation don't limit them, they are under
threat by the police and whatever else the defender throws at them. This encourages them to attack or die.
The defender will crack down on hunting and may influence
the city council to enact a curfew. This is because the defending vampires probably have herds to feed from - at least the
important ones do. But that's a temporary solution because the attackers will be targeting those herds and attacking their
contacts, retainers, etc.
Retreating Isn't Easy
Besides ideological differences, when a battle turns
bad you wouldn't think a losing side would stay and die to the last vampire. It sounds as easy as back off, regroup and attack
again. But is that really a choice?
Retreating isn't as simple as gathering the pack/coterie
and jumping in a car. Vampires don't travel that easily. They would have no blood to take with them and no plans on how to
get any. They would probably have no plans on how to get back home (wherever that is). Mortal defenders might chase them,
meaning out on the road the vampires would be exceptionally vulnerable during the day.
Vampires can remain wounded too, especially in sect
conflicts when aggravated damage is probably more likely. Traveling with wounded soldiers who can't go to a hospital but still
need sustenance is a real burden.
Lupines will probably be waiting on the edge of the
conflict for this reason, to pick off stragglers, wounded and cowards. They are wolves, after all.
And what elder of either sect wants to see soldiers
return in defeat? Sabbat or Camarilla, there's probably no polite homecoming awaiting the retreating vampire. Someone's going
to have to take the blame.
So given a choice of turn around and try to leave a
siege or fight on and hope for the best, it might seem suicidal to try to go back.
Mortal Force
One aspect of sect conflicts ignored by Midnight Siege
is mortal force. Besides the police, vampires have access to all the world's organizations just like mayors, governors, and
maybe even presidents. This mostly applies to Camarilla elders, as the Sabbat has disdain for using mortals as anything other
than food or entertainment.
SWAT Teams: Paramilitary police organizations like
SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) can be used to deal with 'terrorist threats.' In fact, there's no reason Justicars wouldn't
be able to create their own teams. The members would probably believe they work for a branch of the government like the CIA,
NSA, or DOD.
Men in Black: If you were a paranoid, fantastically
rich vampire with centuries of practice in conspiracies, wouldn't you be able to do better than hire a few bodyguards? Elders
could recruit skilled operatives, mercenaries, and ex-police into a mortal fighting unit designed to take out enemy vampires.
With a little subterfuge, the soldiers could be led to believe they work for a secret branch of the government or some independent
'Bureau 13' that investigates - and terminates - supernatural threats to humanity.
Big Guns: If push comes to shove, a wealthy, powerful
vampire might be able to summon actual military power. The most obvious source would be the National Guard. Sieges probably
result in a lot of mayhem, and a few hundred armed soldiers can enforce a curfew if the police can't. If the National Guard
gets attacked, the state's Governor could call on national military intervention, which would put an end to any attacker's
plans. This would only occur if the prince was vastly powerful, the situation was grievous, and he could expect his decision
to be supported after the fact. The prince of Washington, DC or any national capital could probably do this.
Think Chess
When the Camarilla and Sabbat fight, it shouldn't immediately
come down to neonates versus Antitribu in the streets. It would even be simplistic to assume the Sabbat scouted a bit and
then launched a military-style attack. Sect battles would probably more come down to pawns being manipulated from behind the
scenes. Just imagine that no one knew a sect war was even occurring. Secret gambits to gain initiative and sacrificing minions
for position - that's the Jyhad.
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