"TSR 1056 Castle Boxed set Scenarios" Topic

Among the siege equipment list for Castle Hart Scenario 3 The Great Siege are two "… Flosses for covering moats…." with a crew of 6 hobgoblins each.

I had never heard of flosses before. What are they in Battlesystem terms? That is:
Does it take both of them to cross the moat in one spot, or can the moat be crossed in two different locations (one floss at each location)?

How many hobgoblins wide is it? One? Six?

Can the flosses support the weight of the siege engines (the ram, bore, and/or siege towers)?

What does the crew do after the floss is flopped on top of the moat?

Are Flosses historical? I have found no mention of them in the places that I have looked. Is there a place I should look?

Thanks in advance.

Don't know, but it sounds like a floating bridge which 6 Hobgoblin figures could carry: that's 60 Hobgoblins carrying that thing, so it was both large, and heavy!

There were two basic ways to cross a moat: build a bridge over it, or fill it in with rocks and gravel. A temporary bridge would not support a Siege Tower's weight, but rocks and gravel which filled the moat to form a permanent land bridge, would support great weight, if it was wide enough.

I'd suggest the 6 Hobgoblin figures would be regular soldiers carrying the Floss bridges who would then cross over to climb Ladders being carried by soldiers behind them, waiting for the bridges to be placed.

I suggest a slower movement, like 6", while carrying the Floss and Ladders, then regular movement after the items are placed; I would require a full Movement phase to place the Floss and the Ladders, with their usage being possible during the next Turn' s Movement phase. If the book says differently on Ladders, go with the book! Cheers!

I searched the Internet, but I could not find anything called Floss, relating to siege warfare. Floating bridges existed before the 20th century, but I don't know how far back they go.

As to width, I would only allow one figure's width, which is 10 actual Hobgoblins, or at most, two figures wide, but that would be huge, and heavy… I would also impose a 3" Movement Cost as it would be like crawling through a window -- it is a choke point where the troops have to narrow their frontage to cross over. Just food for thought -- it is your game, so call it how you see it. Cheers again!

Thanks for the comments! If someone other than me cannot find "Floss" as a siege device, then I don't feel like such an idiot.

So, for what it is worth, this is how I see a Floss, pending better real-world information.

A floss is 2" x 3", carried by six man-sized (medium) figures. It can span a moat (or stream) up to 3" across. It supports up to 6 six figures on 20mm or 25mm bases, 2 figures on 30mm or 35mm bases, or 1 figure on a 40mm base. It does not support cavalry or siege engines.

As Sgt Slag suggested, six figures carrying a floss move at 6" and it takes a full movement step to flop the floss onto the moat.

Thanks again,

I think it might be bundles of sticks that are dropped into the moat to make a bridge/dam.