"Got a Medieval Castle for my Medieval figures" Topic

Well I guess it had to happen once I got into Medieval gaming I getting a Castle.

It's the one that Warlord Games sells so this means that I need some siege equipment so any ideas as to what I would need?

Michael

The laser cut wood models are probably worth a look. Sally 4th has siege towers, mantlets, penthouses, ladders, palisades, etc.

Period of war?

Catapults, trebuchets, onagers, cannons, bolt throwers, in addition to the above.

Good decision. Thats the old Tabletop Workshop-castle, and its pretty good engineering. You can assemble that in a quarter of the time that the Renedra castle takes (for good fit, joins and cleaning). The only backdraw is that you have to build the towers with set angles, so you cannot use a tower for 90° once and then for 60° another time.

Sorry, no suggestion for siege engines right now – but you can use that castle up into the early Renaissance (eg for the Siege of Neuss)

I have a friend who has a built Trebucket and Siege Tower that I might get from him.

If I do get those 2 then other items I would like to get would be a Battering Ram ladders Mantlets and some other things.

With regards to the Castle my friend was able to it off eBay for somewhat less than brand new so I'm pleased to have it.

I second the Sally 4th option allthough you might also look at Gripping Beast. Some very nice siege equipment there.

Presuming that you are going for 15th century, then the most important thing in a serious besieger arsenal would be bombards. The bigger the better. Plus lots of gunpowder and cannonballs.

However, from gaming point of view these might be of limited use, since they were not used during actual assaults (and reloading times were rather long anyway) but for preliminary bombardments. Once this had produced a sufficient breach in the walls, and assault would be prepared – though the defender would be usually given a final chance to surrender first. However, if you want to play games where the besieged get to sally out, such bombards would make great objectives.

In case the attacker wanted to have quick results, then an initial assault with ladders could be attempted, as this would not need lenghty preparations (assuming sufficiently long ladders were available in the siege train). If this would not work, then a proper siege could be arranged – though any surviving ladders could still be of use in later assaults.

Such a full siege could involve erecting lots of defensive works, including pavises, mantlets, palisades, earthworks etc. These would provide besiegers protection from missile fire and deter sallies from the garrison – and to some extent hinder reinforcements trying to reach the garrison from outside. From within these protective works, the attacker could then bombard the defences, dig mines to collapse them from beneath, or just wait and try to starve the defender.

For the defender in the 15th century, gunpowder artillery would also be useful, though this likely be lighter pieces that could be mounted on walls or towers. These could then be used to target construction works by the attacker, especially any siege engines. Any personnel straying too close could naturally be targeted by archers and crossbowmen, presuming sufficient amount of arrows and bolts was in store. In case of assault at the walls, rocks of suitable weight could be hurled at attackers at the base of the wall or trying to scale up ladders.

Additional defensive works could also be made to bolster up the walls. For example wooden barbicans could be built on top of the walls to provide extra protection against missile fire for men manning them (though they would probably be of little use against artillery). If time would allow, additional earthworks could be also built on important locations outside the walls to provide an additional layer of defences that would need to be stormed by the attacker. Against enemy mining attempts, countermines could be built in an effort to assault the miners. And if the attacker would manage to damage the walls by mining or bombardment, available labour and materials would be employed in an attempt to reinforce the walls against assaults.

Also, to withstand a long siege, a fortress would need not only weapons and defences, but also larders well-stocked with grain, peas, herrings, salted pork, beer, wine etc. to keep the garrison well-fed and healthy. And a good stock of firewood would not hurt, either.

If you want a really nasty siege, involving the most developed artillery park of its time and a flexible, active defense raging for a 11 months look at the Siege of Neuss 1474/75, and ended with an indecisive clash between his army and the Imperial relieve forces.

It was the turning point of Charles the Bolds fortune.

And of course the Perry miniature line is perfect for recreating the forces – alas, no trebuchets…

Look at the panoply of a fully laid out siege. Nothing looks more cool on a wargames table. But the actual mechanics are boring to play compared to a sweeping field battle. The siege machines/artillery are just for show, since, as already noted, their work was over days/weeks to prepare for the actual assault. During the time scale of an assault, nothing much is going to happen from artillery, either "old school" or high tech (gun powder).

If there is a sally, i.e. an open fight between the siege lines and the fortifications, then lighter "field pieces" come into play. These do have a tactical effect on moving troops.

For an example of a battle over "the guns", look at Formigny. The English enstaked formation is analogous to a fort, from which the longbowmen sallied to steal the French field pieces…………

At numerous times also cunning ploys and treachery were used to obtain access inside the walls, especially in the case of towns.

In case of treachery, some of the citizens could be convinced (by bribery, personal loyalties or just wish to end the siege) to lower a rope or open a gate for the besiegers. In 15th century France, even nuns might end up committing such acts.

Also access inside the walls could be gained by disguise and/or hiding in cargo. While giant wooden rabbits may not have been particularly common, hiding inside hayloads or herring barrels might allow one to make it to the gates or inside them.

This could make an interesting starting point, with one side managing to capture a gate by cunning or treachery, and then trying to feed in reinforcements through it, while the defenders launch counter-attacks to push them back.

From a visual perspective, such scenarios might benefit from some special models (say, a man-at-arms disguised as a nun hiding inside a herring barrel at the back of a wagon) but from a gameplay point of view those are not really necessary.