On Wed, 15 Apr 1998, Harding Nick MMUk wrote:

> I've got a question about the fortify action. The Rulebook states that
> all the rest of the holdings in a province fortified are also fortified
> if a castle is "built".

Not exactly, the Rulebook says that if a province is fortified, all the
rest of the holdings in the province CAN be fortified. Typically, the
castle-builder will fortify his own holdings, and perhaps those of his
close allies, but not those of his rivals or those whom he has no
agreements with.

> So if a 4th level province of a priest regent is fortified over a number
> of turns t build a 4th level castle( the priest controls all the law and
> all the temples as holdings) does this create level 4 law fortified
> holding and a level 4 fortified temple holding?

No, it doesn't create them. But he CAN build his castle in such a way that
these holdings are fortified by the building of the castle (i.e. the
holdings are considered to be within in the newly-strengthened "city
walls"). In other words, if the holdings already exist, they CAN be
treated as though they were now fortified, but those holdings are not
created by the action (which sounds like what you're saying, but I'll bet
is not what you meant), neither are subsequent holding levels
"automatically" fortified unless the castle is expanded again.

> A neighbour now invades this province, ( the rule book states that all
> fortified holdings must be besieged or assaulted to neutralise them).
> Does that invader have to use 12units plus a number of units equal to
> guards in the castle for 1 year or can he use 4+ units for 3years! Its
> just that this situation has just come up and I haven't yet made a
> ruling on it yet.

If I'm not mistaken, the amount of units needed to beseige a castle is
equal to the # of units inside. Fortified holdings do NOT add additional
space for units (in fact, you might argue that they take up that space if
you wanted to expand the rules for castle-building). All holdings which
are "automatically" fortified with the creation of the Fortify Action are
assumed to be within the new "castle" (I think of it more like "castle +
city walls" usually) and are therefore automatically beseiged if the
castle is beseiged.

> Of course if the invader wanted to capture the province he would only
> need to neutralize the castle, if he wanted to rule effectively he would
> need to get rid of the fortified law ( 2 years)

Once again, one of the drawbacks of the "automatic fortification" is that
if the fortifying castle is taken, it is simplicity itself to wipe out the
rest of the holdings that were automatically fortified. The cure for this
is to create a large number of level 1 fortified law holdings throughout
the province (i.e. each minor lord with his own keep).

Mark VanderMeulen
vander+@pitt.edu