Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 22

Thread: Castle Levels

  1. #1
    Tommy Ashton II
    Guest

    Castle Levels

    At 11:49 PM 1/13/99 +1030, you wrote:
    >CASTLES
    >Level 1 Castles:

    >Soldiers: 100-300
    Are these the total the castle will hold or the number of soldiers that are
    included in the cost?

    T

  2. #2
    darkstar
    Guest

    Castle Levels

    CASTLES

    A while ago on the Birthright Mailing List there was a discussion about
    the
    maitenance cost of castles, and if larger castles should have a higher
    maintenance, and small forts, less. Here is some information I wrote
    over
    the recent christmas holidays about the subject, I hope it is of use.



    Level 1 Castles:

    These are small forts or garrisons, designed to provide minumal
    protection
    to a province. Such forts would not be built along the border with a
    dangerous foe, as they could quickly be crushed by a superior invading
    army. They might, however, be used in a regent's smaller provinces, used
    to
    provide a base of operations for his soldiers, as well as protect the
    local
    law enforcement authorities. Level 1 castles are usually comprised of
    just
    a single building, which may or may not be surrounded by a moat.

    Soldiers: 100-300
    Maintenance: 1 GB/Year



    Level 2 Castles:

    Castles of this level are average sized forts or garrisons. They serve
    as
    garrisons for larger armys, but still provide a province with little
    protection against a large army. As with level 1 castles, they are
    mainly
    used to provide protection for soldiers from rebellions, and to serve as
    a
    base of operations for an army.

    Soldiers: 200-400
    Maintenance: 2 GB/Year



    Level 3 Castles:

    Castles of this size are still too small to provide adequate protection
    for
    a province, but they are often built by the local lord to act as his
    headquarters.

    Soldiers: 300-500
    Maintenance: 3 GB/Year



    Level 4 Castles:

    Once a castle reaches this size, it becomes suitable as a protective
    structure, as it can now hold enough men and supplies to hold off a
    large
    force of invaders. Most kings will have at least one castle of this
    size,
    usually more than one. Unlike smaller castles, a level 4 structure will
    always consist of more than one building, usually a central keep, as
    well
    as several towers, a wall, and other buildings.

    Soldiers: 400-700
    Maintenance: 4 GB/Year (1 GB/Turn)



    Level 5 Castles:

    These are medium sized castles

    Soldiers: 500-800
    Maintenance: 5 GB/Year



    Level 6 Castles:

    These are considered large castles, and few rulers will have structures
    bigger than this. They provide protection for a wide area, and if well
    protected can hold off a strong invasion force for several months.

    Soldiers: 600-1000
    Maintenance: 6 GB/Year



    Level 7 Castles:

    Castles of this size are very rare, and are built only by the most
    powerful
    lords. They are large fortresses, providing protection for entire towns.
    If
    the regent is willing to spend double the original cost, then he can
    extend
    the walls of the castle around an entire town, providing protection for
    all
    holdings within that town.

    Soldiers: 1000-1250
    Maintenance: 8 GB/Year (2 GB/Turn)
    Additional Benifits: -1 GB a turn from the cost of any court based in
    the
    castle (not cumulative with palace bonus')



    Level 8 Castles:

    Fortress of this size can provide protection to large towns.

    Soldiers: 1200-1500
    Maintenance: 10 GB/Year
    Additional Benifits: -1 GB a turn from the cost of any court based in
    the
    castle.



    Level 9 Castles:

    Huge fortresses, that can protect entire towns and their populations. As
    above, the regent can choose to pay double the cost and extend the
    castles
    walls around the entire town. If this is done then he also gains a +1 GB
    bonus to taxation from the province, due to increased security and
    patrols
    of his guards.

    Soldiers: 1500-1750
    Maintenance: 12 GB/Year (3 GB/Turn)
    Additional Benifits: -2 GB a turn from the cost of any court based in
    the
    castle.



    Level 10 Castles:

    These gigantic castles would only ever be constructed in the capital
    city
    of the rich and powerful empire. Their size is immense, and they also
    double as the home for the regent, and his consolers. So big are these
    fortresses that in times of war they can hold much of the cities
    population
    and protect them from enemies. As with other fortresses the regent can
    choose to extend the walls of the castle around the city it protects,
    with
    the same benefits as above.

    Soldiers: 2000+ (10-11 units)
    Maintenance: 16 GB/Year (4 GB/Turn)
    Additional Benifits: -2/Court,
    -1 to the muster cost of any unit created in
    the province. (min cost of 1 GB)

    - --
    Ian Hoskins

    e-Mail: hoss@box.net.au
    Homepage: http://www.box.net.au/~hoss

    ICQ: 2938300 AIM: IHoskins

  3. #3
    Kenneth Gauck
    Guest

    Castle Levels

    I always kind of assumed level one fortifications were wooden forts, in no
    small measure because of how quickly they could be erected.

    Kenneth Gauck
    c558382@earthlink.net

  4. #4
    Jim Cooper
    Guest

    Castle Levels

    Speaking about castles ...

    Does anyone know if there is a limit to the number of castles that are
    needed to exist within a province? The rules seem to imply that only
    one is needed (the castle protects all holdings of a single regent), but
    that just doesn't seem right to me.

    Secondly, if a regent upgraded an existing castle, do they pay for the
    full cost of the original build action or simply make up the difference
    between the levels in structures?

    Cheers,
    Darren

  5. #5
    Tim Nutting
    Guest

    Castle Levels

    Apprentice attend and I shall instruct thee on the truth.

  6. #6
    JulesMrshn@aol.co
    Guest

    Castle Levels

    In a message dated 1/13/99 3:41:07 PM Central Standard Time,
    Jim_Cooper@bc.sympatico.ca writes:

  7. #7
    darkstar
    Guest

    Castle Levels

    Tommy Ashton II wrote:

    > >Soldiers: 100-300
    > Are these the total the castle will hold or the number of soldiers that are
    > included in the cost?
    >
    The total they can hold.
    Of course I am assuming that not all units have 200 soldiers. Knights
    would probably be around 25 soldiers, while levies maybe 300.

    - --
    Ian Hoskins

    e-Mail: hoss@box.net.au
    Homepage: http://www.box.net.au/~hoss

    ICQ: 2938300 AIM: IHoskins

  8. #8
    DKEvermore@aol.co
    Guest

    Castle Levels

    In a message dated 1/14/99 12:40:21 AM Central Standard Time,
    zero@wiredweb.com writes:

    > In fact, in recent years we are finding more and more that the castle of the
    > "Arthurian" period of about 4th to 8th century AD were very well
    constructed
    > wooden varieties, intended to last entire decades, if not centuries. As
    the
    > local Britons did not have the engineering skill of their former Roman
    > overlords, their casltles had to play centuries long games of catch up.
    >

    I have been doing a great deal of research (for a new game book) in this time
    period, and I agree with you. In fact, when the Romans left, many of the old
    Iron Age hillforts were re-occupied and repaired/refortified.

    > BTW - this may showcase a minor flaw in the rules. There is no distinction
    > between wood and stone, really. Wood, while strong and easy to replace,
    was
    > also easier to burn down or cut out of the way. Still, they may account
    for
    > it by making wood structures bigger to match their stone counterparts
    > levels...
    >
    >Tim Nutting

    While these were often mostly of wood construction, the interesting thing is
    that they had impressive defensive earthworks, dug and re-dug for centuries
    that mad approach quite difficult.

    You could use these ideas (earthworks) when designing Rjurik or the occasional
    Vos castle. In this way, strong fortifications may be built, even when there
    is no convenient rock quarry...

    It is very likely that castles of old, in the Dark Ages were actually large
    Hill Forts with massive earthworks, as well as location working for it (see
    Tintagel, Cadbury and other possible locations for Camelot).

    Later!
    Dustin K Evermore

  9. #9
    Ben
    Guest

    Castle Levels

    > needed to exist within a province? The rules seem to imply that only
    > one is needed (the castle protects all holdings of a single regent), but
    > that just doesn't seem right to me.


    Remember the provinces in BR are very small areas of land. (The Gorgon's
    Crown is only about the size of Ohio.) The main reason for building a
    castle, other than to withstand a siege, was to be able to command the
    surrounding countryside using the castle as a base for your troops. I figure
    if you can get your troops to the edge of the province on some errand or
    other and get them back in a couple of days, the castle serves you well.
    Most provinces in BR are only 25-30 miles across at most. That means,
    from a castle in the center of a province, it's only about 10-15 miles
    march. Hell, men on horseback could make that in a couple hours.
    You could probably control several provinces effectively with just one
    castle.


    Ben

  10. #10
    Pieter Sleijpen
    Guest

    Castle Levels

    A province in the Netherlands was (and still is) not much larger than
    that and there are several provinces with more then 1 castle. But who
    says that a level 5 castle is just one castle? It might be 2 castles. Or
    a string of fortresses something akin to the Waterlinie (do not know the
    English term) in the Netherlands. Holdings can also be fortified, so
    there can be as many castles as there are different regents in a
    province.

    Ben wrote:
    >
    > > > needed to exist within a province? The rules seem to imply that only
    > > one is needed (the castle protects all holdings of a single regent), but
    > > that just doesn't seem right to me.
    >
    > Remember the provinces in BR are very small areas of land. (The Gorgon's
    > Crown is only about the size of Ohio.) The main reason for building a
    > castle, other than to withstand a siege, was to be able to command the
    > surrounding countryside using the castle as a base for your troops. I figure
    > if you can get your troops to the edge of the province on some errand or
    > other and get them back in a couple of days, the castle serves you well.
    > Most provinces in BR are only 25-30 miles across at most. That means,
    > from a castle in the center of a province, it's only about 10-15 miles
    > march. Hell, men on horseback could make that in a couple hours.
    > You could probably control several provinces effectively with just one
    > castle.
    cribe birthright' as the body of the message.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Blacktower Castle
    By Sorontar in forum Main
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 09-14-2010, 09:46 AM
  2. Castle Oden
    By Sorontar in forum Main
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 02-02-2010, 04:39 AM
  3. Castle
    By BRadmin in forum Main
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 03-28-2009, 09:24 PM
  4. Castle Blacktower
    By BRadmin in forum Main
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 09-30-2008, 05:56 AM
  5. Castle Fortifications
    By abeard@zebra.net (Adam B in forum MPGN Mailinglist archive 1996-1999
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 11-11-1997, 03:49 AM

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
BIRTHRIGHT, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, the BIRTHRIGHT logo, and the D&D logo are trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are used by permission. ©2002-2010 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.