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Thread: Castle Levels
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01-13-1999, 12:16 PM #1Tommy Ashton IIGuest
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
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01-13-1999, 01:19 PM #2darkstarGuest
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
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01-13-1999, 08:20 PM #3Kenneth GauckGuest
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
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01-13-1999, 09:38 PM #4Jim CooperGuest
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
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01-14-1999, 06:29 AM #5Tim NuttingGuest
Castle Levels
Apprentice attend and I shall instruct thee on the truth.
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01-14-1999, 07:24 AM #6JulesMrshn@aol.coGuest
Castle Levels
In a message dated 1/13/99 3:41:07 PM Central Standard Time,
Jim_Cooper@bc.sympatico.ca writes:
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01-14-1999, 01:57 PM #7darkstarGuest
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
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01-14-1999, 03:41 PM #8DKEvermore@aol.coGuest
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
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01-14-1999, 09:56 PM #9BenGuest
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
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01-14-1999, 10:41 PM #10Pieter SleijpenGuest
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.
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