Re: Sieges, pillaging and prosperity

[X-IHH/Wallac Isilviere (Kasper)]

If a full complete siege takes say 4 warmoves and assault takes about 1 warmove how much more damage would one expect ones units to take from the assault? Assuming its overwhelming numbers in favour of the attacker

[X-Avanil/Aubrae Avan (Thorsten)]

If a full complete siege takes say 4 warmoves and assault takes about 1 warmove how much more damage would one expect ones units to take from the assault? Assuming its overwhelming numbers in favour of the attacker

As I understand it, a full siege takes 4 warmoves to *attempt* and remove 1 level of fortification - at the end of the siege a roll is made against a DC set by number of siege/artillery-points divided by castle level. If the check is succeeded, the level of fortification is reduced by 1 (which would mean sieging a castle (3) into the ground takes at least 12 weeks).

An assault means you can do in 1 warmove, what you would otherwise have to do in 4 - but each unit inside, as well as each level of fortification (I think?) gets a free attack -  attack of opportunity, if you will - with massive bonuses on the assaulting army. Unless the narrative (and Bjørn) wills it differently, it'll still take at least 3 weeks of continuous assaults to take the castle, and some of your men will be hurt afterwards.

[DM B]

Exactly.

[DM B]

Investment works the same, except you just sit around doing very little and it takes a full turn to reduce one level.

[X-Coeranys/WD (Greg)]

I assume another difference is that with investment the basic physical structure of the castle is left intact vs. a siege in which I expect significant physical damage to the structure?

[DM B]

Indeed. Investing a fortification merely incurs negative levels, it doesn't damage/destroy anything. Sieges certainly do damage. Same with assaults; but in the case of an assault there is a good chance SOME of the fortification will remain. If you just siege it into oblivion nothing will be left.

The way it's supposed to be done is like this:

- Move in and neutralize
- Invest (not shoot at the castle, but conceptually including preparations for shooting/assaulting)
- Besiege (actively shooting shit at the castle)
- Once you've succeeded in knocking the castle down a few levels, plus incurred a negative level or two...
- ...assault!
- Given some luck the assault with cause reparable damage only, and the negative levels go away once you've put in a new garrison

Example:

- Ghoudaïa has a castle 6*
- KoH/IHH army finally battles through and invest the castle**
- KoH/IHH sets up shop and the dwarves start shooting rocks at the walls, sapping etc.
- Every 1 month/4 WM the attackers can try to damage a castle level***
- Every 3 months/12WM the castle takes 1 negative level****
- After half a year the castle has taken 2 points of damage and one negative level (there was a counterattack that lifted the siege one meson)
- A castle 3 is assaultable for the KoH/IHH army
- On the third attempt (3 WM of trying) one castle level is damaged, bringing it down to effective lvl 2*****
- The fourth attempt does no damage, but the siege effort does. Effective level is now 1
- On the next WM the remaining garrison tries to surrender, but KoH/IHH declines. Another assault is mounted, doing no damage to the castle, but routing the defenders. The city is put to the sword.
- The negative level goes away, giving the attackers a castle 2 with 4 damaged levels. The DM decides that 2 of those levels can be repaired for 5GBs each, one more for 10 Gbs, and the last one is destroyed.

* We'll disregard other fortifications for this example as they will only complicate stuff
** Requiring 24 units if we assume a full garrison and active castle
*** Castle garrison units can also take damage from bombardment, but this is a secondary effect
**** It's important to keep up the investment; if the enemy breaks through that turn's negative level will be lost, or worse - negative levels can recover! Units inside can also take damage from starvation
***** Defending units are also taking damage, but MUCH less than the attackers