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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 21 Jun 2003 : 13:03:35

I have a few updates today. This first piece helped to define my Pirate Isles campaign -

The main Byzantine warship of the early Middle Ages was the dromen, an evolution of the ancient oared warships, such as the trireme. A typical dromen was long and narrow for speed. Power was supplied by 50 to 200 rowers and lateen sails. A mast was placed in the middle of the front half and rear half of the ship. The dromen carried a beak at the bow for pinning enemy vessels prior to boarding. Rams were rarely seen. Platforms were built in the center, bow, and stern. From these platforms archers and catapults could fire at enemy ships and crews. A typical battle involved attempts to ram or disable enemy ships, then grappling and boarding by marines.

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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 21 Jun 2003 : 13:04:56

Ship fighting in northern Europe was mainly an extension of land combat. Towers were built on the bow and stern of the cog for protection and as firing platforms for archers. Crews fired at each other with arrows as they closed, but the intent was only to disable enemy crewmen and soldiers. Ships came together and attempted to capture each other in hand-to-hand combat. Sailing ships in these waters had no ability to ram. There was no weapon with which to do great structural damage to another ship or sink it until cannon appeared in the fourteenth century.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 21 Jun 2003 : 13:07:35

Here's a little snippet on handguns - although I have never had the opportunity to use any of the information that I have on medieval handguns - in my campaigns. I might not have used it, but I found it interesting nonetheless.

Illustrations of various types of handguns appeared around 1350. These were primitive weapons consisting of a hollow tube blocked at one end and a hole in the side near the blocked end for igniting the powder. A slow match (a slow-burning cord) was placed in the hole to ignite the powder and fire the ball previously loaded down the barrel. There was little use in attempting to aim the early handguns. They were effective only when fired in volleys by many men at massed targets. By 1450 handguns were being used by most of the advanced European armies. Bows and crossbows continued in use as infantry missile weapons through the sixteenth century, however, because they were still inexpensive and effective.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 21 Jun 2003 : 13:08:39

When it was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1450, the printing press had made the mass publication and distribution of many forms of literature possible. It was derived from the agricultural presses that farmers would use to produce olive oil. The very first printing press had used a heavy screw to push and force a pre-inked printing block against the paper or parchment placed underneath. An operator would then worke a lever to increase and decrease the amount of pressure of the block against the paper.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 21 Jun 2003 : 13:09:47

The ballista was an early artillery weapon that fired missiles, primarily large bolts or spears. It was used in attacks on cities or fortified positions because it could cause structural damage and casualties from a great distance. When it could be deployed on a battlefield, it was especially useful against dense formations of troops. In this situation, one shot could cause multiple casualties. The ballista was invented in the second half of the first millennium BC, probably by Greek engineers. It functioned like a large crossbow. Tension was built up in the engine by twisting leather, and then released, propelling the missile down a guided trough and into flight.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 21 Jun 2003 : 13:11:04

That's it for today. I should have some new tidbits by tomorrow, or Monday.

Bookwyrm
Great Reader

USA
4740 Posts

Posted - 21 Jun 2003 : 14:43:09

Excellent selection there, Sage. I have some nautical information somewhere -- I suppose this is the penalty I have to pay for not organizing from the start. Though when I started, I was copying things into a spiral-bound notebook between classes my first semester, when I didn't have access to a laptop yet. (And sometimes in class as well -- Bio 101 was so boring that it was what decided me to become a teacher. I was, and still am, absolutely convinced I could have stood up and taught the class better just working out of the book. And I have to say I think very low of teaching right out of the book.)

Anyway, it's hard to organized scribbles that pop on in any which way; and then I did the same with the computer, having no real time to organize from the start. I should have, really; it would have saved a lot of time. For instance, I'm sure I have something on dromans someplace, but I'm not sure where. I know I also have some stuff on Auxemite warships as well, from the same period. (Early Ethiopian empire, for those reading who don't already know.)

Oh, about the water-warfare. You probably should have said they had no ranged weapon to sink ships. After all, you mentioned the battering ram. Of course, the battering ram wasn't on sailing ships for a very good reason -- it's only useful with great power behind it. That's why the Romans used triremes, instead of the biremes used more commonly. (Trireme and bireme mean three and two rows, respectively, referring to how many levels of rowers there were.)

They did it for extra bursts of speed over a short distance, so that they could both pierce the enemy's hull and also do it before they could manuever out of the way. A sailing ship has a longer range (fewer crew, more room for rations, etc.) but just can't get the sort of sudden muscle for a good ram.

And even if, due to a good wind, they could, it would be suicide. If you can't disengage from the sinking ship, you go down with it; and if you don't have rowers, you don't have a capability to back up. Wind doesn't point where you want it to.

Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.

Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2003 : 10:20:24

I have always been a fan of water-based ship combat campaigns. My Pirate Isles campaign ran for nearly two years, and was nearly all ship based action and role-playing. I have a lot of notes of this material. I want to post some of it, because much of it is general use material for any type of sea-based story and/or campaign. Anyway I don't have a lot of time today, so I'll just post these updates up now, and try and get back with some comments later.

Huscarls
The "household troops" of an earl or king, these were the most experienced and best equipped warriors. It is normal for them to be placed in the front rank in battles, as shock troops and to bolster the morale of the other warriors. They are also seen as separate units, operating as a rapid reaction force on the flanks or to reinforce areas which appear weak. The task of defending the standard and the leader of the army fell to the Huscarls.

Edited by - The Sage on 22 Jun 2003 10:24:28

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2003 : 10:25:42

This is just some general information on Guilds -

Craftsmen and merchants organized themselves into associations that were called guilds. These associations controlled prices and production, ensured a high standard of service or manufacturing, and organized the training of crafts through apprenticeships. These controls ensured both a high-quality product and a high-quality of life for guild members. Guild members often concentrated in one part of town, such as Threadneedle Street and Ironmongers Lane in London. Guilds formed an important power block within the political structure of the towns.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2003 : 10:28:19

Cavalry were divided into several different categories depending on equipment and training, and some categories were better suited for certain roles than others. Light cavalry wore little or no armor and was best suited for scouting, skirmishing, and acting as a rear guard. Heavy cavalry wore armor and was better suited for use as a shock force that charged the enemy. All types of cavalry excelled at pursuit.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2003 : 10:29:22

The spear, and later the larger lance, was the weapon with which cavalry opened a battle. It was ideal for stabbing opponents on foot, especially those in flight. The presentation of the spear in front of a mounted horseman added greatly to the intimidation caused by an approaching charge. Much of the force of the horse could be transmitted through the spear point at the moment of impact. The charging knight became a thundering missile.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2003 : 10:32:07

I am a big fan of tactics and strategy in my campaigns. I think it is a carry-over from when I wargame in the Warhammer universe. Anyway, I have a lot of material on military formations, tactics, and field strategy, all of which may be of use in grand-army style campaigns, or stories. This is just a snippet -

The Greek phalanx was a column formation of heavy infantry carrying long spears, or pikes, and swords. The pikes were six to twelve feet long, much longer than spears of the past. Men in the phalanx carried a round shield called a hoplon, from which the infantry took their name, hoplites. The hoplites wore metal armor on their chests, forearms, and shins at least, plus a metal helmet that covered the head down to the neck. The addition of armor classified the hoplites as heavy infantry, as opposed to light infantry that wore little or no armor. A typical phalanx unit was ten men across the front rank and ten men deep, but many such units were combined into one larger unit.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2003 : 10:33:22

The first important breakthrough in metallurgy was the discovery of smelting, the process of extracting metals from ore under high temperatures. This greatly expanded the use of copper because ore was much more common than raw copper that could be hammered.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2003 : 10:35:53

Trade on a large scale was financed by agricultural surpluses. The trade of surpluses greatly encouraged the specialization of crafts. People near important raw materials could concentrate on a craft and trade the result of their labor for food from the other societies or villages. The placement of the first civilizations on rivers and coasts had accelerated trade because transportation of goods by boat was cheap. Pottery could be shipped by boat over long distances. The cedar of Lebanon could be shipped by sea to Egypt, where timber was in short supply.

Trade was an economic multiplier. The comparative advantages of production in different areas meant that all participants were better off after trading.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2003 : 10:37:27

This is a good general rule I utilise when I world-build, or design small areas for a campaign -

Trade was also an important disseminator of ideas. Visitors to other cultures spread new ideas and innovations quickly. Those cultures that actively traded were usually among the most advanced.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2003 : 10:38:52

Here is a little more sea-based material -

The transition from the paddle to the oar took place in Egypt around 2500 BC. The oar had several advantages over the paddle and permitted both the size and speed of vessels to increase. The oar was secured to the boat, giving the oarsman more leverage. It also permitted multiple rowers to be placed side-by-side manning a single oar, although this innovation was not adopted until centuries later. The deck of the traditional paddle boat needed to be low to the waterline so the paddles could reach the water. This restriction had limited the overall size, height, and displacement of boats of that time. Long oars made larger boats possible.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2003 : 10:47:54

After seeing LotR:TFotR for the first time, I was positively abuzz with creative ideas, thinking about how I could incorporsate some of the great scenes or battles into my campaigns. One such scene was Arwen's 'Race to Bruinen Ford', while carrying the wounded Frodo. Before I even started planning an epic horse-chase through a forest style adventure, I studied for days, all the material I had on horses and their gait, just so I could get the information on the chase right. I like to do that a lot for my campaigns, but I guess you already guessed that by how much material I have posted in this scroll. I love realism in my games. Anyway here's some information on horse locamotion -

The common Horse is capable of a large range of gaits. Throughout history, several forms have been developed artificially through the exercises of trainings. These forms may be divided into symmetrical gaits, meaning that equal time intervals separate the touching of the ground by the left and right front legs and also by the left and right hind legs. The next form is asymmetrical gaits - this is when the time intervals are not equal. The is a selection of symmetrical gaits, which consist of (in order of increasing speed) - walk, pace, and trot.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2003 : 10:49:15

And -

A horse walks by swinging its legs in the order of left front, right rear, right front, and left rear. A horse can pace by swinging the left and then the right legs almostly completely in unison, and trots by swinging the diagonally opposite legs almost in unison. Whereas artificial symmetrical gaits only includes the slow gait, or more commonly called 'stepping pace', and the single-foot, which is carried out with the horses legs lifted high and no more than two legs on the ground at the same time. A selection of asymmetrical gaits can include the such forms as - canter and the faster gallop. The fast gallop is performed when the left and then the right hind leg touches the ground, followed by the left and then the right front leg; the sequence of which may be reversed, right to left.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 22 Jun 2003 : 10:51:21

That's it for today. I have some Medieval art and architecture tidbits coming for tomorrow, just as soon as I get my notebooks back

May all your learning be free and unfettered

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 25 Jun 2003 : 11:03:36

Well I didn't get my notebooks back, so instead I am going to go with some tidbits I regularly use for nearly all castle-based campaigns that I run.

A word of warning though, I may seem a little 'castle-crazy' after this update.

During the feudal period, local nobles provided law and order, as well as protection from marauders like the Vikings. Castles were built by the nobles for protection and to provide a secure base from which local military forces could operate. The obvious defensive value of a castle obscures the fact that it was primarily an offensive instrument. It functioned as a base for professional soldiers, mainly cavalry, which controlled the nearby countryside. At a time when the centralized authority of kings was weak for a number of reasons, a network of castles and the military forces they supported provided relative political stability.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 25 Jun 2003 : 11:04:45

Widespread castle construction and the maintenance of large bodies of soldiers for their defense resulted not in peace and mutual defense against invaders but incessant warfare.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 25 Jun 2003 : 11:05:58

The basic principal of castle defense was to maximize the danger and exposure of any attackers while minimizing the same for defenders. A well-designed castle could be defended effectively by a small force and hold out for a long period. A stout defense allowed well-supplied defenders to hold out until the besiegers could be driven away by a relief force or until the attacker was forced to fall back by lack of supplies, disease, or losses.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 25 Jun 2003 : 11:07:25

The keep was a small castle often found within a large castle complex. This was a fortified building that often served as the castle lord's residence. If the outer walls fell, the defenders could withdraw into the keep for a final defense. In the case of many castles, the complex began with the keep, which was the original fortification on the site. Over time, the complex might have been expanded to include an outer wall and towers as a first line of defense for the keep.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 25 Jun 2003 : 11:08:39

At the corners of and perhaps at intervals along a long wall, towers were placed as strong points. Towers extended out beyond the vertical plane of the wall face, allowing defenders in a tower to shoot along the face. From a corner tower, defenders could shoot along two different wall faces. A gate might be protected by towers on each side. Some castles began as simple towers and evolved into a greater complex of walls, an inner keep, and additional towers.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 25 Jun 2003 : 11:09:52

The strength and protection value of castle walls was increased where possible by building on cliffs or other elevations.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 25 Jun 2003 : 11:10:58

During an assault, covered wooden platforms (called hourds) were extended out from the top of the walls or from towers. These allowed defenders to shoot directly down on enemies below the walls, or drop stones or boiling liquids on them, while being protected. Hides on top of the hourds were kept wet to prevent fire. Stone versions of hourds, called machicolations, might be built over gates or other key points.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 25 Jun 2003 : 11:12:20

To accentuate the height advantage of the walls, a ditch might be dug at their base, completely around the castle. Where possible, this ditch was filled with water to form a moat. Both ditches and moats made direct assaults against walls more difficult. Armored men risked drowning if they fell into even relatively shallow water. Moats made undermining a castle's walls difficult because of the risk of the mine collapsing during construction and drowning the miners. In some cases, attackers had to first drain the moat before moving forward with an assault. Then the ditch had to be filled in places to allow siege towers or ladders to go up against the wall.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 25 Jun 2003 : 11:13:26

A portcullis was a strong grating that slid down the walls of the castle gate passageway to block the entrance. The gate of a castle was inside a gatehouse, which was a strong point in the castle defense. The passageway of the gate might be through a tunnel in the gatehouse. The tunnel was blocked by one or more portcullises, in the middle or at the ends. The winding mechanism that raised the portcullis was in the top of the gatehouse and heavily guarded. The portcullis itself was usually a grating of heavy timbers or iron. Defenders and attackers could both shoot or stab through the grating.

The Sage
Procrastinator Most High

Australia
31774 Posts

Posted - 25 Jun 2003 : 11:14:35

A strong castle had both an outer gate and inner gate. Between the two was an open area called the barbican. This was surrounded by walls and designed to be a trap for any attackers who got through the outside gate. Once inside the barbican, attackers could only go back out the outer gate or fight their way through the inner gate. In the meantime they would be targets for arrows and other missiles in the open.

Bookwyrm
Great Reader

USA
4740 Posts

Posted - 25 Jun 2003 : 12:07:11

Good castle info. If anyone wants a quick'n'simple primer or refresher for castles, by the way, go to your local library and look up David Macaulay. He's written four children's books on ancient and medieval architecture, with the titles being rather obvious as to their content: Castle, Cathedral, Pyramid, and Roman City.

Don't be confused by the shelf their on, or the unoriginal titles. They are amazing sources of information. They give the facts in a storybook sort of format, using a fictional acount to give factual info.

I think the best way to do it, though, is to look in the video section. There you will find that Macaulay himself takes a video crew to do a documentary on each subject, interspaced with animation taken from the stories in his book. Castle was something I checked out again and again. Look for it; if not the videos, then the books.

Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.

Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more.

Edited by - Bookwyrm on 25 Jun 2003 12:08:02

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