“Fastened fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man.” George S. Patton (American Basic WW II)
Fortifications, each metropolis defenses and navy forts, play a big half in warfare, particularly in pre-gunpowder occasions. Sieges happen when fortifications cease attackers from capturing their goals instantly. So let’s focus on real-world sieges and observe how fantasy worlds could change how issues work.
Attacker Choices
In case you’re the attacker, you’ve got a number of choices to besiege* a fortification:
- Go over the partitions (scale with ladders and so forth. (escalade), make a ramp, siege towers)
- Breach (go by) the partitions
- Undermine (go underneath) the partitions
- Encompass the fortress and starve it out
- Betrayal from inside
- Use water! whether or not to intervene with defender water provide, or reroute watercourses
- Stratagems of warfare (e.g. the Trojan Horse)
Siege engines could make an enormous distinction in terms of going over the partitions, breaching them, or undermining. However siege engines (towers, rams, catapults) should be invented, and constructed. Siege engines weren’t a lot utilized in historical Greece, for instance, so it’s doable not each tradition has them at their disposal.
Superior stealth could make an enormous distinction in all these techniques. Invisible or in any other case hidden attackers might be able to seize gates (or posterns, door-size entryways). It is a large distinction between actual world and fantasy the place such techniques weren’t at all times on the disposal of most armies.
Magic could make an enormous distinction in a siege. Generally, the extra superhero-like the characters, the much less probably that fortifications might be helpful. For instance, going previous/by a wall consists of utilizing spells resembling (in AD&D) passwall, dimension door, teleport. And consists of creatures that may break by partitions. Going underneath the wall takes under consideration umber hulks and different tunneling monsters. Going over the wall consists of fliers, spells, even Spelljammer-style ships. And so forth.
Earlier than I present the lists of defender choices, remember the fact that in fantasy, a world of frequent highly effective magic is more likely to make fortifications much less beneficial or sensible, whereas low ranges of magic (as in Center-earth) depart us nearer to medieval Europe. However even in Tolkien’s world, magic might make a big distinction.
Defender Choices
Defenders have choices too.
- Assault the besiegers (to drive them away or to discomfit them)
- Gap up and watch for aid drive to drive away attackers
- Gap up and outlast the attackers (illness, provides)
- Escape and run for it (the defenders, not metropolis inhabitants)
Which of those choices they select relies upon closely on the state of their provides, particularly water, meals, and (the place relevant) ammunition. Holing up is by far the commonest. If defenders assume earlier than the siege begins that they’ll’t maintain out, they’ll probably run beforehand if that’s sensible. Generally the delay is well worth the loss, nevertheless.
Illness was an ever-present menace to either side, however particularly attackers residing in outside camps. Therapeutic spells may mitigate this, making sieges extra probably. Many sieges ended as lengthy affairs, months fairly than days, whether or not the goal was captured, or the attackers needed to depart.
Outcomes of a Profitable Siege
As you may think, a profitable siege might be dire for the inhabitants. Some may give up, or flee (if that’s an possibility). Give up agreements usually included provisions for remedy of the populace, even for the defenders to retain their weapons as they marched away.
As soon as attackers have management, the inhabitants inside is at their mercy. Generally the slaughter is contingent on the defenders not surrendering instantly. “In case you don’t give up now, we’ll slaughter you all after we succeed.”
Historic Sieges
Sieges in historical past tended to be certain by the identical legal guidelines of nature and physics that spells can generally break. Historical Greeks not often besieged cities, as a result of the non-professional troopers of the time have been unwilling to threat an escalade (a number of casualties) and siege engines have been not often seen. Even the virtually skilled Spartans didn’t wish to threat casualties, so the several-miles-long partitions connecting Athens to its port Piraeus stood inviolate for many years. Generally, the extra valued the person troopers, the much less probably they’re risked in a siege.
In a world with dragons and wizards, it’s not unreasonable to conclude that partitions are merely not adequate and fantasy defenses must be underground. Although when you’re defending a metropolis, going underground is impractical, so partitions will nonetheless seem, extra probably earthen partitions resembling historical hill forts or Marquis de Vauban-like seventeenth century star forts. In the true world, artillery destroys standard masonry partitions, therefore the necessity for Vauban’s star forts, and later for the pillboxes and underground forts of the French Maginot Line. The extra highly effective magic is, the nearer we come to the type of warfare Basic Patton knew, which led to his disdain for fortifications.
*The verb is “besiege,” not “siege.” Siege is a noun. That’s, you don’t siege a city, you besiege it. I don’t know why, English is an odd amalgam of German-Dutch, Celtic-Gaelic, Latin, Danish-Norse, French, and different languages.
Your Flip: How are fortifications in your world(s) totally different from medieval European forts and castles?
