Excellent ideas Celebrim, and you're right on about the nature of this castle. Sadly, I'm over budget in giving you XP.
<<Here's what the players know about the castle (email campaign) and the beginning of their plan.
"C" is the party leader, a Fighter, played by a history major who was in the military. "G" is the druid, who did an aerial recon in eagle form. "F" is the monk, who talked to the guards at the gate.
C asks, "Does the Keep have any siege weapons?”
G says, “I saw something covered on the roof of the main central fortress tower. I think it was a ballista, like a giant crossbow.”
C nods, "I guessed they'd have at least a ballista. Describe the castle layout."
G explains, “It’s rectangular – a single set of walls with four small round towers on the corners and a central square big tower, the donjon. There are some other unfortified-looking buildings inside the walls, barracks and such. The walls are maybe 25 feet tall, and just wide enough to walk on top of (5 ft. thick, 3 ft. wide usable walkway inside the battlements). The entrance gate is near the southwest tower, facing down the hill along Southgate Way.”
F says, “When I walked up, the gate looked like a set of heavy, metal-reinforced wooden doors in an archway under the wall, about 20 feet from the southwest tower. No moat or drawbridge. They might have additional defenses inside, like portcullises or additional doors, and murderholes above an entrance tunnel through the gate works. You know, like the Keep on the Borderlands.”
G shakes his head, “I doubt it. The wall isn’t much thicker there. I don’t think there are any substantial gate works.”
C says, “Sounds like a simple motte and bailey castle, only with stone walls instead of wood. And poorly designed gates. We'll storm the gate. Get me the sappers.”>>
They want to get what ladders they can from the town, have their sappers make a ram, and assault the gate. Sounds like fun to me.
<<Here's what the players know about the castle (email campaign) and the beginning of their plan.
"C" is the party leader, a Fighter, played by a history major who was in the military. "G" is the druid, who did an aerial recon in eagle form. "F" is the monk, who talked to the guards at the gate.
C asks, "Does the Keep have any siege weapons?”
G says, “I saw something covered on the roof of the main central fortress tower. I think it was a ballista, like a giant crossbow.”
C nods, "I guessed they'd have at least a ballista. Describe the castle layout."
G explains, “It’s rectangular – a single set of walls with four small round towers on the corners and a central square big tower, the donjon. There are some other unfortified-looking buildings inside the walls, barracks and such. The walls are maybe 25 feet tall, and just wide enough to walk on top of (5 ft. thick, 3 ft. wide usable walkway inside the battlements). The entrance gate is near the southwest tower, facing down the hill along Southgate Way.”
F says, “When I walked up, the gate looked like a set of heavy, metal-reinforced wooden doors in an archway under the wall, about 20 feet from the southwest tower. No moat or drawbridge. They might have additional defenses inside, like portcullises or additional doors, and murderholes above an entrance tunnel through the gate works. You know, like the Keep on the Borderlands.”
G shakes his head, “I doubt it. The wall isn’t much thicker there. I don’t think there are any substantial gate works.”
C says, “Sounds like a simple motte and bailey castle, only with stone walls instead of wood. And poorly designed gates. We'll storm the gate. Get me the sappers.”>>
They want to get what ladders they can from the town, have their sappers make a ram, and assault the gate. Sounds like fun to me.
