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Worlds of Design: Putting Up Walls
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<blockquote data-quote="Steampunkette" data-source="post: 8448699" data-attributes="member: 6796468"><p>So... Walls are important, but Earthworks are -way- better in a fantasy setting. But also -so much worse-. Lemme 'splain!</p><p></p><p>So when you've got a wall you have a defensible position that takes enemy resources to overcome. Generally this comes in the form of human lives sacrificed trying to take the wall or destroy it. A variety of siege engines have been developed to tear down walls as efficiently as possible. Whether that means breaking open doors in the wall to push through or hurl boulders from massive distances to break it, or even explosives you put against the wall and then run away. With fantasy characters, you also get to throw Fireballs at the wall, or it's occupants.</p><p></p><p>But a massive artificial hillside? You can't really -do- much to that except climb it. And based on how steep it is, and overgrown, a hill can make cavalry useless, siege engines impossible to move, and on rainy days (Or with the diversion of some agricultural water) that hillside becomes a treacherous slippery mess to try and even struggle up.</p><p></p><p>There are no efficient ways to break the hillside, either. Because it's dirt and stone and clay, rather than brick and mortar, it shifting a little bit doesn't really hurt much of anything. Explosives might break out a place to duck for cover while trying to get up the thing, but won't do much more than that.</p><p></p><p>Throw up some low fortifications at the top of the hill, you don't really need big walls, and you get just as defensible a position as a wall with way less ability to disrupt it. Still have to worry about Fireballs, though.</p><p></p><p>The laughably bad part of Earthworks in fantasy, though... Is that tunneling is just -super- easy. Sappers can get up under the minor fortifications up top with a little time and drop the entire thing into a sudden trench. ESPECIALLY when you have things like Tamed Tunneling Monsters. Or a Spellcaster with Move Earth or something similar.</p><p></p><p>In a fantasy warfare scenario, Walls and Fortifications will only ever be as effective as the story needs them to be. In a "Real" Fantasy scenario, they're nothing more than Security Theatre. Something that makes you -feel- safe but doesn't actually do -anything- to keep you safe. One disintegrate spell and there's a 10ft cube hole in your fortifications and soldiers rushing through it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Steampunkette, post: 8448699, member: 6796468"] So... Walls are important, but Earthworks are -way- better in a fantasy setting. But also -so much worse-. Lemme 'splain! So when you've got a wall you have a defensible position that takes enemy resources to overcome. Generally this comes in the form of human lives sacrificed trying to take the wall or destroy it. A variety of siege engines have been developed to tear down walls as efficiently as possible. Whether that means breaking open doors in the wall to push through or hurl boulders from massive distances to break it, or even explosives you put against the wall and then run away. With fantasy characters, you also get to throw Fireballs at the wall, or it's occupants. But a massive artificial hillside? You can't really -do- much to that except climb it. And based on how steep it is, and overgrown, a hill can make cavalry useless, siege engines impossible to move, and on rainy days (Or with the diversion of some agricultural water) that hillside becomes a treacherous slippery mess to try and even struggle up. There are no efficient ways to break the hillside, either. Because it's dirt and stone and clay, rather than brick and mortar, it shifting a little bit doesn't really hurt much of anything. Explosives might break out a place to duck for cover while trying to get up the thing, but won't do much more than that. Throw up some low fortifications at the top of the hill, you don't really need big walls, and you get just as defensible a position as a wall with way less ability to disrupt it. Still have to worry about Fireballs, though. The laughably bad part of Earthworks in fantasy, though... Is that tunneling is just -super- easy. Sappers can get up under the minor fortifications up top with a little time and drop the entire thing into a sudden trench. ESPECIALLY when you have things like Tamed Tunneling Monsters. Or a Spellcaster with Move Earth or something similar. In a fantasy warfare scenario, Walls and Fortifications will only ever be as effective as the story needs them to be. In a "Real" Fantasy scenario, they're nothing more than Security Theatre. Something that makes you -feel- safe but doesn't actually do -anything- to keep you safe. One disintegrate spell and there's a 10ft cube hole in your fortifications and soldiers rushing through it. [/QUOTE]
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