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| Carisbrooke: More square than hexy! |
Possible solutions:
- Design the castle directly on the hex grid with lots of abstraction about what's in each hex.
- Design the castle on a square grid, and then modify the square grid to approximately fit the hex grid.
- Treat the castle as a detailed mini-map, and move units from the hex map to a square map when they enter the castle.
I really rather like the idea of having little miniature castle arrangements, and moving troops off the hex map and into a platoon-scale castle setting as they breach the walls. It should be easy enough to blow up the paper counter icons included with D@W to a larger scale. But building lots of quality-looking paper castles is a substantial investment of time!
I also came upon solutions 1 and 2. I have found some good examples of square castles modified to fit hexes, and building simple paper walls is not too hard. The biggest obstacle is what size and shape the castle needs to be. What scale will the combat be played at; Company or Platoon?
ReplyDeleteI had not considered a mini-map solution. But isn't the platoon scale only twice as big as the company scale? However, that would allow for the individual heroics needed in a castle siege.
Lastly, who will be the aggressors? Has Warchief Khazay mustered a hoard to counter-invade the human lands? Despite loosing the last game, i think it makes sense for the beastmen to still maintain aggression.
My idea for a "campaign game", back in the original setting post, was that the Legions of the Undying (which are more than just the beastmen!) would have both some static assets like old ruined cities full of monsters, and some raider elements that would sneak past the border.
ReplyDeleteThe "static elements" are basically cities full of old treasures and such, which the monsters (in traditional fashion) are faithfully guarding under direction from the usual array of liches, warlords, necromancers, and other such big-bads. So conquering a city (just like clearing out a dungeon) would net a big one-time haul of nifty items and valuables. On the other hand, a botched invasion attempt would result in being chased back to the gate with lots of unhappy losses.
Actual strikes over the mountain were going to come from more manageable elements of digger- and flyer-types, who would show up periodically to launch raids against the little watchtowers of player domains, and occasionally lay siege to a castle. (And then the besieged player would call for help from vassals and allies, etc.)
All the introductory scenarios we're playing right now are just to try out the tactical battle system, before I try to include anything economic. I'm counting them as "backstory" toward the campaign, to introduce some recognizable names and locations and add flavor. I do think my next job is to demo the siege system.
It should be easy enough to rally the Legions of the Undying with more reinforcements, and push up the trail toward the battlements at the mountains. I'm still assuming the humans are retreating after lots of heavy casualties, despite their victory. It's unfriendly territory for them beyond the Gate! I'm thinking that some kind of giants will show up next, since they would be a fun element to throw at tower defenses. Or you can suggest something yourself.
I toyed with the idea of throwing in a dragon on Saturday, but at the platoon scale a single adult dragon will zoom around the map and methodically kill each leader in the first three rounds of combat. Imagine all the mobility of the wyverns and all the damage of a fireball, combined.
Oooh, I like giants! I would have suggested a catapult, but then giants are ready-made siege engines themselves! I would suggest ladders for the orc regiments, and possibly a battering ram the the ogres can push. I imagine the giants would be busy sweeping the walls of defenders instead of kicking in a door. Then again, who knows!
ReplyDeleteYou may remember I suggested using Battletech hex maps. The thing is, they are 1.5" across point-to-point. Your 1" tile terrain may be oddly spaced, but it should work.
As for the castle and walls, I am leaning toward having individual pieces for each hex. Overall, it will be less visually cohesive, but would maximize playability. Accordingly, there would be visual gaps between adjacent wall sections, but we would avoid the dreaded 'half-hex' problem. Also, we would still have some visual interest.
Thoughts on using the larger hexes?
Because most terrain hexes are dropped in clusters that share a vertex (three or five units), I think that it shouldn't be too much of a problem if the hexes are oversized. I'm a little more worried about the amount of table space required to put together four 1.5' maps for a "regulation" platoon scale! Then we'll need those little sticks to push around our figures, which means we'll also have to start wearing uniforms and speaking in German accents.
ReplyDelete