Talisman Games - Midgard - Game Redesign Plan

City Defenses

Outworks

Many different kinds of outworks are possible and are traditionally used independently of one another. However, for game purposes, surrounding a city, these will probably be simplified and organized into a hierarchical structure of different types of defenses more than different sizes of each type of defense. What follows is the currently-proposed plan.

Since cities may have outwork protections of any size, their cost is now going to vary by the size of the population protected. Cost tables will be available for protecting a city with 10,000 citizens, but actual costs will vary proportionally based on the square root of the protected population size.

Removing outworks from an area in order to add an annex to a city will follow the same rules and costs as those required to remove a wall segment for upgrading. Most outworks upgrades will be additive to existing outworks and thus should not require significant removal of previous levels of outworks.

Level	Type	Description
1.0	Simple Ditch and Berm	A simple ditch is dug in the ground surrounding the entire city. The earth removed from the ditch is packed into a berm with a relatively level narrow top directly along the inner edge of the ditch to ehance structural stability of the berm. The ditch and berm are typically constructed quite closely to the city wall (if any) to help protect it from close approach by the enemy and sapping under the wall. Such a simple ditch is typically about 5' deep and 10' wide. It requires continual maintenance to counter erosion. A simple but sturdy wooden walk is constructed to provide access to the city gate and cuts through the berm at that point. This construction may also be used as fieldworks to defend campsites, with a simple break in the defenses where the camp entryways are. When combined with a sod, palisade, or log wall, the wall is erected on the top of the berm instead of behind it. This can also be used as a field fortification, but will have a smaller width, height, and cost and won't last as long.
2.0	Staked Ditch and Berm	A simple ditch and berm is constructed as usual, except that it is about 8' deep and 15' wide (at the top) with a relatively flat (much narrower) bottom. This bottom area is staked with punji sticks to frustrate crossing. The scarp (the inner slope of the ditch) may also be set with punji sticks angled downward into the ditch to impede anyone trying to climb out on that side. Punji sticks may be camouflaged by adding light brush to the ditch. The walkway is railed to help keep visitors from falling into the ditch. This construction may also be used as fieldworks to defend campsites, with a simple break in the defenses where the camp entryways are. When combined with a sod, palisade, or log wall, the wall is erected on the top of the berm instead of behind it. This can also be used as a field fortification, but will have a smaller width, height, and cost and won't last as long.
3.0	Reinforced Ditch	A ditch is constructed as usual, except that the scarp and counterscarp are vertical (not slanted) and lined (revetted) with stone or brickwork to prevent erosion and reduce maintenance. Inner berms are not usually used with these as they don't improve security. Reinforced ditches are about 8' deep but only about 10' wide. The bottom is still staked as before and the walkway is typically stronger with better protective rails. The scarp includes a cordon of protruding masonry along the top edge to make it harder for an enemy to stand a ladder against it. The walkway is kept relatively narrow and is not excessively strengthened to prevent an enemy from moving large siege equipment over it.
4.0	Moat	A simple moat is just a reinforced ditch that has been mostly filled with water (not enough to cover the scarp). The punji sticks are now under water, of course, and can't easily be seen and avoided. Moats are traditionally filthy and may have other unsavory surprises hidden under the surface of the water. Often, city sewage is simply dumped into the moat to make it as distasteful as possible to enter. A walkway is provided for typical traffic to cross, as above.
5.0	Moat and drawbridge	This otherwise-simple moat does not have a bridge crossing the water. Instead, a drawbridge is erected in front of the gate that may be drawn up against the gate, uncovering the moat below. With the drawbridge retracted there is no way over the moat to reach the city gate, and the raised drawbridge itself becomes an additional blockage preventing access to the main gate.
6.0	Wide Moat	This moat is a more formidable barrier to cross. It is around 20' deep and at least 30' across, with all the usual refinements. In this case, a bridge is necessary to cross the portion of the moat that the drawbridge does not cover, and the end of the drawbridge connects (over part of the water) to the end of this bridge. As expected, the bridge is not large or strong enough to support siege equipment crossing the moat. Within moats of this size and larger may be placed ravelines to help protect any bastions that may be present as part of the walls.
7.0	Chevaux de frise	In addition to a wide moat around the city's edge, Chevaux de frise or smaller hedgehogs are deployed throughout the surrounding area to disrupt the approach of tight formations of infantry and horsemen, making a mounted or infantry charge much more difficult. Hedgehogs are constructed of bundles of long wooden spikes or wooden spikes inserted into short logs and may be joined with soft metal braces. The spikes may sometimes be capped with metal. The intent is to slow down an attacker but not provide them with anything that would be useful for construction purposes. This is an outer defense to keep an initial attack at a distance. Roads are the only quick route through an area reinforced in this way.
8.0	Pits	Simple pits are dug randomly throughout an approach area, either in the same areas as the Chevaux de frise/hedgehogs or in a separate defensive band. Pits are at least 5' deep and narrow/vertical enough to be difficult to crawl out of. Edges tend to crumble from pressure and so even treading at the edge of a pit is dangerous to men, horses, and wheeled vehicles. Recent rain makes the sides collapse even more easily and they are much more slippery when trying to climb out, but they degrade quickly and require frequent maintenance.
9.0	Trous de loup	A Trou de loup (French for "wolf hole") is an oversized version (8' deep by 6' wide) of a simple pit with a punji stick imbedded in the bottom of it. In addition, they are usually concealed by a light cover of wicker and a thin layer of soil or sod, making them difficult to spot. Poisoning the punji stick with rotted meat or feces, or flooding the field to a shallow depth makes them even more deadly. Frequent maintenance is required, and such maintenance is usually dangerous and expensive.
10.0	Anti-siege traps	Huge clay pots (15'-20' across) are buried randomly in the approach areas around the city. They are strong enough and buried just deeply enough that the normal weight of men, horses, wagons, and the like are well-supported. But if an enemy tries to bring heavy siege engines through the area, any great weight crushes the pots which will stop or tip over siege engines.