A Tilean Campaign

[Padrissimus]

For you, Neunfinger, I will make sure a pikeman accompanies every unit pushing one of these. If I remember (which I am appalling at doing.)

BTW, I have a volunteer to play the NPC force, one of my players who ain't playied n a while. Just a bit more painting to do and it'll be play by e-mail time for me over the lock-down hols. Huzzah!

Edit: Actually you are of course right. They will look much better if they are visibly leaning forwards. now I know the length of the strings I can easily create new ones. I will redo the ropes.

[Mister Frau Blucher]

Fantastic stuff, Padrissimus! I actually like falling behind in your stories, so on a rainy day I have a lot of good material to get caught up on!

[WuZhuiQiu]

For you, Neunfinger, I will make sure a pikeman accompanies every unit pushing one of these. If I remember (which I am appalling at doing.)

BTW, I have a volunteer to play the NPC force, one of my players who ain't playing in a while. Just a bit more painting to do and it'll be play by e-mail time for me over the lock-down hols. Huzzah!

Edit: Actually you are of course right. They will look much better if they are visibly leaning forwards. now I know the length of the strings I can easily create new ones. I will redo the ropes.

A pair of simple triangular brackets along the tops of the two lengthwise beams would suffice to keep any siege bridges from falling backwards

Should you ever have openings for more NPC players, I would be happy to participate.

[Padrissimus]

I like your thinking. I will put something on the bar to make sure the bridge cannot fall backwards.

My mistake was putting the rope on and tying multiple knots along the line to try and get it to the right length. But obviously overdoing it.

[BZ]

Fantastic siege machines! I maybe copy some ideas here and there, if You dont mind.

[Neunfinger]

They will look much better if they are visibly leaning forwards.

I actually like them being tipped slightly backwards - my first impression was of a large shield to protect the men pushing the ramp from missiles. I like WuZhuiQiu's idea to add triangular beam constructions. That way you could use them both as shield and ramp.

[Padrissimus]

I like them better now, and they would still provide cover (if the undead enemy had any missiles!).



This sort of thing has happened a lot on the internet for me - I have modified quite a few such scratch-builds over the years based on helpful suggestions. It's very useful!

[Padrissimus]

Just managed to lay out the tabletop for the assault on Ravola, based on the last tabletop battle here 5 years ago (https://bigsmallworlds.com/2017/07/10/tilea-campaign-part-3/)

This is the walled and moated city those mobile bridges have to capture ...



We shall play over the xmas hols. It won't be quick. But ... Huzzah!

[Neunfinger]

Great setup! Really looking forward to the siege.

One more thought on the mobile ramps: a diagonal beam on either side from the back axis to the upper cross beam would add some more stability to the construction.
I like that you redid the angle of the ramps. It would have looked great either way, but this is real commitment.

[Padrissimus]

Ah! I now understand what people meant by an extra triangular beam. I genuinely could not work out what you meant, and was too embarrassed to ask as everyone else seem to think it was obvious. I thought you meant adding something to the top!

[Luigi]

What's the size of the table? The set up looks promising, can't wait for the siege.

[Padrissimus]

6 feet by 4.5 feet. I know because deployment in a normal game is always 15" in!

This will be another play by e-mail game. At least we have found a way of continuing the campaign despite an 9 month-long inability to meet up to play!

[Neunfinger]

Ah! I now understand what people meant by an extra triangular beam. I genuinely could not work out what you meant, and was too embarrassed to ask as everyone else seem to think it was obvious. I thought you meant adding something to the top!

Haha, don't we all feel like that sometimes?
I guess a picture would've been worth a thousand words.

[WuZhuiQiu]

I like them better now, and they would still provide cover (if the undead enemy had any missiles!).

Couldn't you resurrect (pun unintended) some skeleton crossbowmen of the kind that a gaming friend reportedly moans about having been edited-out of WHFB sometime after 3rd edition...?   

[Padrissimus]

Couldn't you resurrect (pun unintended) some skeleton crossbowmen of the kind that a gaming friend reportedly moans about having been edited-out of WHFB sometime after 3rd edition...?   

I have 1980s figures of Citadel skellie archers, which I do recall using!



Only one xbow skellie though, who appears to have been mutated in life!



Also some weird Grenadier boney bowmen ...



But they ain't on the walls!

I ought to have some undead scenario special rules for the land around the city, to do with the fact that the undead have possessed it for some time, but I might save such houserules for closer to their heartlands!