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[Kashyyk]

Core Thread

Greetings Commander. The foul greenskins have descended from the North once more, and are intent on laying waste to the Kingdom. Messengers have already been dispatched to gather reinforcements, who should arrive in seven days. We just have to hold out until then.

Spoiler: Forces (click to show/hide)

We have seven different types of unit. You must use each of them to their fullest potential to ensure our success.

Knights have trained from youth as warriors. They have a combat Strength of 3, can teach a little of what they know to your forces and can sally forth on horseback to make lightning strikes against enemy forces at nearby Ramparts.

Spearmen are standard infantry, these men have a strength of 1. With the bare minimum of equipment and training, they can fill the gaps in an otherwise understrength battle line.

Veterans have seen many battles and lived to fight in this one. They have a combat Strength of 2.

Archers will strike down any greenskins that come close to the walls. In melee and at range, they have a combat Strength of 1.

Marksmen have trained to shoot at great distances, allowing them to strike down targets even in the Ramparts. They also have a Strength of 1.

The Hero is a legendary swordsman. Capable of defeating even the greatest enemies, he has a Combat Strength of 3. Yet he is only one man, and thus needs other units to hold back the tide as he cuts them down.

Recruits are untrained and unarmed, yet serve as a pool of additional manpower if the time can be found to prepare them.

You start the battle with 20 Recruits, 20 Archers, 10 Veterans, 5 Knights and the Hero.

Spoiler: The Fortress (click to show/hide)

The most obvious part of the Fortress is the walls, here units can be deployed to fend off assaults by the greenskins. There are eight sections in total, with a structure between each. At the start, walls have a strength of 2, and can be reinforced to a maximum of 4. If a wall is ever destroyed, then the attackers will not need to climb them.

 Six of these are towers, where archers and siege engines can be deployed to shoot at the attackers. They provide cover for the adjacent walls and the associated Rampart, as well as the associated Staging Area (for trebuchets). The other two, at North and South, are gatehouses. They operate the same way as a tower, with the added feature of a gate. Each gatehouse/tower has two strength at start, with a maximum of four. If destroyed, the attached siege engine is lost and any garrisoned troops are sent to the hospital. Further, units can no longer be garrisoned in it until it is repaired.

The gates are a blessing and a curse. They allow your knights to sally forth, striking down greenskins at the ramparts, but they also pose as a weakpoint into the castle. If the attackers successfully batter down the gates, they will be able to push large number of troops through. If we do not have units stationed in the nearest courtyard the fortress will fall. Gates also start with a strength of two And a maximum of four. Sallies may target any of the nearest three Ramparts.

Within the fortress are a number of structures that will assist us in the defence. There is the Foundry, Watchtower, Barracks, Hospital and the Courtyards.

The Courtyards are staging areas for soldiers, allowing you to hold reinforcements here to be moved to wall sections as and when needed. The North and South Courtyard is also where any fighting will occur if the attackers manage to batter down the gates and assault through.

The Central Courtyard is where your forcesstart at the beginning of play. Connected to the central courtyard are the four perimeter courtyards (at the North, South, East and West). It takes 30 minutes to move between the central and perimeter courtyards, and 45 minutes to move from perimeter to perimeter courtyard. It takes 15 minutes to move from the perimeter courtyard to its associated wall sections/tower/gatehouse. It takes 15 minutes to move from one section of wall/tower/gatehouse to an adjacent one.

Spoiler: The Foundry (click to show/hide)

Manned by skilled engineers, the Foundry can assemble siege equipment and reinforce walls, towers and gates. Tower Engines bust be built at a specific tower, and cannot be moved. They can be dismantled for half the time cost. Ladder Poles and Straw Soldiers are placed in the Central Courtyard once complete, and can be moved to the walls by your soldiers.

Ballista - 10 hours (Tower Engine, can destroy units despite Mantlets and Siege Towers)    
Trebuchet - 10 hours (Tower Engine, can target any siege engine in nearby Ramparts and Staging Areas)
Ladder Poles - 4 hours (Wall Equipment, prevents the use of 1 unit of Ladders)
Reinforce Wall/Tower/Gate - 4 hours (Increase the strength of a Wall Section/Tower/Gate)
Straw Soldiers - 1 hour (Fake soldiers that will fool observers. Destroyed if the attackers make it to the wall)

Spoiler: The Watchtower (click to show/hide)

The Rangers use this as their base of Operations. These skirmishing specialists are too few to make a difference in combat, but can severly hamper the enemy’s logistics.

Lay Traps - 6 hours (The next three units to travel the designated path is destroyed)
Sabotage Engine - 3 hours (Destroys target siege engine)

Spoiler: The Barracks (click to show/hide)

The Barracks contains equipment and supplies to train units. One unit of knights is needed to teach each unit trained. The barracks has space to train two units simultaneously.
Train Recruits as Archers - 10 hours
Train Archers as Marksmen - 6 hours
Train Recruits as Spearmen - 6 hours
Train Spearmen as Veterans - 8 hours

Spoiler: The Hospital (click to show/hide)

Our numbers are few, so they must be maintained. All casualties are thus brought here. The medics can spend one hour to restore two units to full health. Further, they can can keep eight units stable. Any units that spend more than one hour without medical attention are destroyed. Healed units will be moved to the Central Courtyard

Spoiler: Decision Points (click to show/hide)

Decision Points are an event that will cause time to "pause". Default decision points are the completion of a set of orders, the declaration of an assault from a Rampart and six hours passing. Adding custom decision points to a plan is perfectly acceptable.

[Basil ii]

I am thinking that we should focus on High quality units [knights] but most of all archers the filthy green skins should not even have a chance at getting close.

[Urist Mc Dwarf]

Let's have two knights work on training recruits as archers, and have the rangers lay traps on the north-west path.

[Shadowclaw777]

Ballistas and maximizing archers should be the priority

[Criptfeind]

What, if anything, do the ramparts do? Or do they just act as an area for enemies to move within that is within range of our marksmen?

And are the archers/marksmen at each tower/gatehouse guarding the two wall sections and 3 ramparts closest to it?

It says that we can dismantled a tower engine for half the time cost, but is there a reason to do so? Do we have limited numbers of them?

Do soldiers in a courtyard automatically defend the connected wall sections?

Will we be able to see the enemies once they enter within a certain range, or are do we need to send people out to find them?

What does reinforcing a wall do? Can we do it to our current undamaged walls?

Are knights on raids more powerful or able to choose targets in a group then knights simply defending the walls?

Are Mantlets and Siege Towers seige engines that can be targeted by the Trebuchet? Or are they something else?

If this isn't part of the combat rules we're not allowed to know many attacks can the marksmen get between enemies moving from the ramparts to the walls, and archers and marksmen get on enemies at the walls before combat?

Can recruits move Straw Soldiers and Ladder Poles?

[Criptfeind]

I'd like to purpose for the other players consideration the following 12 hours of orders (Very tentative until my questions are answered. Even then not really sure what's best):

Forces: 5 Archers to each of the N/S/E/W Gatehouses/Towers. 2 Veterans to the South and North Courtyards. 3 Veterans to the East and West Courtyards. One Knights to the East and West Courtyards and North Courtyard. Leave 2 Knights and the Hero (and 20 recruits) in the central courtyard)
Foundry: 10 hours spent building a Trebuchet in the Northern Gatehouse. 2 Hours spent building a Trebuchet in the Eastern Tower
Watchtower: 6 hour spent Laying Traps in the path on the grey road north of the Northern Rampart. 6 Hours Laying Traps on the path to the North-East Rampart.
The Barracks 2 Knights Train Recruits as Archers for 10 hours. Then Again for another 2. (Maybe training marksmen might be better. Totally unsure how good extra shots at the rampart are.)

Needs more thought after questions answered.

[Kashyyk]

Excellent questions.  I'll also add these answers to the OP.

What, if anything, do the ramparts do? Or do they just act as an area for enemies to move within that is within range of our marksmen? Ramparts, like the staging area and main camp are a location that the enemy can deploy to and hold soldiers at. It is technically out of bow range, but ballista, trebuchet and marksmen can still hit targets there. Trebuchet can hit staging areas as well. They also act as a location where hostile siege engines can be built and deployed. 

And are the archers/marksmen at each tower/gatehouse guarding the two wall sections and 3 ramparts closest to it? Each tower/gatehouse covers the adjacent wall and associated Rampart

It says that we can dismantled a tower engine for half the time cost, but is there a reason to do so? Do we have limited numbers of them? You have more than enough parts for every siege engine, however you may decide that you want to replace the one currently at a tower with something else

Do soldiers in a courtyard automatically defend the connected wall sections?No, however an assault from a rampart is a decision point, and the time taken to reach the walls from the Rampart is conveniently the same time taken to get on the wall from a courtyard. Thus soldiers will be on the wall in time you defend, but won't be shoot arrows at the enemy as they approach. 

Will we be able to see the enemies once they enter within a certain range, or are do we need to send people out to find them? you whip be able to see them once they leave the Main Camp. During the day, you'll be able to discern exact size of force and any siege engines moved, whilst at night you'll only be able to see the torches used by enemy forces, giving tout a rough estimate of size. Beware, it is known that some of the enemy units have night vision and thus no need for touches. 

What does reinforcing a wall do? Can we do it to our current undamaged walls? Each tower, gatehouse, wall and gate starts with two strength, and can be reinforced up to four. Certain hostile siege engines will damage them. If a wall is destroyed, the enemy will be able to assault it without needing ladders or siege towers. Destroyed towers and gatehouses will be ungarrisonable, and any siege engines in it will be destroyed whilst any forces in it will be sent to the hospital. 

Are knights on raids more powerful or able to choose targets in a group then knights simply defending the walls? They have the same strength, but target's can be picked. Further, because they are mounted they can strike at any of the three nearest ramparts and do not take damage in retaliation.

Are Mantlets and Siege Towers seige engines that can be targeted by the Trebuchet? Or are they something else? They can be targeted by the trebuchet.

If this isn't part of the combat rules we're not allowed to know many attacks can the marksmen get between enemies moving from the ramparts to the walls, and archers and marksmen get on enemies at the walls before combat? All ranged units get an Attack as the enemy approaches the walls. They get another one every combat round, during which Hostiles will climb the walls and melee will occur

Can recruits move Straw Soldiers and Ladder Poles? Yes

Also, the grey road is not actually a path for thr horde, it's just to hammer home which of the towers are actually gatehouses. Marksmen  (along with trebuchet and ballista) get one attack per hour.

Edit: I have added a section to the OP on Decision Points.

[Criptfeind]

Interesting, so, just to make sure I understand exactly: You say each tower can defend the adjacent wall and associated rampart, but each tower is next to two walls, and those two walls are next to three ramparts, so I'm not sure how to parse that, if the tower can defend only exactly 1 rampart, or the 3 associated ramparts to it's adjacent walls. To illustrate: A marksmen on the eastern tower can shoot at enemies at the North-East, East, and South-East Rampart, or just the East Rampart?

On decision points, looking at this it looks like we're mostly going to want to sort our guys around constantly to face towards wherever they are coming from, which is potentially problematic with the structure of the real time nature of the game and decision points. If they are all on one side, so we have our forces there, and then they start moving at the start of a six hour period to the other side, we won't really be able to catch them if the decision point is that they attack, and now we can only shift our guys one movement before they reach the walls. I don't really have a solution to this issue, but it's something that worries me.

[Kashyyk]

Sorry, I'll clarify.  Each tower can target the Rampart at the same bearing. So east tower to east rampart, etc.

Part of the Decision Point issue is mitigated by the time cost involved with constantly circling the castle. As the attackers have a larger circumference to cover, it will always take them longer then it would take the defenders. Further, you are welcome to add decision points for the enemy leaving a staging area for example which will allow you to react in time.

[Kashyyk]

We did have a plan, until I apparently scuppered it with my answers. We need one in order to continue.

[Rockeater]

Ptp

[Criptfeind]

Heh heh, right, sorry. I got caught up in trying to figure out how to craft a defense that didn't involved the Decision Point: Whenever an enemy moves. Since that'd be extremely tedious and negate the point of the real time nature game.

[Kashyyk]

I'm not at all against that idea, to be completely honest. I might change my mind in practice but I've already decided not to change any of the rules mid game.

[Sensei]

It seems rather quiet here, so I suppose I will propose something: Let's station archers at all towers as scouts, and skew our melee forces towards the north end of the castle. If I read correctly, most of them (besides knights) only fight when the enemy tries to climb the wall, so placing them in the north courtyard should have them capable of moving to any location before the enemy, as long as they don't sneak up on us, and the archers should prevent that as long as daylight lasts.

Troop Movement:
North Tower: 6 Archers, 4 Knights
North Courtyard: 10 Veterans, Hero
East Tower: 6 Archers
West Tower: 6 Archers
South Tower: 2 Archers, 1 Knight

Foundry:
Begin construction of a Ballista on the North Tower

Watchtower:
Don't start laying traps until we see where the enemy is moving.

Barracks:
Begin training two Recruits as Archers.

Decision Points:
Hold position until we get a good idea were enemies are going- so probably wait until we see some of them actually enter ramparts, or make their way to the west/east rampart without stopping. If they go to any of the northern/eastern areas, move an equal distribution of our veterans into position on the walls.

Plan A: (1) Sensei

[Rockeater]

What if they come from the south?
I see, they still will probobly send some people in the south