Other Forms of Construction

When we think of “castles”, we almost always imagine imposing edifices of rock and stone. Historically, however, many fortresses--particularly semi-permanent or improvised ones-were built of earth, braced with timber, and transversed with beams for extra strength. Fortresses like these were cheaper and much faster to build, and had one great advantage: impacting cannon balls didn’t knock off splinters or shrapnel of rock, which often caused more casualties than the actual enemy cannon shot themselves did (this effect is discussed in a later section). Perhaps surprisingly, fortresses of this kind were quite resilient. In three successive days of siege in 1555, a revetted-earth fortress in Piedmont absorbed 3,500, 1,600 and 1,200 rounds of Spanish cannon fire, and emerged unscathed.

In game terms, a well-revetted earthen wall with properly-placed cross-beams can withstand as many hits as can a stone wall of similar thickness. (The figure given for earthen walls on page 82 of the BATTLESYSTEM rules refers to walls without revetments and cross-beams--perhaps a rampart thrown up in haste to close a breach.) Note, however, that revetted and unreinforced earthen walls are treated the same with regard to the table in the section on “Siege Attack Values.”