Goldenlake ManorBattle Strategy

ArmorTo protect

Chainmail Armor

Effective against sharp points and blades of spears, swords, axes, etc.

Helps the skin from being cut, which lowers risk of infection

Advantages--easy to move in, easy to repair.

Plate Armor

Is worn on entire bodyMade out of large metal platesCovers chainmail

Animal Armor

Plate armor also protected war animals, such as horses and elephants.

This plate armor was made of leather and steel

War Horse (Destrier)

Specially trained and bred for battle, and to be a battle horse Over 24 hands tall

Easily trample people All of Goldenlake’s knights have a

destrier▪ Allows them to be above almost all fighters, giving them height advantage.

Armored

Defensive WeaponsTo defend.

Serfs’ Weapons

BATTLEAXE Close contact Single/double-

hand axe Could be hurled as

a missile

POLEARMS (spears, pike,

glaive, partisans, et cetera)

Razor-sharp blade on staff between 4 and 14 ft. long

Serfs’ Weapons

MACE/FLAIL Close contact weapon Either wood or metal

CLUBBATON

QUARTERSTAFF Simplest of weapons Cheap to produce

HOT OBJECTS•Could be poured/dropped on attackers• Very painful. Will seriously injure, if not kill

• Could be water, oil, rocks, sand, tar• Oil and tar will stay on victims and make them flammable

Lord’s Weapons

Lord is equipped with at all times: Dagger▪ Small knife, easily hidden ▪ Used to stab and slice

Sword▪ Lord Roslyn favors a double-

edged sword▪ made of steel

sharply honed edge flexibility not to shatter in

use

Fists/Feet/Arms etc.▪ Portable▪ Accessable▪ Useful against unarmoured

and unarmed opponents

When Fighting: Mace/Flail Glaive or

other polearms, if not mounted

Battleaxe Warhammer Sword Lance Spear

Knight’s Weapons

May use all serfs’ weapons Sword Polearms

Spear Pike Glaive Partisan Halberd Poleaxe

Quarterstaff (if dismounted)

Dagger Lance Mace Flail

Chainmail Armor Plate Armor Shields

Kite shields Rounded at the top of the shield

and tapered at the bottom providing body cover

Heater Shields Smaller, suited to horseback

The Buckler small round, metal shield which

could be hung from a belt. reserved for hand-to-hand combat

The Pavise ( Wall Shields)  provided protection when reloading

crossbow The Targe (or Target shields)

traditional Scottish round shield

Advantages

CASTLE ON HIGH GROUND

Allows full view of surrounding land for attackers Nearest forest is far

from castle; not close enough for attackers to hide

Easier for archers to defend

LAKE Easily hide traps with

plants Bog near Lake slows

down attackers from the west

Trenches around castle prevent spread of fire and limits people entering; only two entrances to castle, well guarded

Trenches around farmland prevent spread of fire and people entering

Advantages--Concentric Castle Developed in the 12th

and 13th Centuries and offered the best protection against attack.

Main feature were walls. (3) Inner wall made of thick

stone with turrets for guard lookouts

Surrounded by equally thick but lower walls

This is so archers on the inner walls can fire over the archers on the outer wall

The space between the first two walls was known as the 'death hole' Being trapped within the

walls would almost certainly result in death for attacker

The entire castle surrounded with a deep and wide trench filled with sharpened stakes Entry would be across a

drawbridge Curtain walls allow for

monitoring of siege attackers

Advantages– Castle Features Round

No corners for attackers to hide in

Only two entrances and exits Allows entry to be monitored

closely Moat/drawbridges

Moat filled with pointed stakes and surrounded with abatis

Drawbridges raised prevent easy entrance

Moat at the bottom of hill- castle at top.▪ If attackers surpass the moat, we

can see them coming

Portcullis heavy grilled door that

dropped vertically down Nearly impossible to break

through Barbican

Loops around to the two main entrances with multiple gates eventually leading back into the barbican

From loop holes in the walls, can fire arrows

Only small amount of men needed to defend

Murder holes▪ From above, can pour boiling oil or

water on attackers or drop stones▪ Can be women doing this job

Advantages– Gatehouse (Main Entrances)

Chapel built into gatehouse Attackers would be

firing on the house of God

▪ Thus God is on the side of the defenders

Defended by a portcullis

Contains loopholes and murder holes

Once breached, the attackers will find themselves attacked by archers protected by crenellations

Holy Relics

The Lord wears a button blessed by the Pope. It is a tooth of Jesus Christ, Our Savior

The original Crown of Thorns is in the Manor church (verified by the Pope himself)

Every soldier carries a wooden or metal cross

Offensive WeaponsUsed to Attack

Siege Weapons

TREBUCHET Flings projectiles at

extremely high speeds into enemy territory

Far more accurate and efficient than other medieval catapults

Capable of hurling 200-pound boulders

SIEGE TOWER To protect

attackers Missiles launched

from top Height allows

attackers to enter over the wall instead of through it

SIEGE WEAPONS CAN KILL THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

Siege Weapons

Ballista similar to a giant

crossbow worked by using tension designed to aim huge

wooden, iron-clad darts or arrows

Highly accurate, but less range than that of Trebuchet

Treachery bribing a traitor to turn

against the inhabitants of their manor

Springald Works like ballista Giant catapult Missiles fired included▪ Poisoned darts▪ Arrows▪ Bodies or body parts▪ Diseased or rotting carcasses

Starvation An effective siege strategy a particularly unpleasant

method used when placing a castle under siege

Archery Weapons

LONGBOW As tall as archer Faster than any

previous bows; 10-12 arrows per minute (depending on archer)

Especially effective against plate armor

CROSSBOW Can be launched

from up to 400 yards from target Allows for archers to

attack without being in shooting range

Easy to use Accurate

Greek FireDeveloped during the Byzantine Empire, first used in 673

Potent Incendiary Ignites on contact with water

Launch from a trebuchet with a flaming branch; when it lands, will set fire to crops of other manor

This will cause them to try to douse smaller fire with water▪ Water will ignite the Greek Fire; Greek Fire spreads in all

directions and will destroy most or all of defending manor Potent Psychological Weapon Our lake is close enough to retrieve water in

case of fire, but far enough away that if the enemy has Greek Fire as well, our people and arable land will be safe

Battle TacticsStrategy

Offense

Preparation

Serf children catch nonvenomous snakes by the lake; these snakes are very similar in likeness to extremely venomous snakes

Contact Allies; request assistance in battle Hornwood Manor▪ winner of their battle

Oakwood Manor Construct Siege Weapons Locate and obtain stores of gunpowder Create more Greek Fire (recipe unreleased to the

public) Find entry spots in defending manor

(sapping)

Plan

Try to work out a truce or surrender according to Chivalric Code Give 30 days to allow for truce or

surrender▪ 30 for the 30 pieces of silver for which Christ

was sold If refuse to surrender, negotiate▪ Safe conduct: castle inhabitants could leave

unharmed▪ Weapons: Higher classes may keep weapons▪ IF the opposition should decide against

such a surrender, no promises given

Plan

Launch Trebuchet of Greek Fire with burning branch into other manor’s farmland, causing distraction Serfs will try to douse the fire using water, igniting the

Greek Fire During distraction, a small group of knights will

enter castle through sapping tunnel; release snakes for distraction; find the lord; disarm and capture him. If situation becomes desperate, the knights may injure or otherwise maim their captive

Other soldiers will locate the castle treasury and loot all valuables. Escape using sapping tunnel. Set fire to sapping tunnel once everyone is through

Plan

From Siege Tower, launch flaming arrows at threats

Retreat back to Goldenlake or other allied manor until fire burns out; then divide land and loot between the three through a parley of lords

Keep other manor’s lord in dungeon with a small array of guards until any survivors pay a ransom. Otherwise, take all valuables on his person and make him a serf working the fields

DefenseIn case of a Surprise Attack

Preparation

Create 2-meter sharpened stakes for archers to carry Create Abatis (medieval barbed-wire)

Tree branches driven into the ground with ends sharpened and pointing outward; place around base of inner wall of castle

Train often; once every fortnight train serfs Ditches around farmland, castle, serf housing; keep out

people and fire (drawbridges for everyday use) Sentry towers watch surrounding area Surplus supplies stored Create traps Contact Allies; request assistance in battle (once

intentions made known) Hornwood Manor▪ winner of their battle

Oakwood Manor

Plan

When attackers are spotted, send out Calvary to meet attackers

Behind Calvary, archers and other foot soldiers

Calvary peel off once attackers make known intentions

Archers put stakes in V formation line Impenetrable and hard to take out Horses will either spook or, if jump,

impale both horse and rider Spaced so that only foot soldiers can get

through

Plan

Foot soldiers drive in stakes with lead mallets that can be swung to use as weapons

Foot soldiers can attack from the safety of the stakes

The archers need protection– can retreat behind to attack

The stakes are barriers, keeping attackers out and giving archers mobility on the battlefield

In the case that the enemy chooses to sidestep the archers and their stakes… Battlefield littered with trou de loup. Foot soldiers, serfs,

and knights have trained among them– will not fall in

Plan

If attackers penetrate stakes, serfs will battle

If attackers near castle, women and children pour boiling oil on attackers from outer wall while archers from inner wall attack

Knights defend castle inside death ring and in barbican

Lord and his/her children as well as young children of other classes in innermost ring of castle

Plan– Under Siege

If under siege: Set fire to siege engines using

arrows Volley arrows through loopholes Fire crossbow bolts Hurl rocks (using slingshots for

children) Drop hot rocks, tar, sand,

water, or oil on attackers

Plan– Surprise AttackThis should not happen. Siege should be negotiated by the rules of the Chivalric Code

To fear God and maintain His ChurchTo serve the liege lord in valour and faithTo protect the weak and defenselessTo give succour to widows and orphansTo refrain from the wanton giving of offenceTo live by honour and for gloryTo despise pecuniary rewardTo fight for the welfare of allTo obey those placed in authority

To guard the honour of fellow knightsTo eschew unfairness, meanness and deceitTo keep faithAt all times to speak the truthTo persevere to the end in any enterprise begunTo respect the honour of womenNever to refuse a challenge from an equalNever to turn the back upon a foe

The Knights’ Code of Chivalry as described in the Song of Roland

War

Goldenlake rides into battle, declaring its presence by flying its cornflower flag depicting a slice of golden sun. The enemy is well prepared. But so are we. Who will win? It’s up to you.

Opponent

End of slide show, click to exit.

End of slide show, click to exit.