Siege Battles

[SMZ]

Quick Question:

In the books the normal course for taking towns or cities seems to be by laying siege. Defensive measures like walls or moats seem to be extremely effective with the attackers only choices being between storming over them, or starving the defenders out. I'm reminded of Rand's surprise, at the "spear caster", when he comes to relieve Cairhein from the Shaido. The woman who designed the ballista is installed as the head of his new Academy, evidently she came up with something nobody had thought of.

So it seems to me, that catapults and ballistas shouldn't be trainable unless you have a high level Academy building. I'm not even sure if sapping and siege towers are in use. Battering rams and ladders seem to be the extent of Randland armies siege capabilities... unless of course they have a channeler along.

I suppose that in Rand era a faction with an Illuminator's Guild might eventually produce some kind of cannon, after a scripted event perhaps? Like those messages that pop up in game, "Archimedes Screw" etc...

[Myrddraal]

No not true. Catapaults are used in the two rivers battles, one of the warders teaches them to build them. Siege engineers are mentioned by Davram Bashere and Gareth Bryne. Its simply that balistas have not been invented. Balistas will not be trainable, except in Rand era when you build an academy.

[Andreas]

Sappers is also mentioned.. Mat talks about it in the tent out side the Cairhien siege, with Lan.

[SMZ]

oh... duh - I just finished reading about the catapults too

[soibean]

Speaking of moats and castle defenses, did you add anything of that type to the game? or made them more effective or some such

[McFungos]

About cannons,

It's predicted by Egwene's viewings that Mat will devellop cannons.

I think cannons availability require a trigger.

Possible trigger :
- General with ta'veren trait + illuminator ancillary
- Must spent 1 turn in a turn in a city with foundry

Ta'veren and illuminator requirements are obvious.
For the foundry, it represents a bellfounder.
The first cannons were made by bellfounders.

[Andreas]

The General traits can not control unit or buildings that can be built. And I think we wait with cannons until we have actually seen them anyway, you shall never be to fast with assuming what jordan means. I starting to doubt there will be a cannon, it seems to easy...

And Soibean: We have not started working with siges yet, currently it is the demo that is on the paper.