[Northkeep] The Siege of Northkeep

[Niewoehner, Hugh]

Have at it.  There isn’t an idea that can’t be improved upon.   We couldn’t pull it together back then.  Maybe now.  Given the right schedule and decent promotion it could draw a lot of folks from all three kingdoms.

Both sides get a turn defending?  Winner/loser determines position in next scenario?  How to maximize the fun in the amount of time available?   There is enough fighting it should really be more than a two day weekend event.   Shades of the old three day Interkingdom fight-a-thons.   “I don’t know if I can handle having more fun.” – Heard on the field at the IK <cough, mumble> years ago.

The sappers sound like a lot of fun but really requires some close attention as it is the one that could easily turn problematic safety wise.   Maybe a shorter tunnel section say 4’ long.  Kick it around.  The main point is a narrow front, short weapons, no room for wrap shots.  i.e. brutal.  Limited mobility is just an added bonus.

A&S hero’s, chime in with contests that would align.  Archery, we had some ideas where non-combat archery could impact the causeway/bridge battle.

])amon

From: Perrin de Beaujeu <perrin14th at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2023 1:45 PM
To: Niewoehner, Hugh <Hugh.Niewoehner at flightsafety.com>
Cc: northkeep at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: The Seige of Northkeep

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This looks really fun, and with your permission, I want to move this idea around to some other minds and see if we can make something like this happen sometime soon.

On Thu, Feb 2, 2023 at 2:37 PM Niewoehner, Hugh <Hugh.Niewoehner at flightsafety.com<mailto:Hugh.Niewoehner at flightsafety.com>> wrote:
Lot’s o’heads came together for this one in the ’88-90 time frame
Angus & Damon as cohorts in trouble of course,  Andrew Selwyn, Wilhelm D’Kaalavo (AKA Wilhelm the elder), and a couple others including a dash of Ferd for color.

        Damon & Ismet

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The Siege of Northkeep
Premise:        Criminals operating on the border of Vindheim and Calontir are being a problem.  Northkeep and Bois D’Arc send out patrols looking for brigands and in a classic case of failure to communicate, encounter each other, mistake their identity and engage while sending for reinforcements.  Things spiral out of hand from there.

Scenario 1.      Meeting engagement
First of all remember the spatial relationship of the various groups.  Grimfels, and possibly Gleann Abhann showing up for some fun, creates an interesting tactical problem for Northkeep.
NK and Bois D’Arc & Crystal Mines mid-field.  After #minutes MoonShadowe and V’tavia enter the engagement from the west (Northkeep’s left regardless of which way they’re facing.)  +? minutes later start feeding in everyone else as the localities respond to the Crown call to arms.
Right off the bat, the respective armies are controlled by the locals.  The Crown, Prince, etc. or their designated army commander, cannot influence the lay of battle until their respective home group enters the fight.

Scenario 2. Woods battle
Well, someone lost the meeting engagement.  A rear guard is set to delay the winner’s army while reinforcements reach the castle.
Use one of the trails through the woods below the castle or great hall.  One side, let’s call them the “defenders” set up first in ambush and the attackers in column of march (2 fighters wide) walking into the woods, are constrained to the trail until the engagement begins by defending archery or the defenders close to a reasonable distance (4x spear range?)  from the trail.   I know seems really fake to not let the guys on a nature hike do something about the guys you can see but lets’ make the two commanders think about how to best order their men for what they know is going to happen.   Have the attackers form column behind the hall where they cannot see the initial disposition of the ambush.  Once in column they are in fixed order until the “Fights on”.  This has the potential to be fun or un-fun.

Scenario 3.     Bridge
We can set up a bridge on the field near the castle or down in the woods below the feast hall there is a small foot bridge about a foot off the ground.   The usual rules.

Scenario 4.     Sappers under the curtain wall.
Picture a tunnel 5’x5’x10‘ long.  Sides and top will be made with stock wire or similar restricting weapons from swinging.  Ideally one side of the tunnel should be able to swing down to let the dead out.   Sorry, no staying at one end and setting up a kill pocket for the poor guys trying to raise to their feet.  Even if you are not in the tunnel itself, only people directly in line with the tunnel can fight into or out of.

Fighters are limited to things sappers might carry: Maces, daggers, short swords, axes/picks less than 48’ and so on.  No shields larger than a buckler.  No archery of course.

Scenario 5.     Castle battle
The attackers made it through the curtain wall.  This is your standard castle fight using the main gate and sally ports we all know and love.   Archery and siege engines allowed.

All of these can be fairly easily run with Cut & Thrust as well as the chivalric format.  Given hay bales or someone bringing down the Lilies porta-fort you could build a town battle.