Siege warfare
Siege machines, ladders and ramps are built by troops, not builders, except the Trebuchet, which your builders put up. Their crew are your troops: send troops at a machine to board it, and use the Unload button in its panel to let them out. Aboard, troops are out of sight and out of the fight, and their needs and gear don’t wear down.
| Machine | Faction | What it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Trebuchet | Both | Brings down walls and buildings from far away. Doesn’t move. |
| Catapult | Both | Brings down walls and buildings. Rolls. |
| Ballista | Both | Shoots troops. Weak against walls. Rolls. |
| Battering Ram | Folktails | Breaks gates, walls and buildings, and weakens dams. |
| Siege Tower | Iron Teeth | Rolls up to a wall and puts its crew on top. |
| Field Infirmary | Iron Teeth | Heals troops. |
| Field Ladder | Both | Gets troops and carters up or down a one-level step. |
| Field Ramp | Both | The same for machines too. |
Crew
A machine works with its minimum crew aboard, and better with more. Extra crew turn and aim it faster, push it faster (up to twice as fast), swing a ram faster, and keep it supplied while it keeps working (see below).
Firing
Trebuchets, catapults and ballistas pick their target once aimed: click an enemy with the machine selected. They turn to face it and fire until nothing is left to hit. Shots land a little off target, and hurt every enemy near where they land.
Their panel says what they’re doing: idle, too close or too far, needs a crew, out of ammunition, turning or firing.
Moving
Machines with wheels are pushed by their crew. They can’t climb a level except up a Field Ramp, and can’t cross water deeper than 0.3. Sent at a wall, they stop in front of it, facing it.
Ammunition
Trebuchets, catapults, Trebuchet Towers and hoardings use ammunition: siege stones (made at the Stone Press), logs or canola oil. Ballistas and rams need none.
The crew fetch it themselves. One of them walks to the nearest store, warehouse, workshop or supply cart of yours with the good, within 12 tiles, carries back as much as a beaver can lift, and climbs back in.
- Minimum crew. They only go once it’s empty, and the machine waits while they’re away.
- Extra crew. They go as soon as there’s room for a full load, and the machine keeps firing. More crew keep a machine firing longer.
Haulers bring ammunition too, while the machine is within 5 tiles of your roads, like any building in a district. Engines also take stones from a supply cart within 3.5 tiles.
Out of ammunition, a machine shows a warning and stops.