Siege engine and related equipment descriptions?

[Axly Suregrip]

Not all siege weapons were sloppy artillery. Roman ballistas were very accurate. Sometimes used to pick off individuals.

[JohnPaulB]

Originally Posted by Bill_in_IN

Where are some good references for details about various siege equipment?

ITL gives a cursory mentioned to scorpions, arbelests, catapults, battering rams, and siege towers but is lacking any details around these items so far as how they are operated and fit into game play. ITL does describe which talents are required and how the talents relate to these items but the items themselves seem to be lacking the info needed for game play.

Here is my offering of rules for Large Crossbow type Weapons. Non-RAW are in Red.


Heavy Crossbow 3d damage; ST=15; Cost $80; Wt= 10 lbs

Arbalest 3d damage; ST=15; Cost $80; Wt= 10 lbs

• Note: Usually placed on a pedestal or table which braces the weapon and gives a +2DX.

Gastraphetes 3d damage ST=15 Cost $80 Wt= 10 lbs

• Note: Loads in two turns instead of three.

Scorpion 3d+3; ST=15; Cost $75; Wt= 12 lbs; Ammo= giant dart

• A scorpion always requires its own giant-sized Cranequin for cocking, and takes at least 12 turns to wind up. A figure with the Crossbow or Engineer talent will be able to handle a scorpion. All others are at –4 DX to fire it and may have a great deal of difficulty using the Cranequin without breaking something or injuring themselves!
  
• A giant crossbow does not do as much damage, proportionately, as a small one; they lose efficiency with size. Even so, an “inefficient” weapon that can throw a javelin-sized bolt several hundred yards, 4d6 to 5d6 damage to the unfortunate target, should not be taken lightly.
  
• If the scorpion can aim in such a way as to get two or more of you in the line of fire, it will. The target must make a 4/ DX roll or be hit by the missile. If it misses that one figure and passes through a hex occupied with another, that figure must make a 3/DX roll or be hit.

Siege Weapons

Talent - Engineer (2) Ability to build, maintain, and effectively use all “Siege engines” and large weapons of war, including the ballista, trebuchet, catapult, bombard, siege tower, battering ram, etc. Ability to detect a mining operation against a fortress.

Ballista 4d6 Cost = $250 Weight=200 lbs. Ammo = Javelin with fletch.

• When set up it has a 60 degree arc of fire; to change the arc by 60 degrees requires an action. The ammunition weighs and costs the same as a spear (although it's fletched and the shaft is much shorter and thicker than a spear).
  
• A ballista requires an engineer or mechanician to set it up, a process which requires four minutes (50 turns) and two unskilled assistants. One person can fire it (-4 DX if you do not have Engineer, Mechanician or Crossbow Talent).
  
• It requires two people to reload it (by cranking), a process which takes twelve rounds if you are an engineer or have crossbow talent. If you have neither of these talents, you must make your DX roll (or your IQ roll, whichever is higher) on 3 dice every turn. If you miss the roll on any turn, the crossbow will go sproing. This usually means you broke it on a 3-6 on a d6.
  
• A character may make a roll to see a Ballista bolt coming towards him, and if succeeds, make a 3-die DX roll. If he misses the roll, he takes 4 dice of damage.

Heavy Ballista 5d6 Cost = $400 Weight=300 lbs. Ammo = Spear with fletch

• Use regular ballista for loading and firing except that it takes 8 minutes (100 turns) to load.
  
• The range of a Heavy Ballista is 750 yards, and requires a four-man crew. They have a swivel mounting that permits engaging aerial targets or targets within and without the walls or tower. They can’t fire on anything within 20 yards of the tower, however.

As an alternative to firing fletched spears, the ballista can also fling grenades, gas bombs (mammal poison, etc.), or molotails (use missile weapon ranges, but effects of a hit or miss are as per the grenade/ molotail rules).



I used several sources for this: SJG TFT Forum, Death Test 2, Ardonirane, the Internet and Brainiac TFT Archives.

[Bill_in_IN]

Originally Posted by JohnPaulB

Here is my offering of rules for Large Crossbow type Weapons. Non-RAW are in Red.


Heavy Crossbow 3d damage; ST=15; Cost $80; Wt= 10 lbs

Arbalest 3d damage; ST=15; Cost $80; Wt= 10 lbs

• Note: Usually placed on a pedestal or table which braces the weapon and gives a +2DX.

Gastraphetes 3d damage ST=15 Cost $80 Wt= 10 lbs

• Note: Loads in two turns instead of three.

Scorpion 3d+3; ST=15; Cost $75; Wt= 12 lbs; Ammo= giant dart

• A scorpion always requires its own giant-sized Cranequin for cocking, and takes at least 12 turns to wind up. A figure with the Crossbow or Engineer talent will be able to handle a scorpion. All others are at –4 DX to fire it and may have a great deal of difficulty using the Cranequin without breaking something or injuring themselves!
  
• A giant crossbow does not do as much damage, proportionately, as a small one; they lose efficiency with size. Even so, an “inefficient” weapon that can throw a javelin-sized bolt several hundred yards, 4d6 to 5d6 damage to the unfortunate target, should not be taken lightly.
  
• If the scorpion can aim in such a way as to get two or more of you in the line of fire, it will. The target must make a 4/ DX roll or be hit by the missile. If it misses that one figure and passes through a hex occupied with another, that figure must make a 3/DX roll or be hit.

Siege Weapons

Talent - Engineer (2) Ability to build, maintain, and effectively use all “Siege engines” and large weapons of war, including the ballista, trebuchet, catapult, bombard, siege tower, battering ram, etc. Ability to detect a mining operation against a fortress.

Ballista 4d6 Cost = $250 Weight=200 lbs. Ammo = Javelin with fletch.

• When set up it has a 60 degree arc of fire; to change the arc by 60 degrees requires an action. The ammunition weighs and costs the same as a spear (although it's fletched and the shaft is much shorter and thicker than a spear).
  
• A ballista requires an engineer or mechanician to set it up, a process which requires four minutes (50 turns) and two unskilled assistants. One person can fire it (-4 DX if you do not have Engineer, Mechanician or Crossbow Talent).
  
• It requires two people to reload it (by cranking), a process which takes twelve rounds if you are an engineer or have crossbow talent. If you have neither of these talents, you must make your DX roll (or your IQ roll, whichever is higher) on 3 dice every turn. If you miss the roll on any turn, the crossbow will go sproing. This usually means you broke it on a 3-6 on a d6.
  
• A character may make a roll to see a Ballista bolt coming towards him, and if succeeds, make a 3-die DX roll. If he misses the roll, he takes 4 dice of damage.

Heavy Ballista 5d6 Cost = $400 Weight=300 lbs. Ammo = Spear with fletch

• Use regular ballista for loading and firing except that it takes 8 minutes (100 turns) to load.
  
• The range of a Heavy Ballista is 750 yards, and requires a four-man crew. They have a swivel mounting that permits engaging aerial targets or targets within and without the walls or tower. They can’t fire on anything within 20 yards of the tower, however.

As an alternative to firing fletched spears, the ballista can also fling grenades, gas bombs (mammal poison, etc.), or molotails (use missile weapon ranges, but effects of a hit or miss are as per the grenade/ molotail rules).



I used several sources for this: SJG TFT Forum, Death Test 2, Ardonirane, the Internet and Brainiac TFT Archives.

Excellent Summary! Thanks!

This covers the arrow/spear based seige weapons very well.

Do you have a link for Brainiac TFT Archives?


It would seem that the overall time to reload (no matter how one allows for modifying that) minimizes the use of such weapons in TFT games. Such weapons would only have practical use in small but heavily fortified positions or an all out castle siege. I suppose that any scenario where you have a defended position with a long range view from which to fire would accommodate the use of such weapons.

The one in Death Test 2 was on a standard Melee map but it was loaded as a trap. A one shot scenario at the other extreme.

[JohnPaulB]

Originally Posted by Bill_in_IN

Do you have a link for Brainiac TFT Archives?

Here is my link page to various TFT websites: http://gamestercrafter.brainiac.com/...tft-links.html

Here is the Brainiac TFT Archives website: https://tft.brainiac.com/

The archives runs from 1998 to this year.

There will be many familiar names in that list : )

[Bill_in_IN]

Originally Posted by JohnPaulB

Here is my link page to various TFT websites: http://gamestercrafter.brainiac.com/...tft-links.html

Here is the Brainiac TFT Archives website: https://tft.brainiac.com/

The archives runs from 1998 to this year.

There will be many familiar names in that list : )

Thanks. I'll check these out.