Wargame Terrain is Art of War Terrain

One of the most impressive siege engines used during an attack on a castle or fortress is the Siege Towers. These are massive, tall, rectangular structures with wheels built tall enough to equal the height of the defender’s walls. Although most Siege Towers were three-story tall, many of the structures varied in size.  Some Siege Towers were reported built as high as 100 feet! This siege engine served several objectives: Protect soldiers from oncoming attacks from the wall, mount a direct attack on the fortification, and provide an alternative pathway to overtake the fortress.

The front of the Siege Tower was protected with animal hides. The hides were also soaked in mud and other primitive form of “fire retardant”.  It was also designed to hold soldiers and weapons at different levels of the tower. Later models included battering rams installed at the lower levels of the tower.

The Siege Towers were pushed to its objective. Preparations had to be made before a Siege Tower took action. Moats and ditches that surrounded the castle or fortress had to be filled with dirt, rubble or fascines so that the Siege Towers are moved on level ground.

Siege towers were “made-to-order”. Since they were too slow and cumbersome to carry from battlefield-to-battlefield, most were built on the spot by the engineers. Time and material was the biggest drawback for building these Siege Towers. Metal, such as iron plates, were used in place of animal hides. But cost for such ornament was expensive. Since Siege Towers were so large and expensive to construct, it was the last option to the attackers if they anticipate a prolonged siege.

Siege Towers became obsolete in later warfare, thanks to the many advancement of military weaponry, especially the artillery.  As cannons became more deadly accurate, Siege Towers became a favorable target. The Siege Tower was too expensive to replace and destroyed the morale of the attackers.

This prototype stands at 10 inches tall, 9 inches long (with drawbridge extended) and 4.5 inches wide. Each floor has a headspace of 2 inches. These dimensions should meet or exceed most miniature game play requirements. We may plan to make the 2^nd and 3^rd floor removable to allow over-sized figures (with masts) to fit inside our Siege Towers.

The drawbridge works on a single brass mini hinge. We are still considering several options on how to close the drawbridge (more on this as it develops). At the bottom, there are four non-functioning “wheels”. Since this is a gaming model and not a toy, we had placed a halved wooden dowel to represent the wheel.

The details are minimal at best, but should be adequate for good gaming experience. For instance, we have no intentions to add additional ladders between levels for the sake of game play. We also forego of a functional drawbridge with a chain and draw wheel or making the Siege Tower moveable.  However, we can add these features at additional cost.  

Despite this lack of detailed features, we are completely satisfied with the overall look of this Siege Tower prototype.

The prototype photos shown here on this page is the absolute basic model. This model will also include a single, detachable ladder piece which will reach from ground to the fourth floor. All our models will be finished with a dark stain.

If the price is still not within your budget, then we will offer the basic model unpainted. The model is completely sanded and assembled, but will require further work, namely painting/staining the model and adding “pelts” to the front of the tower. The flooring on each level will be painted with a primer but not further worked on.  

Within a few months, we will begin posting our Siege Towers on eBay for sale. Like our buildings, we intend to have many different variations of Siege Towers. However, the basic structure, such as the body and drawbridge, will remain the same.

Like the days of old, these Siege Towers are made-to-order. If you wish to purchase a customized Siege Tower from us based on this current pattern and design, please feel free to contact us and we will give you a quote. Customization includes different stain color, variation to the front, and full detail. Drop us a line and let us know what you want!