tunneling critters

[Hardlec]

In the Napoleonic wars, many "martello towers" were built. A martello tower was a cylinder about three stories tall and 20 feet in diameter. The first story had no doors or windows, access was by crane or ladder to the second floor. The top floor was a casement mount for one or more heavy cannon. Martello towers guarded harbors and straits, being able to defend against threats on land or sea. I believe only one was ever defeated.

I am curious as to the ability of characters or minions to burrow under such a tower and attack from below, and especially how to defend against this. Armed towers might be a good way to defend towns. They would not be outrageously expensive to build and would be able to protect a large area.

While "fluff's not rules" good fluff should follow the rules.

[Hateful Darkblack]

Hardlec, this is really interesting, but I'm not sure how it relates to Malifaux.

I mean, in Malifaux, there's only one model that burrows: the Soulstone Miner, and it would be able to come up and attack this kind of terrain*. But in Malifaux, you'd also have a lot more models with Flight and Float ignoring the whole tower situation.

Can you provide more context? I'm fascinated by a historical tactical structure I haven't heard about before, but confused.

(*: As pointed out by the excellent 011121, this is false. The Molemen also tunnel, and I have done them a beastly injustice by forgetting it.)

Edited August 14, 2012 by Hateful Darkblack

[Hardlec]

Fly and float fine, but you still have to face the guns. Put a Gatling gun in the tower, or use grapeshot, and most fliers or floaters get lead poisoning.

Martello towers would guard towns. They are tall enough to provide good observation but not so tall as to be vulnerable to weather. They are good location for a heliograph or signal flag telegraph system. If I were working for the guild, I'd put one or more in my towns as a force multiplier. A "fort Apache" type of structure would take a company to man, a Martello tower would be manned by a squad.

They are pretty easy to model, making it easy to put together a beau gest scenario.

[Adran]

Most of the Martello towers I know were built along the south coast of England to prevent an easy landing by Napoleon. They were mainly constructed based on landing areas rather than towns.

The Tower typically would be manned by a force of 20 men and 1 officer. I think they normally had an artillary gun mounted on the roof but that was location dependant.

I know some where built in other parts of the world where they might have actually been used in combat, but to the best of my knowledge the 70+ built in England where never actually used in combat. (although I think some might have been used as target practise during the second world war)

In terms of the tower, the basement was used as food and munitions stores with internal access to the higher levels.

The two tunnelling models in Malifaux would be able to dig under the walls of the tower and assault up the internal stairs.

They are both much better at tunnelling than anything was during the similar era in our world, so the threat of foes from below was not something the tower needed to consider.

The current rules match this.

But by all means feel free to declare areas of ground "immune to Tunnelling". I imagine enough hardcore and cement would make it at least a timely thing to break. You might want to give it a hardness to allow the models to try and break through.

[011121]

Hardlec, this is really interesting, but I'm not sure how it relates to Malifaux.

I mean, in Malifaux, there's only one model that burrows: the Soulstone Miner,

My molemen are saddened and confused to learn they haven't been tunneling this whole time...

[Hateful Darkblack]

My molemen are saddened and confused to learn they haven't been tunneling this whole time...

How very wrong I was. My apologies to the molemen. I've added a footnote to advertise my wrongness.

They are pretty easy to model, making it easy to put together a beau gest scenario.

This could make an interesting Story Encounter, in fact!

I suspect that if played in a randomly-generated game, the player with the marcello tower would be at a massive advantage unless their strategy required them to leave it and cross the board.

But with the right scenario this could be a really interesting siege situation.

[011121]

Thank you, the little guys have enough ego problems without people ignoring one thing they do pretty well