If you recently defended its streets from the Sea Raiders and their nefarious rebel allies, the interior of White Elk Fort will be immediately familiar to you. However, now it’s not just the streets that are under siege, but the entire city! Regardless of whether you choose to side with the attackers or defenders, the battlements are calling!
HISTORY
Named after the famed White Elk that has been hunted to near-extinction in the ancient forests beyond the city limits, White Elk Fort was considered a fairly quiet mercantile town until the Sea Raiders splintered its gates and massacred its citizens. Since then, the defences have been hastily rebuilt, although the walls remain every bit as fragile as the population’s nerves.
SCOUTING REPORT
Were it not for its breached walls White Elk Fort could almost be called impregnable. The battlements are high and wide, offering plenty of depth for defence, while along the main gate facing, a line of stakes planted at the base of the outer wall is a permanent deterrent to any ladder-borne assault. However, to the east and west, the walls are much less secure, and with just two control points sited in the centre of the fort, it’s difficult for the defenders to both protect its flanks and hold the centre-ground.
PLAN OF ATTACK
- Unless you plan to ram through it at lightning speed, an assault on the main gate will be unwise - and seen for what it is, a folly rather than a feint. Use the siege towers by all means, but do so as part of a coordinated attack on the flanks of the fort.
- If you intend to breach the fragile walls in order to quickly rout the enemy, don’t expect to find too many artillery pieces perfectly positioned to help you out. You will need to deploy your personal reserves if you want to bring down the scaffolding holding those brittle sections together. You may find it quicker still - not to say cheaper - to use the ladders instead.
- Once you are established inside the city walls, your route to capturing the fort will be the same that the Sea Raiders faced. You may find you’ll also face the same defensive tactics from warlords that are used to facing them. So, instead of flooding the control points with waves of troops, use the narrow streets to outmanoeuvre the defenders. The mid-point latitude between A and B is especially fragile and, significantly, can be reinforced if you capture the supply zones to the east and west.
DEFENSIVE MEASURES
- As you will have found if you faced the Sea Raiders, trying to defend the walls of White Elk Fort was a futile gesture. It isn’t quite the same when under siege, but if you see that you face an attacker that is coordinating its attacks to soften your flanks, you may find it difficult to hold the enemy back on both fronts. Prioritise your defence to ensure a series of managed retreats, so that you can engage the attackers on your own terms.
- Just as you don’t want to be too far in advance of your main defensive position in the centre of the map, neither do you want your main forces to be surrounded defending Point A. The ground that is most advantageous is Point B, and the supply areas to the north and west. It’s in the final third that the fort will be won or lost, so make the bulk of your preparations with that in mind.
- Lone wolf tactics can be risky but one or two mounted warlords with elite-grade cavalry units roaming behind the enemy lines can be a great way to disrupt an attack. A wide map with narrow streets where you can hide entire units offers the perfect terrain for mounted raiders to cause chaos and rack up an impressive tally of kills!
