Castles

[Walsingham]

I'm just working up a Bretonnian castle in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.

 

It overlooks a small harbour, and town, of around 4,000 souls, which trades in hides, vellum, and a small quantity of agricultural produce.

 

Thanks to regressive taxation the output of the multiple smallholdings is extremely weak. Since every peasant has insufficient capital or incentive to improve their methods. 

 

My question is, how large a force should the castle command? I'm assuming that the number of skilled men at arms that can be supported is roughly equivalent to the number of skilled tradesmen the town can support. And the number of knigfhts should be 1/20th this number.

 

Thus our castle contains between 80-100 men at arms, and 5 knights. To which I've appended (for narrative reasons) 4 templars, and 6 squires.

 

At rumour of war the Visconte can call up maybe double this number of inferior quality troops with the same classifications, as well as perhaps 50 crossbowmen and artisans to construct a trebuchet, with which to guard the harbour. Plus 2,000 fuedal levied peasants.

 

Thoughts? Looks pretty weak tea.

[Nonek]

That sounds about right to me, castles have been held against sieges with far fewer numbers, i'd also probably add twenty five to fifty or so constables of the town whom probably report to the local lord, handle the incoming mercantile vessels, maintain the peace, bully the peasantry etcetera, and can at a pinch serve as footmen. Personally i'd add quite a few more squires, from all ranks of life, whom are serving the gentry. If forested the land might also have wardens, longbowmen and such whom can provide archery services during wartime as well as scouting and skirmish. 

 

There will probably also be an economy built up around the castle, whorehouses, gambling dens, merchants catering in what the peasantry would regard as luxuries and such.

 

A pity what happened during the End Times.

 

Edit: If the lord of the town is of sufficient standing, a Baron or such, he may well have landed gentry and knights technically under his command in his fief. Whom may of course have their own retinues.

Edited May 26, 2015 by Nonek