Motte & Bailey - free or minor boon

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

I'm running a saga set in the late 11th/early 12th century on the Welsh Marches. One of our locations is a motte and bailey border castle and I'm writing it up using the rules from Covenants. However, I noticed that motte and bailey is not one of the options for Fortifications boon (though there is a very nice picture of one). So, I'm wondering what folks think... should motte and bailey be a Free or Minor Boon?

2

Actually the mote and bailey is the MAJOR hook of "castle" IIRC. the basic castle, with no improvements or defects. It is a castle, and it does cause concern in those around you. So there you go. Major hook :slight_smile: if you want more refinements, then you start piling on additional boons and hooks on top of that.

Cheers,
Xavi

3

So Motte & Bailey = Ringwork? That is not clear to me. The text says a basic castle is a Ringwork and also gives a lengthy explination of a Motte and Bailey under the description of the Shell Keep which is something completely different.

4

Motte and Bailey is a Castle with the built in minor-hook "Wooden."

You might add in a free "inferior construction" Hook to represent the comparatively weak nature of the castle. Further, you could make Castle a Minor Hook if the covenant is sufficiently distant from anyone to notice and sufficiently inferior to all competition.

5

I'd equate a motte & bailey to a wooden shell keep.

Castle (major hook) + shell keep (minor boon) + wooden (minor hook) = motte & bailey.

6

Certainly in that ballpark.

And don't be too concerned with counting hooks/boons when you have to combine several to achieve a single, simple, clear concept. The SG should understand that it's impossible to list every last possibility and significant variation, and follow the spirit of the RAW rather than the letter of what is provided.

7

Well, not completely different: a shell keep is the next step on, in England, from a motte and bailey. Basically the tower on the motte is replaced with a shell keep.

Yes, I'd say it's a wooden ringwork. If the tower's impressive, then add a minor boon for that. The main point is that Castle is a Hook.