Proposed Siege Engineer Authorization Procedure

Using a 15th Century Arbalests (Docmo Ballistae)

The siege engineer authorization process has two parts: a class and then a battle or simulated battle.

The Class

The rules: The rules for siege combat should have been read by the people attempting to authorize before the class.  If not, tell them where the rules can be found.  SCA rules for siege activities can be found at www.sca.org.  Look under the marshal rules for missile weapons.  The Midrealm rules can be found under the marshal's page at www.midrealm.org.   Look under the documents for armored combat.

Initial Authorizations: In the Midrealm, an initial authorization which is not weapon and shield can be conducted with a knight sponsor.  According to the previous Earl Marshal, Duke Sir Brannos, the responsibility of the knight sponsor is to describe the culture of the list field.  Most knights can discuss this for as long a you like, but if they need prompting I would recommend asking them the following questions:

Someone doing an initial authorization must be in armor.  I like to make sure that they can function in armor and operate the the siege engine in it.  They should also be able to remain active in armor for a reasonable time without becoming exhausted. 

Safety

The following points should be explained to the authorizing engineer.  These points are for a 15th century arbalest, but similar points can be made for other types of siege engines.

Moving Parts: The main hazards of a siege engine are the moving parts.  On a ballista, stay clear of the prod(bow) and string.  The ballista can misfire, so keep your hands behind the string when possible.  The siege engineers should not be crowded when operating the ballista.  There is a five foot rule which requires anyone who is not crew to remain more than 5 feet from the siege engine while it is being operated.

Garb: the siege engineers should not have any necklaces or long sleeves that may trip the trigger or get caught in the string.  Half gauntlets are allowed for siege engineers and are much better than full gauntlets.

Ammo should be kept behind the siege engine, not to the side.  This is not a rule, but my own recommendation.  If the ammo is to the side, then the engineers come close to the prod while it is drawn when getting ammo.  In a battle at Pennsic, there may be 6 or 7 siege engines in a line with 5 feet between them as required.  When troops move through the siege engine line, they pass between the engines.  If your ammo is between the engines, then it will get trampled. 

Inspections: siege engines are required to be inspected at every event before they are used in a battle.  During this inspection, the engine must fire 4 times in a row successfully.  Each shot should be between 40 and 80 yards.  When shooting during inspection, or during target practice as well, make sure that there is nobody down range.  I have frequently seen people crossing the firing range during these shoots.

Marshals: in battle, make sure that you don't shoot the marshals.  The marshals are always getting in the firing line because they want the same thing the siege engineers want: a clear view of the fighting.  When the marshals are in the way, you just can't shoot there.

Spectators: some battlefields are not very big.  There may be spectators crowding near the edge.  These people sometimes come closer to the battle than they are supposed to.  Keep an eye out for them and don't shoot anywhere near them.

Dead fighters: they frequently take their helmuts off and watch the battle from the sidelines.  Some of them stay on the field.  Watch for them and don't shoot in their direction.

Minimum target range: ask question: what is the minimum distance that you can shoot someone in battle?  Answer: 10 yards.

Holds: during holds, you must remove the bolt from the ballista.  You don't want to accidentally fire a bolt down field when there are chirurgeons and water bearers on the field.   During long holds, such as medical holds at Pennsic, you must also uncock the ballista.  You cannot cock the engine during a hold; you must wait until the layon.

Disabling: if you leave the siege engine, then it must be disabled so that nobody else can shoot it when you're not looking.  With a ballista, you should remove the trigger in order to disable it.

Moving the siege engine: these can be heavy machines.  Make sure you pick them up properly by bending at the knees.  Don't put the weight on your back.

Hard Hits: Watch out for your opponents.  If you are in a scenario where you are shooting opponents at close range, watch for fighters getting slobberknockered or getting the air knocked out of them.  If your bolts are hitting too hard, stop shooting.  Don't wait for the marshals to order your engine off the field.  Ballistae can hit too hard in situations where they are shooting at close range or down hill.

Siege Engine Operation

Trigger:  Show the class how to put the trigger on.  The draw rope goes under the nut hook hinge pin.  Show them how to loop the draw rope around the trigger bar. 

Cocking: when cocking the ballista, the draw rope should go over the top of the windlass, not under it.  If the rope goes under it, then it rubs on the stock which can fray the rope and damage the stock. 

Nut Hook: the nut hook latches over the trigger bar, not the bow string.  It is a beginner's mistake, which everyone seems to make at least once, to hook the bow string.

Loading: The loader shouldn't just stand there watching when the ballista is cocked, he should get a bolt and inspect it.  He should check to make sure that the shaft is strait, the head is strait, and the fletching is strait.  All of these can be straitened by the loader by bending them into proper shape.

The loader should avoid the trigger when loading a bolt.  I prefer to stand to the left of the trigger man (or woman) and load with my right hand.  The trigger is more toward the right side which is why I prefer the left for loading. 

The tail of the shaft should be flush up against the string.  The string should be in the middle of the shaft.  If the shaft is bent so that the tail sticks up, then it may be too high for the string.  The simplest solution is to turn the shaft 180 degrees so that the tail bends down.

Aiming: Show the class how to aim the engine.  This may vary from one engine to another.

Firing: Explain how the trigger rotates around the trigger bar.  When the hooks of the trigger rotate below the stock, the string is released.  The back end of the trigger should be rotated upward and forward.  This should be done fast and hard.  If the trigger is pushed slowly, then it may come off one hook of the trigger before the other causing a misfire.  I have frequently seen people operate the trigger incorrectly.  They have pulled it slowly, yanked it to the side,  and slapped it.  Make sure the class knows how to push the trigger upward and forward properly.

Uncocking: show the class how to uncock the ballista safely after it is cocked.

Monitoring the Engine During Use

Wedges: make sure that the wedges don't come loose.  The prod should remain tight in the prod hole.

The bowstring:  The bowstring must be replaced if it starts to break.  If the serving comes undone, then it can be tied down.  The string should be waxed before use and sometimes during use.

The draw rope.  This year a draw rope broke at gulf wars and the trigger went flying down range.  Make sure that this does not happen to you.  The draw rope should be made out of quarter inch twisted nylon rope.  This should be replaced if it frays too much.

Battles

How to die: fall down.  You can also say "I yield."  Your opponents may or may not hear you because they will have helms on.  You can also "take a knee."  However, I have seen siege engineers get hit after taking a knee. After all, fighters on one knee can still be alive.  It is best to fall down so there is no ambiguity. 

Switching weapons: You can keep weapons and shields nearby, but they must be 10 feet from the siege engine.  If an enemy fighter gets within striking range and you still have half gauntlets on, then you must yield due to armor failure.

Destroying siege engines:  this can be scenario specific.  The recommended rule is to touch the siege engine with a weapon and declare it destroyed.  Three hits with a ballista bolt or one hit by a large rock can also destroy a siege engine.

Pennsic Procedures

Inspections: At Pennsic, siege engine inspections are held before war week.  Typically these are on Friday, Saturday, and maybe Sunday before the first war point battle.  Siege engine inspections are not held during war week because the siege engines must be fired and this requires a large chunk of the battlefield.  The battlefield tends to be booked up during war week.  The only exception is the day of the woods battle when there are siege activities scheduled for the battlefield which may include inspections.  Check the Pennsic handbook and the message board at marshal's point for siege engine inspection times.  You can also check the marshals page at http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn38.

Ammo: All  the ammo will be weighed during the engine inspection.  The ammo will then be re-inspected after every battle.  This is usually done on the battle field right after the battle.  Don't show up at marshals point 20 minutes before a battle and expect to get the ammo inspected.  They may or may not be able to do this.  Get it inspected the day before.

Gleaning Ammo: You can glean ammo from the field during the battle, but it is the responsibility of the siege engineers to inspect it.  Make sure that the head isn't coming off or bottoming out.

Battles: Get the siege engines out to the field early.  It's easier to move them before traffic builds up on the road and before the battle field gets crowded.  Find out from the commanders where the siege engines are supposed to go and what your mission is.  Master Jean Paul is the lieutenant general of siege engines for the Midrealm this year.  They may have you do volley fire during the battles so you may need to learn the flag signals.

Destroying siege engines: this may be by touch or by an opponent coming within 5 feet unopposed.  Check the Pennsic handbook for the rules on destroying siege engines.

Practice Shooting

All the authorizing engineers should get some practice operating the siege engine before shooting it in battle.

Zombie Drill: have everyone authorizing take the trigger off and put it back on.  They need to know how to put the trigger on fast because they may need to do this 60 seconds before a battle starts.  They will need to do this under pressure with time running out.  This is called the zombie drill.

Uncocking: Have everyone who is authorizing cock and uncock the ballista.  They can get help when uncocking since ballistae are required to have a crew of two.

Shooting: Everyone authorizing should shoot the engine several times.  They should also load ammo.  This should be done before they shoot  in battle.

Beginner's mistakes: keep an eye on them to make sure that they crank the windlass in the right direction so that the draw rope winds over the top of the windlass.  See if they hook the string instead of the trigger bar.  Give advice whenever they need it. 

 

Battle Experience

I prefer the live fire exercise to be in battle. I sometimes ask the fighters on the same side as the authorizing engineer to let a couple of opposing fighters blow through the lines and kill the engineers.  That way I can see if they die properly.  This is not always possible or convenient. 

Some events don't have enough fighters to make a battle large enough for siege engines.  In those cases, I like to send a few fighters downrange for target practice.  These fighters will slowly advance as the siege engineers fire and will finally charge the engineers.  I like to see if the authorizing engineers shoot anyone at less that 10 yards and whether they die properly.

Keep an eye on the authorizing siege engineers while they are shooting the engine.  Correct them if they make any mistakes. 

You should flunk the authorizing siege engineers if they shoot a marshal.

 

Questions

You can work these questions in whenever you have time.

Who can call a hold?   Answer: anyone.

During a long or medical hold or if the command “pop your top” is given, what should an engineer do if the engine is cocked and loaded?  Answer: unload and uncock the siege engine.

Siege engineers are required to wear what level of armor?  Answer: full minimum armor with the exception of half gauntlets.

Who can throw "dropped rocks."  Answer: dropped rocks simulate large boulders.  They cannot be thrown; they can only be dropped.  Anyone can drop them, but nobody can throw them.

What color is siege class ammunition and what are it's effects?  Answer: yellow.  It can kill through shields.  A hit to any legal target area on the body is a kill.

Can combat archery arrows be shot from a balllista?  This is legal, but they still hit as a combat archery arrow and cannot kill through shields.

Can you move a siege engine while it is cocked?  Answer: No. You can only turn it for aiming purposes.

In order to settle a new bow string on a ballista, should you dry fire it a few times?  No.  This may damage the wedges or the stock.

Can you fire the siege engine to unload it?  Yes, as long as there is no hold and you can fire in a safe direction.

Can siege engines be captured?  Yes, although the scenario rules may make this difficult or impossible.  The fighters capturing a siege engine must be authorized siege engineers and there must be at least two of them.  They should have experience operating the type of siege engine they capture.

If your engine breaks down, can you switch to another siege engine even though you have never fired that type of engine before?  Answer: there is no rule against this in the Midrealm.  There is only one authorization for siege; not one for each type of siege engine.  However, it is not a good idea to do so.  It is not safe to operate a siege engine that you are not familiar with.

Name 6 types of siege engines: Answer: arbalest (Docmo ballista), torsion powered ballista (Roman), trebuchet, onager(Roman catapult), mangonel (midieval catapult), man powered trebuchet.

 

Paperwork

The authorization form needs to be filled out and signed by two marshals.  One must be a siege marshal, but the other can be an armored combat marshal or another siege marshal.  It is up to the authorizing engineer to mail in the form to the Clerk of the Roster if he wants the authorization to show up in the Arts Martial Database.  The address for the Clerk of the Roster can be found in the Pale.

 

The siege marshal must also initial the authorization card of the new engineer.