7 Tips to Using Siege Weapons in Fiction

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

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Siege weapons are rather restricted in its use, but that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t think about using them.  If you just toss them in, you might find that they don’t make sense or fail to get a decent impact.  There isn’t anything necessarily wrong about just mentioning them being there, but readers tend to expect such things to serve a purpose.  So, what are some things to consider when using siege weapons?

  1. As I said, it isn’t a bad thing to mention them while describing a large scale battle.  It can become an issue if you are writing scenes during the ensuing battle and they aren’t operating.  These things are something that allies need to get around, protect, and be careful of.  If they are close enough to attack the wall then you will have trouble describing the fortifications as being unscathed.  So, you need to think about how they will affect a scene if you identify their presence.
  2. Research how siege weapons work.  This is very useful if you want your heroes to find a way to destroy them.  It also means that you can have characters talk about the mechanisms and make repairs without making stuff up.  People seem to be able to pick up on when a mechanical device is being incorrectly described.  Another benefit of research is figuring out ways to make unique versions for your world.
  3. Even though siege weapons are typically only found in large battles, you don’t have to always restrict them to these scenes.  There can be a small group who have one of these devices and are going to use it for something other than war.  For example, a bandit group might have stolen a mobile ram to use on a treasury or a sealed cave.  Heroes might even need to get one for special circumstances.
  4. Getting launched by a catapult can be funny, but people can’t realistically survive it.  Still, you can tweak reality with magic or just hoping readers don’t care.
  5. Siege weapons do not operate themselves.  Remember that even modern day versions have teams making sure they are loaded, aimed, and fired correctly.  So, a hero trying to defeat a siege weapon can’t run up to it and bash away since there will be enemies to fight through.  Even non-warriors assigned to use them will pose an obstacle.  Again, you might have to research how many people are needed to effectively use them.
  6. Some siege weapons can be used in traps.  This requires some creativity, but I’ve seen it done in various D&D games.  For example, we had one game where thieves set up a ballista on the opposite of a door.  Open it up without disarming the switch and you get hit by a giant bolt from point blank range.
  7. In large battles, having a siege weapon malfunction or get destroyed can create a massive mess.  Consider what will happen to the people around these things if they are defeated.  A siege tower can fall on people, a catapult can misfire into friends, or anything shooting fiery objects has the possibility of an explosion.
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Revising an older Novel – What I learned

Posted on November 8, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Hello, SE’ers. I am veering away from my series on how to insert metaphysical elements into fiction writing to talk about a recent experience with …

Revising an older Novel – What I learned
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Revisiting Origins: Nimby

Posted on November 7, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

By Kayla Matt

It’s interesting that this charming, friendly halfling thief became such an integral part to my series.  I hate to say this about the little guy, but he is rather cliche.  Yet, there is something mysterious and dangerous about him that comes to the surface as the series goes on.  Nimby kind of snuck up the ranks of favored characters when I thought he was just becoming obnoxious.  It was probably the third editing session of Beginning of a Hero where I realized how often Nimby appeared and that he was more responsible for pushing the plot than Luke.  So, Nimby soon became the unsung hero and agent of destiny in the book.  Most people who have read the first book don’t give him a second thought, which I guess says a lot about his talent as a thief in hiding.  I have to say that as time moves on, I really want to see how he deals with the challenges that I put in his way.

The true Nimby was played by my second college roommate whose name will be withheld to protect the innocent.  Unless Dave demands attention and I’m forced . . . oops.  I have to say that out of the original crew of the game, Nimby was the character who was obviously there for comedy and fun.  It didn’t matter what was going on because Nimby would always find a way to be positive and funny.  This set the mindset of most of my halflings who all possess Nimby’s optimism and an odd sense of innocence.  Unfortunately, the group splintered after the first adventure and Nimby became one of the lost characters in the game.  One session he was there stealing apples and the next Luke found a good-bye message in his bag.  It was an odd parting that Luke accepted by rationalizing that Nimby might have been killed in the adventure, so it was better for his friend to be safe.  It also left me with a halfling thief who was integral to the first book and the beginning of the second book, so I had to rewrite Nimby to allow him to continue on in the book.  With him, I took an interesting approach because he was a thief.  He retained the original persona, but I started having incidents where a darker, more cunning Nimby would rear his head.  It was like he had a switch in his head that he would flick if he needed to turn off his moral compass.  It was a surprising change in character that Nimby seemed to take to with an unsettling amount of ease.

New Addition– This was really lacking since I wrote the original a month before Beginning of a Hero came out.  At the time, I didn’t have much else to say because I knew Nimby was going to leave the main cast fairly quickly.  Having him return throughout the series helped give him a path that stayed in the shadows.  I liked that he was the one character that I was never sure if he’d show up as a friend or foe.  Really happy that I got to draw him into the finale as well.  Due to the game drama, I was always worried that Nimby would get cast aside and disappear.  Thankfully, he taught me how to separate a character from his role in one medium (game) and change it for another (book) without altering the whole plot.

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How Easy Is It To Use Siege Weapons in Fiction?

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

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I’m had this topic on my list for a long time, but I never really found the time to think about it.  Still haven’t, which I realized could be part of the reason why I never took it off the bench.  I mean, these aren’t the easiest things to put in your story.  That problem stems entirely from what they are.

Siege weapons (A.K.A. Siege Engines) are what you think they are.  Giant devices used when one is laying siege to a castle or town.  Trebuchets and catapults help get projectiles over walls.  Ballista could be used to take out distant, large targets or multiple soldiers.  Probably even take out gates and doors.  You have siege towers to help get your people over walls too.  You have battering rams used in a variety of ways that range from many soldiers carrying it to elephants.  Modern versions include cannons and howitzers.  The list keeps going with a wide variety of devices.

In Beginning of a Hero, I introduced Fritz Warrenberg who was a gnomish inventor and the siege weapon teacher.  This wasn’t done with any plan, which is a shame because I could have flushed out my own knowledge here.  Not that I could go anywhere with them since there’s the inherent problem.  These are MASSIVE weapons that an adventurer wouldn’t be carrying around.  Siege weapons are designed entirely for large scale battles involving a heavily defended target.  A wandering swordsman isn’t going to drag around a catapult in case they need one.  This means you’re focal characters aren’t likely to interact with these things very often.  At best, they will help an army using them or, at worst, have to face them in battle.

This doesn’t mean that siege weapons should be ignored either. They have an important place in military history and strategy.  Even in a world of magic, armies will create large weapons to overcome and overpower enemies.  After all, walls being used as defensive barriers is universal.  With those existing, you’re inevitably going to have someone create ways to circumvent or destroy them.  Looking at some of the more basic ones, you can see how a fictional world would have the same as us too.  Catapults and trebuchets are like giant, mechanical slings.  Ballistae are enormous crossbows.  You don’t have to be a genius to think about making a few basic weapons larger.  Might need help doing it, but the desire is easy to spark.

Now, where can a fantasy author use them?  One thing our genre loves to do is sieges on fortified areas and large scale battles.  I’m looking at you Helm’s Deep and Battle of Five Armies.  These two tropes have been infused into the genre since the modern inception, which is where siege weapons can shine.  Whether it be the heroes having to find ways to stop them or making sure they aren’t victims of friendly fire, these enormous action scenes can be accentuated by this addition.  You don’t have to go into detail with them either, but having them used in the background and established as a presence can help.  If done right, it’s the fantasy equivalent of the opening scene from ‘Saving Private Ryan’.

Another positive to introducing the existence of siege weapons is showing the level of technology.  While not as advanced as modern devices, they are still complicated and use some levels of mechanical knowledge.  Gears, pulleys, levers, and the like are all implemented in many of these weapons.  This allows you to introduce non-military uses of these creations such as dumbwaiters and clocks.  In the grand scheme of the plot, these might not mean much.  Yet, they can really make an impact for world building and open the door for future advancements.  For example, a mechanical golem can be introduced without question.

So, what do you think about using siege weapons in fantasy?

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Member Berries = Not Good

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Hi, gang. Craig with you once again. This may seem like an odd one coming from me, because I do a lot of callbacks and Easter Eggs in my own stories.…

Member Berries = Not Good
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Celebrate National Luke Day by Getting a Free Copy of ‘Beginning of a Hero’

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

I was all ready to do a post on Daylight Savings Time or American Football Day.  Then, I saw that today was ‘National Luke Day’ and felt that I had no choice.

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen

For those who don’t know, one of the main characters of Legends of Windemere is Luke Callindor.  He debuts in the first book, Beginning of a Hero, which is currently free as an Amazon eBook.  Luke was my first college D&D character and I put him through the wringer.  He will always hold a special place in my psyche, so I’m happy to do a promo on a day with his name on it.  In fact, here is his first scene:

Continue reading →

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Goal Post: The Life Event Persists

Posted on November 4, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

 

This week . . . I really wish I could explain this life event thing, but I can’t.  That really colored the whole week.  The event is still going on with not much change.  I was left emotionally drained afterwards too.  Being on Halloween, it forced me to miss the holiday with my students too.  They did superheroes including one who wore his inflatable dinosaur costume from last year with a cape attached to it.  Missing that fun really felt like salt on an already aching wound.  So, my week had this permanent gray cloud that I’m still nursing.

My son had his quarterlies, but we realized on Monday that he also had an American Sign Language field trip that day.  Oops.  So, things got changed around and I really didn’t get to help him study for one of them.  I barely got to help with the other one too since I used the little time I had with him to get regular homework done.  Never comfortable when he has big tests and I can’t help.  The best I could do for the math one is go over test behaviors like not rushing, checking his work, and focusing on one step at a time.  He says he feels confident about both of them, but we’ll see what happens.

A big positive thing that happened is that my son got chosen for All County chorus.  This is a county-wide group who perform a concert in January.  So, we got his forms in and he’ll have to start practicing.  He’s one of four students picked from his school, which really caught us off-guard.  His friend who also got chosen told him that they are going to practice together.  Good to see he has some help because he’s a good singer, but can get shaky at times.  Doesn’t help that his voice is starting to crack, which throws him off at times.

I did manage to finish a chapter of Darwin & the Beast Collector.  It took me longer than I’d hoped.  The lunch with a friend kept getting delayed until it was a late dinner, so I didn’t write as much as I wanted that Saturday.  On Sunday, I tried to focus on writing, but the life event looming distracted me.  It took me all day to write a single chapter section, so I couldn’t get to the last one until Halloween.  Since I had to take the day off for the life event and my son spent the holiday with his mom, I had the time to work on it after cheering myself up with pizza.  This leaves me with 3 chapters (10 sections) to go.  I might be able to get the next 4-parter done next weekend and then I’ll complete the last two before the end of the month.

Something I haven’t decided on is if I’m going to dive right into outlining the next book in Darwin’s series.  That would be Darwin & the Joy Path, which should be fun with a returning friend.  Maybe I’ll just outline it and then save it for the Holiday Break period to start the writing.  This will give me time to finish the December blog posts and begin working on January and maybe February to clear time.  I should do more notebook work too.  I’ve been ignoring the ‘Phi Beta Files’ for a while and I’m still on characters.  At least I’m on supporting characters though.  Once I write up the support team (13-18 characters), I should be able to dive into the 6 book breakdowns.  Still leaning towards . . . Eh, I’ll just set up another Sunday post in a week or so about this one.

This coming week is going to be busy, so I don’t expect to get any writing done until Saturday hits.  Every Election Day, I have to go through training at work, so I don’t get the day off.  We get Friday off and I’ll have my son for that.  Monday night is Parent-Teacher conferences for him, so that night is out.  I’d try to write on Wednesday night, but I think I’d be pushing it.  It’ll get done, especially since I just realized that how I finished the previous chapter of Darwin & the Beast Collector undoes the start of the next one, so I might have to junk it.  Eh, I’ll do a combination . . . Down to 9 chapter sections until this one is done!

This weekend my only plans are to enjoy time with my son and my niece is coming by this afternoon to jump in our leaf piles.  Maybe have lunch too, but we know the priorities of 3-year-olds.  There’s that annoying clock change though. That’s going to throw my system off for a bit.

Speaking of my system, the CPAP machine is really helping me sleep and I’m getting used to the mask.  Drooling is an issue because of how the mask keeps my mouth open, but that should go away at some point.  I think I’m getting a deeper, more restful sleep too, which is resulting in me feeling more tired by the end of the day.  Maybe my body is so used to functioning on fumes that it doesn’t know what to do with actual sleep.  I don’t wake up feeling like I’m sick though, so something good is happening.

So, what are the goals of the week?

  1. Time with family this weekend.
  2. Parent-teacher conferences.
  3. Training.
  4. Write more Darwin & the Beast Collector.
  5. Finish the December posts.
  6. Play some Pokemon Snap 2.
  7. Exercise.
  8. Take a break from salads due to schedule.
  9. Hydrate.
  10. Finish watching ‘Bungo Stray Dogs’.
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Sally’s Sandwich Shop: You Can’t Avoid the Bread

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

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Welcome to our little sandwich restaurant.  We only have sandwiches.  The sign even says that we don’t have soups or salads.  No funny business.  As you can see, we have a long line, so here’s the menu and you have 5 minutes to choose what you want.  Don’t give me any attitude.  Three people called out, the cook might be hallucinating, and our waiter is crying in the air ducts because a woman yelled at him for 15 minutes about getting the wrong type of mustard.  So, please wait your turn and happy national sandwich day.

  • Roast Beef– Always warm even if you wait a day to finish the other half.  Can cause mild amounts of bellybutton gas emissions.
  • Chicken Cutlet– You can fly if you add mustard or dive underwater if you add mayo.  Might sprout a few feathers.
  • Ham on Rye– Increases sense of smell, but you will be subjected to a Jewish guilt trip before the end of the day.
  • Turkey Club–  Bestows elite membership to a turkey club.  Your hat and decoder ring will be delivered shortly.  Tell no one.
  • BLT– Gives you a ghost form for 12 hours.  Left pondering why mayo is on the sandwich, but doesn’t get a letter until magic is over.
  • Rueben– Gives the power of x-ray vision.  You smell and taste delicious to the point carnivores will try to take a bite.  (Yeah, it’s the same from Dylan’s Diner.  What of it?)
  • Grilled Cheese–  Bestows a sense of comfort and calm as your stresses melt away.  Can make your breath smell like cheese until digestion is done.
  • Egg Salad– Grants higher intelligence and peak human physical abilities.  Downside, is that you will have worms.
  • Lobster Roll– Temporarily grow lobster-claws, but with human hands in the middle for fine motor tasks.  You will randomly flex your rear with enough force to send you hurtling ahead.
  • Bologna– Increased luck for the next 5 hours.  There’s a casino down the block.  We assume you could use the money.
  • Meatball Sub– Can curl into an armored ball and roll around.  There will be soreness of the everything afterwards.
  • Monte Cristo– Grants the person invisibility and high jumping abilities.  You will driven to seek revenge against the last person who even remotely slighted you.
  • French Dip– Improves your swimming ability, but does not increase underwater breathing time.  You will only be able to speak in bad, stereotypical Hollywood-version French.
  • Philly Cheesesteak– Grants you the ability to make people fall in love with each other.  You will never use this power because you will be filled with so much rage and hatred towards humanity that you will go out of your way to make people suffer.
  • PB&J– Transform back into a child and enjoy a day of youth.  Avoid anyone who will force you to go to school.
  • Hotdog– No powers.  We put this here primarily to get people arguing about if it counts as a sandwich or not.
  • Gyro– Choose any filling that you want from the list.  There will always be the perfect amount of filling in each bite even if it’s the last one.

Again, happy national sandwich day.

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Writing Out of Season

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Hi, SEers! Welcome to another Mae Day on Story Empire. Thanks for joining me for a look at the difficulties in writing out of season.  Let’s face it—…

Writing Out of Season
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Poetry Day: From the Edges

Posted on November 2, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

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(Not really sure of where this one came from.  It might have been a fantasy concept, but I think it’s more about people who go unnoticed.  These are the ones who watch what is going on, but don’t draw any attention.  When they pass away, nobody knows their stories or even notices.)

You pass them by

Unseen eyes that never blink

Absorbing every sight

Without joining in the fray

You will never hear them

And barely sense their stare

These forgotten watchers

Born only to observe

And waste away in shadows

With none to tell their tale

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