Ballista

[Ninja]

I wanna know:

Is the ballista more useful for the besieger or for the defender?

Ballista:


Well, this is a ballista for the besieger, I think.
Can you imagine something like that on a tower? I don't find a picture...

 

[Mormakar]

The ballista probably look different when it's on a tower!!
I think it's cool to have the ballista for defending and attacking. In Stronghold they have both and that's work fine!

 

[Cirdan]

Both. Some of the really heavy siege engines would only be useful if you have big stone fortifications to knock down, but a ballista is rather light. Besides, suometimes the besiegers's circumvallations become big stone fortifications.

 

[Ninja]

The ballista probably look different when it's on a tower!!

Does it look on tower a bit like that:

Or more like that:

???

 

[James]

#2 is a ballista; #1 is something similar, but since it has torsion arms, it's not quite the same.

 

[Rongar]

Well, this is a ballista for the besieger, I think.

I think it is ballista for open battlefield, or for destroying wood fortifications. I don't think ballista could  be useful in siege against stone fortifications. I thinks it is  useful for defenders in sieges or for everyone in open battlefield.

 

[Ninja]

Thanks for the information.

I read a bit in the interent and saw, that the second one was used by the romans... 

 

[MassacrMan]

I'd the besieger most likely, you know in Lord of the Rings: The two towers (the movie.) Where the Uruk-hai used a ballista to shoot up ropes to pull up ladders, is that really possible. That's really the only useful reason I can think of against a stone fortification.

 

[Ninja]

Yes, I think you're right, but with a ballista, they can also shoot down the warriors on the wall...

 

[Mormakar]

The ballista probably look different when it's on a tower!!

Does it look on tower a bit like that:

Or more like that:

???

It looks like in Strongholds 2!!! ^^

Who cares about how effective it is! It's looks cool and that's the big deal!

 

[Ninja]

I'd the besieger most likely, you know in Lord of the Rings: The two towers (the movie.) Where the Uruk-hai used a ballista to shoot up ropes to pull up ladders, is that really possible. That's really the only useful reason I can think of against a stone fortification.

There is another reason to use a ballista in a siege: You can shoot fire arrows (or spears) in the castle, to burn there houses!

 

[Rongar]

Probably, but were there many wooden building in castles like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint-Michel ?

There could be many wooden houses  in a cite. But while in siege in city to many peoples were ready to extinguish a fire.
Of course additional problems might divert defenders from the walls, but additional siege machines also diverted besieges from walls and made attakers strategically less mobile.

 

[Ninja]

but were there many wooden building in castles like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Saint-Michel ?

No, but in Lord of the rings 3, the orcs shoot with catapults fire balls into Minas Tirith, and the city burns...
And Minas Tirith is a  totally stone city.
So, is that only a show effect?

 

[Rongar]

Besides it is good show effects, Minas Tirith is a luxurious city, not a ascetic castle. Therefore like in  modern cities there may be many  wooden things – furniture, decoration an so on. But I think that Minas Tirith burned heavily than it could.

 

[Malkael]

The ballista probably look different when it's on a tower!!

Does it look on tower a bit like that:

Or more like that:

???

The first image you presented there could be considered as a Scorpian, which is the smaller equivilent of a ballista, esentially furfilling the same role but lighter in weight and the weaponry it uses to propel towards the enemy, and could possibly be considered more mobile. The second picture appears as it would be heavier in weight and capable of propelling heavier more deadly projectiles at the enemy and less mobile, in that form anyway, then a Scorpian and could be considered a standard ballista perhaps as there were even heavier ballistas available that could propel even bigger projectiles at the enemy during history.

 

[Ninja]

The second picture appears as it would be heavier in weight and capable of propelling heavier more deadly projectiles at the enemy and less mobile

Yes, it would be difficult to put this one on a carriage.
Maybe, they built wheels under the ballista...

 

[Rongar]

Little ballista

This babe was used to throw different things over wall.

 

[Ninja]

For a few years, I read an asterix comic. 
In this comic, the romans shot with a ballista (like the one of you) fire spears in the village... 

 

[Rongar]

But ballista that I  cited  not for spears. It was  rather for stones
This is less

but with ammo.

 

[Ninja]

Yes, but this one shot with spears:

Or is this a scorpion?