Is it easier to build a castle from scratch, or to take

Considering the fact that castles are supposed to be located at strategically strong points, it makes sense that there would be some other fortification on the best spot that you would have to take over.

I don't care about ease. One is obviously more fun.

>>53947123
Take an existing one over.

It's there for a reason and even if it's in ruins to the "push it over and start again" point the foundations should be usable.

Easier to take it over to be honest. Fuck building a castle

>>53947123
Generally much cheaper and easier to take one over which is why war often revolved around capturing them

Ok there were a lot more reasons for it than that, but that was one.

>>53947186
Unless you're claiming land from civilization that doesn't do castles, their castle spots would ideally remain unclaimed.

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>>53947228
True
>ywn be a marcher lord who slaughters barbarians from the comfort of your castle

Let's drill down a bit.
Which is best?

>A) Gain a castle by waging a successful campaign of seduction
>B) Gain a castle by starving-out its occupants through lengthy siege
>C) Gain a castle by storming its walls and climbing over them with war-ladders
>D) Gain a castle by sneaking in and opening the gates from within to allow your troops to march in
>E) Gain a castle by bribing a traitor into opening the gates for you

>>53947346
B>A=D=E>C

Assuming most of the damage is done starving people, B lets you show your power over whoever you're taking the castle from without burning the whole place down, and you still have all your boys right outside the gate ready to go to option C if the castle folks are being stubborn

A/D/E are all no-kill methods that win you the day, but are boring as shit so fuck them.

C is the worst because its guaranteed loss of life/time/money/ammunition and shit, but might be the best option if you know the people in the castle are understaffed and you dont want to wait for them all to starve

>>53947508
>B lets you show your power over whoever you're taking the castle from without burning the whole place down

The starving defenders might set their own stuff on fire as a final act of defiance if things get bad enough. Castles are kinda fire-proof though so you'd only have the fineries to worry about.

>>53947508
>A/D/E are all no-kill methods that win you the day

If it strikes your fancy, you could kill a bunch of people once the castle is yours--not the same, I know.

>>53947585
>The starving defenders might set their own stuff on fire as a final act of defiance if things get bad enough

Lets hope not, but if they do you could make them an example with any number of forms of torture and execution, let everyone know you're here for their shit and if they try to keep you from getting their shit they'll regret it.

>>53947601
it works, and really B is the shittiest option if you're trying to steal some of the food or need to be anywhere in a hurry, A/D/E are probably honestly the best options but they're boring so fuck that

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Post the the castle you'd best like to weather a siege in

>>53947956
>break into the tower, only need to get to the 1st floor
>set a big ass fire
>let the smoke do the rest

Clearly there are other places to go in the tower, but it looks like most of the infrastructure around that castle is built into the tower.

Better hope the ventilation is good,

>>53947123
Do you have an army? Easier to take one over and rebuild it.
A lot of money and you're personal friends with the royal family? Easier to build one and raise an army.
Live in an era with gunpowder? No castles for you.

The castle was invented because the French found building them easier than dealing with the Normans.
They died out because of the English Civil War. Every time one side started losing, they took up in a castle and shot bullets from the arrow slits and battlements, and had to be hauled out by blowing it up with gunpowder in mines underneath. That's why so few are left intact; when the Parliamentarians eventually WON, they went around and blew them all up, aside from a few useful ones like Windsor and Dover.

>>53947268
You could be if you play Mount and Blade bruh.

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>>53947956

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>>53947123
As >>53947186 says, take over for the spot, then upgrade/redesign/rebuild as much as you need/want/can afford

>>53947346
All valid methods explored in this series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMOPI-Cz4c0

Depends on the castle.

>>53947213

I know, right?

Architecture is a fucking blast.

>>53951445
Well yeah, who doesn't want to geek out over how far the overhang of the overhang and spacing of the parapets, the murder holes, how much sand you're going to have on hand, how deep and how many wells you'll have dug, and so on.

>>53951579

Yeah! And it all changes depending on the land you are developing on and the soldiers the occupying lord will have available. It's an engaging process.

>>53950550
I know what game that is from. I bet your game nights are max comfy.

>>53947123
>Is it easier to build a castle from scratch, or to take an existing one over?

It's easier to take over an existing castle, but it is more satisfying to have built and defended your own.

>>53951579
>Well yeah, who doesn't want to geek out over how far the overhang of the overhang and spacing of the parapets, the murder holes, how much sand you're going to have on hand, how deep and how many wells you'll have dug, and so on.

the day someone makes a videogame where you can build your own castles on the locationsin a map you yourself choose, man them, and then defend them in some sort of mount and blade gameplay, I'm giving up on having a social life.