Castle Quest - Reply to Topic

Forum:	Floorplans And Blueprints
Topic:	Need help with castle design please

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T O P I C R E V I E W
Boots I am a Dungeons and Dragons player (shocking, I know!!). I have a character who, in the very near future, will be constructing a castle. Here are some "ground rules" that I'd like to keep (however, I'm open to other suggestions):
Rectangular shape, outer wall dimensions approx. 200' X 150'. Walls about 45' high, giving room for 3 internal levels (possibly 4 if the three top levels are 10' high instead of 15'). Will include a small basement--probably 100'X80' or so (for kitchen/storage)
Assume that there is no moat or ditch surrounding the keep, but that it's built on at least a small hill. Also assume that, sometime after the keep is built, there will be a curtain wall and towers added later (can't do it now, cost is prohibitive).

I'd like some basic ideas from people on the following topics.
* What kinds of things should be included within the castle walls? For example, would you include some sleeping quarters for the garrison, or would you build a separate barracks outside the castle proper (to be enclosed in the curtain walls later)? Or a combination of the two?
* What kinds of things would you make sure was nearby but not necessarilly within the castle? Smithy/armorer, fletcher, leatherworker, etc? I'm not sure if the castle will be built too near a town, so I'd like to make sure I plan for having enough support nearby. In addition, if I need to build these kinds of shops/workshops, would you suggest having them close enough to the castle to be enclosed by the future walls?
* Tactically, where is the best location for an outside building? I want to be able to enclose it in the walls eventually, but I don't want to impede on the effectiveness of towers. (the tower layout will probably be one tower on each corner and one tower in the center of each wall except the gate wall, which will have a gatekeep).
* For a castle of this size and shape, approx. how many troops would be necessary to garrison it (and what approxmiate troop composition would you suggest)? Assume no gunpowder exists.
I have some other specific questions, but some rely on the terrain, and I'm not sure exaclty what the terrain/ground cover will be.
Thanx in advance for your help--any suggestions are welcome!
keep the faith,
Boots
Levan There are some excellent resources about on the web. Just for starters, I'd recommend browsing the Castles of Britain Learning Centre. This has lots of background information about the construction of castles and many other such areas:
http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle6.htm
Key pages for you might include:
Building a castle
http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle88.htm
Building materials
http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castlesq.htm
Jobs around a castle
http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle32.htm
Bird's eye views e.g. Harlech Castle
http://www.castles-of-britain.com/castle18.htm
Levan