User blog comment:Leolab/User Siege Tourney, Round 39 of 50: Leolab (Lloyd) v Redkite (Markus)/@comment-4661256-20140121235935/@comment-4661256-20140130031628

Very well. Trebuchets... big whoop. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those traditionally employed for assaulting a castle, not defending it? Now, yes, I understand that it can be used in defense, but that's less practical as it's much easier for a catapault that operates under an indirect fire system to hit a big stationary castle than it will be to hit mobile troops assaulting from multiple directions. Sure, a huge mass of soldiers will likely present a tempting target, but the trebuchets aren't so impressive as to put a dent in Lloyd's attack plan.

Furthermore, the pike in a tight space may be effective in a "Thermopylae defense," but ironically enough your title reveals the fatal flaw in that idea: yeah, the pikemen can hold their own in the narrow corridors or in the opening of the front gate, but as soon as Lloyd's forces enter from an alternate location (i.e. over the walls or in a breach elsewhere) then, just like the Spartans at Themopylae, the pikemen will be surrounded and outmaneuvered. The fact is, turtling works against a foe that's charging from one direction, but here Leo, you don't give your own character enough credit. Lloyd's not an idiot, and he knows better than to knock on the door Three Little Pigs style and expect to huff, puff and blow the castle down without serious problems. The ladder troops, the underground sappers, and Lloyd's own siege weaponry will give Markus enough trouble that he can't mass all his men in front of the main gate and wait to exploit his situational terrain advantage.