craftgrrl | (no subject)

okay guys. basically our yearbook staff is having a gingerbread house contest at our Christmas party. being the competitive people we are, the advisors and i are already planning on our design. i really want to make a castle. and somehow incorporating everyone on the staff in it. like making shields with their names or something. here's some pictures i found, but i'm not sure exactly how to make the castle itself. do i need support for everything? etc etc. tell me your thoughts/ideas/recipes!

what i'd like to incorporate

a) the shields with names/nicknames etc.
b) a moat. blue m&ms!
c) a drawbridge
d) very decorative, not just plain gingerbread
e) pretty fast! we only have about an hour or so, i'm assuming