The smaller dots are smaller bases, mostly just places our Army can rest, get supplies, train, etc. They have some fortifications, though nothing more than wooden walls or stone buildings. The larger does are Forts, these places are heavily defended, with castle designs, picked for being on top of lakes, next to rivers, or on top of hills. They have areas for archers, Cannons, Ballistae, Musketmen, and supplies to hold down in case of siege. The star is the capital, which while doesn't have any forts though has the capabilities to be quickly defended in the events of an invasion, with dozens of builders and hundreds of people hired to build a wall of push comes to shove, and a lot of training centers in the area would allow it to be easily and quickly defended.
