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Thread: Guns (long)

  1. #21
    Darryl Willis
    Guest

    Guns (long)

    > Not at a distance, man. Crossbows are "direct fire" weapons, and bows
    are
    > "indirect fire" weapons. Arrows on the battle field were fired at an
    area,
    > not necessarily at individuals. Everybody in that targetted area was
    > extremely likely to get "hit". Crossbows were designed to be fired at
    > individuals. They used the same basic "lever" principle as bows, but a
    > mechanical crank was used to pull the string back, rather than raw muscle
    > power. Since a bows arrows followed an arc to their target, they
    generally
    > struck with the same amount of force that they left the bow with.
    Crossbow
    > bolts did not strike with the same additonal impact force provided by the
    > acceleration of gravity. They followed a fairly straight (line of sight,
    > almost) trajectory, and dipped earthward at about 10 meters a second per
    > second, so you really HAD to be close to your intended target to hit it.
    Gravity isn't quite THAT effective. A crossbow bolt with no kinetic
    energy(i.e. stationary) will fall at the 10m/sec/sec rate. But one fired
    from a crossbow now has oogobs of energy to burn off. gravity will affect
    it, no doubt there. But not so effectively as that. It's a formula with
    lots of sin(x) and stuff, but it's gotta burn off some enegry that the bolt
    got when it was fired. Otherwise, Firearms in real life would SUCK.

    >
    >
    > > Now, if you don't want guns, it would be easy to say that in BR, the
    > crossbows are even more penetrating, and can penetrate plate. There
    would
    > then exist a super-heavy class of crossbows, probably used by pairs of
    men,
    > that would ignore armor and non-magical protection, dexterity and magic
    > would still apply I guess.
    >
    > Actually, such weapons DID exist at one time, in the AD&D game (im not an
    > expert, and cant say whether they existed in the Real World :), and they
    > were called "ballista". Ballistae (mangonels, scorpions) fired heavy
    spear
    > like projectiles. Their hits did 2d6 damage to S/M sized opponents, and
    > 3d6 to L-sized opponents. With a crew of 4 men, they fired 1 shot every
    > other round, and a crew of 2 men allowed one shot every fourth round.
    > Chapter 8 of Comabt & Tactics changes this dramatically, however.

    Yeah, they were real. I don't know the exact damage, but they were real.

    Darryl Willis

  2. #22
    Darryl Willis
    Guest

    Guns (long)

    > The official TSR explanation was always that since the Brechts make their
    > lives on the water, they need light weaponry. I mean, if you fall
    overboard,
    > you can't have that bastard sword weighing you down...
    >
    > But I don't like that answer. =)
    >

    Why not? It's practical! IRL, did you ever read about "Blackbeard,
    fearson Claymore pirate"? No. Large weapons were not practical on ships
    becasue of weight, yes, but more importantly, space. You can't be swingin'
    that big two-hander, cutting through rigging AND shipmates, mind.

    - -Darryl Willis darryl42@gate.net

  3. #23
    Tim Nutting
    Guest

    Guns (long)

    Sorry, I have seen real battle crossbows - history channel or no.

    A hand crossbow - 150# pull and not hand held (you had to put your foot in
    the stirrup to pull it back)

    A battle crossbow (what D&D rates "heavy crossbow") had a pull of up to
    1500# at 8" from the tip, and you had to use a windlass with weight
    reduction pulleys to get it to work. These people (RW) were not stupid.

    With 2000 years of experience forging steel, they KNEW how to make the
    weapons very well. Tech was primitive, but primitive does not mean
    unrefined.

    If I may - "designed to deflect" armor, and the refinements to get it
    there, did not appear till the Maximillian style plate armor (through
    which a pin could not drive in between joints) and its immediate
    predecessors. Chain mail will not stop a crossbow, and a flat plate in
    the way of one of these bolts is not going to help. I would ask if a pick
    axe is going to hit with more force than that 1200 to 1500# crossbow? Yet
    these picks and hammers certainly made mincemeat out of a knight in field
    plate.

    Later

    Tim Nutting

  4. #24
    Daniel McSorley
    Guest

    Guns (long)

    From: Tim Nutting

    >Sorry, I have seen real battle crossbows - history channel or no.
    >
    >A hand crossbow - 150# pull and not hand held (you had to put your foot in
    >the stirrup to pull it back)
    >
    >A battle crossbow (what D&D rates "heavy crossbow") had a pull of up to
    >1500# at 8" from the tip, and you had to use a windlass with weight
    >reduction pulleys to get it to work. These people (RW) were not stupid.
    >
    >With 2000 years of experience forging steel, they KNEW how to make the
    >weapons very well. Tech was primitive, but primitive does not mean
    >unrefined.
    >
    >If I may - "designed to deflect" armor, and the refinements to get it
    >there, did not appear till the Maximillian style plate armor (through
    >which a pin could not drive in between joints) and its immediate
    >predecessors. Chain mail will not stop a crossbow, and a flat plate in
    >the way of one of these bolts is not going to help. I would ask if a pick
    >axe is going to hit with more force than that 1200 to 1500# crossbow? Yet
    >these picks and hammers certainly made mincemeat out of a knight in field
    >plate.
    >
    They showed a crossbow, said it had a rather large pull (I'm thinking
    1200 pounds, but I'm not sure). It was a windlass one. They shot it
    straight on at a piece of armor plate, so that it would hit dead on, 90
    degree angle. And it did not penetrate. It left a mark on the plate, but
    it bounced off and broke.
    These guys, by the way, were weapons experts from the Royal Armory museum
    in London. So they would probably know what they were talking about.

    Daniel McSorley- mcsorley.1@osu.edu

  5. #25
    Sindre Berg
    Guest

    Guns (long)

    Daniel McSorley wrote:

    > From: Tim Nutting
    >
    > >Sorry, I have seen real battle crossbows - history channel or no.
    > >
    > >A hand crossbow - 150# pull and not hand held (you had to put your
    > foot in
    > >the stirrup to pull it back)
    > >
    > >A battle crossbow (what D&D rates "heavy crossbow") had a pull of up
    > to
    > >1500# at 8" from the tip, and you had to use a windlass with weight
    > >reduction pulleys to get it to work. These people (RW) were not
    > stupid.
    > >
    > >With 2000 years of experience forging steel, they KNEW how to make
    > the
    > >weapons very well. Tech was primitive, but primitive does not mean
    > >unrefined.
    > >
    > >If I may - "designed to deflect" armor, and the refinements to get it
    >
    > >there, did not appear till the Maximillian style plate armor (through
    >
    > >which a pin could not drive in between joints) and its immediate
    > >predecessors. Chain mail will not stop a crossbow, and a flat plate
    > in
    > >the way of one of these bolts is not going to help. I would ask if a
    > pick
    > >axe is going to hit with more force than that 1200 to 1500#
    > crossbow? Yet
    > >these picks and hammers certainly made mincemeat out of a knight in
    > field
    > >plate.
    > >
    > They showed a crossbow, said it had a rather large pull (I'm
    > thinking
    > 1200 pounds, but I'm not sure). It was a windlass one. They shot it
    >
    > straight on at a piece of armor plate, so that it would hit dead on,
    > 90
    > degree angle. And it did not penetrate. It left a mark on the plate,
    > but
    > it bounced off and broke.
    > These guys, by the way, were weapons experts from the Royal Armory
    > museum
    > in London. So they would probably know what they were talking about.
    >
    > Daniel McSorley- mcsorley.1@osu.edu
    >
    > ***********************************
    > ***************************************
    > To unsubscribe from this list send mail to majordomo@mpgn.com with the
    > line
    > I am not an expert at this field, but I know that the TSR book "Arms
    and Equipment
    guide" has a paragraph detailing the power of the longbow.

    My historical encyclopedia (Aschehoughs Verdenshistorie) says this about
    bows and crossbows. An english longbow had a pull of 45 kgs (about 95
    pounds), it had a range of 250 meters and could penetrate platearmor at
    half the distance, if it hit it at 90 degrees. The crossbows were
    heavier and had a 100 meter longer range. Because of their enourmous
    penetrating power they were banned by Pope Innocens II in 1139.

    Another thing is the english killed hundreds of french khnights in the
    Hundred Years war, this was mainly because of the english longbow. The
    battle at Crecy in 1346 is a good example.

    Though the book says later that the firearms was the ther real "killers"
    of the knights on the battlefield...(though then we are talking
    1400-1450 and out)

    Sindre

  6. #26
    Darryl Willis
    Guest

    Guns (long)

    > Another thing is the english killed hundreds of french khnights in the
    > Hundred Years war, this was mainly because of the english longbow. The
    > battle at Crecy in 1346 is a good example.
    >
    > Though the book says later that the firearms was the ther real "killers"
    > of the knights on the battlefield...(though then we are talking
    > 1400-1450 and out)

    Hmm....Same as the battle of Agincourt, if I'm not mistaken. But, and this
    is a big "but", the reason the English longbow was so devastating to the
    French knights was not the extreme penetrating power, but the fact that the
    knights were riding horses. Horses are killed by arrows rather quickly,
    just like an unarmored human. The knights were pretty well protected from
    the longbow. Their horses, however, were not.

    Darryl Willis
    darryl42@gate.net

  7. #27
    Sindre Berg
    Guest

    Guns (long)

    Doyle (Dubhghaill) wrote:

    > Sindre Berg wrote in reply to Daniel McSorley;
    >
    > > Though the book says later that the firearms was the ther real
    > > "killers"
    > > of the knights on the battlefield...(though then we are talking
    > > 1400-1450 and out)
    > You got that bit from an encyclopedia ???
    > 1415 was the year that Henry V whipped the French at Agincourt -
    > with
    > longbow, I recall no use of firearms, with the possible exception of
    > cannon. There were also Swiss cross-bowmen present, but that's
    > another
    > story.
    >

    What the books says is this...First cannon known 1326/27 english
    illustration of a cannon shooting arrows. "Light cannons" was used in
    the naval battle of Sluys 1340, defense of Quesnay and Tournai 1340 and
    the siege of Calais 1346. But the author mentions that they had problems
    with cannon tubes braking apart. Later came brass cannons and better
    gunpowder. By the year 1400 there was large cannons weighing 4-5 tons,
    with cannon balls of 130kg, the "Bombards". In the last field battles
    firearms started making an effect. The english general Talbot fell in
    1435 from a "culverines" bullet.Though he sums up with the great
    breakthrough coming in 1470s with improved guns.
    Hope this helps...

    > Mid 1500's, field plate was still being used (check out Henry Niii's
    >
    > suit that he wore while campaigning in France), over the next century,
    >
    > it's use did dwindle out for a number of reasons. Historians did
    > assume
    > for many years given the evidence like so many breastplates with no
    > other mark on them but a single bullethole. Sounds like a reasonable
    > assumption, doesn't it? Museums (as they do), collected a lot of this
    >
    > stuff, shiny -as-new breastplates with a single hole (identifiable as
    > that caused by a musket ball), and several very used breastplates with
    >
    > many dents. I don't recall who, but someone, this century, decided
    > that
    > this looked a little odd and got hold of the records from a company
    > that
    > rolled out bulk breast-plates during the time of Cromwell (late 1600
    > or
    > early 1700, I think) and found that each plate upon finishing was
    > placed
    > against a sandbag and were fired at with a musket from a certain
    > yardage. If they were pierced by the shot, they were rejected, if
    > not,
    > they were proven as saleable!
    >
    > This was followed by Darryl Willis;
    >
    > Hmm....Same as the battle of Agincourt, if I'm not mistaken.
    > But, and this
    > is a big "but", the reason the English longbow was so
    > devastating to the
    > French knights was not the extreme penetrating power, but the
    > fact that the
    > knights were riding horses. Horses are killed by arrows
    > rather
    > quickly,
    > just like an unarmored human. The knights were pretty well
    > protected from
    > the longbow. Their horses, however, were not.
    > Ouch! Horses of the time wore barding, in the case of the French
    > nobility (and don't forget the high percentage of titled French on the
    >
    > field that day), the barding was of the same type as the armor that
    > the
    > rider wore.
    > Penetration power: bodies have been dug up from that field (not
    > every
    > corpse was placed in a mass grave, or carted home for burial in some
    > family plot), and there are several examples of where a single arrow
    > has
    > pierced several layers of such armor. The most relevant to this
    > discourse is where an arrow had passed through both sides of a full
    > greave (lower leg armor), the leg bone, the PLATE barding of the horse
    >
    > and out the other side.
    >

    This is the incident I think the "Arms and Equipment Guide" refeers to,
    (I borrowed the book to my girl-friend so I can't check now).

    > I'll get off the soapbox now and be quiet again now shall I ?
    > ;-)
    >
    > Regards all,
    >
    > > Dubhghaill (Doyle)
    > > Victoria, Australia, 613 9563 5085
    > > enq@completesystems.com.au
    > >

    Sindre

    Take a look at my homepage and Birthright PBMG at:

    www.uio.no/~sindrejb

  8. #28
    Sindre Berg
    Guest

    Guns (long)

    Darryl Willis wrote:

    > > Another thing is the english killed hundreds of french khnights in
    > the
    > > Hundred Years war, this was mainly because of the english longbow.
    > The
    > > battle at Crecy in 1346 is a good example.
    > >
    > > Though the book says later that the firearms was the ther real
    > "killers"
    > > of the knights on the battlefield...(though then we are talking
    > > 1400-1450 and out)
    >
    > Hmm....Same as the battle of Agincourt, if I'm not mistaken. But, and
    > this
    > is a big "but", the reason the English longbow was so devastating to
    > the
    > French knights was not the extreme penetrating power, but the fact
    > that the
    > knights were riding horses. Horses are killed by arrows rather
    > quickly,
    > just like an unarmored human. The knights were pretty well protected
    > from
    > the longbow. Their horses, however, were not.
    >
    > Darryl Willis
    > darryl42@gate.net
    >

    This "encyclopedia" states that the heavy armored riders (i.e. knights)
    were fighting on foot, because they (mostly the french) suffered
    grevious losses to the english soldiers on foot (says nothing about
    armament) in the battle in Courtrai 1304 og against the archers at Crecy
    1346.
    Though you still got a point though, but the question is rather how
    tight this armor was ? Was it plate mail or field plate ? At last the
    first got some weak spots where arrows easily can penetrate...But wait
    I'm killing my own argument..

    Sindre

    Take a look at my homepage and Birthright PBMG at:

    www.uio.no/~sindrejb

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