Inspired by a new PBEM (Royal Bloodlines) that Nicholas Harrison and his brother are hosting, I thought I'd brush up on some of my history. According to the Harrisons, this PBEM would like to more accurately (though not necessarily completely accurately) reflect the technology of the Renaissance period that Anuire, at least (along with, I think, the Brechts, for the humans), is said to possess in BR source material.

Now, to keep much of the traditional sword and sorcery flavor of BR, I don't think you can let firearms and cannon and steam fully develop, because they became the primary form of warfare, supplanting melee combat and reducing stone castles. So it seems that the transitional state with a balance between the two seems an ideal scenario--and I think that's what the Harrisons are going for.

Anyway, what I really wanted to discuss is some of those points of history and how people think they might be reflected in BR. I do not mean this as a means to try to dictate how the PBEM should be ruled; this is just an intellectual endeavor on the BR forums inspired by the PBEM's premises.

So a few things. Here are some quick internet references.
A book with good quick summaries of turning points in warfare; the default page should be about cannons, followed by ship tech:
http://books.google.com/books?id=TM9...esult&resnum=6

A brief summary of some impacts of cannon on military fortifications in Europe, from its introduction onward:
http://medievalhistory.suite101.com/...dieval_castles

Interesting overview of history of gunpowder, with some dates showing the fairly early appearance of it in Europe (the 1300s seem to be when it starts really impacting warfare):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunpowder

Discussion of brass or bronze or cast iron for cannon:
http://askville.amazon.com/cannons-m...uestId=6434497

Cannon history articles I haven't fully reviewed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_cannon
http://www.hyw.com/books/history/cannon.htm
http://www.cannon-mania.com/history.htm


I figured I'd start with some articles that can serve as common ground on the internet. I obviously can't post books. I'm sure some of you are quite well read on these subjects. It seems Kgauck and some others are particularly well acquainted with military history, so I'd love some of your input.

That's it for intro. I'll get into the meat of what I wanted to talk about next.