The classic medieval English longbow was usually a self-composite bow, i.e. a single piece of wood selected to act as a composite bow because the back and face were from different parts of the trunk.
I believe the draw-weights may in fact not have been quite so high as is often suggested, or at least not commonly so throughout the period. Most measurements/estimates of surviving bows seem to put them more in the 80-100lb draw range which is still pretty damn hard to draw but comparable to warbows from other parts of the world.
>The draw restricts usage of the bow to
> those who have spent a years training with it.
The training was the key, the weapon itself was decent but not really that exceptional. It was the combination of extremely well trained archers, relatively cheap mass-produced bows and unusual (effectively heavy infantry archer) tactics that were so decisive. IMO.
So you could happily have some Sartarites or Exiles wandering round with longbows without upsetting the balance of military power in the pass. Add in the other factors and then they would become a pretty damn dominant unit.
-- Nic
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