Terra wrote:
>>I should remind me about the Grazers: horse nomads (Char Un, Pentians) and
>>Aldryami, but their methods and directions are different. (Cavalry cannot
>>use long bows over horses, so they have to make their bow strong....)
Cavalry have used symmetrical long bows when available (which is rarely). Generally, the length of the limbs are a problem, but it is about as efficient as restocking people regularly acting as foot archers with unfamiliar bows.
Note that the regular "self bow" of RuneQuest rules is in fact a slightly shorter longbow, judging by the damage and range.
>From: "vingo_france" <vingo_at_...>
>Generally, nomads use a special rider-bow.
True - usually they use a strongly recurved bow, like the Turkish or Mongol composite bows (the latter also found in Mogul India). Lacking these, they use "self bows", i.e. long bows just short enough not to collide with the knees.
>They use a bow almost as long as the long bow, but it isn't a
>standard long-bow with the handle in the middle.
The Japanese dai-kyu is the only representant of this species that I know of, and the medieval Japanese don't strike me as a particularly horse nomad culture...
>They are specially made for riders; the bow's handle is at a third
>of the bottom.
>It gives the archer the possibility to use it on an horse, they are
>able to shoot on both sides; it is no so difficult to pass above
>over) the head of the horse.
By tilting the bow to the side and allowing for some horizontal deviance, shots over any kind of obstacle (including palisades, canoe sides, branches, and steed necks) are possible at reduced ability rate. I've seen longbows shot by archers lying on the belly... at short range.
Generally, remaining in the force line is recommended for "impossible shots" (e.g. fairly straight up/down, or hindered by branches or low ceilings). The archer trains to twist only in the hip region and downwards, to keep the shoulders aligned. Once you lose shoulder alignment, you're likely to miss the target.
>Most horses riders like american indians use a *short* bow, because
>of the neck of their horse, but great nomads of east-europe and
>asia use a third-handle bow. Their armies are bow-based warriors,
>in this condition, their bow need long and strong shots.
The world record range shots for bows up to the early twentieth century were done with (admittedly purpose-crafted) turkish horse bows with a limb length of less than 1,50 meters (less than 5' in imperial measure).
>The third-handle long-bow was the best way they found.
>Of course the use of this weapon need practice,
True for any kind of bow, any strength, any purpose.
>but it is true too that shooting from an horse is given to many children.
>;)
This has also been done in fun archery competitions. Once you get a feel for the rocking, it is possible to loose an arrow in the approximate direction of the target. As long as we talk about military archery and large units as targets, no big deal, really. Especially since you have to shoot at quite an elevation in order to reach a target in 90-250 yards distance.
To shoot an individual target from horseback is quite a feat if the target is farther than say 20 to 30 meters (yards). Thus, killing bison by riding alongside the beasts is something I might imagine if I was able to steer a horse, hitting an individual viking shield at 60 yards would have to be both lucky and experienced.
>Is Horses Tribes bow different according to their tribes (Char-Un,
>Poljoni, Pentans and else ...) ?
>Are many using short, strong, or special bow ... ?
Pentans and Praxians have usually been assumed to use symmetrical composite bows made of horn and sinews (given the lack of decent bow timber in the plains). Such bows are favoured by dry climate, and might get useless in a heavy downpour, when the glue gets soft along with the bone parts.
Joerg Baumgartner (via Hotmail)
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