Re: Smuggling weapons from Prax to Whitewall?

From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_...>
Date: Thu, 28 May 2009 06:33:40 +0200 (CEST)


donald:
Yes, recurve bows reduce the stave length for the same draw length. Most pay for this by offering less lateral stability and less clean release because the string's angle is quite acute.

>>Direct, aimed fire as displayed by Orlando Bloom's Legolas at Helms Deep >>is the heroic exception. Volleys into advancing masses are the standard.

> This reminds me of the demonstration of I saw of this type of archery.
> Rate of fire and distance were impressive but there was no attempt at
> accuracy. The "target" was about fifty yards long by twenty yards deep.
> Fine for hitting a unit of troops in close order although I'd expect at
> least half the arrows to fall between the ranks or bounce off shields
> and armour.

The best estimate for the lethality of archers comes from the church penalty for killing or wounding a christian enemy - I forgot the exact numbers, but if a hand to hand kill amounts to 1 year of penance, then an archer taking down an enemy gets one month of penance.

> There's also the question of whether Orlanthi archers are trained
> for this. I've always thought of Orlanthi archers as primarily
> huntsmen who use their bows in a skirmish role. Nor do I see there
> being enough of them to create effective volleys.

Personally, I don't see the wisdom in shooting in volleys after the first, unless you are standing in very tight ranks. When the enemy is not so obliging to shoot in regular volleys, you have to keep your shield up all the time or risk receiving a stray shot.

> Then there's the matter of ammunition. If a hundred archers fire
> thirty arrows each in a few minutes that's a wagon load of arrows
> to be made and transported to WW. I can see the Lunars having
> trouble moving the volume and they have a proper supply organisation.

Every archer is supposed to make or repair his own arrows, but of course you need prepared shafts. An arrow is a significant investment of time and resources, and the typical after action activity of archers (once the loot has been secured) is to collect arrows from the battlefield. Of course, if you want an accuracy, you had best use your own arrows. Shooting an arrow that is too soft or too hard results in interesting curves of flight (e.g. thirty yards straight, then a sharp turn to the left or the right), and there is only so much fletching can do to remove that effect.

Powered by hypermail