Using Dinosaurs and other giant beasts as warmounts.

[Denizen]

I'm creating a primitive campaign world where the inhabitants use dinosaurs as their weapons of war.

These are some of the ideas I've come up with so far.

They use dinosaurs as armored vehicles and attack machines, such biological weapons are self-repairing, self-replicating, and can be direct them with mind control. They are make ideal killing machines, incredibly strong (theropod jaws can cut through steel pipe) and their nervous systems are simplistic enough that they would even know they’d been mortally wounded until after they’d taken down a few dozen of their opponents. Many have been bred to kill, born to fight.

Ceratopsids would be used as as mounts they may be outfitted with harnesses and riding seats to carry their master like beasts of burden. They are ridden by elite units and battle-proven warriors. Their frontal armor makes for an excellent mobile defense. If necessary weapons can be affixed to the conveniently placed horns.

Sauropods function as armored transports. The creature can typically transport troops to combat zones, drop them off, and then hang around to offer artillery support and to punch through enemy infantry lines and engage enemy vehicles. They can also can be used to drag huge amounts of resources to and from battlefields, dragging enormous plows behind them to dig defensive moats and trenches, etc. Their great height would enable a rider to see where an enemy is encamped and thus aid in developing strategies for destroying them. They also have an effective tail to wipe out entire rows of men at one time.

Dromaeosaurs—savage theropod animals about the size of a human (over twice as long from the tip of the noise to the tip of their tail). These cunning predators are clever enough to claw through, circumvent or otherwise overcome most defensive barriers and traps, and are so bold to that tiny splinter groups can enter fortified settlements to stalk the streets for prey. The creatures can move swiftly and silently, leaping from rooftops and from around corners, hide in the shadows, herd prey into the waiting claws of saurians laying in ambush, and use hit and run tactics, as well as the element of surprise and superior numbers. These creatures can be released onto enemy territory to soften them up for attack. Even a few of these creatures and kill hundreds of cattle, wild animals and unprotected people within a few weeks. These predators have surprising animal cunning, and are stealthy when they have to be, so hunting them down can take an entire army. While the armed forces are in disarray and scattered looking for the murderous animals, the rest of the forces to strike.

Giant theropods—like the Tyrannosaurs—are seen as the ultimate weapons of war. Only the elite of the elite can be seen commanding one.[/quote]

I'm think of adding weapons as well more strategic uses.

Any ideas?

[Tema69]

I think some sort of shamanistic mind control is probably the way to go for the biggies. That'd stop them from reverting to their animalistic nature if frightened (which could mean that they'd turn around and trample half your army). The smaller stealthy ones should probably just be "released".

I can imagine an elderly shaman sitting at the back of a Ceratopsian or a Sauropod, eyes closed, mentally urging it into battle, while dozens of troops and great war machines attack from its back.

[lwcamp]

Originally Posted by Denizen

They are make ideal killing machines, incredibly strong (theropod jaws can cut through steel pipe) and their nervous systems are simplistic enough that they would even know they’d been mortally wounded until after they’d taken down a few dozen of their opponents.

Most theropods had ziphodont teeth* - good for shearing flesh but not so good at getting through armor. There were exceptions, the most famous of which are the tyrannosaurs, which had peg-like teeth that could withstand their massive crushing bites. Most theropods, however, seemed to have had relatively weak bites but flexible jaws that could withstand high pulling and torsional forces - the critter would bite and then pull or shake its teeth through its victim. Allosaurus may have swung its head at its prey like a hatchet, delivering an impact with its rows of teeth in the upper jaw and then using its massively muscled neck and torso to pull and shake as above.

* Ziphodont teeth are shaped like backward-curved steak knives. They are bladed in cross section, with serrations along the back (and sometimes front) edge. The thin blades are not very good at resisting crushing bites, but are very good at ripping through meat.

Luke

[Icelander]

And Nazis will once more ride dinosaurs...

[Spudzill]

I used Hadrosaurs as mounts and Ceratopsians as pack animals in a recent campaign set in Atlantis. The Sauropods were just wild graders( possibly would have made them meat animals, like gigantic cows). The Tyrannosaurs and Velocoraptor et. al. were treated sort've like we treat Bears and Wolves today. Thule, however, used Ice Age Mammals because it was a cold mountainous region.

[Bruno]

Just a little note, but Tricerotopsians are a bit big to "saddle" in any traditional sense - unlike an elephant you can't even straddle the neck, as the frill would pin the rider (or crush him!) if the animal lifted its head. On the back it's too broad to straddle - even if you're a gymnast you'd end up with no grip with your thighs and just slide off. Triceratopsians are more barrel-ribbed than elephants, from what I remember. Very... broad.

So likely you'd mount a platform on top, something like an elephant howdah and riders would sit or stand on the platform. Or you could sling paniers over the side, for two or four seats, using the triceratops as a living shield.

Or you could just string a harness around it providing hand and foot holds and have four to eight infantrymen hanging off of it for rapid, moderately unstopable deployment into the thick of things.

[Asta Kask]

Originally Posted by Denizen

They use dinosaurs as armored vehicles and attack machines, such biological weapons are self-repairing, self-replicating, and can be direct them with mind control. They are make ideal killing machines, incredibly strong (theropod jaws can cut through steel pipe) and their nervous systems are simplistic enough that they would even know they’d been mortally wounded until after they’d taken down a few dozen of their opponents. Many have been bred to kill, born to fight.

Aren't they too stupid to be effective?