04-17-2012, 03:25 PM | #91 |
Join Date: Jul 2006
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Re: Why short bow instead of long bow?
In terms of arms control, there was a point in English law where it was illegal not to own and train with a longbow if you fitted into a given social slot. Oh how the mighty have fallen...
As this implies, training (as already mentioned) is the major issue, that and whether your home nation actually makes longbows. Many RPGs assume that any weapon that exists is available anywhere ... in pre-modern times this was very definitely not the case. IIRC the Creteans used to be prestigious mercenary archers in the ancient world at least partially due to their superior bows - if Cretean bows were freely available worldwide this would have been much less the case. Much the same applies to the Anglo-Welsh warbow - various combinations of factors prevented any of the neigbouring nations from developing it as a military weapon. I think the Burgundians might have used it to some degree, but I'm not sure whether they trained their own or hired English or Welsh bowmen. |
04-17-2012, 04:04 PM | #92 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Maitland, NSW, Australia
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Re: Why short bow instead of long bow?
The weapons were available everywhere. Cretan bows were nothing special. Yew longbows have turned up all over Europe since the neolithic. Finding trained men was the problem.
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04-18-2012, 12:40 AM | #93 |
Untagged
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
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Re: Why short bow instead of long bow?
Using the spread sheet, my SM+1 archer gets the same realistic damage from a short bow as a long bow even after tweaking them something fierce.
ST 24 but using only 2XBL to drop the shooting speed a full second, and draw length 45 inches or so. So only those wanting to pay out the backside for a +1 accuracy and a hair more range would be running around with them. |
04-18-2012, 12:59 AM | #94 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Why short bow instead of long bow?
May indicate a problem with the spreadsheet then, depending on how it defines a short and long bow. Or it might just be an issue of resolution -- at fixed draw weight, a longer bow only gives a significant advantage if it allows a longer draw length, and even if it does, a 50% increase in bow length gives maybe a 10-20% increase in GURPS damage.
Last edited by Anthony; 04-18-2012 at 01:13 AM. |
04-18-2012, 02:14 AM | #95 | |
Doctor of GURPS Ballistics
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lakeville, MN
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Re: Why short bow instead of long bow?
Quote:
For a true shortbow, I suspect he had to work pretty hard. Very wide, thin limbs, maybe a non-working handle to get draw length up while keeping efficiency reasonable, and perhaps tweaking out material selection. Usually REALLY short bows can only reach design draw targets equivalent to 30" on a human by using the miracle-materials: horn, sinew, or modern composites.
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04-18-2012, 04:50 AM | #96 |
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Maitland, NSW, Australia
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Re: Why short bow instead of long bow?
Years ago I made a "pistol" crossbow and spent months trying out different woods for a 15" prod. Nothing worked at a length that was short enough. I had to use steel and fibreglass.
Last edited by DanHoward; 04-18-2012 at 04:55 AM. |
04-18-2012, 05:23 AM | #97 |
Untagged
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Forest Grove, Beaverton, Oregon
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Re: Why short bow instead of long bow?
Playing with the spreadsheet for my SM-2 and SM+1 guys really shows how important draw length is. Far more than I ever would have guessed in my complete ignorance of bows.
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bow, bows |
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