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Old 11-02-2009, 02:13 AM   #54
Icelander
 
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Join Date: Mar 2006
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Default Re: Emerging smokepowder weapons in my fantasy

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joseph Paul View Post
Caveat - don't know a thing about the FR setting. That said is there not the same economic problem with archers/wizards vs gunners? That is that as long as there is a ready supply of bodies that can be trained for the years necessary to master those arts (yes, yes not so much with the crossbow) you are OK. What happens in a long war when casualties start eating up that supply? Particularly with wizards that have often been portrayed as being a tiny minority of most fantasy populations? The high cost of the smokepowder may be offset by a situation wherein archers and wizards have become scarce. Gunners require little training making replacing them relatively easy.
Hmmmm.... well, yes.

But in a prolonged conflict, one would assume that capital tends to be scarce as well, so being dependant on a fantastically expensive alchemical substance would not seem all that favourable. Especially since few nations could produce great supplies of it locally (alchemists have to have a 'spark' just like wizards and also require years of training), so much of it would have to be imported.
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