Typical ST for a war bow?

DanHoward · 11-29-2022, 06:42 AM

It is a decent test. Some random observations.

Joe is using Extra Effort to shoot that bow because he tires way too fast. In battle they used bows that were lighter than the ones they trained with to reduce the rate of fatigue.

He is also way too close. Archers only had one shot before a knight moved 25 yards to hit him. At those ranges the archers aren't standing there still shooting; they are dropping bows and drawing hand weapons or running away.

This is the the first arrows-vs-armour test I have seen that attempts replicate the mail that was actually worn at the time instead of using the modern commercial Indian mail.

None of the arrows would have hit the skirt at longer ranges. Arrows would be arcing down to hit the head, shoulders, and upper torso. If the skirt was vulnerable to these arrows, they would have worn an additional layer of protection.

As Toby says, the mail that they used in that test was intended to be a supplemental defence, not the primary armour. Mail that was specifically designed to stop arrows was heavier and denser.

11-29-2022, 06:42 AM	#11
DanHoward Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Maitland, NSW, Australia	Re: Typical ST for a war bow? It is a decent test. Some random observations. Joe is using Extra Effort to shoot that bow because he tires way too fast. In battle they used bows that were lighter than the ones they trained with to reduce the rate of fatigue. He is also way too close. Archers only had one shot before a knight moved 25 yards to hit him. At those ranges the archers aren't standing there still shooting; they are dropping bows and drawing hand weapons or running away. This is the the first arrows-vs-armour test I have seen that attempts replicate the mail that was actually worn at the time instead of using the modern commercial Indian mail. None of the arrows would have hit the skirt at longer ranges. Arrows would be arcing down to hit the head, shoulders, and upper torso. If the skirt was vulnerable to these arrows, they would have worn an additional layer of protection. As Toby says, the mail that they used in that test was intended to be a supplemental defence, not the primary armour. Mail that was specifically designed to stop arrows was heavier and denser. __________________ Compact Castles gives the gamer an instant portfolio of genuine, real-world castle floorplans to use in any historical, low-tech, or fantasy game setting. Last edited by DanHoward; 11-29-2022 at 07:09 AM.