[Home] [Groups] - Message: [Prev in Group] [Next in Group]
2224: Re: [MUD-Dev] not about pk anymore
[Full Header] [Plain Text]
From: Matt Chatterley <root@mpc.dyn.ml.org>
Newsgroups: nu.kanga.list.mud-dev
Date: Sun, 13 Jul 1997 22:26:09 +0000 (GMT)
References: [1]
Organization: Kanga.Nu
On Sun, 13 Jul 1997, Alex Oren wrote:
[Huge snippage, including Marian]
> I remember a long debate on an AD&D newsgroup (when I still browsed it)
> regarding the speed, range and damage of longbows and crossbows.
So do I. They seem frequent. =)
> After what seemed to be a pretty thorough research of medieval arms, the
> consensus reached was:
Yeah - I've got (some) experience with longbows (obviously modernised
ones, and not crossbows).
> Crossbows are usually cocked with mechanical aids.
Which is one of their big plusses - you can load it, and carry it
(carefully) around loaded, without having to hang onto a string.
> -> Longbow firing rate is higher.
Depending on how skilled you are.
> -> Crossbows may be fired just as effectively by weak or injured persons.
Provided it doesn't need to be wound up, or have a particularly heavy
mechanism to wind. The *would* be more effective for the less capable
normally, I agree.
> Crossbows have stronger pull, flatter trajectory and heavier ammo.
Yes. I imagine this is true.
> -> Longbows have longer range.
> -> Crossbows are more accurate.
I dispute this though - over longer range, I'd expect it to be easier to
strike target with a longbow, given skill, than a crossbow.
> -> Crossbows do more damage at short ranges (actually pierce HEAVY armor).
Definitely, plus are fireable at short to pointblank - bows are much
harder to manage due to aiming time. Longbows are I imagine, far more
lethal at long range.
> Crossbows are much easier to use.
> -> It takes a long time to train a longbowman but every peasant can be
> decent with a crossbow after practicing a couple of days.
This of course is another big point.
Regards,
-Matt Chatterley
http://user.itl.net/~neddy/index.html
"Never enter an arsekicking contest with a porcupine."-Cohen The Barbarian