Hi,
PB seems to get an advantage against mtd SUG.
But if so, I do not understand the rationale.
PB have a longer range and are better at penetrating armour but it
also has a lower rate of fire, so why is this better against skirmishers
than other bows ?
Thx for the explanation.
Some English longbowmen where quite capable of shooting 6 arrows a minute ( accurately )
Range is my problem with PB as they shoot 5 BW while crossbows do not even if by the late 14th century , the crossbows had a similar if not better range than longbows :)
But yes longbows had a better range than common bows, early and perhaps Asian crossbows perhaps lings ( people really underestimate slingshot range )
After that you must consider massed shooting vs solo sniping as massed shooting would lower the range. Also that bow shooting was straight forward and never, as seen in Hollywood films, as bell shot . Bell shot was invented for pictures effect ! but never existed .You shoot a bow as a crossbow straight forward !
So real efficient range was mostly the same for everyone
Targeting skirmishers : My belief is that what we call skirmishers did not act very dispersed but rather quite close to each other not as later scouts ! Not in close ranks but as groups . So I do not see why the PB should have a lesser effect
QuoteTargeting skirmishers : My belief is that what we call skirmishers did not act very dispersed but rather quite close to each other not as later scouts ! Not in close ranks but as groups . So I do not see why the PB should have a lesser effect
The question is whether PB should have a
greater effect versus mounted SUGs. The argument being that armour piercing gives no advantage when there is no armour to pierce. The counter-argument is that deeper penetration into (unarmoured) horseflesh would improve lethality. Whether by a factor of two is open to debate, but the authors apparently think so.
FWIW the argument could be made that PB should not have a longer range, they just shoot heavier arrows to the same range. Heavier arrows means you can't carry so many, hence a lower rate of fire to conserve ammo. A can of worms perhaps best left unopened.