I'm changing my archery rules!

Started by fsn, 21 April 2014, 07:10:42 PM

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Leman

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fsn

I was thinking about horse archers darting in, firing off a few volleys at that rate, then trotting back to their own lines for replenishment.
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Leman

The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

toxicpixie

It takes all sorts! I think FSN. Is only interested in red heads if they come with a Centurion ;)
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Zippee

Quote from: fsn on 22 April 2014, 04:58:46 PM
I was thinking about horse archers darting in, firing off a few volleys at that rate, then trotting back to their own lines for replenishment.

Which is what Sassanian 'shower shooting' is all about - and as I said the clip is slow compared to that achieved. Whether you need to change rules to accommodate the tactic rather depends on what rules you're using though  8)

Leman

Well it won't affect my WoR armies at least - wrong sort of bow.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

DanJ

These are very impressive feats of individual prowess but I'm not convinced they are particularly relevant to ancient warfare in general and wargaming in particular.

Military archery isn't about individual prowess but mass effect of hundreds or thousands of men shooting several arrows a minute into a relatively small space to achieve a decisive effect at a relatively long distance, this is easy to say but seems suprisingly difficult to achieve historically.  Most ancient armies used archery to a limited extent but the number who relied on it as a major offensive arm is rather limited.  The most obvious ones being several of the middle eastern bronze age nations (Egyptians, Assyrians and Persians), then not much for the next fifteen hundred years with the exceptioon of Indians until the longbow comes to prominence in the late thirteenth century.  I've missed horse archery out  because that seems to be a development particular to the steppe nomads and could be seen as a separate tradition in its own right.

As to why massed military archery is relatively rare is a tread on it's own but there would appear to be two main starnds, technical and social.

Technically a state would need to make and stockpile thousands of bows and arrows, even simple self bows are quite sophisticated and the need to stock pile tens of thousands of arrows probably repressents a substantial cost.  Basically it's easier to make a spear and shield than a bow and arrows.

Socially it takes time to train and organise the large numbers needed to make the bow an effective weapon and when the massed archers reach the battle field organisation and discipline to use them effectively.  It's interesting that most armies which used massed archery are also those with a lot of central control and organisation.

Hertsblue

Quote from: toxicpixie on 22 April 2014, 11:37:34 AM
Whilst pressure degrades performance, if you're using that in anger I suspect you'd cope with it. If soldiers didn't every army would immediately fall apart on first contact. Or, you may have an axe and be charging, but running through an arrow storm with your comrades screaming and bleeding around you is a bit different to chopping a defenceless tree down :

If your mates and you each have a Roman scutum and a helmet, and the guys behind you have the same, I suspect that the archers wouldn't hang around until you got to 10 yards.
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toxicpixie

Depends if they feel they can shoot them down, and are then prepared to mix it up with the left overs... and if the guys with the swords are willing and able to keep closing...

Legionaries at their peak are a good example for the guy with a sword side, there's not a lot they were overly concerned about :D

Parthians or other bowmen on horses, maybe!
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