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(TFT) Guns and their implementation
It's a thorny question but perhaps aspects of it can be simplified by
difrent breakdown of the problem. What I have in mind is the time span
involved with firearms. Ty's list covers a period of around 500 years. I
don't believe that ancient firearms should be in any way considered in the
same class with muzzel loaded firearms much less with breach loaded weapons.
Ancient firearms were at least as much a psycological weapon as it was a
weapon of effect. Weapons like the Arquebuss lacked even triggers (already
common on crossbows) and the dificulty of lighting a wick with a tenderbox
could have a bit to do with the rate of fire given in TFT. By the 1700's an
ordered military unit could produce a volley in 15 seconds but these weapons
were designed to be used in mass. Crossbows are roughly twice this fast and
a longbow is 6 times faster than a crossbow. Breach loaded weapons were the
first firearms to really catch up to the speed of other projectile weapons.
So maybe the Guns talent costs a point per class of firearm encompassed
something like knife/sword? What follows is some research I thought the
group might find intresting.
"A Franciscan monk, Berthold Schwarz, whose real name was Constantin
Ancklitzen or Anklitz, is generally, especially in Germany, credited with
the invention of gunpowder, which, according to tradition, was made at
Freiburg in the Breisgau about the year 1330...Many years previously to
Berthold Schwarz, another Franciscan monk, Roger Bacon (1214-94), the Doctor
Mirabilis of Oxford, had already pointed out the peculiar qualities of
saltpetre, as exemplified in the action of gunpowder...An Arabic treatise on
gunpowder written in 1249 is up to this day preserved in the Library of the
Royal Escurial...
Having discussed so far the question as to the invention of gunpowder, we
now turn to its application in war by means of projectile weapons. The first
country in Europe where such projectile weapons were used was Spain. They
are mentioned by Arabian writers as far back as 1312, and were used in 1323
at the siege of Baza. The French seem to have employed them since 1338 at
first for dismantling castles and fortifications only, and not in the battle
field as Edward III of England is said to have done in 1346 at Crecy...These
projectile weapons were formed like tubes and were therefore called cannons
from canna, a reed. In german they were known as Rohr, which word has the
same meaning...According to Ferisht.a, Hulaku Khan, the founder of the Mogol
Empire in Western India, sent in 1258 an ambassador to the King of Delhi,
and when the ambassaador was approaching he was received by the vezir of the
king with a great retinue, and among the splendid sights was 3,000 fire
cars...Colonel Tod says in his Annals of Rajasthan: 'We havfe, in the poems
of the Hindu poet Chand, frequent indistinct notices of fire-arms,
especially the nalgola, or tube ball; but whether discharged by percussion
or the expensive force of gunpowder is dubious. The poet also repeatedly
speaks of 'the volcano of the field,' giving to understand great guns; but
they may be interpolations, though I would not chek a full investigation of
so curious a subject by raising a doubt.' (Annals of Rajasthan, I, 310).
Muhammed Ka_sim used such a machine or manjani_k when besieging in A.H. 93
(AD 711-12) the port of Daibal. The first thing done with this machine was
to shoot down from the top of the high pagoda a long pole surmounted with a
red cloth. (Elliott's Posthumous Papers, VI, 462)...
The Musket Drill*
The commands of the Steuben musket drill seem too slow and deliberate to
modern ears to be of efficient use in a battle situation. However, through
proper execution of the training commands, the soldiers became a well-
synchronized unit. Speed came with practice. In the stress of battle,
officers gave shortened combat commands, and Washington's men could fire
coordinated volleys of musket fire every fifteen seconds.
The Training Commands
1. Half-cock Firelock Soldier pulls musket cock back one
notch and opens the steel (frizzen).
2. Handle Cartridge Soldier slaps cartridge box to settle
the powder in the cartridges, tears open
the cartridge with his teeth, and places
the opened cartridge under his chin to
protect it.
3. Prime Soldier places a small amount of powder in the
pan.
4. Shut Pan Soldier shuts the steel to hold the powder in
the pan and casts the musket about in order to
place the cartridge in the barrel.
5. Charge with Cartridge Soldier dumps powder down the barrel and then
places the paper-wrapped musket balls into the
barrel.
6. Draw Rammer Soldier draws the ramrod out.
7. Ram Down Cartridge Soldier rams paper-wrapped musket balls down
securely on top of the powder with the ramrod.
8. Return Rammer Soldier returns ramrod to its place
beneath the
barrel.
9. Shoulder Firelock Soldier holds musket steady on the left
shoulder.
10. Poise Firelock Soldier places musket in the ready position.
11. Full-cock Firelock Soldier pulls musket cock back to second
notch.
12. Take Aim Soldier levels musket.
13. Fire Fires musket.
Combat Commands
1. Load Soldier loads musket using steps 1-9. From
the
shouldered firelock position, the officers can
order the soldiers to charge, retreat, or
fire.
If the officers want the soldiers to fire, the
commands are:
2. Make Ready Soldier goes through poise position and pulls
musket cock back to second notch.
3. Take Aim Soldier levels musket.
4. Fire Fires musket.
The Bayonet
Soldiers routinely marched with their bayonets fixed to the ends of their
muskets if they were expecting to see any action. Army officers of the day
designed an off set bayonet which enabled a soldier to fire his musket with
the bayonet attached. It was standard practice in the eighteenth century to
use a menacing bayonet charge to force your enemy to retreat from the
battlefield. In the same way that musket volleys were most effective when
well timed, bayonet charges were more successful when executed with
precision.
Training at Valley Forge under von Steuben also increased the Continental
Army's proficiency in bayonet tactics.
http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati/weapons1.htm
A very good discussion of the possable origen of firearms in India. Also
very detailed descriptions of a hindu soldiers equipment and weapons.
http://www.nps.gov/vafo/HISTORY/musket.html
Along with the Steuben musket drill discription given above this site also
has mpg movies and a slide presentation of the drills.
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