(TFT) Firearms

[Sgt Hulka <hulkasgt@yahoo.com>]

I'm not a doctor or paramedic, so my opinion is largely worthless. But that doesn't mean I won't express it! ;)

Regarding your friends that got shot; have you seen anyone hit with a full force swing from a battle axe? I sure haven't, but I'd imagine it would be pretty hard to recover from, too.

There has been a lot of opining by historical miniatures enthusiasts as to why firearms replaced muscle-powered projectiles (especially the longbow or compound bow). A claim is often made that in the early days of black powder guns weren't that much more effective than a crossbow or longbow. Maybe, I don't know. I do know that in the Spanish Conquest the role of the gun is exaggerated. It was the horse, more than the gun, that awed and defeated the native american.

But that's the really early days of firearms. Flashing forward, the heavily-armored knight disappears. By the Napoleonic wars you still have some cuirass-wearing cavalry, but for the most part armor is an after thought. Melee weapons are still an important part of warfare, however, since the deciding moment in most battles is the bayonet charge, not the musket volley. 

Looking at that limited evidence, it seems the biggest effect firearms had was getting rid of armor. That, in turn, revolutionized warfare since "knights" were pointless and equipping a soldier became far less expensive. The nobility had to find a new role for themselves, so they decided to become "officers" and stop risking their butts on the firing line. Armor didn't come back, really, until the combustible engine made tanks practical at the end of world war I. 

So this is all a long winded way of saying that in my humble opinion both the shotgun and the battleaxe do 3d6. But chainmail won't do squat against a shotgun. That's the difference. (admittedly, a shotgun is a poor example in this case, since chainmail actually might help...a .30-06 rifle is a better example).

-- On Tue, 2/2/10, George Dew <gdew@ResponseNetworking.com> wrote:

> From: George Dew <gdew@ResponseNetworking.com>
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