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Post by Linx Exotic on Aug 16, 2007 10:54:55 GMT -5
Hmm, so small arms only.
(And it is pretty difficult unless you're really, really good at placing the masts so they're not much in the line of fire. And nothing that big, just a Roman hand ballista-sized weapon or two.)
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Post by Finnerator Rudderbow on Aug 16, 2007 11:06:25 GMT -5
Yeah, I have no idea what that is, but any opponents we come across will be armed with the same things as us.
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Post by Linx Exotic on Aug 16, 2007 11:10:42 GMT -5
A hand ballista is the pre-medieval equivalent of a grenade launcher, with a fast reload time and good balance between armor piercing and anti-infantry capability. It generally ceased production after the fall of Rome due to combat techniques degenerating to unorganized hand-to-hand fights, but it's a very effective weapon nonetheless. It's not that large, requires just a small swivel stand and I just thought it would make a cool onboard weapon.
Well, they can have them too, I don't see why not because it would be needed for any serious ship-to-ship combat.
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Post by Azrah on Aug 16, 2007 11:26:24 GMT -5
Your right Finnerator, we would probably have to have a very small one, or build it on the ship, but their wouldn't be much room.
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Post by Linx Exotic on Aug 16, 2007 11:27:56 GMT -5
Yeah, maybe 4 hand ballistae on the main deck, maximum. There's no way you could fit any of these in a firing port belowdecks.
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Post by Azrah on Aug 16, 2007 11:31:10 GMT -5
If it were bellow deck if would be useless, unless it was just there to get it out of the way, (Don't mean to argue)
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Post by Linx Exotic on Aug 16, 2007 11:32:50 GMT -5
No, no, I agree with you. Belowdecks it would have to be placed near the wall where there'd be a small hole in it to fire out of, which is really only good when you have a lot of mass broadside weaponry (cannons), not a few ballistae.
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Post by Azrah on Aug 16, 2007 11:36:24 GMT -5
Oh yes, but it would have to be a big ship, with the hole, because if the ship was low, water would slop in.
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Post by Linx Exotic on Aug 16, 2007 11:39:33 GMT -5
Oh, no, you don't want that anywhere near the waterline. But with a three-mast ship it's likely to have several decks, and the one directly below the main deck would generally have firing ports.
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Post by Azrah on Aug 16, 2007 11:42:06 GMT -5
True, but in most ships thats where the main crew sleeps, with the stores in the bottom.
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Post by Linx Exotic on Aug 16, 2007 11:44:49 GMT -5
Well, it wouldn't occupy the entire width of the ship, just at the very ends. And several decks leaves more for quarters.
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Post by Azrah on Aug 16, 2007 11:47:44 GMT -5
Yes, but how would we get them down, most ships have a hatch and then a ladder.
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Post by Linx Exotic on Aug 16, 2007 11:53:00 GMT -5
They'd be installed usually during the ship's construction, or otherwise the pieces would be individually lowered in and assembled belowdecks.
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Post by Azrah on Aug 16, 2007 11:59:07 GMT -5
Very painstaking.
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Post by Linx Exotic on Aug 16, 2007 12:00:03 GMT -5
It would be conducted in dock amist the other repairs. And hand ballistae are really simple devices.
Besides, I agree with you on this. It's impractical to have firing ports for such light weapons.
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