Re: Size of Fleets

>        Everybody seems to be disagreeing with me... (:  Let me explain
>myself better.  From what I've read on medival times, (books on medival
>warfare ans such,) their weapons didn't have the range given by
>Spelljammer.  Ranges were under 500 yards (1 hex), and most were under
>half that.  WCC states that the ranges given in the main boxed set are
>the distances travelled in one round, and not the total range (I
>assume).  I believe that some other supplements (Campaigns and Catacombs (?),
>1st ed DM's guide, etc.) stated the ranges in very close to what I have read
>about the real world.  Firing arcs have a height of about half the distance
>covered.  This would put the reach of most weapons well under 100 yards.
>
>        This is the data I applied from the *real world*.  That was
>the basis for my comment.  I'm sorry that I didn't make that clear enough
>before.  Hope it clears things up... (:
>
>        But Truls is right.  Flying mages (and flying mounts) would be
>the biggest threat to a flying ship.
>
>-Static

Well,  I might be considered something of an expert in this area.  I
recently earned a Master's History, and am working on my PHD.  My areas of
specialization are Military,  Ancient,  and Medieval history. My master's
Thesis was on Byzantine composite bows,  and I have done quite a bit of
research on siege weaponry.  Given all that,  I'd still only consider about
1/2 of what I know on the subject fact,  Consider the following in that
light:)

Static is correct concerning the ranges of medieval/ancient siege weapons.
I believe the ranges in SJ (6 hexes for a Lt Ballista,  for instance) take
the weightlessness and lack of drag of a weapon firing through space.  The
fact that terrestrial TSR supplements give ranges for these weapons in line
with historical ranges seems to bear this out.

Static's earlier post seemed to say that the SJ could bomb it's targets and
remain out of range of it's opponents weapons.  That is possible,  but the
accuracy of that sort of bombing would be abyssmal:)  Of course,  if you
have twenty or thirty Hammerships dropping kegs of flaming oil on a city
with no flying units,  the cities size,  and the numbers of kegs dropped,
is going to greatly increase the effectiveness of that bombing.  I haven't
tried a scenario where the SJs were the only means of flying,  I'd guess
they'd be _much_ more dangereous in those cases.  With only one or two SJs,
you'd need to drop much closer to hit your target effectively,  and would
most likely be in siege weapon range.

I'm running a Battlesystem attack on an astroid base tommorrow,  I'll let
the group know what happens.


"We look on the same stars,  the sky is common,  the same world surrounds
us.  What difference does it make by what pains each seeks the truth?  We
can not attain to so great a secret by one road..."
Symmachus,  "Memorial on the Occasion of the Removal of the Altar of
Victory from the Senate House" (392 AD)

westermeyer.3@???.edu
Paul William Westermeyer