Re: archery

[Wright Frazier <khelek@ns1.cioe.com>]

A) Standard military formation is rarely more than 5 men, almost
	never more than 7 men deep.  The Roman Manipal, the most
	successful pre renaisance miltary formation was typically
	5 men deep per manipal if memory serves.  This was also
	continued with the most popular infantry formation prior
	to gunpowder domination, the pike hedge.  3 rows of attacking
	pikeman, backed by 2 rowws of reserves, sometimes less, but
	rarely more.  Cavalry always advanced in a single line as
	well, archery used the single line as well.
	
	Also the optimum distance between soldiers was 5 to 7 feet.

B) So, given this, Lil'Timmy the rookie archer, or Hank the Veteran
	Bowmaster both fire into a formation.  For our first example
	we shall assume that the attacking formation is fairly close
	so it is a straight linear trajectory.  So our archer
	fires into the crowd.  So only someone on crack(pardon my
	slang) will think that there is a chance of hitting more
	than 5 guys.  The guy in front, and the guys behind him, may be.
	Chances are it hit their armor however, and STOPS THERE.

	Now, lets assume that the Archer is lobbing his arrow into a
	crowd of guys.  You don't keep rolling for all the guys
	in the formation.  You roll for 1 guy, it is a plunging arrow
	afterall.  If it misses, (not a 1 I'd say), then it goes into the
	ground, or bounces off his armor, etc...  On a one, its anyone's
	guess.

	However it is folly to think that if our archer shoots an arrow
	into a crowd that you get to roll for every guy in the crowd.

	There are exceptions to this, but they a) involve gun powder
	weaponry. b) involve energy weaponry. c) involve explosives.
	d) involve medieval artillery(ballistas, catapults, ect..).


So, yet again, Your examples don't float.

Wright


> Okay, I think I can help to clear this up a bit.  Wright, you are every bit
> encouraged to take on a rookie any day, but are your 24 buddies willing
> to do so as well.  John is _only_ referring to the case where a rookie
> is firing into a densely packed formation (of, say, poorly-placed pikemen).
> Here, whoever is firing will almost certainly hit someone, but a veteran
> will do so after rolling once or twice, and then the hit will usually be minor.
> However, a rookie still needs that 19 or 20, so he rolls and rolls, and rolls
> until he either runs out of possible targets (up to 25 in this case), or he rolls
> his 19 or 20.  This isn't about single-target combat (if it were, you'd be
> absolutely correct in your assertion), this is about firing into a closely-
> packed crowd of targets.  Kind of like the fellow holding the 6-shooter
> facing the crowd of 30 people who want to hang him, 6 people are going
> to get shot and hurt for it, but it's very likely the other 24 are gonna string
> our poor example up.  Get it now?
> 
> Lyle
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Wright Frazier [SMTP:khelek@ns1.cioe.com]
> Sent:	Monday, September 21, 1998 3:57 PM
> To:	John Hogg
> Cc:	khelek@ns1.cioe.com; gmlist@cioe.com
> Subject:	Re: archery
> 
> 
> Sorry John, I'm not a hard core mathmetician and me wee little libral arts
> mind just doesn't buy your reasoning.  The Newbie may get a crit 1/2 on
> one half of his hits, but its still the same probability of getting a
> crit as Mr. Vet.  I still say Mr. Vet is far more lethal because
> he doesn't have to rely on the crit to kill.  He relys on the 5d6 that
> he's going to do to you from 5 arrows to kill you.  The newbie is
> far LESS lethal because he _MUST_ have that crit to kill, as opposed
> to the Vet who doesn't need it, and STILL has the same chance of
> getting it as the newbie.  Sorry, I don't buy it at all.
> 
> Wright
> 
>