this post was submitted on 10 Nov 2024
49 points (100.0% liked)
askchapo
22764 readers
420 users here now
Ask Hexbear is the place to ask and answer ~~thought-provoking~~ questions.
Rules:
-
Posts must ask a question.
-
If the question asked is serious, answer seriously.
-
Questions where you want to learn more about socialism are allowed, but questions in bad faith are not.
-
Try [email protected] if you're having questions about regarding moderation, site policy, the site itself, development, volunteering or the mod team.
founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Why did the rain impact the crossbows more? Was it because the longbowmen were better trained in rain or something?
No, it's because you can't unstring a crossbow. Both are equally affected by the rain - string gets wet, fucks up the tension, have to wait for the string to dry out to use it again - but you can just take the string off a bow in a few seconds, coil it up, and pop it under your hat to keep it dry. As soon as the rain stops you restring the bow and you're good to go again, but the crossbows still need to dry out.
There was an additional complication for the Geonese in that something disrupted the supply lines and fucked up their 3-guys-per-2-crossbows tactic (one to fire, one to reload, and one to hold the shield they're all hiding behind), but I'd also consider that a point in the bows favour - all you need is the big stick, some little sticks, and a dry string.
Got it, thanks.
Crossbows more complicated/finicky so they tend to lose reliability more when wet? No idea if that's the reason or even true, but it's the first thing that came to my mind.