SciFi90 wrote:evilauthor wrote:
It's been discussed elsewhere, but here's a quick rundown:
1) Logistics - It's been stated that cartridge production for existing firearms is barely keeping up with demand even when Charis had yet to fight any major battles with single shot and bolt action rifles yet. There's no way cartridge production would be able to continuously supply generally deployed full auto weapons.
2) Doctrine - There's been no need for full auto weapons yet and no one outside the Inner Circle has even conceived of it yet. Even those inside the Inner Circle are still thinking in terms of individually aimed shots. And the reason they think that is...
3) They aren't needed - Historically and in Safehold, the biggest killer of massed infantry HASN'T been fully automatic weapons. It's been artillery. And Charis and her allies are lavishly equipped with artillery and mortars firing explosive shells which has been doing most of the killing and breaking of enemy held positions.
As pointed out ammunition supply is the chief impediment to use of machine gins on Safehold. Whether Mr. Weber will write that artillery is sufficient to stop massed assault by Harchong armies remains to be seen. A better solution, perhaps, would be to interdict supplies of food and ammunition for the Harchongs. Food can only be stopped during delivery and storage in depots. Armaments can be reduced by interfering with delivery of required components and raw materials, as well as destruction of supply depots.
I wonder whether the gun-equipped shuttle used to destroy the Thirsk family carrying ship will be used on army supply depots.
If you want to throw another monkey wrench into the Church's logistics, you might want to introduce a form of naval mine. A "tipping" mine that rests on the bottom with a lever extending towards the surface of whatever canal it's in to be set off when a canal barge pushes on the lever, breaking an acid vial. It could be randomly sown and provided with anti-tamper devices. If you REALLY want to be sneaky, the "random" sowing can be near uber-othrodox towns so they face Clyntahn's wrath. Or limpet mines set on lock gates so that they are set off when the lock opens.