HFQ Official Snippet #11

Graydon wrote:

n7axw wrote:[snip]The other thing I was wondering is how they are planning to use those troops armed with slings other than to soak up rifle fire...

Betcha they know how to use staff-slings. And the Temple can certainly make Napoleonic-style sputtering-fuse grenades. Heck, given a little ingenuity about the casing, the army can probably make those locally; some nails, some burlap, and some varnish will do you for the casings, and then you fill it with gunpowder, plunk it in the sling, light the sputtering fuse, whirl it round your head and let fly.

Very short range but the sort of thing you might (try to) use to clear entrenchments from the flanks.

fallsfromtrees wrote:

Graydon wrote:*quote="n7axw"*[snip]The other thing I was wondering is how they are planning to use those troops armed with slings other than to soak up rifle fire...
*quote*

Betcha they know how to use staff-slings. And the Temple can certainly make Napoleonic-style sputtering-fuse grenades. Heck, given a little ingenuity about the casing, the army can probably make those locally; some nails, some burlap, and some varnish will do you for the casings, and then you fill it with gunpowder, plunk it in the sling, light the sputtering fuse, whirl it round your head and let fly.

Very short range but the sort of thing you might (try to) use to clear entrenchments from the flanks.

And while you are whirling it round your head, a rifle bullet removes said head, the grenade falls to the ground and wounds/kills several of your comrades. marvelous.

lyonheart wrote:That assumes any Harchong infantry get within 100 yards of the ICA, because the range of slingers throwing anything that big and heavy is going to be closer to 50 yards at best than using 1-16 ounce stones, assuming the slings are big enough for these suggested but theoretical MHoGatA gunpowder grenades in the first place.

fallsfromtrees wrote:And while you are whirling it round your head, a rifle bullet removes said head, the grenade falls to the ground and wounds/kills several of your comrades. marvelous.

As a weapon, the sling had several advantages; a sling bullet lobbed in a high trajectory can achieve ranges approaching 400 m;

The staff sling has a similar or superior range to the shepherd's sling, and can be as accurate in practiced hands. It is generally suited for heavier missiles and siege situations as staff slings can achieve very steep trajectories for slinging over obstacles such as castle walls. The staff itself can become a close combat weapon in a melee. The staff sling can throw heavy projectiles a much greater distance and at a higher arc than a hand sling. Staff slings were in use well into the age of gunpowder as grenade launchers, and were used in ship-to-ship combat to throw incendiaries.

Weird Harold wrote:Both of you need to read up on slings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sling_(weapon)#Combat

As a weapon, the sling had several advantages; a sling bullet lobbed in a high trajectory can achieve ranges approaching 400 m;

The staff sling has a similar or superior range to the shepherd's sling, and can be as accurate in practiced hands. It is generally suited for heavier missiles and siege situations as staff slings can achieve very steep trajectories for slinging over obstacles such as castle walls. The staff itself can become a close combat weapon in a melee. The staff sling can throw heavy projectiles a much greater distance and at a higher arc than a hand sling. Staff slings were in use well into the age of gunpowder as grenade launchers, and were used in ship-to-ship combat to throw incendiaries.

n7axw wrote:Thanks for an informative post, Harold. So our David might have a chance of doing some damage when he takes on Goliath...

Don

Weird Harold wrote:

n7axw wrote:Thanks for an informative post, Harold. So our David might have a chance of doing some damage when he takes on Goliath...

Don

Nah. The Harchingese slingers have a better chance of playing on the Devil's ice hockey team than doing more than inconveniencing the ICA. If they use normal slinger tactics, they're toast; a sling is good for area fire at 400 yards, a Mahndrayn Rifle or M96 is good for 600-800 yards aimed fire.