h a l f b a k e r yNaturally, seismology provides the answer.
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Mediaeval weapons generally fall into two classes. On the
one
hand, you have projectile weapons such as the bow,
crossbow,
and ballista. On the other, you have close-quarters weapons
such as swords, pikes and angry Glaswegians. This idea
combines
the drawbacks of the first with the
disadvantages of the
second.
The close-quarters ballista vaguely resembles a conventional
ballista or siege catapult, but is somewhat larger. Instead of
a
receptacle for a rock, it bears a large padded cup. By
means of
this cunning weapon, it is possible to launch a sword- or
pike-
wielding soldier directly into the massed enemy, from a
distance
of over 200m.
[link]
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// Mediaeval weapons ... angry Glaswegians. // |
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Firstly, Glaswegians are prehistoric, not mediaeval ; secondly, "Glaswegian" implies "angry". |
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// This idea combines the drawbacks of the first with the disadvantages of the second. // |
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A bright future awaits you in the off-world colonies ... sorry, awaits you as a professional designer of military equipment. |
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// launch a sword- or pike- wielding soldier directly into the massed enemy, from a distance of over 200m. // |
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Why not launch a drunk, angry Glaswegian girl ? Or do the Geneva Convention s forbid that ? |
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A close-quarters barista would be useful. |
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//Glaswegians are prehistoric// No, I can assure you that
they are an extant species. The Intercalary has an impressive
set of scars and dental absences (which would spoil the looks
of anyone else, but subtly ameliorate his) to prove it. He's
not the most streetwise when he's drunk. Sturton, on the
other hand, is grea' pals wi ma wee Glasgae lads, and is in
fact something of a legend in Glasgow. |
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Sp. Glesga (as in "Glesga Toon") |
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I'm not sure "wielding" is something you can do with a sword or
pike while being launched from a ballista. "Sword-clenching",
possibly? |
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Would the soldier be allowed to deploy a drag-chute prior to
impact? |
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Obviously, they'd be trained in mid-flight wielding techniques.
As for a drag chute, the problem is that can result in your
descending vertically and slowly onto an enemy that
presumably has its own set of pikes. |
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What you need is a drag device whose drag is inversely
related to speed, rather than squaredly related. It would
slow you down at a gradually increasing rate as you slowed
down. That might enable a flattish trajectory with a fast
approach but still a soft landing. |
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