Trait: Dislikes Gunpowder

[lars573]

Why I think Gunpowder wouldn't be a to big impact
Btw I just noticed that a mist a couple of posts so if some stuff is already said my apologiesfor not quoting



Muskets etc:
I think most of you see the muskets as modern weapons which they are not. The reloading of the old muskets at the beginning of the game will take about a minute to reload, the distance of shooting is close only accurate at about 60m (70yards), you could hit a man’s torso from about 200m (218yards).
This was improved massively around the 1800, but still they remained in accurate, the major plusses about these weapons came around the Crimean War and during the American civil war (which are not included but hopefully will be with the first expansion)

Most of the time they only shot Twice, and then did a charge, the bayonet was only invented somewhere in the 17 hundreds so depending when the game actually starts there was still a huge need of Pikemen, they would stop (or try to stop) the cavalry charges. Before the bayonet they had a dagger as extra weapon, some still had them even with the bayonet.

In the beginning of the game they’ll probably be a minor part of your forces wouldn’t make sense to have an entire army filled with musketiers. Major upgrade’s would probably the invention of the flintlock, and then rifling. (Plus some others)

I know there are more rifle types then muskets but this is the most known one and over the entire period the mostly used

Muskets would be 95% of the infantry by 1700. Bayonettes were developed in the later 17th centruy. The French army made a plug type bayonette standard issue for all their infantry in 1688. Pike units might still be around. But their usefulness on battle would be very small. For rifles of the 18th century would be even slower firing than muskets. As the rifling in those days would let the explosive gasses escape if you didn't wrap the ball in leather, so I've been told.

Cavalry

Light Cavalry

At this point cavalry was light, most army leaders preferred to have big horses for a prestige. The main role of cavalry was as shock troops, charge the enemy and frighten them so that they get into disarray. As defense the where used to harass the enemy. And offcourse to brake the enemy so that the infantry would come in ( more or less the same as in the middle ages)

Cavalry was most effective against infantry when they were on the move or in a single line formation (consisting of less than 4 lines)

Dragoons

Dragoons where the most common type. They rode horses as an extra, to get from one place to the other quickly. Because of the difficult way to fire the muskets they mostly got of the horse to fire. They were mostly equipped with a sabre, axe and a musket. But didn’t have much chance against through cavalry.

later they changed the equipment and became more like cavalry men this was around the Napoleonic wars. These Dragoons rode larger horses than the light cavalry and wielded straight, rather than curved swords. Napoleon was a master with his dragoons, later it was turned against him at the battle of Waterloo, (also because the general of the dragoons made a wild charge into fresh troops)

later the dragoons where converted to Hussars and Lancers

Cuirassiers,

Equipped with armour and firearms, they were the successors of the medieval knights, I’m not certain if they had a huge benefit against rifle infantry (the plating a mean) but they had a major benefit against other types of cavalry

By the end of the 19th century the Cuirassiers where fading and become more as heavy Dragoons (or the Dragoons became more like them)

Light Lancers

Basic cavalry but had a lance and sword ;)

Especially useful against infantry static or moving but they were less and less used because of the advantages of gunpowder especially after the French revolution.

there are some others but these I think where the most used

Hussars came into central europe from Hungary in the late 17th century. The only nation who converted a (light) Dragoon unit into a Hussar or lancer unit was Britian. They would generaly have a light sabre (curved and thus more for cutting), a carbine musket (although Cossacks 2 gave them blunderbusses), spikes (for driving down the touch hole of a cannon). They'd be riding smaller but faster horses. Cuirassiers would be large men (to wear the armour and swing the sword) on large horses (to carry all that weight and charge). At the begining of the game they might still have open faced steel helms and steel gauntlets. By the mid game those will be gone, replaced with leather gauntlets and a bicorn hat. In the end game helmets of brass and leather (or brass and steel) will be the style, with fancy plums. Their equippment would be a heavy cavalry sabre (straight blade for cut and thrust), and pistols (1 or 2). Dragoons were originally mounted infantry (16th-17th century). That is they rode to battle or to a position then fought on foot. In the 18th century their infantry role dimished. They were still issued carbines. But some nations would equip some like heavy cavalry (big guy on big horse with a heavy straight sabre), and some in like light cavalry (smaller horse, light cavalry sabre). Other cavalry types would be Ulhans (although that's a German name). These are polish style light lancers.

hmm what else ah off course Canons in brief I could go on and on about this

Artillery

You got cannons howitzers limbers Mortars and then off course the several ship types and differences in the artillery. Some of them would be early in the game others only at the very end.

But depending on the type the shots vary some of them would bounce over the ground making them really drastic, others explode etc… etc. But you have to imagine that is only if the ground is good meaning not moist, or shot in to pieces from before. If the ground is a mess these babies won’t do much harm. (that is one of the other reasons why Napoleon lost his O so major Artillery did nothing at all because it rained that night almost all the shots fired got stuck in the mud)

that all said (over 800 words) :D, this will vary the gameplay a lot, and will have a lot of differences when playing the battle’s, will you what before doing the attack until the weather clears, or if you’re attacking a highly better army with more artillery wait some more hoping that it will rain.

I think the spectacle will be the same why not even better than before because the uncertainty is greater as well, I’ve played all the Total war games and they always make it better the battle’s a mean. Some aspects as rebellions that where gone from medieval I mist that in Rome and MTW2 (but its back yippee)

Cannons in this period were only of two types (angled howitzers and flat cannons). The main difference would be size. Which would be based on the weight of the ball. Anywhere from 2 pounds to 12 were normal for land use. Ships might have a gun heavier than 12 pounds but that's not common. Shot types would be round shot, cannister (a tin can full of pistol or musket balls that turned the cannon into a giant shotgun, would rip infantry shreds at short range), chainshot (two balls with up to 6 feet of chain between them, anti-personell or anti-sail). Explosive shells were also used but generally in howitzers for air bursting. There was also a cynlinder shaped shot for use against buildings. Those are just the ones I know about. I'm sure there are more.