Trait: Dislikes Gunpowder

[CBR]

I fail to understand why so many of you are worried about the era combat being "stand and shoot" when earlier combat were wery much "run against each other and hack away"?

Read descriptions of battles from the napoleonic wars, seven years wart, war of austrian successions etc( wikipedia is a easily accessible source, and its faults doesnt really matter or this purpose) and youll see how much manouvering and "tactickery" often went into these clashes.

Well there are of course battles that from a war/strategy gamer point of view were rather boring straight ahead affairs like the battle of Mollwitz. There is the classic army deployment seen in most Total War games of an infantry center and cavalry on the wings.

The socket bayonet had more or less become the standard for most armies around the turn of the century but seems CA wants a tech race in that department.

As Total War has always used turns representing several months or even a few years and has no real logistics the whole guerrilla/petit guerre element is difficult to do in other ways but revolts or damage to buildings/armies in a province. And there was nothing special about the American Revolutionary War. The British had some trouble supplying outposts in the South but that's it really.


CBR

[Dradem]

Some good points, but it should be pointed out that:
A) Flintlocks were developed and used throughout most of Europe in the 1600's

that's correct but they made improvements to them, there where various types of flintlocks in use in the 1600. de la Chaumette made a few changes to the standard design in 1704 or 05 can't remember exactly. This design was improved around the 1770's by Colonel Furguson, a Brit and they where first used in the American Revolution. They were still called Flintlocks but weren’t the same as in the 1600.

B) Bayonets may have been 'invented' in 13th century China

Attaching a spear or sword/dagger to a Arquebus/musket is hardly an actual Bayonet ;) but indeed correct they where first seen in china

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.

Sorry was a bit out of the time line apparently

But they were still used by the Swedish until the 1720 and even longer by the Russians, Swiss. and off course for Rebellions (less costly)

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.

The muskets became faster after the invention of the paper cartridges that was about 3 times a minute, the first rifles where indeed slower, but more accurate. (this changed when the loading happened from the back not the front) Plus they could shoot more then 4 to 5 times (not in the same time off course)

for the moment i'm at work so I can't respond to everything