07-03-2007, 06:36 PM
Salve Clodius Secundus!
It would seem strange to fire over the mules, as an elevated firing position would really hamper accuracy and this is just where these engines come into their own. For laying down suppressive fire, a group of archers would be far more useful, as they have somewhat the same range, but not the knock down, shield smashing power of a ballistabolt aimed at chest level. The heavy projectile of a ballista soon succumbs to gravity, greatly lessening it's effective range because of the flatter trajectory.
It's the old discussion on caliber versus speed. Modern rifles sacrifice mass of the projectile for speed and distance. As speed was limited by the mechanics involved, mass caused the destructive penetrating power of the ballista bolt in an equal range situation. The .44 has the greater stopping power, but the .22 with a long barrel and a good charge will kill well over the effective range of a .44. The .50 caliber single shot sniper rifle is probably the exception to the rule, but packs a massive charge. Anyway, this is just an example, guns are REALLY frowned upon in my part of the world, so it's all book wisdom. :roll:
Possibly, the artist took a liberty here, as showing a gun crew in action would be impossible if they were behind raised sides but could be well depicted when standing at the rear of the assembly.
It would seem strange to fire over the mules, as an elevated firing position would really hamper accuracy and this is just where these engines come into their own. For laying down suppressive fire, a group of archers would be far more useful, as they have somewhat the same range, but not the knock down, shield smashing power of a ballistabolt aimed at chest level. The heavy projectile of a ballista soon succumbs to gravity, greatly lessening it's effective range because of the flatter trajectory.
It's the old discussion on caliber versus speed. Modern rifles sacrifice mass of the projectile for speed and distance. As speed was limited by the mechanics involved, mass caused the destructive penetrating power of the ballista bolt in an equal range situation. The .44 has the greater stopping power, but the .22 with a long barrel and a good charge will kill well over the effective range of a .44. The .50 caliber single shot sniper rifle is probably the exception to the rule, but packs a massive charge. Anyway, this is just an example, guns are REALLY frowned upon in my part of the world, so it's all book wisdom. :roll:
Possibly, the artist took a liberty here, as showing a gun crew in action would be impossible if they were behind raised sides but could be well depicted when standing at the rear of the assembly.
