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Post by Jonathan "Ashen Jack" Asheton on Sept 6, 2014 1:22:05 GMT
The cannon (namely French cannon) is the king of the battlefield. Especially when it's being flown around by a 20-ton+ pissed off dragon. Why do you think I chose a heavyweight? Aerial broadside! |
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Post by Jonathan "Ashen Jack" Asheton on Sept 6, 2014 6:37:39 GMT
Alright I did some research and a heavyweight has a flight crew of 30-40 men plus a ground crew.
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Post by Captain Eleanor Hawke on Sept 6, 2014 12:00:36 GMT
Zack, can you link Barnaby and myself to where you found the info about the crew numbers please?  |
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Post by Captain Eleanor Hawke on Sept 6, 2014 12:10:59 GMT
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Post by Jonathan "Ashen Jack" Asheton on Sept 6, 2014 19:54:20 GMT
That's just the celestial too, so I'm sure larger dragons have a larger crew. Copper Regal probably borders on 50. naominovik.com/w/index.php?title=Temeraire's_Officers_and_Crew&redirect=no Temeraire had 4 flight crew officers including the captain, 8 top men, 8 bell men (bottom men), 12 riflemen, 4 lookouts, 1 signalman, and 1 runner. The ground crew was 16 men (chief, armorer, armorer's mate, leather worker, gunner, harness master, 8 harnessmen, and 2 surgeons.) There was also a chef for the dragon, but it's not typically counted as part of the crew. |
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Post by Captain Eleanor Hawke on Sept 6, 2014 21:41:28 GMT
Thanks for that, Zack. I'd been trying to get on that Wiki for a while without success, but it's finally working.
Yeah, Temeraire's chef is an anomaly due to personal circumstances. Althoughb we need to bear in mind that of Temeraire's crew, not all the people are serving at the same time. The two surgeons, for example, don't typically serve together. The only time they did, I believe, was when they were engaged on a special mission.
Swords seem logical, Aranya. You're right that muskets wouldn't be very accurate in this period, though I'd assume the riflemen would be musket men, due to riflemen not having been invented yet.
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Post by Jonathan "Ashen Jack" Asheton on Sept 6, 2014 22:15:28 GMT
They would be muskets instead of rifles, so smoothbore. That means they're only accurate up to around 40 yards and take about a minute to reload between each shot. So matchlock muskets and the bayonets attached to them would have been used to ward off boarding policies, while the senior officers (lieutenant and captains) would probably use matchlock pistols and rapiers. The firearm and melee weapon are of equal importance. There's no "more useful" choice. A soldier would be expected to know both. Think pirate movies and you're probably on the right track, except some folks still wore ceremonial armor in this period. Realistically the only useful armor at this time was a gorget and MAYBE a cuirass.
You'd also be called a topman, Aranya, as military positions typically aren't divided by sex. Haha you might be called "sir" still as well.
A musket is still typically considered a type of rifle by the way. There seems to be some confusion on that count. The difference is the barrels aren't rifled yet and are still smoothbore. You would likely still call the gunners riflemen or arbequisters if you're Spanish. Or just musketmen or musketeers. Makes little difference as they still serve the same purpose of shooting things.
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Post by Captain Eleanor Hawke on Sept 6, 2014 22:30:23 GMT
They would be muskets instead of rifles, so smoothbore. That means they're only accurate up to around 40 yards and take about a minute to reload between each shot. So matchlock muskets and the bayonets attached to them would have been used to ward off boarding policies, while the senior officers (lieutenant and captains) would probably use matchlock pistols and rapiers. Think pirate movies and you're probably on the right track, except some folks still wore ceremonial armor in this period. Realistically the only useful armor at this time was a gorget and MAYBE a cuirass. You'd also be called a topman, Aranya, as military positions typically aren't divided by sex. Haha you might be called "sir" still as well. A musket is still typically considered a type of rifle by the way. There seems to be some confusion on that count. The difference is the barrels aren't rifled yet and are still smoothbore. You would likely still call the gunners riflemen or arbequisters if you're Spanish. Or just musketmen or musketeers. Makes little difference as they still serve the same purpose of shooting things. In the Napoleonic era, it was required for redcoats armed with the Brown Bess musket to fire 3 rounds a minute, though 4 was also possible for a skilled soldier. Does that mean the older muskets would be much slower to load? I know the female officers are sometimes called "sir" by mistake when their sex isn't discovered. I think they are just called by their rank once their gender is known. But Zack is correct, the rank remains the same regardless of gender. There is no topwoman/midwingwoman. |
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Post by Captain Eleanor Hawke on Sept 6, 2014 22:48:30 GMT
Well, Edith might still find herself called "sir" if she runs across people not in the Corps. It happens quite a few times in the books.
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Post by Jonathan "Ashen Jack" Asheton on Sept 6, 2014 22:56:37 GMT
Brown Bess muskets were much easier to reload. They were flintlock and by then the British had made reloading drills a science. Muskets have just replaced longbows in this period and are matchlock. They took around a full minute to reload. They hadn't even invented line fire at this point with drummer to set the pace, it was still just volley fire. The issue isn't whether you're a man or woman. The issue was that the term "ma'am" to refer to a female officer is a relatively new development. When female officers first came around (centuries after this) they were still called "sir" for a long time because that's what you called an officer. The military is slow to change, especially when it comes to traditional practices. Musket and bayonet would be more realistic for a mid wingman, though since you come from a rich background you being able to use a sword could be explained. It's a little troubling you guys don't know these basics considering you're running a period military game that happens to have dragons  |
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Post by Jonathan "Ashen Jack" Asheton on Sept 6, 2014 23:54:31 GMT
Well that's just in Westeros, a medieval setting where birth is everything. A common officer is worth as much as a noble one in this setting. There's just perks to having money and connections, like anywhere.
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Post by Captain Eleanor Hawke on Sept 7, 2014 0:02:45 GMT
The higher ranking officers would be able to buy favours but aside from certain families who send their kids to the Corps, in the same way that other families might send kids to the church, army or navy (in later periods, particularly), most of the Corps is comprised of the shabby genteel. Although of course you have aviators sending their own kids into the Corps too, particularly when there's a dragon to "inherit." It's certainly useful to be born into a wealthy family and to have existing connections among the Corps, but chance and merit are also key.
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Post by Captain Eleanor Hawke on Sept 7, 2014 0:12:17 GMT
There's a foundling in the books, raised around coverts, who attached himself to the Corps and somehow made it to the rank of Lieutenant, but his chances of getting to captain dragon are established at not being very high. The books imply some officers don't ever rise about Lieutenant because there just aren't enough dragons to go around, so someone has to lose out. Certain breeds are passed down through families where possible, or given to officers who have proved themselves. A courier breed such as a Winchester would be the most an officer of lower social status/lacking in Corps connections, would be able to hope for in ordinary circumstances, because their small size makes them less desirable. Also, there's fewer opportunities to command men when your only crew consists of harnessmen. It's possible for a lower ranking character to do well, but obviously much harder for them.
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Post by Jonathan "Ashen Jack" Asheton on Sept 7, 2014 1:57:01 GMT
Haha well considering a woman can be an office in this setting and a Native American can be president of the United States, I'm going to go out on a limb and say merit is more important than birth in this setting. Of course being upper-class comes with perks but it's no reason to not make your first a commoner. Mine is, though with a dragon that's a moot point.
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