[gurps] [Worldbuilding] Intriguing concept

[Rupert Boleyn]

On 4 Jul 2006 at 22:42, Pauli Hakala wrote:

> Warhorses, composite bows and some armor in the hands of a small
> skilled and highly motivated elite force can make all the difference in
> a low-tech battle, and can conceivably defeat a much larger
> infantry-based opposing force. Mobility, firepower, armor - an elite of
> horseback archers could have all of these three key advantages over most
> of their opponents..

Small numbers of elite cavalry using bows vs heavy infantry tends to be 
a stalemate. As soon as the infantry gets some half decent cavalry, 
it's all over for the other side. Therefore, this will only work if the 
amazons are culturally superior in some way to the others.

This is especially the case given that even composite horse bows don't 
have the reach of a good footman's bow, and the amazons will have lwoer 
upper body strength than an opposong force of men, so they'll be forced 
to use weaker bows. At this point it starts looking like Turks vs 
Franks in the first crusade, and that did not end well for the horse 
archers.

-- 
Rupert Boleyn <rboleyn at ihug.co.nz>