Feudal Troop Types

Hârnic & CGI References

Crossby, N. Robin. HârnPlayer A Player's Guide to HârnWorld. Blaine: CGI, 1994

The Bow

• "Many different types of bows are used on Lýthia. The shape of a bow is a cultural matter. What really matters is the bow's size; this determines its range and accuracy. In general, the larger the bow, the more powerful. Bows are generally used as hunting weapons, or are employed en masse by foot archers to break up enemy formations."

Crossbowmen and Bowmen:

• "Although gentlefolk consider bows beneath their own dignity, the less conservative are willing to accept the presence of a properly-disciplined contingent of longbowmen. These at least require some skill to use. Even so, most knights deem it inappropriate for archers to shoot knights – this sets a poor precedent, simplefolk killing gentlefolk."
• "Crossbows are loath by nearly all gentlefolk and even by most common soldiers. A crossbow is a coward's weapon, used by thieves and murderers for ambush, or occasionally by a hunter with warped sportsmanship, but never by a gentleman and rarely by a simple soldier of "good virtue". Bearing a crossbow is likely to be met with a violet challenge by any noble."

Bow Types:

Crossbow

"A small bow mounted horizontally on a wooden stock with a trigger device to release a short arrow which is called a bolt or quarrel. Unlike other bows they may be carried loaded and ready to fire, but this advantage is offset by their longer time to reload. The use of a crossbow in combat (against people) is strictly forbidden by canon and secular law (the penalty is death). Anyone carrying a crossbow is regarded with suspicion. They are almost exclusively used for hunting."

Shortbow

"Any bow less than four feet high. Shortbows are common among tribesmen and in eastern Lýthia, where they are made from bone, metal, or composite hardwoods, and are often recurved. The tribes of central Lýthia, use special shortbows from horseback. Maximum effective range is 200-300 yards."

Longbow

"Any bow between four and six feet high, generally the same height as the archer. The classic longbow originated in Emelrene, The preferred wood is yew, but not just any part of the tree. The bow is carefully cut from the heartwood and body wood of a branch, and is a natural composite bow. The tips are usually sheathed with horn and the string is generally made from hemp. The Emelrene longbow has amazing power and accuracy when used by skilled archers, but it takes years of training to become proficient. The Emelrene longbow has an effective range between 300 and 400 yards and a skilled longbowman can fire 5-7 arrows per minute in combat (as many as 20 per minute have been seen in tournaments)."

Hartbow

"The Sindarin Shortbow. Its stats are similar to those of a longbow."

Crossby, N. Robin, Dalgliesh, Tom and Holtz, Eric. BattleLust Mediæval Battle System. Blaine: CGI, 1993

Crossbowmen and Bowmen:

• "Shortbow (SB) - The standard archer is light footman equipped with a shortbow, and bearing a light melee weapon and shield. Unarmored shortbowmen are also quite common are drawn from the peasantry and are generally only found in militia formations. Shortbowmen are more common than longbowmen."
• "Longbow (LB) - Longbowmen are relatively rare outside feudal societies because of the years of training required to master this weapon. They are traditionally members of the yeomanry or the sons of yeomen employed in standing armies. They are highly valued and very well paid."
• "There is a rising trend among yeomen to adopt and master the longbow."
• "Militia will be 75% Unarmored and 25% Light Foot. Of both classes some may have bows (table below)

Crossby, N. Robin, King, Ed and Sgammato, John. Kingdom of Kaldor. Blaine: CGI, 2004

Crossbowmen and Bowmen:

• "The feudal levy consists of knights and yeomen who hold lands in exchange for military service of 30-90 days per year. Typically, each manor provides one knight (heavy or medium horse), one squire (medium or light horse), and a number of yeoman that varies by troop class and Gross Acres."
• "Shortbow (SB) = Gross Acres ÷ 600"
• "The Army of the Chelmarch is a permanent force of four companies: one medium foot, one light foot, one shortbow, and one light horse."