Does That Seem Right To You? (WFB 3rd)

Skaven are good guys but they have no access to any form of bow (Short, Long, Cross), or Calvary of any kind. So I guess in warhammer world, apart from Dark Elves which were once normal (high or sea.. can't remember) only the bad guys have Crossbows?
 
Brother Meredith said:
Yup, but dwarfs like to use crossbows, so not just bad guys. Guess they prefer the mechanical side of them (before straight up black powder weapons were introduced for them)?
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Michael Stockin said:
The Empire has crossbow troops as a compulsory unit, along with halberdiers.
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Before I start a flame war (or the genteel Oldhammer equivalent of a flame war) I should point out that crossbows are neither intrinsically evil (or anymore evil than any other weapon) nor are the people using them, its just that in the British fantasy and historical media it is common for them to be used by 'the baddies' for the cultural reasons I mentioned in my previous post. Conversely the longbow is regarded as quintessentially British and also as a traditional weapon and a weapon of the people, archers being drawn (sorry) from the lower yeoman classes.

Obviously Dwarfs would have insurmountable practical difficulties using a human sized longbow, plus thematically crossbows are more technical and probably more useful in confined spaces like underground. In short (sorry) crossbows are more appropriately dwarvish.

I decided to do a bit of research (both my kids are away on their school camps) and did find some bad guys equipped with longbows.

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I think I have all of these figures but haven't painted all of them yet.
 
hedge goblin said:
Wouldn't this need a skilled workforce of Undead carpenters? I'm not sure I can get behind that.
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The undead and their doings don't necessarily bear close examination. I mean who in the undead camp is spending hours painting skull emblems on all the shields? Or maintaining their weapons?

I have to admit to finding very few shortcomings in the WFB 3rd edition army compositions which are usually appropriately historically diverse and allow for a range of quite different armies from the same list. Both the Empire and Bretonnian lists in Warhammer Armies would have (with minimal alterations) been suitable for a historical wargames battle set in the high/late medieval period.

/Off topic/

What I didn't like was the 4th edition onwards move towards armies that were distinct from a thematic and gameplay perspective. So for example Bretonnians couldn't field gunpowder weapons anymore to make them more distinct from the Empire.

I was never really onboard with overly fantastic army options especially for the human armies like troops mounted on griffons or pegasuses (pegasi?). Herohammer also moved army generals out of the rank and file and tended to place them on monstrous mounts ending up fighting mano a mano against their opposite number. Not ideal and a bit risky to say the least.
 
Yeah the undead having undead themed gear is also daft to me. I paint my undead in the uniforms they wore when alive, likewise their shields are shield shaped rather than coffin shaped and carry the emblem of when they were alive.

My undead are raised from fallen troops of Sylvania so bear their colours and related devices
 
Michael Stockin said:
Yeah the undead having undead themed gear is also daft to me. I paint my undead in the uniforms they wore when alive, likewise their shields are shield shaped rather than coffin shaped and carry the emblem of when they were alive.

My undead are raised from fallen troops of Sylvania so bear their colours and related devices
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I always liked the ones that had a heroic background (a bit like the Army of the Dead in Lord of the Rings). The Nightmare Legion has a similar avenging ethos.
 
A thing that is often forgotten is that firearms did not reach the level of accuracy and lethality to match well-trained longbowmen until the Martini-Henry rifle of fame in the Anglo-Zulu War. Crossbows and firearms were easier to use and it was vastly easier to train masses of soldiers to battle-ready with crossbows or matchlocks than keeping bodies of trained longbowmen.

Pope Innocent II in 1139 banned the use of crossbows and bows against Christians. The decree, which used the phrase "that deadly art... against Christians and Catholics," stated that those who used such weapons in wars between Christians were to be condemned. Crossbows were considered to be upending the social order, they enabled common soldiers and peasants to kill the elite warriors at a distance and anonymously. I think that idea remains in culture, especially for the UK and North Americans, and explains why crossbows can be seen as "evil" or "low" in things like WFB.
 
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