[Ansteorra] Archery, ballista safety at Gulf Wars

[Mr. and Mrs. Fryday]

I am a spotter in the mundane world for Army Artillery. I would like to know
what if any system is used for spotting in SCA combat. Is there a range /
deflection system on the mass combat weapons? Any information would be nice.

Gassion de Beaumarchais

----- Original Message -----
From: "Harris Mark.S-rsve60" <Mark.s.Harris at motorola.com>
To: <ansteorra at ansteorra.org>; <bryn-gwlad at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2002 4:31 PM
Subject: [Ansteorra] Archery, ballista safety at Gulf Wars


> Dore said:
> > Another caveat: As it was we archers often had to wait until another
> > archer fired and moved before we had an unobstructed view out the
> > window or whatever. So if there are that many more archers, many will
> > need to fire on targets they cannot see. Thus they will also need
> > spotters. In fact, spotters would have been very handy even as it was.
>
> And later in another message Robin said:
> >I overheard some war observers complaining that our ballista shot too
far -
> >over the enemy and into the non-armored observers.  Apparently people in
> >pavillions were dodging bolts.
>
> I find it rather ironic that the Marshallete is now allowing ballistas
> and archers to shoot blindly into locations they can not see.
>
> When I was denied re-authorization on my combat archery several years
> ago by Tuh Tahl, as Bryn Gwlad Archery Marshall, I was told it was
> because it was said that folks were afraid I would be unable to
> distinguish a marshal or spectator from an armored combatant. No matter
> that I didn't shoot towards the spectators and tended to shoot into a
> crowd of combatants, not trying to pick off individuals standing off by
> themselves not carrying shields or weapons. In addition with the combat
> legal crossbow, I was shooting at medium range targets rather than at
> distant targets, since the bow was more accurate at that range. At
> that range the targets were even more recognisable.
>
> I think the people, apparently folks with political pull as Tuh Tahl
> didn't want to oppose them, who demanded that I not be allowed to
> shoot combat archery ought to sit back and consider that if they
> were that concerned about a possible mis-shot then, why are they not
> concerned now with archers, and particularly ballista crews, shooting
> blindly at targets they cannot see and at best are using second or
> third hand reports from observers which can easily get garbled in
> the noise and pressure of battle.
>
> In my case I could, and did, take precautions so that I was only
> shooting at combatants. No, such precautions can't be guarenteed
> to make things 100 percent safe. But allowing folks to blindly
> shoot over a wall they can't see through or at best with a
> spotter who can at best give general directions, is much less
> uncertain than the precautions I was taking.
>
> Because of this episode I quit SCA combat archery and armored
> combat, so this now has little effect upon me. However, I think
> some folks ought to reconsider why they can oppose what they feel
> are unsafe practices when it affects only one person's playing, but
> have no problem allowing, even encouraging, similar unsafe practices
> when it involves a group of folks.
>
> THLord Stefan li Rous
> Barony of Bryn Gwlad
> stefan at texas.net
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