Missing Counter Series: the Longbow SW

jrv

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wikipedia said:
Lieutenant Colonel John Malcolm Thorpe Fleming "Jack" Churchill, DSO & Bar, MC & Bar (16 September 1906 – 8 March 1996), nicknamed Fighting Jack Churchill and Mad Jack, was a British soldier who fought throughout the Second World War armed with a longbow, bagpipes, and a basket-hilted Scottish broadsword.

He is known for the motto "any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed." It is claimed that Churchill also carried out the last recorded longbow and arrow killing in action, shooting a German NCO in 1940 in a French village.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Churchill

JR

previous in series
 
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xenovin

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Sounds like your standard hero counter would work - same range and FP
 

jrv

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Sounds like your standard hero counter would work - same range and FP
A longbow would be 1 PP, I would think. The unit could drop it.

I think I see the first scenario using it. I see Panjis ... enemy Cavalry ... defile of Open Ground between two woods (board 19?) ... in Northern France ... "we few, we happy few, we band of brothers".

JR
 
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jrv

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The range of the longbow is more than that of a hero:

wikipedia said:
The range of the medieval weapon is not accurately known, with much depending on both the power of the bow and the type of arrow. It has been suggested that a flight arrow of a professional archer of Edward III's time would reach 400 yd (370 m)[23] but the longest mark shot at on the London practice ground of Finsbury Fields in the 16th century was 345 yd (315 m). In 1542, Henry VIII set a minimum practice range for adults using flight arrows of 220 yd (200 m); ranges below this had to be shot with heavy arrows. Modern experiments broadly concur with these historical ranges. A 667 N (150 lbf) Mary Rose replica longbow was able to shoot a 53.6 g (1.89 oz) arrow 328 m (359 yd) and a 95.9 g (3.38 oz) a distance of 249.9 m (273.3 yd). In 2012, Joe Gibbs shot a 2.25 oz (64 g) livery arrow 292 yd (267 m) with a 170 lbf yew bow.
The minimum practice range for flight arrows was 200m (5 hexes). I would say the longbow SW range should be around six hexes. And they should be able to penetrate armor.

JR
 
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Justiciar

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A longbow would be 1 PP, I would think. The unit could drop it.

I think I see the first scenario using it. I see Panjis ... enemy Cavalry ... defile of Open Ground between two woods (board 19?) ... in Northern France ... "we few, we happy few, we band of brothers".

JR
I don't think it is a SW though...it's an individual weapon like a rifle or a sword.

As to your scenario you forgot plowed fields and mud are in effect, and there is a wagon train worth VP...which if destroyed will invoke no quarter.

You might use Montjoy's own words for your title "They call it Agincourt."
 

Paul M. Weir

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I would doubt that a longbow would be quite the burden that a MG-42 and ammo tins would be, more equivalent to a soldiers personal weapons (rifle, SMG, grenades, etc).

However such a SMC (a Hero, I would assume) should be able to enter HtH CC and have an extra -1 DRM (in addition to any Heroic DRM) due to his over large cutlery. Activation of his sonic weapon would be a concealment loss activity regardless of range, LOS or Night rules. Despite the previously issued piper rules, I am still undecided about the effect on the enemy, maybe a dr with 1-2 pins an enemy unit (they are distracted, confused), 3-4 no effect and 5-6 they go berserk (Zat schwein me ein headache has given).
 

bendizoid

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'Mad Jack' Churchill carried a broad sword and long bow. Evidently he killed a German NCO with a bow in France 1940.
 

Proff3RTR

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I think you are all missing the point that this 'Nutter' was

A. Allowed to be in charge of men (not much has changed in the british Army/Royal Marines)
B. managed to kill one of the enemy with an ancient weapon in an age of machine guns and tanks etc.
C. Carried a Bloody great big sword into battle!!!
D. Survived!!

Bloke was a lunatic, great boys on stuff, mad a a hatter but just loved a good dust up
 
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I dont think the Longbow would be a support weapon, it would be inherent FP on an SMC designated by SSR or a Mad Jack SMC Counter with its own special rule.

The range is perfect, you are not doing a whole lot of damage against a group of 10 men in less than 2 minutes at ranges beyond 4 hexes. The Hero FP I believe is a good match.

I don't think there should be a negative to CC or HtH. Longbows aren't really that bulky to carry, can be easily fired at point blank ranges, and the bow itself can be used as a melee weapon in a pinch.

Concealment would be the change. Given longbows have a loud thwang sound when you let loose, that you can see the arrow flight, and its an arrow meaning it points to its target (and subsequently back to its firer) concealment probably should not always be retained when firing, but perhaps retained on a roll ≤ 2 on the colored die of the IFT attack.

Night Rules are where I think this really would make an interesting SSR. The Hero designated with the Longbow would not leave gunflash when firing and would retain concealment on a roll ≤ 4 on the colored die on the IFT attack when not under illumination (or ≤ 2 if under illumination). Otherwise all normal concealment rules apply.
 

Hutch

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The German is dead. How much more successful could he have been? Is there a "dead and then some"?

JR
Miracle Max: There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive.
 

Paul M. Weir

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I don't think there should be a negative to CC or HtH. Longbows aren't really that bulky to carry, can be easily fired at point blank ranges, and the bow itself can be used as a melee weapon in a pinch.
I was thinking of his sword for HtH and CC.
 

Wayne

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Give him a Demo Charge, too.

Per the Wiki page, in his post-war commuter job, he'd throw his briefcase from his train window on the ride home, into his backyard garden, so that he wouldn't have to carry the satchel home from the train station.

The guy was a capital-C character. I love it.

Wikipedia said:
In March 2014, the Royal Norwegian Explorers Club published a book that featured Churchill, naming him as one of the finest explorers and adventurers of all time.
 

Justiciar

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....
Per the Wiki page, in his post-war commuter job, he'd throw his briefcase from his train window on the ride home, into his backyard garden, so that he wouldn't have to carry the satchel home from the train station.

....
And thus one always knew what to get him for X-mas.
 
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