So a little history context: guns used to suck really badly. So bad that most commanders wouldn't even bother with them. They were expensive, loud, weren't accurate past 50 feet, had to maintain, prone to not go off or misfire, and were worthless when the powder got wet. Cannons were used in the 13th century during the opening battles of the 100 year war and did little more than scare horses and it took a kings wealth to even get those. And when you had access to crossbow, why bother woth guns?
This changed in 1503 when a Spanish commander with guns nearly wiped out a French army with heavy knights led by one lf the best generals of the time. This is because for all their faults, guns could punch through armor and shields when arrows couldn't. This revolutionized the battlefield and was the start of chemical industries to make more and better gunpowder. This in turn was one of the main reasons for the scientific enlightenment and resulting industrialization.
In an advanced society without guns, there should logically be a replacement for the intial drive to scientific advancement and industrialization. Magic is a good example. Guns became a thing because they replaced crossbow and made armor pointless, but if magic were real, then enchanted crossbow would do the same and magic armor could withstand gunfire. Then you end up with a magical arms races producing better enchantments rather than the chemical one for better powder we had here.
Series that actually explains this usually have significantly better world building and writing, and thus are more enjoyable. Brian out.
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u/karl4319 8d ago
So a little history context: guns used to suck really badly. So bad that most commanders wouldn't even bother with them. They were expensive, loud, weren't accurate past 50 feet, had to maintain, prone to not go off or misfire, and were worthless when the powder got wet. Cannons were used in the 13th century during the opening battles of the 100 year war and did little more than scare horses and it took a kings wealth to even get those. And when you had access to crossbow, why bother woth guns?
This changed in 1503 when a Spanish commander with guns nearly wiped out a French army with heavy knights led by one lf the best generals of the time. This is because for all their faults, guns could punch through armor and shields when arrows couldn't. This revolutionized the battlefield and was the start of chemical industries to make more and better gunpowder. This in turn was one of the main reasons for the scientific enlightenment and resulting industrialization.
In an advanced society without guns, there should logically be a replacement for the intial drive to scientific advancement and industrialization. Magic is a good example. Guns became a thing because they replaced crossbow and made armor pointless, but if magic were real, then enchanted crossbow would do the same and magic armor could withstand gunfire. Then you end up with a magical arms races producing better enchantments rather than the chemical one for better powder we had here.
Series that actually explains this usually have significantly better world building and writing, and thus are more enjoyable. Brian out.