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Thread: How to -- 4th century BCE setting

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    Default Re: How to -- 4th century BCE setting

    If you're drawing heavily on the Hellenistic era, Paul Elliot's Warlords of Alexander is a useful source to draw upon.

    Quote Originally Posted by veti View Post
    Bows of any sort will be rare, and not very powerful unless in the hands of an elite bowman (i.e. one who's spent years training for the job). Slings are a very popular alternative, and for most people just as effective.
    That's not really true even of the Classical period in the east or the steppe. Composite bows are common there, it's only the west that had underpowered self bows.

    Slings are certainly popular in the west, and with a cast bullet, rather than pebble or stone, can outrange western bows.

    Quote Originally Posted by veti View Post
    Armour will be partial, and mostly solid plates. Chainmail may be just about starting to appear, but it'll be confined to the elites at this time - mass produced chainmail is probably still some way away.
    Again, not really true of the Hellenistic era being drawn upon. While the hoplite panoply is the heavy standard, there's still scale and lamellar thoraxes, as well as textile armour for the torso. Any of which can be supplemented with greaves. Add a helmet and shield (almost everyone had these two) and you're set.

    Note the shield is the most important defensive item in this period, not armour. With a helmet and body shield, you're pretty well covered as well as being mobile.

    Mail is common among Celtic nobles and beginning to appear more widely. You're right that mass-produced mail didn't appear til later in the Roman era.

    Quote Originally Posted by veti View Post
    Spears are by far the most popular weapons.
    True, as are javelins. Lots of line infantry had javelins to throw before melee contact - something inspired by the Celts who used it very effectively.

    Quote Originally Posted by veti View Post
    Money is not nearly as important as it later becomes. An awful lot of trade doesn't involve money at all - who you are, who your friends and family are, is more important than how much arbitrarily-designated metal you've got jangling in your pouch. If you're from the right family or the right patron, everything is pretty much free to you anyway.
    Once more, not true of the Hellenistic era. Once the treasuries of Persia had been looted, ther was a lot more coinage around. Gold devalued from being worth 27 times as much as silver to 10 times as much, because there was so much of it washing around. Persian money (especially gold darics) were a common way for mercenaries to be paid, and the Greek currency (silver owls, etc) were close to a common currency. Along with bars of silver/gold for trading volumes of transaction. Though many more advanced states would have used a credit system to spare the risk of pirates carrying off your wealth.
    Last edited by Kiero; 2016-08-18 at 03:04 AM.
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