Zan replied to me: > > Because they would have been better? I could write a TL8 > > ship of the line with sails and broadside guns, and it > > could wipe out Nelson's fleet all by itself, but that > > doesn't make sailing warships a sound TL8 technology. > > It might, in a universe without easy refueling sources. The other option > would of course be nuclear.
Sails, maybe, likely in conjunction with auxiliary engines. Wooden hulls, possible but unlikely, since you can't just take green wood from some island and expect your repairs to last. So why not metal hulls? Broadside guns, no way. A few centerline deck guns, in open mounts or thin-walled turrets. And David replied to Nigel: > No, pirates take modern cargo ships because they're modern cargo ships, > with a crew of a couple dozen or less, and half a mile of perimeter to > defend using firehoses. Put an infantry company on such a ship, and the > pirates don't have a chance. A dozen armed Navy troops might suffice, as pirates found out when they went after the German fleet replenishment ship Spessart. But civilian crews would get into legal nightmares if they carried and used MGs ... _______________________________________________ GurpsNet-L mailing list <[email protected]> http://mail.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l
