tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post8404521469943250803..comments2024-03-26T15:35:56.004-04:00Comments on Delta's D&D Hotspot: Gygax on SlingsDeltahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-47838756994058295872017-09-04T10:55:39.911-04:002017-09-04T10:55:39.911-04:00Excellent points!Excellent points!Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-53161467983187033362017-09-04T10:55:19.655-04:002017-09-04T10:55:19.655-04:00That's great. Exactly in line with my house ru...That's great. Exactly in line with my house rules of 6 rounds/minute and getting 1 sling or arrow shot per round. Thanks so much!Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-1558756845363866492017-09-01T22:29:00.133-04:002017-09-01T22:29:00.133-04:00Didn't have enough light to film or aim by, bu...Didn't have enough light to film or aim by, but tried for speed today. Six, 1 minute rounds of throwing golf balls as quickly as possible. Results: 7,6,6,6,5,8. I am a US army Veteran of about average stats, and I had a bucket full of golf balls at my feet.Johnathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787458355122747146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-4409540426702383542017-09-01T20:28:45.220-04:002017-09-01T20:28:45.220-04:00That is a really handy thing to consider for next ...That is a really handy thing to consider for next time I'm using ranged attackers underground (or in barren areas). Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-31358438981863864012017-09-01T16:29:51.844-04:002017-09-01T16:29:51.844-04:00If you think about it, a cave or dungeon is pretty...If you think about it, a cave or dungeon is pretty much tree free as well...<br /><br />I could see subterranean races like kobolds and goblins developing slinging to a high art, to the point of doing stuff like ricocheting stones around corners and such. <br /><br />Slings would be a pretty handy weapon in the underground. Ammo is plentiful, and there's no twang of a bowstring to tip the enemy off that a missed shot was anything but natural background sounds. BigFellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03052419088140204154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-33082628359480743742017-09-01T14:04:40.669-04:002017-09-01T14:04:40.669-04:00I like that point about the islands with a dearth ...I like that point about the islands with a dearth of trees.Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-25967824658910499852017-09-01T14:04:07.775-04:002017-09-01T14:04:07.775-04:00That's awesome! Thanks for trying and reportin...That's awesome! Thanks for trying and reporting that experiment! :-DDeltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-46678305568077401142017-09-01T14:03:16.315-04:002017-09-01T14:03:16.315-04:00Good lower bound, I think... my guess is that sinc...Good lower bound, I think... my guess is that since the slings bullets are so much smaller than a baseball, their reception of like energy would make them a lot faster?<br /><br />Text here is claiming somewhere between 60 m/s and 100 m/s, which on average would be around 180 mph:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dcr.net/~stickmak/JOHT/JOHT59Faster.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.dcr.net/~stickmak/JOHT/JOHT59Faster.html</a>Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-3520949232391421122017-09-01T05:41:38.036-04:002017-09-01T05:41:38.036-04:00The two famous places for slingers were islands th...The two famous places for slingers were islands that I imagine are low and rocky without many trees. So on the mainland where trees were more plentiful everyone used bows.<br /><br />I wouldn't take the slingers being behind the archers in the picture as evidence of longer range either. There are lots of other reasons they could be there.jbeltmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02264520619277158883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-29056487703036117902017-09-01T02:34:04.125-04:002017-09-01T02:34:04.125-04:00The single rotation needed for the power follows t...The single rotation needed for the power follows the same principle as the atlatl, which can punch a javelin through a steel plate (& presumably a mammoth).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01281583503329096880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-80417931681605805472017-08-31T23:23:50.863-04:002017-08-31T23:23:50.863-04:00Update: went and did some slinging today. with a s...Update: went and did some slinging today. with a short (3') sling, using golf balls, i was reaching about 50-70 yards on average, with decent accuracy on windage (even with an intermittent breeze). consistent elevation was harder but after an hour i was doing reasonably well. tomorrow i will test to see how quickly i can throw, how quickly i can throw accurately and try to film some attempts.Johnathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787458355122747146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-87694233405419757562017-08-31T23:23:25.219-04:002017-08-31T23:23:25.219-04:00Ah! Okay, I understand! It's not the spinning,...Ah! Okay, I understand! It's not the spinning, it's the sling extending the "lever" of the throwing arm. Similar, I think, to how an atlatl increases throw strength for spears.<br /><br />Whereas with a bow, the way I've always understood it is the "pull" of the bow loads muscle energy into a "spring" which propels the projectile when released. (Laying aside the aerodynamics of the arrow after it's fired.) <br /><br />Thanks for clarifying it for me. :)BigFellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03052419088140204154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-55050995159803401612017-08-31T16:44:46.081-04:002017-08-31T16:44:46.081-04:00Using simple physics it's just Force=Mass*Acce...Using simple physics it's just Force=Mass*Acceleration. In this case, acceleration will be the speed at which the projectile hit the target.<br /><br />Which makes think... Slings are hard to improve (I think) but bows were improved multiple times in history... Maybe there is no sling +1 or better but there can be bows +1 or better.G. B. Verashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07321019711309446662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-15264110071337697842017-08-31T16:15:47.859-04:002017-08-31T16:15:47.859-04:00Baseball pitchers use their body to send baseballs...Baseball pitchers use their body to send baseballs 90 mph and higher toward the batter with great accuracy. Someone who practices with a sling should be able to do at least that well, and probably much better. 120, 130 mph?Scott Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12067161332003628237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-85719493628077815662017-08-31T16:03:17.090-04:002017-08-31T16:03:17.090-04:00it's a common misconception that slings genera...it's a common misconception that slings generate their power by whirling them about before loosing a stone. proper technique requires only one or two rotations to seat the stone, while generating power and loosing the stone is done with one, smooth motion. the sling becomes essentially an extention of the arm, and this extra length gives the throw its power.Johnathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06787458355122747146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-62130774446351464972017-08-31T12:41:56.838-04:002017-08-31T12:41:56.838-04:00I'd be interested in getting an overview of th...I'd be interested in getting an overview of the comparative physics between a sling and a bow, just to satisfy my curiosity.<br /><br /> I mean, they're both force enhancers for muscle driven projectiles, but does rapidly spinning and then releasing generate more thrust than pulling back a bowstring under tension? What is the comparison between energy loaded into the device vs. its return? <br /><br />I mean, I get physics on a basic, junior high level, but is there some principle in operation here?BigFellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03052419088140204154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-70001316639407710702017-08-31T11:44:40.822-04:002017-08-31T11:44:40.822-04:00Great reference, Delta!Great reference, Delta!Joshua L. Lylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03358762663581842879noreply@blogger.com