Were longbows offensive or defensive units?

Were longbows offensive or defensive units?

i think they were used as both. since im pretty sure you ask because of civ3, i would say give them high attack and defencive bombardment.

i think they were used as both. since im pretty sure you ask because of civ3, i would say give them high attack and defencive bombardment.

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The ultimate unit.

Oooo....this is a difficult question!

Whenever we think of longbows, we always end up visualizing the battles of Crecy (1347), Poitiers (1356), and....of course....Agincourt (1415).
But England also used longbows against the Scots, most notably at the battle of Flodden Field (1513).

Now from the English point of view, all these battles appear to be defensive, with the English stationary while the French or Scots are shot to pieces as they tried to advance.

But let's for a change look at the situation from the French or Scottish point of view:-
The English have advanced and then stopped some 300 yards/metres/paces away....
They begin to loose volley after volley of arrows onto your forces...
What are you going to do?
You only have three choices:-
1) withdraw and leave the English in control of the field?
2) stand there and take it, while not being able to reply?
3) or attack and get shot to pieces at close range!

So it FORCED the enemy to attack or run.

So yes....as Yoda said, in Civ3 they should have an attack of say 4, a defence of about 2, and a defensive bombardment of at least 4 (I would also give them a rate-of-fire of 2, as they could loose a dozen volleys a minute compaired to a musket's 2 or 3.
(BUT, they should be expensive....it takes years to build up the muscles in order to pull bowstring of a longbow, while any weedy little bloke with only a week of training can use a musket. )

This way, if you ever have to face an enemy armed with longbows in the game, then YOU will have the same choices that their opponents had in reality....
....either try to attack them, OR, avoid them!

Offense is the best form of defense... old saying.

We must remember that in spite of the formidable power of the longbow, the English did eventually lose the Hundred Years War.
Partly because they were so few, and took a life-time to train, and partly because the French started cheating....
....they started using early cannons and bombards which outranged the longbow!

I would say it has equal terms of mucho-grande kick-assitude for either function

I presume you refer to the type that propeled arrows, rather than the varient of the Apache attack chopper. That would be a different forum.

In many respects they were heavy units: low mobility, enormous striking power, difficult to organize and train, but devestating in their element. They remind me of knights in chess, controlling a circle around themselves, but vulnerable to anyone inside the circle. Like a knight they are best posted in a fortified location where they can control the movements of the enemy. Sum it up and I would say more defensive than offensive, with the immobility being key. Cavalry are the offensive opposite. Pikes are both the offensive and defensive complement.

Naturally the best generals will recall that every sword has both point and edge. Belesarius, the Roman General proved that the best offensee is a well placed defense.

J

Primarily defensive, if you look at the tactics used. I was upset with Civ3 for just this reason.

R.III

http://www.longbow-archers.com

I was upset with Civ3 for just this reason.

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yeah. The game is not accurate at all. It is a mistake in a huge list of mistakes.

I would agree with the general consensus that longbowmen are used on the field for defense. However, every general knows that defensive units must accompany an attacking force and thus are used to attack in that sense. But they are not offensive in the sense that they are largely stationary when acctually engaged in combat, and do not charge the field.