Leonardo Da
Vinci's Rotating Volley Gun
This picture is based on the volley gun used in the TV series Da Vinci's Demons. In fact, the gun Leonardo designed had ten barrels that were fanned out on a standard gun carriage. This type of weapon was common during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, with the first known gun being used by Edward 3rd. Another first for England!
Volley
guns are often called Ribauldequins, but volley gun is a lot easier
to say. It was common for them to have from five to nine parallel
iron barrels that produced a hail of iron shot. Although the barrels
were of a relatively small calibre, volley guns were ideal as
anti-personnel weapons and must have been caused horrendous casualties at close range.
The version that is
used in the series to such devastating effect, has three sets of ten
barrels that are mounted on a triangular box. As each set of ten barrels
is simultaneously fired, the mount is rotated to present a fresh set
of barrels. In a very short time, the gunners could fire thirty
rounds! Enough to break any infantry line, or slaughter charging
cavalry.
In a standard two
thousand point wargame using 28mm figures, a gun like this would give
its owner too great an advantage, but I think a scaled down version
might work well. I think five barrels on each side instead of ten,
will still create carnage without the gun becoming a game winner.
Please let me know what you think about the following rules:
Volley Gun – 50 points
Movement (M) – as per
the gun crew
Strength (S) – 5
Toughness (T) – 5
Wounds (W) – 3
Range – 18”
Crew – 5, they cost
extra
The volley gun cannot move, or change direction and fire. It requires all five crew to move and at least two to change the direction in which it faces.
It can fire five barrels
per turn for three turns, then it must miss a turn to reload. The
gun still has to miss a turn to reload even if it has not fired all
of its barrels.
It only needs two crew
members to fire, but it takes all five crew to reload.
To Fire -
The gun crew must pass a
Shooting Skill (S) test.
If they are successful,
roll a D6:
1 – The gun explodes.
Place a large blast template with its centre over the gun, those
touched are hit at Strength (S) 10.
2 – The gun misfires and
cannot fire this turn. This still counts as a turn of firing the
weapon for the purposes of reloading.
3+ - The gun fires
perfectly.
If the weapon passes the
above test, guess the range from the gun, to the target. Then
measure your guess towards the
target from the gun. DO NOT
measure the distance to the target! Place the blast template at the
range you guessed.
EG “I think the range from my volley gun to your Orks
is 24”. Measure 24” from your gun in a straight line towards the
Orks and place the blast template with its centre over your guess.
Place a small, 2” blast template with its centre over
your guessed range, the other four templates cannot be further away
from your volley gun than this one. Place the next template touching
the first, each successive template must touch at least one other
template.
Do not use the weapon effect cards included with the
main rules set. Instead, those half covered by a template are hit on a D6 of
4+.
Gun Crew – 10 points per figure + weapons and equipment
M
|
FS
|
SS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
A
|
R
|
6
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
7
|
May swap a single stat from 1 column to another. EG you could make the SS 5 and the R 8
May
have armour with a total save of no more than 6. EG light armour.
They may not have a shield.
May have a single handed close combat weapon and a
pistol
The full
rules mentioned in this post are available
from www.1poundrules.website
All rules sets only cost £1 each.
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