Author Topic: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges  (Read 27225 times)

Eerongal

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #45 on: September 11, 2010, 12:53:05 AM »
Heh... I should know better than to re-edit a post after I post it, but yeah. I don't think vertical variance is a huge factor in crossings... a gap that was 20 feet wide and 10 down would be make a heck of a slope, but it would only require 22 feet of bridge to traverse. A drop of 15 feet seems extreme.

Yeah, that would be a 45 degree angle, which, i think, is still walkable, but difficult. Beyond that, it's gonna start becoming a "happy fun slide into battle!" situation.
Umm, actually a 45 degree angle would be if it were x feet down and x feet wide (for any given x).

20 feet wide and 10 feet down, is closer to (though not) 30 degrees.

err....yeah, you're right. for some reason i was thinking 20'x20', not 20'x10'
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Morderkaine

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #46 on: September 11, 2010, 01:03:22 AM »
The bridges couldn't be weighted otherwise they'd fall into the chasms when they were pulled across from the other side.

Not necessarily. as has been stated, the side you're coming from is higher than the side you're going to. When they pull the bridge over, they could rest the weighted end on the cliff face, and pull out the front, letting the weighted side (resting on the cliff face) slide down, until they can just pull it over.

I'm not sure that I understand what you trying to say. What do you mean rest the bridge against the cliff face?.

Inkthinker

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #47 on: September 11, 2010, 01:54:39 AM »
I think that pulling them across after you probably does come with some risk of them falling in, but it could be done with enough people working together. Have a couple guys stand on the light end to weigh it down, for instance.

It doesn't have to be heavily weighted off-center. Heck, we're only supposing it is so that it can cross gaps more than half the length of the bridge, which may not be necessary if the chasms being crossed rarely exceed 20 feet in width.

I think that right there is part of the problem, envisioning the chasms they cross as being wider than they are. I can see I may have to make some diagrams or something at some point.

 ;D

rjl

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #48 on: September 11, 2010, 02:02:19 AM »
That is part of why I'd assume they wouldn't be weighted, so that the pulling accross part wouldn't be a problem.
« Last Edit: September 11, 2010, 10:53:00 AM by Rhuan »

Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #49 on: September 11, 2010, 04:12:56 AM »
I'm not sure that I understand what you trying to say. What do you mean rest the bridge against the cliff face?.
I get what he's trying to say. However,  don't think that any of the drops are that big. A bridge is basically flat when the cavalry are charging across it. Basically. It will go down very slightly, but not so much that it will affect the length of the bridge much at all. If there's a big drop, the top end would be sticking up in the air, which isn't the case.
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Nightfire107

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #50 on: September 11, 2010, 09:50:23 PM »
Someone said that soulcasting was holy and war might violate the holiness of the reliegion. Just wanted to remind everyone that being a soldier is a high calling in vorrinism and war would not be considered unholy, quite the opposite in fact.
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Munin

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #51 on: September 11, 2010, 10:08:54 PM »
Someone said that soulcasting was holy and war might violate the holiness of the reliegion. Just wanted to remind everyone that being a soldier is a high calling in vorrinism and war would not be considered unholy, quite the opposite in fact.
Of course, even if the tenets support it, that doesn't necessarily mean the priests want to go out on the front lines in the middle of the battle.

Plus, it wouldn't surprise me if the ardents weren't allowed to directly take part.
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Inkthinker

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #52 on: September 11, 2010, 10:39:47 PM »
Plus, it's expensive. You have to burn up storm-infused spheres to do it. That makes some sense if you're creating semi-permanent structures like the barracks in the camp, but for bridges that may be destroyed by Parshendi raiders it's a waste of money. Easier and cheaper to build wooden structures that can be replaced/repaired.

Omelethead

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #53 on: September 12, 2010, 01:08:25 AM »
Of course, even if the tenets support it, that doesn't necessarily mean the priests want to go out on the front lines in the middle of the battle.

Plus, it wouldn't surprise me if the ardents weren't allowed to directly take part.

I'm not suggesting they build the final assault bridges. Just slowly replace all the wooden bridges with Soulcast ones. They'd start really close to the warcamps.

And yes, it'd be expensive, but it'd be harder for the Parshendi to take down. And like I said earlier, they could put Soulcast-barrack outposts out there. Slowly push out, even throw up a significant base on the Tower. Chasmfiends would be more of a problem, but I get the feeling that they do avoid the warcamps and well-traveled plateaus.

Maybe it's not a sure-fire idea, but I'm surprised it was never brought up in the books. Have a character suggest it, and another shoot it down right away if nothing else.

Inkthinker

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #54 on: September 12, 2010, 01:27:05 AM »
if I recall rightly, the existence of soulcast buildings was unusual in and of itself.

Omelethead

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #55 on: September 13, 2010, 04:32:14 AM »
if I recall rightly, the existence of soulcast buildings was unusual in and of itself.

I don't think so. I thought I remembered it being treated as regular military procedure, for any kind of extended campaign. The fact that Sadeas made Soulcast barracks for his bridgemen seems to indicate they're not unusual or outrageously expensive. Otherwise I would bet Sadeas would make the bridgemen shelter under their bridges or in some crummy "shelter" built like Tvlakv's wagons.

Eerongal

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #56 on: September 13, 2010, 04:46:09 AM »
Plus, there was that scene where Dalinar (i think it was Dalinar) was talking about price-fixing of the lumber imported to make soulcasting lumber and such more economical to make reliance on the king's soulcasters. This lends credence to the idea that soulcasting the bridges wouldnt be so taboo

Edit: so this tells us that they'd be soulcasting for the lumber anyways, so wouldnt just straight soulcasting the bridges be easier? This train of logic leads me to believe that it isn't POSSIBLE (or at least economically possible) to soulcast the bridges, but making the raw materials and building the bridges are no problem. Maybe soulcasting cant make something that complex? Do we see anything that contradicts this?

Also: they could have soulcasted stone bridges into existence as permanent structures. Much less prone to burning and (easily) damaging. Heck, i'll bet they could do this wherever they went and the parshendi would leave it alone because of the relative difficulty that would arise in destroying a giant bridge of stone connecting two plateaus.
« Last Edit: September 13, 2010, 04:56:24 AM by Eerongal »
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Inkthinker

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #57 on: September 13, 2010, 06:10:36 AM »
Could be right. I'm trying to remember any example of complex soulcast structures, or the details involved in the ones they have.

douglas

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #58 on: September 13, 2010, 06:16:43 AM »
I remember several offhand observations about how the Soulcast buildings had started out extremely plain and simple and had then been improved with windows and carvings and other decorations and "fancy" features by more mundane work.  I think defining shapes for Soulcasting is very limited, and in any case where "entire object" is not an option the result has to be simple.
« Last Edit: September 13, 2010, 06:19:08 AM by douglas »

SnagglezMaw

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Re: WoK: Bridge Crews & Bridges
« Reply #59 on: September 13, 2010, 07:53:55 AM »
There is a section that talks about Soulcasting buildings from the air itself (I believe it was a barracks they were going to make). I have no idea where in the book that is so I can't get a quote, but if they could Soulcast a building from air, why not a bridge?
« Last Edit: September 13, 2010, 07:55:36 AM by SnagglezMaw »