Steampunk Airship Chase/Raid/Pirate help

[Haxor295]

Actually, Haxor295, he has a point, and a good one based at least in part on economics again.

Just like automobiles are much more expensive than horses, an airship will cost many times the expense of trained flying mounts. They also won't require the same kind of open space for a landing field.

IOW, it would probably be cheaper and stealthier for raiders to operate with flying mounts than airships of their own.

And, FWIW, the same goes for any kind of "Air Rangers" that may be formed to combat the raiders...

This is not to say that you can't have both- they have different strengths and weaknesses. For instance, it would be next to impossible to train flying mounts to operate in unison as aerial draft animals to lift heavy cargoes- something an airship does quite well.

ah, i see your point. Psycotic Jim, you have my apology

 

[Psychotic Jim]

No problem. Dannyalcatraz's insight does give me an idea of how one could combine both bandits on aerial mounts with an airship with armaments and design inferior to the PC airship. The lower tech bandit airship and the bandits with aerial mounts could complement each other and make up for each others' weaknesses. The mounted bandits, who are more mobile but probably have less firepower or carrying capacity than an airship, may soften up PC airship(s) and herd it into a choke point where the bandit airship could catch up with the target. Like say, a narrow mountain pass or some such. Or perhaps lead the PC ship into a cloud-bank which conceals the brigand airship.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Good insight, PJ!

As an irregular, extralegal organization, the air-raiders are likely to have a motley assortment of equipment. Perhaps their airship was one they captured using the flying mounts- the only one they were able to capture while doing only damage they could repair.

In fact, their capture of that first airship would so increase their capabilities and flexibility, that they'd be elevated from a nuisance to a serious threat to aerial trade. It would be like those Somali pirates captured a major cruise ship...or a small warship.