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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gorgon Zee" data-source="post: 9484480" data-attributes="member: 75787">If we are talking about introducing modern firearms into medieval warfare, then sure it would have a huge impact, but historically, the early ones had very little impact. It took centuries for them to become ascendant:These early guns (about 1380) were slow to reload, had limited range, and were as dangerous to the user as to the enemy. In comparison, archery, crossbows, and slings offered superior range and a faster rate of fire. By 1530, firearms had evolved into more practical weapons and were common on the battlefield, gradually replacing archers and crossbowmen. The era of pike and shot ended with the introduction of the bayonet, which made firearms fully self-sufficient. By 1680–1700, pikes and halberds disappeared, replaced by musketeers equipped with bayonets.Assuming the standard fantasy levels of technology, if you treated a gun as about as effective as a crossbow, you'd not be far off for much of the medieval period.</blockquote>