Siege Weapons

Yes, that is one idea I have had to potentially reduce the force of impact. Adding aerodynamic drag to reduce speed by dissipating energy, similar to a wiffle ball, can be done if it is required. Ideally I would like to not do that because having the extra drag would slow down the end speed, but require additional initial force (and therefore more energy) to get the desired distance. If the energy is relatively uniform I won't have to worry about a minimum target distance.
 
Has using a denser foam for the inside of a projectile been tried? Using something like Memory Foam or a dense foam like Y40/Y50 and covering it in lighter, softer Y20 (which many latex weapons are made from)? I used open cell around blue camp mat "core" for snow balls that worked really well. I have not tried it for Javelins but I might actually make them now....
 
The trick is triggering the mechanic. You want the shot to make the distance, so initial speed has to be high. Then, before impact, you want the shot to slow down, but still be reasonable speed. Something with a last-minute parachute could be cool, in theory, but I don't know how to make that work on a generally low budget.

Essentially, you want the projectile to have low drag most of the time: from launch to travel. Somewhere between traveling to the target and impact, you need the force to dissipate. My last idea I'd had before folding it up was having the javelins be split lengthwise, so that on impact they compress onto themselves. Never got around to trying it, mainly because I never got the launching segment done.
 
I don't have any great ideas for ballista, but maybe I have an idea for a catapult.

If you could create a catapult that throws the rock like a softball (effectively an underhand throw), that might give the rock good distance but still limit the power of it.

-MS
 
Maybe the issue is that we're trying to duplicate javelins/boulder.

What if it launched something else? Like a disc? You could probably get some good distance with minimal weight/impact. You'd have to rethink launching mechanisms, but is it feasible?
 
New Hampshire has, obviously, played with siege weapons in the past. Our best one was akin to a huge slingshot on a set of guide rails, which could launch both boulders and/or large amounts of packets. The boulders were basically open cell foam in pillow cases and couldn't hurt me at point blank range (verified). If I can get a hold of some schematics I'll post them up.
 
Have you ever seen a nerf stomp rocket? Just an idea. Use a pneumatic system instead of a mechanical system.
 
Hey! I've built three types of siege weapons for the Alliance, and I think I built all the ones mentioned in this thread so far, though I could be wrong.

First, I built the "huge slingshot" that Dan mentions. I believe that NH has that. It relies on surgical tubing pulling a sling forward from four sides.

Second, I built a large trebuchet for Alliance Caldaria (CT). You can see it in action here:
As for projectile, here we took some bouncy play ball, slit them open, stuffed them with newspaper, and taped them closed. the other projectile we made was the open cell foam pillows, about 1.5 feet in diameter (whatever the boulder rules allowed). The other thing being thrown is tons of packets, of course.
I beliveve, that although Caldaria owns the treb it is just sitting at my friend's parents house in NH. If anyone wants it and would pick it up they could talk to Caldaria and take it away, though I have to confirm it's still in NH.

Third, I built three identical ballistas and stands for HQ for the national event. They are stored there in PA, and you can go check them out any time or I can describe their details to you, including pictures which I took of the various parts, or we can chat and I can tell you all about them. They shot 3 foot pool large diameter (about 3.5", not the normal 2.5") pool noodles with embedded fins to spiral the projectile. They had an open cell foam tip and one D-cell battery embedded in the noodle, behind a closed cell barrier and the open cell tip. You could crank up the tension as much as you wanted, but the most we ever did was make a shot about 40-50 feet, with good accuracy and precision.

I'd be happy to discuss any of this with any of you interested. They were very fun to make, but the trebuchet proved a little unwieldy to use in actual combat, as it took a while to load, and could be easily avoided. Couldn't beat it in "corridor" battles though, and they add a ton of flavor. Even with the unwieldiness, I thought they were really a great time, especially if you make the projectiles worth a LOT of damage, like a Massive Eviscerate, or 50 Massive, or some such thing. Puts the fear of death in those PC's!

-Tim P.

Edit: Here's a video of a kid who made a "ballista" (it's really more of a slingshot), but it is extremely low budget and easy. It's really not a lot like the one I made, but maybe something like that is what you're looking for?
 
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Maybe the issue is that we're trying to duplicate javelins/boulder.

What if it launched something else? Like a disc? You could probably get some good distance with minimal weight/impact. You'd have to rethink launching mechanisms, but is it feasible?
We mocked up a disk shooter a couple of ways, but couldn't get it to work. We wanted to roll it side on into the enemy, but couldn't figure that out. And for a frisbee-style throw, the release mechanism is very difficult, as the machine has to "let go" at the right time. It would take some fiddling, but would be very unique and cool if you could pull it off, that's for sure.
 
What if the release mechanism was a pin that was pulled out once the arm moved so far forward? Have it attached via a string/rope so it has a set release point every time
 
I played with the ballistas at HQ, they were super fun! The PCs loved them and it was totally safe for the NPCs.
 
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