swords???

[Emperor Harkonnen]

How come they use swords and knives etc. in the Dune stuff. Why don't every soldier use a gun?

Has it got something to do with the shield?

[Acriku]

Well, first there were shields. These shields protected you from primitive (our time) bullet shooting guns. So thus the guns died out, obsolete. A weakness of the shield, actually necessary, was that "the slow knife enters the shield". This means that projectiles at high speeds will not penetrate the shield, but slow objects will. Thus knives to penetrate the shield and kill the person. Interesting history if you ask me.

[nampigai]

Acriku the story teller ;)

Well if you ask me I like the sword fights better than the if they had guns. What Acriku missed out is that they also have lasguns, but they have a unfortunate side effect if you use them against shields.

What they will do is bassicly a minor nuclear reaction.

[jacobdouds]

But you still have to move the knife rather slowly, as in training, and in the battle against Javid, Paul moved the knife to slowly as he was used to fighting with shields.

How powerful are shields? For example, could they protect you against Atomics?

[The_Cheat_Lord]

NO! Slow moving projectile=Fire, Radiation, Chemicals, etc, etc......

[jacobdouds]

But nukes are Fire, Radiation chemicals etc.

[Emperor Harkonnen]

Nukes are so much more than that Jacob ;D

[nemafakei]

Well... although molecular interchange is slowed, it is not totally reduced... and subatomic particles can still enter the holtzman field. Therefore nukes will kill anything in a shield too. Which is presumably why they were still feared by great houses despite shield technology.

[Nefud]

Yes I also think that you cannot survive an atomic explosion in a shield.

But do you remember when the united Harkonnen-Sardaukar army annihilated the Atreides the baron used cannons. This was a tactic which was unexpected by the defenders. When the Fremen heard of it they immediaetly wanted to get some of those old-styled-gun-powdered weapons.

[jacobdouds]

Yes,on dune they should use Gun Powder as there are no shields.

[Emperor Harkonnen]

Like the Maula-pistols. those use gun powder, right?

[Acriku]

Actually, maula pistols are spring-loaded. Like tranquilizers, they shoot darts.

[TMA_1]

no they shouldnt use projectiles that are limited to volocities that pale in comparison to laser waves. las-guns come back into play on arrakis

[Emperor Harkonnen]

I read in HH that tere was a gun called flechette pistol. What's that a needle pistol

[Nefud]

Hmhmhm...

I remember the name of it but I can't figure it out what kind of weapon was it....  ???

Yes, laser-guns do come back on Arrakis (better like it Dune  ;D ) but we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of using a shield. ;)

[nemafakei]

Fl

[lowzeewee]

why doesnt corrino start researching some sniper rifles and snipe the knifers ;D

[Anathema]

Because the Harkonnen can't find the fremen.

[Terror]

yeah, and why didn't the harks use machine guns vs. fremen, they had no shields.... and a few guys with machine guys could obliterate massess of fremen that way...

[Acriku]

Guns were outdated and overrated.

[TMA_1]

one of the favorites that people forget is the slow pellet gun. It was a favorite of special forces. It was a dart that shot about as slow as a thrown knife. Though slow, the edge of the pellet was sharpened to the point that the edge was only a few molecules thick. It would immediately go through a shield after being shot and tear through a victem. Their downsides are that they are easily deflected. Also a favorite are throwing knives and darts. The bene gesserit especially love these because of the tremendous expertese needed to accurately hit through a shield. The timing has to be perfect.

[Acriku]

Or you could call them a maula pistol?

[TMA_1]

a maula pistol is different. They shoot darts much quicker.

[Emperor Harkonnen]

so they throw darts as weapons. hehe that is a cool sport, strange that it would develop to war from sport

[Terror]

sooo, what happens if you throw a 10 ton heavy rock with high speed at someone with a shield. would it bounce off? (hardly believable)

i mean shield or no shield, if you ask me you'll get crushed