I would really like to see bowyering implemented into the game. It wouldn’t have to be the whole process just representative of it. Maybe something like 3 steps, 1. Shaving the bow to shape 2. Tillering the bow 3. Backing the bow. The different types of wood could effect the stats and worth, like oak is cheap but heavy and yew would be lightweight but very expensive.
So is there any interest in bowyering? Because I for one would love to see it in the game.
As much as I like bows and stuff conected with it, this is RPG, not simulator of every aspect of medieval life. So for me, please no, focus on more important stuff than ton of minigames to recreate bowyery, handstiching, embriodery etc … 
On the other hand weapon crafting should probably be an important part of the game, shouldn’t it? I definitely find it interesting, at least in case it is implemented well. (That means not boring or repetitive.)
Warhorse clearly want to emphasize (at least) blacksmithing. You can of course argue that being a blacksmith himself, the hero knows his job etc. Nevertheless bowyering could perhaps open nice gameplay possibilities. For example, what if (in case there are at least several graphically well represented tree species in the game) you simply dont know the species of the tree directly from the game interface? You are forced to experiment or find a expert or - in case you are able to tell a yew from an hornbeam or oak or ash tree yourself - you are able to use your own (players) knowledge, if you wish so. (The game seems to be based on player skills quite a lot, especially the fencing.) In any case you could learn to distinguish between several tree species and it is always nice to learn something “real” during gameplay, is it not?
You may be forced to seek an ash tree in the forest if you want to have the best bow possible and maybe there are not so many ash trees growing in the woods around Rataje :). Or you can search for a hornbeam on the riverbank.
I comprehend that Warhorse want to base their game on a strong story. (And what a good writing skills Dan showed us during the live stream - the dialog between the lord of Rataje and the fat priest was surely great and it reminded me of Mafia - I consider both Mafia games to have probably the best dialogs i have ever heard in a videogame.) Nevertheless they promised us a cRPG with an open world and a lot of gameplay possibilities including crafting. Of course I definitely agree that they should focus on the most important stuff first. But nevertheless considering the possibilities of that great engine I would love to be able to play a hunter / woodman / perhaps even a hermit 
character. Maybe even a bandit/brigand (like the characters of the Ronja Rovardotter movie).
I don´t know, if you are not a bowyer, how often do you think you will going to make a bow? Or from the other hand, how good bow do you think you can make, if you´re not a professional? Even if you use perfcet wood, you´l probably ruin it. I understand that it could be interesting, but it was very minor aspect of life in that time.
Yes, crafting is nice, but I think it should be crafting of things that are more common than bow. For example, cutting wood with axe could be funny minigame:)
I’m with Rivan on this one. I would love to see it myself but other then fetching myself more arrows or different heads we won’t be doing it verry much. and when you take into consideration all the things real fetching takes to make a bow. and god forbid a long bow or an american indian bow. Yea pass. Would love to see a short version of it but I will pass on it.
Agreed with Rivan. Also, the main character is supposed to be a blacksmith’s son right? So it would make sense for him to have enough skill at the forge to warrant a minigame.
Maybe you are right. In fact I considered almost exactly the same thoughts during writing my previous post. Then again, making a reasonably good bow is not that difficult. It is surely more common than making a good sword and in the late medieval Bohemia it was very probably more common to own a reasonably good bow than a sword of any type and quality. I reckon that if our promising young journeyman blacksmith is supposed to learn cooking, alchemy etc. he should be able to learn making bows also.
Maybe the biggest difficulty would be how to design the “mini game” - it would have to be considerably different from blacksmithing (from the gameplay viewpoint) and it shouldn’t be boring (the problem of most such “mini games” i suppose).
You are probably right that “making bows” is not worth the fuss. But I still find the woodmanship theme to be potentially enriching for our gameplay experience. Maybe even for alchemy or herbalism - you should collect herbs during night (and maybe especially full moon) and there should be some logic in herbs placement in the game world. For example you should find a butterbur on the riverbank and perhaps thymus on the edge of the wood etc.
I agree, it definitely makes sense. But I dont believe a common blacksmith was able to make a sword. They made horseshoes and tools, especially agricultural tools and some hatchets, axes saws etc., they surely made knives but i doubt a common blacksmith made even one sword during his life. And I doubt there was a specialized weaponsmith on every domain or in the service of every noble. Of course I can be mistaken.
Aye! But this young lad is no common blacksmith! His Father made a mighty sword for the liege lord and furthermore he is destined to be a hero of the realm!
Haha, and learning to cook isn’t a stretch but I do see your point regarding alchemy. There was probably only 1 or 2 apothecaries around.
He is probably destined to be a cold rotten corpse, because the future of the realm is not that bright. Thirty years of war and isolation, ideological and political struggle. If the game aims to be really a “realistic effort” (hopefully the realism would be rather limited :)) he should be able to chose from a plethora of interesting ways how to die sooner rather than later.
I get what you guys are saying about the main character being a blacksmith, but surely any one from a village would have some small amount of woodworking experience? It is a suggestion for a stretch goal so I don’t think its too far fetched. They should at least allow you to get a craftsman to craft you a bow to your specifications, you could argue that no simple commoner could afford that, but the character seems to be in good favour with his lord who may allow him to be fitted with equipment a cut above the average commoner for the war?
The verdict seems to be a no for Bowyering but I would like some attention to detail for archery and perhaps purchasable bows and arrows. Like you need to buy the right arrow for your poundage bow, the ability to be called an idiot for dryfiring(That just makes me cringe) and noise levels regarding the string(If the brace height is to small the string will vibrate allot) Stuff like that would make me happy.
Attention to detail is always welcome! I hope the archery is well done like you hope.
Though this is coming from an individual lacking a BA in medieval history or vocational training in metalsmithing, I would say that it’s fair to assume that in a time of war (or at least minor skirmishes), weapon crafting would be a rather widespread business. Just imagine the amount of demand that would arise should a lord ever get into a fight… If he only fielded 100 men, that’s still a lot of weapons and armor in need of repair (and that’s before the fighting even began).
Short version: It’s not that crazy to assume he can make a sword.
Good point. Definitely not crazy. (Nevertheless still it is not crazy to assume he can make a fairly able bow.)
(Late 14th century Bohemia was quite a peaceful country though.)
I’d like to see a Lance / pike / two handed spear combat style implemented into the game as throughout history especially in the time period set they were behemoths on the field, but unfortunately games like M&B:W made them horrid foot weapons, while in truth they’re brilliant things. Oh and a Poleaxe would be cool too.
Regards,
Warrior Rose
If bowyering, then this:
