Dated 7 February 2011: Why didn't someone tell me Broken Blade had giant robots? (Break Blade, whatever)
Seriously, though, square gun barrels are a terrible idea.
I basically had no idea what Broken Blade was about until I saw this post. Turns out it's pretty good so far. I like how it attempts to treat giant robot battles in a serious way. It's obvious they put a lot of thought into what could work in this magic-quartz universe. However, I do have some problems with these very same tactics precisely because the show adopts a serious tone.
Small arms against giant robots? Also a terrible idea.
First, what is the point of having light infantry engage these giant robots with small arms? Since there's no magic-quartz equivalent of an anti-tank weapon in their arsenal, they're only there to get fucked up. Second, I have some difficulty believing this society's reliance on magic quartz led to a near complete abandonment of other forms of science and technology, even when they would directly improve the magic quartz versions.
I guess they don't have crew-served weapons either.
For example, no rifled barrels? I guess square (rectangular prism) projectiles are probably easier to create and store, but man, you guys could be doing so much better. Also, nobody has figured out how to make an equivalent to artillery? Those thick city walls are nice and all, but pretty ineffective if someone just lobs projectiles over them from a few miles away. I am nitpicking, but these are some pretty egregious shortcomings, even if this is a military that places generals in charge of squad-sized elements. It's not as if I'm complaining about the lack of ISR assets or air power in general, even though someone could probably develop the quartz equivalent of a Strike Witch if they put some effort into it.
