They had different weapons at different points - Edit 1
Before modification by Crackbrained Asha'man at 29/11/2009 04:00:57 AM
This question has me wondering - what kinds of weaponry were the non-channeling Shadowspawn infantry using in the war of power? A society that had jo-cars and sho-wings wouldn't be using bows and arrows. In Rand's Rhuidean flashbacks, I remember some mention of shocklances (some kind of laser-ish gun) and maybe soldiers in some kind of tank. So I would expect their battles to be more like something from our future.
Side thought: How could the shadow field armies big enough, quickly enough, to fight the good guys, who also didn't have standing armies at that point? Drill the Bore and BLAM, every third person is a Darkfriend all of a sudden? I read somewhere that society then wasn't "familiar with the concept of war", and that the shadow got a jump on them for that reason, so I guess that could be it. But still. Anyway back to the main point.
Once the Shadow started using Shadowspawn in the War of Power, it's hard for me to picture them fighting with futuristic weaponry, but if they were using swords and axes and stuff, wouldn't they have been mowed down by the good guy modern weapons? I guess they're not so stupid they can't get out of bed, but try to imagine a three-Trolloc laser-tank squad. "RRRAAAAH! Go left!... No, LEFT! GRRRR! KILL YOU, DUMB NARG! Where you learn to drive?! Stop firing, Klag! That our guys! Myrddral going to kill me because of you!"
Demandred or Moridin or somebody said to Rand, I think, "remember when we took that sport called swords and turned it into deadly something-or-other...?" So they had swords then, and swordfought, but why bother when you could shocklance somebody? Baah, I'm having trouble reconciling my anachronisms.
Side thought: How could the shadow field armies big enough, quickly enough, to fight the good guys, who also didn't have standing armies at that point? Drill the Bore and BLAM, every third person is a Darkfriend all of a sudden? I read somewhere that society then wasn't "familiar with the concept of war", and that the shadow got a jump on them for that reason, so I guess that could be it. But still. Anyway back to the main point.
Once the Shadow started using Shadowspawn in the War of Power, it's hard for me to picture them fighting with futuristic weaponry, but if they were using swords and axes and stuff, wouldn't they have been mowed down by the good guy modern weapons? I guess they're not so stupid they can't get out of bed, but try to imagine a three-Trolloc laser-tank squad. "RRRAAAAH! Go left!... No, LEFT! GRRRR! KILL YOU, DUMB NARG! Where you learn to drive?! Stop firing, Klag! That our guys! Myrddral going to kill me because of you!"
Demandred or Moridin or somebody said to Rand, I think, "remember when we took that sport called swords and turned it into deadly something-or-other...?" So they had swords then, and swordfought, but why bother when you could shocklance somebody? Baah, I'm having trouble reconciling my anachronisms.
I think the drilling of the bore was followed by a number of years in which people and sociatly gradually became more evil and nobody understood why (things like blood sports became popular).
The War of Power last 10 years. I'm sure at the begining they used technology they had during peace and modifoied it for war (armoring a Jo-car, putting Lazers used for research or mineing on Delta wings etc.). As the war progressed each sided used gateways to launch strategic attacks against its enemies manufacturing factories and supply centers. Eventually neither side had the means to make new high technology weapons so lower tech weapons had to be made such as bows and swords.
It's just like today. Think about it, it takes 10's of thousands of people to make a modern tank. From the people who mine and smelt the metals to the electricians and welders and all the people who make the tools those people make.