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I have just made some stats for a crossbow.

Crossbow / damage: 5 / injury: 18 / Load: 5 / combat proficiencies: Bows / Notes: Ranged Weapons, Slow Reload (for every 2 volleys allowed, you may shoot 1 shot.

what think ye.

Truthfully? I can't see why my players would want to carry one. If they were a garrison in a fort or tower, maybe it would theme well. Imagine missing with that shot. I presume that there has to be time for two opening volleys and the crossbow fires on the second one? So as a ranged weapon it strikes me as... awkward to satisfactorily narrate. I mean surely you don't go around with the weapon pre-drawn? (I even expect my players to narrate stringing their bows in the preamble to a Combat, btw). I also wonder how difficult it would be to create Bolts in the Wild to replace stock used. My Archers also craft their arrows in down time outside of Combat - that way I never worry about counting the quiver.

And I too will have to go find Nature of Middle earth somewhere. Its an itch I've been trying to avoid scratching!

I have just made some stats for a crossbow.

Crossbow / damage: 5 / injury: 18 / Load: 5 / combat proficiencies: Bows / Notes: Ranged Weapons, Slow Reload (for every 2 volleys allowed, you may shoot 1 shot.

what think ye.

Truthfully? I can't see why my players would want to carry one. If they were a garrison in a fort or tower, maybe it would theme well. Imagine missing with that shot. I presume that there has to be time for two opening volleys and the crossbow fires on the second one? So as a ranged weapon it strikes me as... awkward to satisfactorily narrate. I mean surely you don't go around with the weapon pre-drawn? (I even expect my players to narrate stringing their bows in the preamble to a Combat, btw). I also wonder how difficult it would be to create Bolts in the Wild to replace stock used. My Archers also craft their arrows in down time outside of Combat - that way I never worry about counting the quiver.

And I too will have to go find Nature of Middle earth somewhere. Its an itch I've been trying to avoid scratching!

Actually you can go around with a crossbow pre-cocked, its one of the great things about it, you could leave it loaded for an entire day if you had to.
And bolts are much easier to make then arrows, since they don't need to be fletched. But yes if you miss the shot and the enemy is close, you had best draw your sword.

Thanks Aragorn, about pre-cocked crossbows. Interesting.
I meant that walking around with the string/cord already in tension and a bolt ready fitted strikes me as poor practice. One big stumble and its fired into the middle of your walking party? Of course I presume that if the crossbow is carried in a stretched state but without a bolt inside for safety sake, and it is then accidentally triggered, the uncontrolled release of the energy will damage the crossbow as much as a normal longbow would be damaged. (I used to fire a longbow, but I only observed my elder brother with a modern crossbow when I was a lot younger, so I know little about them.)

The other thing I read about leaving bows strung, (or other heavily loaded elastic systems that store energy, including the suspension system of chariots), is that the continual tension under the applied Load has a long term negative impact on the capabilities of the object. It seems that the internal tensions over an extended period of time normally shorten the working life of the object. The bow will snap or shatter, the wheels of the chariot distort. So if that is true, then it would be poor practice to advise carrying the crossbow pre-loaded until you are in imminent trouble.
However, I didn't know it was easier to produce bolts than arrows "on the road".

Yes it wouldn't be a good idea to walk around with a bolt in the crossbow, you might shoot your guide in the backside. What if the crossbow had a safety?
And you are right about the a dry fire causing damage to the limbs.
My Dad used to teach archery and still does loads, so I should know.

The advantage of a crossbow while traveling would be stopping power and quick use. You can keep a crossbow loaded and ready, fire it at a moment's notice, and hit with more raw power than even the heaviest bow in the strongest hands could, depending on the crossbow's size. It'd be slower, but it'd be more effective in a pinch.