Mastodawn

@cstross we voted unicorns because it feels like the body design of utahraptors makes more sense for group hunting

@ireneista @cstross gotta admit I'm thinking "what if the unicorn misses?" there, though - neither's looking great, but the utahraptor actually benefits from staying side-to-side

@ireneista @cstross ...the unicorn's going to be plain bigger, mind

@ireneista @cstross I reckon it comes down to whether the raptor can place its forearms/wings in a way that stops the unicorn picking up speed to get away and come back for another pass: if it can in principle, you've got a messy opening stage but things get determined pretty quickly once the unicorn's caught.

If not, how fast can the utahraptor step to the side and turn inwards?...

@flippac @cstross you also have to remember, utahraptors are built for speed, for sure, but the unicorn's eyes and visual cortex reflect over a hundred million years of evolutionary improvement that the utahraptor doesn't benefit from. seriously, dino eyes have a ton of problems. if it turns into an extended battle, that could prove critical.

@ireneista @cstross If it turns into an extended jousting contest, absolutely - I'm not sure grappling necessarily got better rather than more specialised though, and if the contest is "spike the raptor enough" vs "grab hind leg" then it doesn't help the unicorn that the offensive and defensive motions are mostly the same thing: scratching up the raptor's flank isn't so easy if the raptor's already hauling it for a grab

Charlie Stross May 19

@flippac @ireneista Okay, so let me mix it up a bit:

The unicorn is harnessed to a light two-wheeled carriage (like a curricle or a gig), made with modern materials. Two humans on board, one driver, one passenger. (They may be armed.)

The raptor is trained for riding and is saddled up: it may be gagged (but beware those raptorial claws!). One rider, also armed.

Weapons are most likely black-powder pistols.

Anyway: both animals are constrained! And black powder weapons won't help much.

@cstross @ireneista How far out do the humans see each other, how much do they trust their steeds' training and how daft are they?

@cstross @ireneista (If I were the raptor rider and the kit was specially made, I might take the bridle off then roll for it and hope the raptor has a good meal: the unicorn's pulling enough weight that's definitely slower to do anything about to make a neck bite much easier and it's harder to do more than injure with the horn if the raptor's controlling relative positioning)

@flippac @cstross oh people absolutely die from falling off of horses, we don't think anything could convince us to dismount unnecessarily

@ireneista @cstross definitely not at full pace, but when you're taking your own weight off the carry load you're also giving the raptor a speed boost - which would make up for slowing down to a rate you've been trained to handle

may also come with specialist kit if something that suits the body plan can be devised? You definitely want to go off sideways if the raptor's still in motion though

@flippac @cstross yeah if this is some sort of bounty hunter, they may have had cause to practice the maneuver, which changes our assessment

Charlie Stross May 19

@ireneista @flippac Not a bounty hunter: it's all improv, by both parties.

Irenes (many)

@cstross @flippac okay, in that case we stand by our original point that the rider definitely should avoid dismounting if they have a choice, because it's highly dangerous