User blog comment:MyOpinion:/Redwall's future/@comment-1669318-20100515234625

But someone has to discover that Saltpetre+Charcoal+somthing else I can't remember+heat=explosion. Redwall-Salamandaston's inhabitants don't come up with many new inventions. It's simple to make a boat, and you keep improving on the design. Gunpowder is much more complex, so coming up with a primitive form to improve on is difficult. Another thing is that they arn't trying toa advance in projectile technology. The Loamhedge area isn't visited often, so the fact that there is saltpetre there dosn't do much good.

By the way, the reason crossbows arn't used is because they are heavier than longbows, harder to make and have a lower rate-of-fire. I remember reading about a battle where a group of English longbowmen took out a much larger force of French crossbowmen and kights, but I can't remember the name.