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The repeating crossbow is a curiousity. It's like obsessing over pistols as the decisive weapon in 21st-century warfare; the weapon has its place in battle, but is not particularly useful.
In Chinese warfare, the repeating crossbow suffered from a lack of range, power, and penetration. To solve the problem, the repeating crossbow would be employed in close-quarters with poisoned bolts. Of course, this was worthless against armored foes. Whatever happens with the scutum vs crossbow shtick, the repeating crossbow will not penetrate the scutum.
The Romans also had crossbows of their own, but operating on a different design. The Roman crossbow was less efficient than the later European crossbow and the Asiatic crossbow, due to its mechanism of propelling the bolt.
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