User blog comment:Urbancommando77/Hessians V.S. Musketeers/@comment-5795750-20130611144128

BG1's "All for One and One for All" Edges:

Melee: Hmm... the Battle Axe has a small blade and is only good for slashing while the rapier has a larger blade but is only good for thrusting. If the rapier came along with the main gauche then it takes the edge but since the gauche is not in the arsenal, I'm afraid I have to call this...

EDGE: Even

Sidearm: If I read right, the wheel-lock triggering mechanism came before the flintlock mechanism came into use. Therefore the Prussian pistol is newer and more reliable than the French wheel-lock pistol.

EDGE: Hessians

Rifle: Both are almost the same thing really except that the Jager rifle sacrificed loading time for accuracy compared to standard flintlock muskets of the day so; also the French musket had the option to add a bayonet to it so I guess that cancels out the advantage the Hessians have with their accuracy (in addition to longer loading time cancelling out the accuracy advantage).

EDGE: Even

Special: If I read right, the linstock isn't actually a weapon at all but rather a way to set the fuse of a cannon alight only becoming a weapon in case of emergencies when the cannon is in danger but since there is no cannon, the linstock sorta becomes a clumsy thing to use in a battle

EDGE: Musketeers

X-Factors

Brutality: As you say, the Americans are disgusted by how brutal the Hessians were to the troops and perhaps civilians during the American Revolution so I'm guessing the Hessians weren't afraid to get down and dirty. The Musketeers are pretty brutal too considering they are determined to see their goals through if it meant defending King and Country but I guess they are more or less trained to keep that brutality channeled in for good purposes instead of letting the warriors roam free like the Hessians.

EDGE: Hessians

Training: I'm sure that the Hessians training given by the British was tough and designed to make the Germans hate the Americans but given that some of the Hessians stayed in America after the war, I guess the training didn't go too well in the long run. This is where the Musketeer actually does best since they are trained a long and hard time to protect the King and Country no matter what.

EDGE: Musketeers

Weapons: The Hessians fought in the American Revolution thus giving them access to newer more technologically advanced weapons. However if you are asking about the reliability of the weapons, then that edge goes to the Musketeers since they owned and maintained the weapons themselves while the Hessians were given British-made weapons that are probably of sub-par reliability standards.

EDGE: IDK... maybe Even?

Armour: This is where the Hessians don't get an edge easily mainly because in the era they came from... armour is no longer used considering that with the advent of more powerful guns they discredit body armour as valuable protection.

EDGE: Musketeers

Overall Winner: Despite the Hessians being technologically advanced, I have to give this to the Musketeer - their armour may not last long when the Hessians bring out their guns but the Musketeers should know better i.e. they are more tactical in their approach to fighting; they are also better trained as people who can both fire muskets and engage in swordfighting and stay alive in the process.