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Guns in D&D - A Hot Take
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<blockquote data-quote="Mercule" data-source="post: 7560853" data-attributes="member: 5100"><p>I think this is kind of the $64K question.</p><p></p><p>For me, "default" assumptions about the D&D mythology is that guns don't fit, ergo, they aren't relevant and this is a pointless conversation.</p><p></p><p>That said, I've realized it actually depends on the game's tone and/or setting. Being a political geek, I'm reminded of polls that show, say, Trump (used for convenience because it's current) winning or losing against "generic Democrat". The truth is that there's never a "generic Democrat" -- there's an actual race. (Please don't take the political bait. I tried to stay neutral, really.) </p><p></p><p>The same is true for guns in a D&D game. For me, they always "lose" in the context of "generic fantasy". They just don't fit my image of it. If you want to do Deadlands -- which could be considered fantasy -- that's totally different. They should probably be somewhat scary for even a 1st level "wizard", but a "gunslinger" class should be downright deadly and have scaling damage to show their badass-itude. Urban fantasy (WoD) usually comes along with some level of resistance, or just "magic is cooler", so we're back to "don't overdo it".</p><p></p><p>If the question is about simulation, then my answer is to try a different system. D&D sucks at simulation. It can do a fair nod at verisimilitude or can give a hand wave to suspension of disbelief, but not so much on actual simulation. Just looking at the fact that hit points are an abstraction that even includes outright missing but burning through the target's luck, you could say that rudimentary firearms do d6 damage not because every "hit" draws blood, but because that simulates the relative lack of accuracy combined with shock and awe when used against a peasant with 4 hit points -- either you miss (on the die), "miss" but make them wet themselves, or punch a fist-sized hole through their mid-section.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mercule, post: 7560853, member: 5100"] I think this is kind of the $64K question. For me, "default" assumptions about the D&D mythology is that guns don't fit, ergo, they aren't relevant and this is a pointless conversation. That said, I've realized it actually depends on the game's tone and/or setting. Being a political geek, I'm reminded of polls that show, say, Trump (used for convenience because it's current) winning or losing against "generic Democrat". The truth is that there's never a "generic Democrat" -- there's an actual race. (Please don't take the political bait. I tried to stay neutral, really.) The same is true for guns in a D&D game. For me, they always "lose" in the context of "generic fantasy". They just don't fit my image of it. If you want to do Deadlands -- which could be considered fantasy -- that's totally different. They should probably be somewhat scary for even a 1st level "wizard", but a "gunslinger" class should be downright deadly and have scaling damage to show their badass-itude. Urban fantasy (WoD) usually comes along with some level of resistance, or just "magic is cooler", so we're back to "don't overdo it". If the question is about simulation, then my answer is to try a different system. D&D sucks at simulation. It can do a fair nod at verisimilitude or can give a hand wave to suspension of disbelief, but not so much on actual simulation. Just looking at the fact that hit points are an abstraction that even includes outright missing but burning through the target's luck, you could say that rudimentary firearms do d6 damage not because every "hit" draws blood, but because that simulates the relative lack of accuracy combined with shock and awe when used against a peasant with 4 hit points -- either you miss (on the die), "miss" but make them wet themselves, or punch a fist-sized hole through their mid-section. [/QUOTE]
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