(Discussion) General Part IV

[The Goblin King]

I am not actually against firearms. I am just against firearms for player characters. I guess its just prejudice due to past experiences I've had. Unless this was Iron Kingdoms I just think it breaks the verisimilitude to have PCs running around blasting things. It also raises certain questions like: if black powder is illegal on this continent why hasn't an evil country raised an army of riflemen and set about trying to conquer everyone else? Of course, its possible they have and we just don't know about it yet.

I like guns in GWs game. It makes perfect sense for pirates to have something like that.

I also think that DMs should be allowed to use or make up whatever they want. Using templates and monsters from other books is cool. If a magic item is too powerful it can be lost/stolen/broken/wanted/eaten/whatever. I can see where allowing non-core spells could be a problem. Really, I think DMs should be the primary balance factor here. If you feel something is too powerful you shouldn't feel obligated to allow it in your game just because another DM approved it for this player.

 

[dpdx]

What happens, then, if a PC in GW's adventure kills that pirate, loots the firearm/rifle/raygun/powder, then goes and plays in someone else's game? Bam like that, you've introduced firearms to another DM's adventure whether they like it or not. One of the essential principles of LEW is cross-pollination of PCs between adventures, so that techniques, backgrounds, etc. get shared amongst all the participants. I think it's harmful if somebody starts cross-pollinating the world with guns, is all. DMG variant or no, it ain't the same game.

Besides, does this world even have mithril, adamantium, castles or siege weapons, yet? Seems to me that Catapult is a necessary precursor to Cannon, at least the last few versions of Civ I've played. I'd hate to skip all that discovery just because some DM wanted guns.

 

[The Goblin King]

What happens, then, if a PC in GW's adventure kills that pirate, loots the firearm/rifle/raygun/powder, then goes and plays in someone else's game? Bam like that, you've introduced firearms to another DM's adventure whether they like it or not. One of the essential principles of LEW is cross-pollination of PCs between adventures, so that techniques, backgrounds, etc. get shared amongst all the participants. I think it's harmful if somebody starts cross-pollinating the world with guns, is all. DMG variant or no, it ain't the same game.

That was kind of my whole point.

I can see where allowing non-core spells could be a problem. Really, I think DMs should be the primary balance factor here. If you feel something is too powerful you shouldn't feel obligated to allow it in your game just because another DM approved it for this player.

The reason I mentioned spells specifically is because its harded to take away a spell then to take away a piece of equipment. If I was DMing I would feel no compunction breaking a characters gun before they went on the adventure.

 

[dpdx]

That requires every single DM to police their PCs for advanced tech and/or make unrealistic rulings (every gun breaks?), and even then, the idea has been introduced to LEW, and all it takes is for some PC to start a thread and announce, "I'm working on a rifle/cannon/whatever" to break the game.

Anyway, I think Edena's IR is the thread for a technology-based game, not LEW. I'd rather see guns shut down from the get-go, even if it's just one adventure with pirates (arr).

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Regarding Submissions
I am going to go on record here (and win a few 'Boos!' I am sure) and say that I am generally not a fan of class/PrC/Race/Feat/whatever submissions.
I guess that I misunderstood the concept of LEW, taking the idea to mean a Living PbP World, similar to the RPGA's Living Greyhawk, where you used the established and official material and the creative part was in your character input/RPing. I did not take it to mean that we would (as LEW) end up with a million (or even a few dozen) classes and prestige class,races etc...with lengthy debates regarding their inclusion.
LEW to me was a World where characters could interact with relative frequency with different characters and different DMs, not one where we suddenly had lots of class and race variants to approve and include every week.
I am not against folks using their creativity, and I have several classes etc that I could/would like to throw out, but I thought that this was a playing forum, not a think-tank. I have refrained from commenting on many of the Submissions primarily because I am not in favor of including a slew of them and (in a dearth of other Judge input) I didn't want to be the only Judge going over them.
I hope that didn't sound like I was downing the concept, it's just not my focus in LEW.

THAT is what I've been trying to say...but I'm obviously not too good at it.

Now, while I don't like the idea of player created stuff, I would think it would be GREAT for DMs to use things like non-Core monsters, templates, etc, as long as they CAN'T fall into PCs hands. That way things don't get out of control, and the ones in control are the DMs(and in directly, the Judges), which is how it should be.

 

[Uriel]

Now, while I don't like the idea of player created stuff, I would think it would be GREAT for DMs to use things like non-Core monsters, templates, etc, as long as they CAN'T fall into PCs hands.

Oh,Come on! You saw what cool and nifty things that other Druid gets to do, just for worshipping Kroggoth the Beast. Tell you what, just let him introduce you, smack the Feral Template on you and we'll see where it goes. Heck, you can even keep your Wolf,a Druid's gotta eat, you know...

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Oh,Come on! You saw what cool and nifty things that other Druid gets to do, just for worshipping Kroggoth the Beast. Tell you what, just let him introduce you, smack the Feral Template on you and we'll see where it goes. Heck, you can even keep your Wolf,a Druid's gotta eat, you know...

Read that again...

I'm all FOR DMs using stuff that isn't Core(as long as Judges aprrove and they won't fall into PC hands).

 

[WizWrm]

Hmm, the monastery looks like it might be unoccupied once the orcs are gone....can you say 'headquarters'?

 

[GnomeWorks]

Hmm, the monastery looks like it might be unoccupied once the orcs are gone....can you say 'headquarters'?

Heh. Could be, could be...

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

We might want to survive first...though I think I nailed that demon pretty well from what Uriel said.