Guns, D&D, and DDM

[Kae'Yoss]

I'm interested in how the distinguished members of these boards think about the issue of firearms in D&D (There was some discussion in the Wizards minis boards, and boy the arguments some people brought up.... )

First, where do you stand in relation to guns and D&D (yes, I know, the best position is not in front of the muzzle): Do you use them all the time, are they a novelty or niche thing for you, or do you leave them out?

By guns, I mean the D&D-type gunnes. The stuff that has been in some former adventures and novels, I hear, and that is used by the Lantanese in the Realms: Basically, the stuff you can find under "Renaissance Firearms" in the DMG: Pistols and Muskets powered by gunpowder. Nothing as fancy as a Sig P228 or a Desert Eagle, or a G3 Rifle.


The second questions concerns DDM figures with gunnes. Would you want some? Would you mind them? Would they destroy the whole DDM thing for you and make you not buy any more figures? Would you want them to be a big part of DDM (like crossbows, bows, even swords) or do you think the occasional figure would be enough?

And, if you're for such figures, what would you want them to look like? Crazy artificer with a deathtrap in his hands, as dangerous to him as to his enemies? A simple contraption? Something else? A pirate with a pistol?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I find that squalid Dark Ages games aren't for me and have always favored Renaissance-flavored play. (It's one of the reasons I gravitated to Ptolus.) As such, primitive firearms that are arguably no better than crossbows are fine with me.

 

[Nifft]

No place for them in my current game, but I like the idea, and wouldn't mind a few.

Cheers, -- N

 

[HellHound]

My one complaint about Eberron was the lack of guns.

So I fixed that with the guns from Arcanis and the gunclasses from IK.

I don't play DDM, however.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

My Stance

D&D: I like them - in moderation. They should not replace bows or crossbows as the standard weapon every soldier gets or anything. That would, in fact, make them less interesting for me.

But the archetype of the inventor with the weird but effective armament is kinda cool. You just have to make sure you're not using the stereotypes (mad scientist tinker gnome that has singed eyebrows and can't relate to other people).

DDM: The game should have them. They shouldn't have many of them - one per year at most, but the possibility should be there. Plus, they have served a lot of other exotic needs, why not this one, too?
As for the Skirmish game: This could be a figure that's deadly for constructs (or should I say destructive?), which seem to be quite dominating at the moment.


I think the way gunnes are treated in the Forgotten Realms is fairly good: The Lantanese are among the only nations that have the gunnes, some do actively try to suppress them (for the time being), and in the rest of the continent, they're a novelty (if they are known at all - which isn't the case for most of the common populace). This means your character will stand out. He'll have something that others haven't seen, so he can show off a bit. He has to watch out that others won't steal it, of course.

It's a bit like Spellfire, except that it's easier to get, not as powerful, and less people are going to be after you.

 

[Oryan77]

I don't use guns in my game. I even have a hard time with the repeating X-bow...luckily no one has wanted to use one.

I wouldn't like it, but I wouldn't care if they made a DDM with a gun. I just wouldn't use it. If it became something as common as having Warforged minis...I'd have a problem. The more & more campaign specific minis appearing in a set means the less amount of minis I can actually use. If they start doing too many campaign specific minis that can't be used in core D&D games, they should start making campaign/genre specific miniature sets instead.

 

[WayneLigon]

Occassional. It depends on the campaign type, and 'feel'. If I'm doing Pirate or Three Musketeers D&D, darn right I want guns. If I'm doing standard middle ages or dark ages, no way.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

There was a dwarven rifleman in the last DDM set.

 

[Arashi Ravenblade]

I like guns. Always have. As long as the campaign world allows.
Though I think they need to make them a little deadlier, they need to bypass Armor and Shield Bonus' to Armor or defense. The reason I say this is that I saw this History channel program where they said that Firearms where one of the reasons metal Armor went out of style for protection. Cant remember the shows name so dont ask.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Guns fit perfectly in Warhammer Fantasy, but I don't mind them in D&D under certain conditions. Guns popped up once in a while back in 2e with Spelljammer, but I haven't used them too much since. We had a lizardman that used a blunderbuss to great effect.

Recently, I've been thinking of doing a John Carter of Mars - style campaign, complete with radium pistols, though.