D&D General Why Do You Prefer a Medieval Milieu For D&D? +

[Mr. Lahey]

tl;dr version is that swords are cool.

Hello. To me, the reason I don’t like firearms in TTRPGs (mostly D&D) is that I know what firearms can do, from a minor wound to an unimportant part of the body to instant death from a .22 calibre bullet in the right spot. There is no way that modern TTRPG rules can accurately reflect what we know to be true without adding a level of randomness that (I think) most people don’t want. The idea of a gun doing a finite amount of damage, like 1d12, or something like that, just isn’t believable.

The exact same thing is true for swords (and knives/daggers), but in general, because we are so far removed from hearing about and witnessing sword wounds on a daily basis, we are much more able to believe the D&D paradigm of needing multiple major hits before dying (once one is above 3rd or 4th level).

In regards to the OP, the reason I like the medieval (we always referred to it as quasi-medieval fantasy) is that it’s ‘known’ in terms of what is and isn’t there. For example, I’ve played Shadowrun but I could never visualize what this world was like - if it was a modified future world, what aspects remained and what has changed? I imagine it could be anywhere between Bladerunner and Fallout, in terms of infrastructure and social order. Having read things from LOTR to Conan, I can understand enough for my imagination.

Also, to me, quasi-medieval fantasy refers more to a Victorian fantasy of the Middle Ages, similar to an SCA event or a Ren Faire, rather than Hârn or something trying to be ultra realistic. This sort of idealized medieval world also represents the sort of place people could imagine living in. It is free of the “bad” modern elements and the problems of the world are all solvable by courageous and plucky adventurers.

 

[Aldarc]

Hello. To me, the reason I don’t like firearms in TTRPGs (mostly D&D) is that I know what firearms can do, from a minor wound to an unimportant part of the body to instant death from a .22 calibre bullet in the right spot. There is no way that modern TTRPG rules can accurately reflect what we know to be true without adding a level of randomness that (I think) most people don’t want. The idea of a gun doing a finite amount of damage, like 1d12, or something like that, just isn’t believable.

But this is also where I find Eberron interesting. Mages and artificing basically became the artillery on the battlefield of mass warfare, with wands and siege-staves. There were even developments made so that non-mages could use this sort of siege. Imagine what a Napoleon could do with that sort of artillery and their logistics!