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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 5076242" data-attributes="member: 58197">It's largely a thematic issue, and I will freely admit that it has as much to do with the associations of the weapons in question as with their actual historical status.IMO, the reason fantasy appeals to people is that it emphasizes individual empowerment. (Yes, there is wish-fulfillment going on too, but there's wish-fulfillment in every genre.) We live in a world where it's very easy to feel powerless, insignificant, and ignored. Fantasy fiction envisions a world where the actions of the individual matter to the world at large--where a Frodo Baggins or a Harry Potter can, through virtue and steadfastness, turn the course of history... and where, through ruthlessness and cunning, a Sauron or a Voldemort can do the same.Guns are part and parcel of the modern world--the chosen weapon of the mechanized, bureaucratic, impersonal warfare of today. They bring those associations with them when imported into a fantasy setting, which is why many people are reluctant to admit them, even if the setting is one in which they would legitimately fit (late medieval/early Renaissance). There's also the fact that guns in a medieval setting don't lend themselves to many of the traditions surrounding fantasy weaponry. Fantasy is full of storied and legendary weapons with histories that go back hundreds of years, sometimes thousands. In medieval times, guns simply were not old enough for that.Finally, because we're used to modern, mass-produced, highly accurate firearms, a lot of people have trouble with the idea that you can have guns and bows/swords coexisting. Because guns now are vastly superior to swords and bows, folks instinctively assume that guns then must have been the same way. Introducing guns to a medieval campaign requires changing those preconceptions, and changing preconceptions has a cost in terms of player focus and immersion. Why pay that cost if you don't have a specific reason for doing so?</blockquote>

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