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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 8618201" data-attributes="member: 2629">This was a huge concern for me back in the early 90s when Spelljammer was introduced.  I did not want gunpowder to ruin the Tolkien vibe of my setting.  Flash forward 30 years and my setting has evolved a lot and we see gunpowder in a lot of places.  Here are the controls that keep it from being problematic:1.) COST - It is not cheap.  Being able to use gunpowder weapons is expensive, and most 'nobodies' can't do it because nobody is going to pay that amount to give them a weapon.2.) TRAINING - If you do not know how to handle it, it is dangerous.  If you're not proficient with it, you can end up blowing yourself up.  A gun is less likely to do this  - but once you move up to cannons and bombs....3.) KNOWLEDGE - People covet the knowledge of sciences and do not share them in my setting.  Those that know how to do things with chemistry and physics are valued for their knowledge, and they do not like to share their knowledge because it is a valuable commodity.  However, these scientists are often viewed with the same evil eye that a necromancer would get because...4.) CONTROL - There are organizations out there that fear a world in which 'anyone' can achieve things normally reserved for the powerful magi, clerics and psions.  They believe that in a world where anyone can have a submachine gun, it would be possible for people without proper training and vetting to take such a weapon and use it in public settings.  They believe that an army of people with these types of weapons might exert undue influence on the world.  Etc....  If someone raises an army and then tries to arm them with guns, then they may face my version of the Illuminati.  While this is true of Guns, it is also true of many other scientific inventions.  For example, non-magical flight through the use of technology (beyond balloons and gliding), engines (steam and mechanical), and electricity based devices are all things that have been developed, only to see those that learned how to do sthem disappear.Several Empires that began to rely upon technology too much were toppled in my setting, and it has contributed to a perception that Science is cursed.  Whether you're a skilled architect, a chemist, an engineer, or a physician ... knowledge is power, and the powers that be do not want to see it widely spread.</blockquote>

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