tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post5752963183102780553..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: GunpowderAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-11071336311741577432011-11-18T01:13:43.492-07:002011-11-18T01:13:43.492-07:00I agree as well, but not because 14th C cannon are...I agree as well, but not because 14th C cannon are bad at what they do well, which is knock down very tall, thin walls effectively.<br /><br />Too many things already do this in a fantasy world - earth elementals, rock to mud spells, fast-digging dwarves - and so the natural prey of the cannon, the curtain wall, ceases to exist. Lacking it's natural prey, the cannon stops being an interesting development.<br /><br />Look at the Froissart pic here<br /><br />http://www.themcs.org/weaponry/cannon/cannon.htm<br /><br />Cannon yes, but escorted by crossbowmen giving covering fire as the gun is fired.Ian Whitchurchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14896497136190817451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-31165587432972206502011-11-17T21:21:09.843-07:002011-11-17T21:21:09.843-07:00If you knew the Top Secret combat system, Alan, yo...If you knew the Top Secret combat system, Alan, you'd know it was hard to hit with even one bullet. Your accuracy dropped markedly with each shot after the first.<br /><br />Despite that, we still found multiple persons spraying bullets to have a profound killing effect.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-58603552832592858512011-11-17T16:41:44.744-07:002011-11-17T16:41:44.744-07:00Given your experience as a hunter I am surprised t...Given your experience as a hunter I am surprised that you would imagine an _effective_ firing rate of six or even four rounds in one second. At least at any range greater than hand to hand, where a skilled combatant has a fighting chance to make the pistol wielder shoot himself in the head.<br /><br />At least two tenths of a second are required to smoothly pull a trigger.<br /><br />Four placed rounds per second, at standoff range, is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Challenge" rel="nofollow">world record material</a>.<br /><br />Despite this specific factual quibble, I entirely agree with the generality of your post "perse" ("of itself").Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-89144175436451172142011-11-17T16:10:06.543-07:002011-11-17T16:10:06.543-07:00Bringing up this old chestnut reminds me of one ot...Bringing up this old chestnut reminds me of one other old sticking point Alexis brought up: clerics and their "raise dead" spell.<br /><br />If guns can kill people efficiently and effectively, wouldn't there be an arms race between who can pump out more lead and who can cast more 'raise dead' spells? Clerics would become even more important because they (and probably only they) can make getting shot as harmful as skinning your knee. <br /><br />Perhaps that's why there's <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FantasyGunControl" rel="nofollow">Fantasy Gun Control</a> in fantasy works with powerful clerics. The Church tries to ban firearms as 'ungodly' because they don't want to wade through the red tape of thousands of 'raise dead' spells.Satchmohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09031664725306343255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-3897584849803795792011-11-17T12:47:28.079-07:002011-11-17T12:47:28.079-07:00I) To me, this reads like an argument for why guns...I) To me, this reads like an argument for why guns never made it past that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_cannon" rel="nofollow">1300s-1500s super-primitive state</a>, not one saying "guns don't exist." <br /><br />Certainly, cantrips and other easy fire magic are going to prevent big gunpowder magazines (and therefore cannons) from being effective. But I'd think some idiots and crazyfolk would still carry guns around. We're talking about a weapon where the firing procedure is "aim, look away, shut your eyes, pull the trigger" and the reload time is measured in minutes. After a PC hits level two, what sane player wants to risk using a weapon that can blow your own hand up on a fumble (and will blind you if you didn't accept a -4 to hit by using the correct firing procedure?)Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07649420272387984400noreply@blogger.com