We Really Underestimate The Effect of Guns in World/Chronicles of Darkness Games

The thing reared out of the darkness, fangs bared, and red eyes shining with an infernal light. It held vaguely to the shape of a man, but it stank of untold centuries, and the sight of it made you feel as if a thousand insectile legs were scrabbling at the inside of your brain, trying to escape. It took one step, then another, already thirsty for the hot, wet blood it could smell pounding through the human's veins.

Lisa was half-numb with terror, but her finger still tightened on the trigger. The Mossberg bucked in her hands, roaring as fire erupted from the barrel of her gun. The dragonsbreath round tore into the creature, and it shrieked with outrage, and pain. Lisa racked the weapon on instinct, and squeezed the trigger again. The second round blew off the creature's head, leaving nothing behind but a scorched neck stump, as the kindred who had seen centuries turn from the dark shadows of the world fell away to nothing but a cloud of burning ashes.

"No weapon forged by mortal hand, huh?" she said, her voice shaky as she racked a fresh round into her weapon, and slipped a few fresh shells into her gun.

Wait... they're packing what!? No, get me the hell out of here.

As always, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

High Caliber Strategy (Guns Are Lethal in This Game)

If you've played any of the games set in the World or Chronicles of Darkness, then you already know the sheer variety of nonsense these games have when it comes to the supernatural. From rampaging werewolves, to centuries-old bloodsuckers, to death-defying sin eaters, and iron-allergic creatures from another dimension, there's magic and monsters aplenty lurking in the dark corners of these modern games. However, we often get so caught up in the power plays between reality-bending mages and primordial creatures of darkness that we tend to forget the sheer, killing power of a modern firearm.

And I'm not just talking about vehicle-mounted military ordnance, here... regular, everyday guns can spell game over for even potent supernatural creatures who roll the dice and come out on the wrong end of a bet.

I talked about this a while back on Discussions of Darkness on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, but I feel like this really bears repeating here. In all versions of these games, firearms deal lethal damage as a rule. For those not familiar, there's bashing damage caused by punches and blunt force trauma that heals relatively quickly, lethal damage caused by guns, blades, and so on that is far more difficult to heal, and aggravated damage which is like using silver on a werewolf... aggravated damage usually makes a character dead in very short order. In the Chronicles of Darkness when you make an attack with a firearm you roll your Dexterity + Firearms dice pool, and add your successes to the weapon's damage rating to determine damage dealt. So if you're firing a rifle (4 extra damage) or a shotgun (3 extra damage), and you end up with a decent number of successes (say 3-4 of them) that's enough to drop someone into unconscious and bleeding out... and that level of damage can also cripple or kill a supernatural creature if they don't have proper protections against what's being fired at them.

The other thing that makes firearms so deadly is that they ignore a character's Defense (as long as the firearm isn't being used in melee distance). If you're being attacked in melee, or someone is throwing something at you, you have the ability to apply your Defense against that action, representing your ability to duck, bob, weave, etc. out of the way to slip punches, dodge blades, and so on. Firearms don't care about your Defense... the only thing that can save you from being shot is armor, cover, and some pretty powerful supernatural abilities.

I say this not because I want folks to think that firearms are a completely overpowered aspect of this game... but instead to realize that guns are a massive equalizer in a modern fantasy/horror game. And if your game is set in America, the land of Smith and Wesson, this is going to be something people run into quite a lot when they end up playing hardball.

A Literal Arms Race

Now, all of this is not to say that guns are an automatic win. For one thing, armor and shields rated for ballistic encounters (the sort of stuff you see a SWAT team roll up in) can allow characters to wade through a battlefield without substantial harm if they have a bit of luck. Secondly, you still have to be able to actually hit a target, and when it comes to distance, lighting, cover, dodging, etc., firefights can quickly become choking, nasty affairs... especially because so many of these games take place in cities and not in open, empty fields on bright days with clear sight lines.

Just as importantly, though, one of the major aspects of the World and Chronicles of Darkness is secrecy. While it is perfectly possible to roar up to an encounter dressed for a Texan wedding and ready to leave a few thousand shell casings in your wake, that sort of thing tends to get noticed in a big damn hurry... and that's exactly the opposite of what you want. Especially when you consider that the authorities have more guns, bigger guns, and there's a lot more of them than there are of you, the application of firearms tends to become far more strategic when you're trying to solve plot. Sure, you might keep a sidearm on you for personal protection, or wear a ballistic weave vest under your coat, but you aren't gearing up all the way just to go about your daily life.

This is a lot like how it's frowned upon to stomp around town in a fantasy RPG dressed in full plate and carrying bared steel. People in the modern world tend to get extremely nervous when someone in a full suit of tactical gear shows up to a grocery store with a shotgun over one shoulder, and a brace of flash bangs on their hip.

Move fast. Break stuff. Disappear.

However, it cannot be overstated that this is not a technology V. supernatural dichotomy. Because firearms being this widely available mean they're going to be in the hands of supernatural creatures and their servants, too. Whether it's gang enforcers who've been juiced up on a kindred's vitae, mortals sworn to fight and die in the service of a changeling, or a mage who has turned a gun into one of their ritual implements, the interactions of modern day weaponry with the supernatural can put you on a fast track to seriously bonkers (and deadly) encounters.

With that said, I feel it's important to understand that when the guns come out, that's when things get really serious in this game. Don't breeze into a room full of heavily-armed bruisers thinking you can take them because you're one of the game's main characters... all it takes is a little overconfidence and a few good rolls on the ST's part for your character to die of lead poisoning on the first round of combat, regardless of how long you've been banking your experience points.

Good planning and preparation is worth a lot... but there's a reason the monsters melt into the shadows when humans start tooling up and lighting their torches!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Crunch post! To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Seeking Alternative Firearms For Your Game? Check Out "Sundara: Dawn of a New Age"!

As regular readers know, I've been putting out fantasy TTRPG supplements for my own setting Sundara: Dawn of a New Age for going on four years now. I started off with city guides, but then I wrote up supplements for playable species, the gods, and even the unique supernatural disasters that plague the setting called primquakes. There's over two dozen supplements when last I checked, and they're available for both Pathfinder Classic, as well as Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.

I've taken something of a hiatus from the setting for a while because while I hadn't run out of ideas for it, I had been pushing a little hard on the gas, and there didn't seem to be as many folks interested in reading and using the books as I was in writing them. However, earlier today I was reminded of a unique aspect I'd added to several of the supplements (as well as the world), and I thought, "I must have talked about that before..."

But it seems I didn't, so this Monday I wanted to take a second to remind people that Sundara has some rather unorthodox firearm options, if you're looking for something to include in your game that isn't just the normal black powder muskets and hair-trigger pepperboxes.

Ah, your initiative was low? Shame... shame...

As always, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Aether Weapons and Spell Warpers!

We've all had the conversations about black powder in our fantasy games. For some people, they feel it evokes the wrong kind of fantasy, and the wrong kind of time period. For others, the mass spread of guns should render more traditional methods of warfare (such as the armored knight on horseback) obsolete.

Those are all conversations you can, and should, have at your tables with your players so you can all figure out where you stand, and what you want to see. However, when I was working on Sundara, I wanted to give players more options, rather than less. And while the world has slowed down its expansion over the past year or so, I did have two rather unique alternatives to black powder weapons that still allow for gunslinger characters and firearm options that feel (at least in my opinion) more fantastical.

The first of those is aether weapons, which were made in Silkgift, The City of Sails.

Silkgift is a city whose main stock in trade is engineering, and invention. They create unique and unusual devices, and build things that most would say aren't possible without the aid of magic. From their water-driven machinery to their air-cooled homes, the city as a whole values ingenuity, creativity, and community... which is why the creation of one of the deadliest forms of weaponry in Sundara was, actually, something of an accident. During the ingeneurs' early experiments to build compressed gas reservoirs, an malfunction caused one to explode. The plug of the canister was driven through a wall, which led one of those present to wonder if they could build a tool that produced that result on purpose.

It was the creation of the superior material dragon steel, mass produced in the city of Ironfire, that led to reliable, safe, compressed air devices being built in Silkgift. This so-called aether technology comes in many shapes and forms, but one of the most recognizable are the hand weapons and two-handed rifles that use this pressurized air to deliver death to the wielder's enemies. These aether weapons use a simple pressurized reservoir of air which fires projectiles down the weapon's barrel. Inspired by the Giradoni air rifle, this is a unique option for those who want to have an unusual kind of gunslinger in their game.

For those who are interested in checking this out, consider the following supplements:

- Cities of Sundara: Silkgift (Pathfinder classic edition)

- Cities of Sundara: Silkgift (DND 5E Edition)

That isn't the only option for those who are looking for an unusual type of firearm in Sundara... but spell warper weapons are even more unique, and were made with an even darker purpose in mind.

Tightly controlled by Archbliss, the Floating City of The Sorcerers, spell warper weapons are built around a core of socerer's quartz; a unique material that can store magical energy like a battery. These weapons were first manufactured by House Torrent, the house of sorcerers that deals with evocation magic, and they were meant to allow the city's sorcerers to carry a deadly weapon on their person that could be used in the event they were either exhausted of their own magical energy, or which was simply not worth expending their own spells. Over time the weapons have been given to the city's guards and enforcers, and carrying one is typically a sign of fealty to the Floating City, or a sign that you managed to kill one of their representatives... both of which are marks of a person not to be trifled with.

These weapons require the expenditure of spell slots in order to charge them, though they can drain magic items like scrolls, wands, etc., to convert the stored magical energy into ammunition. Firing beams of force, spell warper weapons are often less effective against sorcerers and magic users, but they can be devastating against those who lack layered spell defenses. Many have whispered this is why the nobles were willing to give the weapons to those beneath them... after all, most sorcerers could easily protect themselves from these unique firearms, so they need not fear an uprising of those who had grown resentful of Archbliss's noble houses ruling over the city, and all those who lived in it.

If you'd like to get the supplements that detail these weapons, they're found in:

- Cities of Sundara: Archbliss (Pathfinder edition)

- Cities of Sundara: Archbliss (DND 5E edition)

I Have Plans For More, If You're Interested...

My original plan, as with everything else in Sundara, was to give players more options, rather than fewer. And while I was going to have an origin for black powder eventually (I believe it was going to be goblin powder, found in the as-yet-unwritten Species of Sundara: Goblins), I didn't want that to be seen as the default. Whether it was compressed air, magical energy, the explosive bile of exotic creatures (putting a pin in that for the next time I revisit dragons), or other propellants, I wanted the types of weapons available to be more unique than players had in other games.

More importantly, though, I wanted open access. I didn't want to have weapons that were roped off, or only available in X, Y, or Z places, or in certain types of games. Even Archbliss, tight-fisted as they are, makes it clear that spell warpers can be found elsewhere in Sundara, even if one has never traveled to the floating city themselves.

So, if this little glimpse into my fantasy setting intrigues you, consider grabbing a few more of the supplements. There are 5 cities in total (thus far), 6 different species books, as well as a book on the gods, a book on merchants, a book of towns, and more! The more folks who show an interest in the setting, whether they use it as it stands, import it into their home games, or just use the mechanics and ideas I present, I'll be happy to keep adding as long as folks keep reading!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Help Us Take The Hill! Stretch Goals For "Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic"

As I'm sure regular readers are aware, the Kickstarter for my first full RPG "Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic" is still ongoing! There's 9 days left at time of writing, so please consider backing it if you haven't yet.

EDIT: We reached out goal, and Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic is now on DTRPG!

The good news is that we have reached the minimum funding we need for the game to be released. However, before we all start high-fiving and pouring champagne, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the stretch goals for the game, and why it's important for projects like this to get more than just the minimum amount of funding they ask for.

We've got them on the run... take that hill!

Don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron!

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

The Difference Between Funded and "Funded" on KS

Crowdfunding has been a viable way of getting games made for a while now, but there's still a lot of us who don't know what goes on behind the scenes. Academically we know that the more money and pledges a project gets, the more money the creator makes, but it can be tough to really grasp what that means when it comes to specific terms. So I wanted to pull back the curtain a bit on my project, and give my readers an unvarnished look at what goes on behind the scenes.

Watch the shell casings. There's been a lot of test runs around here.

Typically when a creator asks for a minimum funding amount, that's the price tag it takes to get all of the initial bills paid so that a thing can exist. In the case of this RPG, that's the amount of money it takes to pay the other writers (I did the bulk of the work, but this was not a one-man show), the artists, to print and distribute the books, to pay for layout, and all of the other necessities.

So while getting over the minimum goal is definitely a good thing, it's by no means a full "Mission Accomplished" kind of situation.

If I were making a movie, or writing a novel, then this might be a one-and-done sort of setup. Backers give me the funds I need to finish the product, I deliver it to them, and everyone walks away happy. However, while Army Men is a stand-alone RPG you can play in its entirety with just the base book, I have additional supplements and follow-ups that I'd like to write for it. I mentioned some of them a while back in What's Next For "Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic" After The Kickstarter?, but from expanding the rules to include vehicles, mounts, and animal companions, to writing out mission packs, making new monsters, adding new factions, and generally expanding the setting, my hope was that this book would be the first stepping stone in a series that would grow over time.

And while that's still very possible, the best way to ensure that happens is if Army Men manages to hit its stretch goals so that this extra funding can be used to make those additional installments happen.

I can certainly write supplements and expansions for Army Men; that's not even a question. However, it would be a lot easier to write them if there was a little nest egg of extra funding that came from the initial Kickstarter that would allow me to keep the lights on and the rent paid for a little while, allowing me to dedicate my full time and energy to the project. If there's extra money in the pot, then I won't have to take on additional freelance work for other systems to pay my bills. I won't have to pitch fresh projects to other companies, and find time for Army Men in between paying gigs. I could just focus on these expansions, giving them the attention and polish they need to put our best foot forward!

If the audience makes it clear they want more content, then more content is what I'll provide... I'll just be able to do so a lot faster if I'm not juggling a dozen other assignments, and I can focus entirely on building up and expanding this game.

Which Brings Us To Those Stretch Goals!

The main way that you persuade your audience to help you expand a project, and to fund it past the base level (aside from just making something that a lot of people want to see become a reality) is to offer stretch goals. For those who aren't familiar, these are options that unlock once a campaign has reached a certain level, and they're usually fun, extra things to go along with the base product.

So what does Army Men have to offer?

Glad you asked!

The first stretch goal we have unlocks at $10K, and it's a "standard-issue" set of army green dice. While it may not have the floating skulls, light up numbers, or irreverent phrases some specialty dice have, that's almost kind of the point. Just like how bags of the little plastic toys were always the same, these dice are meant to give you that feeling. Instead of being issued a pair of combat boots, a set of BDUs, and a rifle, these dice are meant to be the weapons you take out into the world with you to help you achieve your missions in this RPG.

The second stretch goal is something I absolutely love, because it was partially (though not completely) my idea. Some folks might remember how, in decades past, you could sometimes get a foot locker of little plastic army toys. Well, to sort of recreate that feeling, we wanted to offer an ammo can that will hold your book, minis, dice, and other accessories that will unlock at $15K.

At time of writing we've slipped down just under $7K... so while both of these stretch goals are a goodly ways off, there's no telling what the Internet may do with a little bit of prodding.

So if you'd like to help us reach those goals, and help myself and other members of the team get the resources we need to work on everything from rules expansions, to mission packs, to future installments of game books, please back Army Men on Kickstarter, and share the link in your social media for folks to see. We're in an uphill battle against the algorithm, and even against gamer apathy, and we need all the help we can to plant our flag so folks can see it from miles around!

Thanks in advance for all of your help... we really can't do this without you!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Daily Motion channel!. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

What's Next For "Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic" After The Kickstarter?

Regular readers (as well as those who subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter) have likely heard that my RPG "Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic" is currently live on Kickstarter! If you haven't heard of it yet, then I'd urge you to go check it out, and if you want to help make the game a reality then consider becoming a backer. It's just over 70% funded at time of writing, and we still need all the help we can get!

EDIT: The KS funded, and Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic is now available on DTRPG!

And while I covered a lot of stuff about the game last week in We Want You! "Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic" is Now Live on Kickstarter!, this week I wanted to talk about where I'd like the game to go, and what extra stuff I'd like to do with it, assuming we can reach our goals, and people want more than just a single, base book. So whether you've been following the news of this game for a while, or you're just now hearing about it, here's some stuff I'd like to do in the future, if the rest of this campaign goes well.

Because the Vespoids are just the beginning!

What The Game Already Has

For folks who are just joining us, I thought I'd offer a quick run down of what the base book for Army Men already has, so that what I want to add in the future has some context. In addition to the core rules of the game (it uses the mechanical parts of Dungeons and Dragons' 5th Edition that have gone into Creative Commons, with some additions for more tactical options), the base book gives you:

- 5 Resins to pick from, each with their own, unique benefits.

- 5 Casts to choose, each with 3 subclasses you can branch out into.

- A bestiary full of dangerous animals, dinosaurs, and the fearsome, insectile Vespoids.

- A setting full of nations, history, culture, and religions to explore.

- An armory full of unique weaponry and equipment.

- Unique systems for gear acquisition and threat management for Game Masters.

- A starting mission for players to really get stuck into the setting.

Now, that's a lot of stuff, but it's just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to what I'd like to put into the game once it's out in the wild and players have it in their hands.

What I Want To Add Going Forward

If I get a chance to shoot my shot, that is.

Army Men was never intended to be a one-and-done game, but rather a series of expansions strung together with supplements and tales that players could use to tell deeper, stranger, and more wide-reaching stories. And if we can find the audience for it, there are a lot of things I'd like to do for the game going forward. Some of the bigger things include:

- Additional rules for vehicles. Tanks, planes, motorcycles, and more, because vehicular combat should always be an option.

- Additional Casts to choose from, including options for characters with animal companions as a nod to historical figures like the horse Sergeant Reckless, and the Polish artillery bear Wotjek.

- Mission packs so that players can really get involved in the game and setting, and Game Masters can have a template to follow for designing their own campaigns going forward (given that Army Men uses a format that's unlike a lot of other RPGs).

- Options for mercenaries and contractors. While Army Men's core book sets the scene, this expansion (tentatively titled Soldiers of Fortune) would give players more flexibility, emulating things like The A-Team, or even The Equalizer using the setting and system.

- Expanded armories, tech levels, and enemies. Labeled "Weird War" in my ideas folder, this gets into sci-fi territory with ray guns, bizarre monsters, experiments gone awry, and more!

- Smaller supplements to flesh out the setting, similar to things like my 100 Fantasy Foods or 100 Sci-Fi Mercenary Companies lists.

Something I'd really love to do with Army Men is to get enough folks interested in playing it to expand the meta narrative of the setting, and to bring players along with the story as it develops through the mission packs and expansions. Because the core rulebook for Army Men starts us roughly 50 years after the incursions by the huge, insectoid creatures known as the Vespoids, which caused all the resinous peoples to set aside their differences, declare peace from the war they were fighting, and unite against this common enemy. But I'd like to expand the storyline so players can find out where the Vespoids came from, allow them to discover the even greater threat that lurks behind them, and to expand the borders beyond the Plastos Federation to see what other strange and bizarre nations, cultures, and creatures are lurking beyond their own battle lines!

And, as a final item on the wish list, I wouldn't be averse to expanding the game out to other forms of media, if that was something players wanted to see. Whether it be audio dramas (like the introductory story in the video above) collections of short stories/field reports, novels, or even comic books, if enough people love the setting there are all sorts of things we could do with it once the initial game is done.

So How Do We Get From Here, To There?

First, we've got to take that hill!

As the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step... and in this case, the first step is getting Army Men's Kickstarter funded!

While the KS has been going all right thus far, we still haven't even reached our minimum goal, to say nothing of the stretch goals that unlock at 10K and 15K (a standard-issue set of army-green dice to ensure your troopers roll hard, and an ammo can for hauling all of your necessities to game respectively). And the best way to make sure that all of us have the energy and space to work on sequels is to be sure that the initial offering made the biggest possible splash, and that there's a lot of people out there who elected to check this game out!

So if any of those expansions sound like something you want to see, then help us lay the foundation for the game so we can go forward with confidence! Back the Kickstarter for Army Men today, and if you've already done that, share it with your friends, your gaming table, or even your family if it sounds like the sort of thing they might get a kick out of!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Daily Motion channel!. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Want Players to Stop Using Guns in Your World of Darkness Game? Play an Earlier Era!

It feels like I've written about guns in RPGs a lot over the past several years, but it's typically articles like 5 Tips For Playing Better Gunslingers for more traditional fantasy games where you've got flying lead alongside lightning bolts and dragons. But this resistance to high-caliber solutions isn't limited to Pathfinder, Dungeons and Dragons, and their kin... you also find it among World of Darkness and Chronicles of Darkness storytellers.

I'll take a pack of pencils, then,

Since this is something that seems to bother a lot of folks, I figured I'd get into the details of it, and my proposed solution for it, this week. As always, if you want to stay on top of all my latest releases make sure you sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates sent right to your inbox! Also, if you want to help me keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron... every little bit really does help.

Why So Many STs Seem To Object To High-Caliber Solutions

The World of Darkness, as well as the Chronicles of Darkness, are modern settings. Even if you run a WoD game in the era it was written for, it's still being run in the 90s. So unlike traditional fantasy games, where guns are often viewed as a new invention that's recently been introduced to the setting, they've been around for literal centuries. Not only that, but one of the more persuasive reasons for the supernatural world to keep its head down is that enough mortals armed with machine guns, flamethrowers, high-powered explosives, etc. could wipe them out without breaking too much of a sweat if they were all discovered and the Masquerade broken.

It's one reason why Armory and Armory: Reloaded are two of my favorite books for Chronicles of Darkness, as they offer some pretty persuasive arguments why you should not start trouble with the mortal world.

Despite this, there are a lot of Storytellers out there who get their back up when someone attempts to use a mundane technological solution over a supernatural one, particularly when it comes to the more nitty gritty aspects of the game. Because while it's possible to create an enchanted thunder maul that strikes like lightning and can be thrown a dozen yards in combat with unerring accuracy, a fully-automatic, drum-fed riot shotgun with incendiary rounds deals exactly as much damage to a target without the need to entreat the spirits, prove your worth, or conduct a full-moon ritual sacrifice. You just need to put in a call to Paul, the balding nerd with the weird gun fetish, and spend the necessary cash to get it in your hands.

No parley? Shame... shame...

The argument, in this case, is startlingly similar to what you'll see in a DND or Pathfinder game. Storytellers, when I've managed to nail down definite, specific answers, always bristle that there's a completely mundane tool, weapon, or solution that's as powerful as magical ones, but which don't have the same limitations and controls as the magical ones do. You just need the proper Resources or Allies to get your guns from the black market, and all of a sudden you can punch way outside your weight class regarding the kind of foes you can take on.

While that is true in some respects, there are two salient points that need to be made here that I think a lot of STs overlook, or forget about.

First, big, powerful guns tend to be tough to hide both during transportation, and during use. Because while the weapon described above might tear through the ranks of fomori, it's not something you can just hide under a coat. And when you hold down that trigger, it's likely going to break windows at 10 yards just from the sound alone. So even if a player has access to these weapons, they aren't going to be able to use them cavalierly unless you're constantly attacking them in either the middle of nowhere, or in the unique pocket realm that it seems every sphere has one of.

Secondly, because these tools are completely mundane, they're going to be investigated and noticed by the mundane world. If a PC runs amok with their mini-Mjolnir cracking skulls and casting lightning bolts, mortal investigators aren't going to be able to make heads or tales of the evidence without concocting some bizarre story. No one is going to put out an APB for a man carrying a magic hammer. By contrast, black market firearms are going to get noticed by local cops, and possibly by the ATF, which means players need to be extra careful with when they choose to cut loose, and when they use a quieter solution. Even legal, commercially-available firearms require permits, and using them in public can lead to a lot of nosy questions from the authorities if players aren't very careful with how they do things.

Don't Want Modern Solutions, Don't Run a Modern Game

There are other advantages to guns in the World of Darkness as well. They allow you to attack multiple targets in a single blast, their ammunition can be modified to take advantage of enemy weaknesses, and in the Chronicles of Darkness they ignore defense and can only be countered by armor and cover. So if you're going to be running a game with a lot of combat in it, then it just makes sense that at least some folks are going to gravitate toward the most dangerous tools to ensure they come out ahead when all is said and done.

Choose your next words carefully, I've got silver loaded in here.

However, the solution is not to simply tell your players they can't have guns. With so many ways to get your hands on these tools (especially if your game is set anywhere in North America) it breaks immersion really fast that someone with underworld contacts, a lot of money in the bank, or just the ability to machine and tool their own parts and pieces cannot acquire these weapons. They're a ubiquitous part of the modern world, and telling players they can't have or use them would be no different than making them write letters and send telegrams instead of making a phone call.

This extends to basically any other form of modern technology, too. Whether it's STs tired of hackers destroying an area's security system, or players using vehicular combat as a way to turn a dump truck into a battering ram, if you don't want players to use modern solutions, then don't run a modern game.

Instead, run something in the past. Period, full stop.

I Guarantee You'll Have Just as Much Interest

On the one hand, running a game set in the past is more difficult than one set in the present. The cast of current NPCs running things is different (for those who use the existing lore), certain major events may not yet have occurred, and then there's the matter of making sure you have a firm grip on actual world history so that you can convey the proper setting and tone for your players.

With all of that said, though, this is one of the most organic ways of rewinding the progression on technology that also creates an utterly unique experience that your players are not likely to forget anytime soon.

We're going werewolf hunting, you in?

Whether you want to go full Van Helsing in the 1800s for a Hunter game, you want to run Mage set in the dying days of the Roman empire, or you want to play a Vampire game during the Black Death while the Inquisition is hunting the supernatural community, this one change is going to create one hell of a game. Even if it's something short-lived, like participating in the hunt for the Beast of Gevaudan in Werewolf, or a short arc for Changeling set during the spiritualism craze of the Victorian era in London, changing the era gets you what you want (removing the smorgasbord of modern-day technologies that can feel ubiquitous), while also giving your players a unique experience (an entire period of history they've likely never gotten to play in).

While it might seem like a lot of work (and it is, don't mistake me on that), I guarantee this approach would go over a lot better than just handing your players a list of tools and tech they're not allowed to use, or which you're going to restrict because you feel it isn't fair to the more spiritually-inclined players to have their magic eclipsed by the latest from Smith and Wesson.

Hell, there's even an entire Dark Ages series you can use! If this is something you haven't considered before, then check out the following titles to get your brain wheels turning:

- Dark Eras (Chronicles of Darkness)

- Dark Ages: Vampire

- Dark Ages: Werewolf

- Dark Ages: Mage

- Dark Ages: Fae

- Dark Ages: Inquisitor

- Dark Ages: Blood and Silk

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Savage Company's "Infantryman's Handbook" Is a Lovely Little Addition To High-Caliber Pathfinder Games

I've had guns on the brain of-late, and since my entry Guns Really Aren't as Powerful as You Think in Pathfinder seems to have attracted a pretty large amount of attention I figured I'd embrace the black powder spirit this week. Because as I mentioned pretty explicitly in that post, I was talking about the common sorts of early firearms you find in most traditional Pathfinder games. If you wanted to overcome some of the major handicaps these weapons had, then you needed to advance the timeline a little and field firearms with a much bigger punch.

And that's where the Infantryman's Handbook comes into the picture.

For those who wondered if Doom Guy was secretly an orc...

Before I get into the meat of this, wanted to remind folks to subscribe to my weekly newsletter if you haven't done that yet. Also, since I've been staying away from the outside world, I've become something of a kitchen goblin. If you're wondering how that side project is coming, consider checking out 5 Things You Should Be Putting Mio In (Other Than Water).

What is This Book All About?

If you're not familiar with the Savage Company Campaign Setting, and you missed my review "Savage Company" is Out (And You Should Totally Get Your Copy Immediately!), I'll give you a very brief run-down. The game is compatible with Pathfinder's first edition, and it embraces the high-caliber kind of adventure you can have when you really cut loose with the weaponry stocked in the armory. Following the adventures of the titular Savage Company, a mercenary band made up largely of monstrous races, outcasts, and other unwanteds, the campaign guide provided a big slew of content. From new classes and races, to shiny new weapons, vehicles, and rules, it was all there and ready to rock. One part Mad Max, one part Warhammer 40k, and all parts Pathfinder, it was a refreshing breath of air for those who wanted to really double down on the first edition.

The Infantryman's Handbook builds on that by giving us a new and improved version of the signature class; the infantryman.

You've got to mold them into what you want.

In the original release, the infantryman was the child of the gunslinger in much the same way the samurai was the child of the cavalier. It was more than just an archetype, but there was enough common DNA that there was still a very noticeable relationship.

What this book does is offer a bunch of different archetypes for the infantryman. From the battering ram of the breacher, to the special forces style snake eater, all of these options allow you to customize your soldier's skills and roles so that you could realistically make an entire party of infantrymen to act as your adventure's main squad if you so desired. There's some fun bits of fiction woven into the document as well, but the other big additions all come in the gear section. From chain bayonets, to rocket launchers, to three dozen different types of grenades, there's plenty of extra firepower in the back if you're looking to really bring the thunder when it comes time to open up with the big guns in your game. And even if you're not really interested in more class options, the dakka is more than worth the price of admission, in my opinion.

By itself, Infantryman's Handbook is a lovely little piece of work. Though if you don't already have your own copy of the Savage Company Campaign Setting, I'd highly recommend picking that up as well. They two of them really work best if they're both in play!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Guns Really Aren't As Powerful As You Think in Pathfinder

It has been nearly 10 years since Ultimate Combat dropped from Paizo, and with it the gunslinger class. And despite having had the following conversation in dozens of different forums, Facebook groups, and threads, I figured that I'd collect this all in one place in order to create a simple, easy-to-reference piece for any game runners out there who are worried that guns are just "too powerful" for your game.

They're really not. And I can break down why pretty easily.

There's about to be a lot of shots fired.

Also, for those who want to make sure they don't miss any of my updates, consider subscribing to my newsletter! And if at the end of this you've got a hankering for putting a shooter on your table, then consider checking out my Pathfinder character conversions for The Punisher, Doc Holliday, and John Wick.

 

Lastly, if you're looking for high-caliber action with the sort of guns that are as powerful as a lot of players seem to think, then you should really take a look at the Savage Company Campaign Setting as well as the recently released Savage Company Infantryman's Handbook. That's where you'll find the big guns.

Lastly, if you're looking for some additional fun and flavor, then you might want to check out my 5 Tips For Playing Better Gunslingers. Honestly, I think it's one of the more instructive articles in that particular series.

Let's Talk About The Touch Attack

The thing that gets a lot of people wound up is the fact that firearms are touch attacks. But a lot of players and game masters alike seem to skip past all of the fine print and qualifications that actually puts this into perspective.

Just some provisos... some quid pro quo...

First of all, an early firearm (the sort you're going to have access to in an average game run by the core setting's rules, or which you acquire as a class feature as a gunslinger) is only a touch attack within the first range increment. After that it takes the normal -2 to attack for distance, and resolves against standard armor class. That usually means you have to be within 20 feet to 50 feet at the very longest, which is more than close enough for the angry enemy they shot to charge them on their turn.

Secondly, a touch attack is not some huge upset that's going to reduce difficulty to nearly nothing. Size modifiers, Dexterity modifiers, cover, concealment, and a slew of other things still apply. Ducking behind a rock, or planting a tower shield, is often enough to keep one safe from even the deadliest gunfighter. Because it's true that someone firing a pistol is more likely to hit their target than they would if they were firing a hand crossbow... but it's no more likely than if they were shooting a wand with a ray spell. And chances are good the ray is going to have a lot better range.

Guns Aren't All That Powerful On Their Own

The other misconception people seem to have is that firearms are this encounter-killing mechanic that completely wrecks challenge level if they're present. Smaller firearms deal 1d6 of damage, and the largest reasonable two-handed firearm deals 1d12 damage. The double hackbutt deals 2d12 but it is not something you can easily acquire, and the damn thing is wheelbarrow-mounted, so it's not something players should be walking around with unless you're allowing ogrekin at your table.

And if you're doing that nonsense, guns are really a drop in the bucket.

Sure, it's a touch attack. If you're playing a character with a full BAB and a decent Dexterity score, chances are pretty good you're going to hit your target barring other obstacles (there's no concealment, they're within the first range increment, etc.). But if you hit, you've done either the equivalent of a short sword, or a great ax blow. Can that kill an enemy at low levels? Sure, if you're lucky it will blast a goblin's head off, or reduce a skeleton to a pile of bone dust. But even rolling max damage on that attack after a couple of levels is just going to annoy the monster, and mark the shooter out as a target. And if there's more than one threat present on the field, you likely won't have enough bullets to go around.

And the numbers only get worse as you level up.

Guns by themselves aren't a huge threat to one's enemies; they need something to dovetail with them in order to actually be effective. For instance, combining a gun with sneak attack is a great way to deal a lot of damage really quickly, without the need to rely on a spell to get a touch attack. If a gun is combined with class features that let you use them in unique ways (such as the gunsliner's deeds), or with a class that adds bonus damage (precision damage, adding Dexterity modifier to firearm damage, etc.) then that is quickly going to beef them up. Even something like the ranged magus archetype, or the spellslinger wizard archetype that lets you combine your gun with spells is going to give you more bang for your buck. Gunslinging paladins will dole out some serious harshness on devils, demons, and undead if they combine a shotgun with smite. And so on, and so forth.

But just the gun all by itself? Not that much of a threat. Especially when you consider some of the following...

They're Expensive (Both To Acquire, And To Use)

Guns are probably the most expensive non-magical weapons in the game. It's one reason that gunslingers are just handed a busted gat at level one, and why only they can use it without penalty. Basic guns can cost hundreds to thousands of gold just to acquire, and that's without any special abilities, masterwork detailing, etc.

 

We're discounting the fire lance here, because again it's the exceptions that prove the rule.

What did it cost? GDP of a mid-sized nation, since you ask.

And if you do want to buff up your firearms to be sure you can overcome damage reduction, and get some extra elemental effects or special abilities added to your shooting irons? Then you're pouring most of your gold into those upgrades. When you add in the cost of black powder, alchemical cartridges, and other aspects of firearm use, they suck up your adventuring earnings pretty damn fast. There are specific magic items that let you get around those costs, but again, you need to either find or make them.

Financial costs aren't the only thing to consider when it comes to firearm use, though; they're also fairly rare in a lot of locations. So if a player can't fix or modify the weapon themselves, and you're not in an area of the map where there are going to be gunsmiths about, that's going to create a problem. Guns are also pretty feat intensive if you want to really make them effective, and that goes double if you aren't marrying them to a potent class feature like the ones mentioned above.

First, you need proficiency in the weapon to avoid the -4 penalty (this is usually gained from a class feature, but not always). Then you need to acquire several ranged combat feats, such as Point Black Shot and Precise Shot to avoid penalties for shooting into melee while getting a small attack and damage boost. Rapid Reload is often a necessity, because much like crossbows guns can be an absolute ass-ache to keep loaded as combat goes on. Deadly Aim is often necessary for boosting your damage with these weapons, but it's a feat that you get the biggest benefit from when you have a full BAB. For those who want to make every shot count, feats like Vital Strike may be worthwhile. The Gunsmithing feat is often required for keeping guns repaired and loaded, and if a player isn't playing a gunslinger they may not get it for free.

In summary, if you're going to use guns effectively, that's where a great deal of your monetary resources, and your character resources, are going to go. Especially if they aren't just a convenient delivery system for a spell or a sneak attack.

They Come With Built-In Drawbacks

Guns have a lot of drawbacks that you need to overcome in order to use them effectively. Their relatively short range is one, and their expense is another. As mentioned, they can also be murder on your action economy, requiring you to really cut corners, or rely on spells and special abilities to make sure that you've always got a round in the pipe.

They can also blow up in your face.

Guys... I think Flint rolled another 1!

If you roll particularly low on an attack with an early firearm, then you have to deal with misfires. And misfires can cost you... especially if you're a player who rolls a lot of natural 1s, the way I tend to. While there are ways to downplay or negate misfires, their probability also increases when you do things like utilize alchemical cartridges... so they're going to happen at least a few times.

The other major built-in drawback of a firearm is powder. Black powder and ammunition is subject to water, subject to fire, and to all sorts of other situational issues. So if an enemy uses spells to ruin ammunition, or if a gunslinger gets caught in a dragon's breath weapon or a fireball, that incident could become far more costly than it otherwise might have been. Even something like being bullrushed into a river could destroy the ammunition in their weapon, as well as the bullets in their cartridge belt. And even when it does go off, it's loud as hell, which can alert other encounters there's something going on next door.

These are things you can overcome. There are items and magic cases that safeguard your equipment, as well as spells that can silence your area, but those also play into the cost of using a firearm in a hostile world. And while a game master may opt not to use these particular weaknesses to avoid ruining a player's fun and frustrating them, they are still there, and still viable.

Any Weapon Can Be Overpowered In The Right Hands

Hey there... heard someone was talking shit about archers?

I've been at a lot of tables over the years, and I've seen players crack out every, single weapon you could use. From frenzied berserkers whose greatswords can cleave dragons in half, to dagger-wielding assassins that tore encounters apart, to a wizard that turned a first-level spell into a nuclear hellstorm by applying just the right combination of feats, boosts, and metamagic rods... the weapon by itself was just one aspect of the character.

More to the point, though, I've seen a lot of game masters who end up getting steam-rolled by the party not because the party's too powerful, but because they aren't utilizing any sort of strategy for their villains.

I talked about this more in Party Balance is Mostly a Myth. Instead, Ask How You're Challenging The Party, but it bears repeating. Every character is going to be strong in some situations, and not as strong in others. If a target is within relatively close range and has a low touch AC, that is the gunfighter's time to shine. If a target has a high damage reduction, the ability to deflect bullets, is under a lot of cover, or is shrouded by illusion, then they're far more likely to end up shooting at shadows and not doing a whole hell of a lot while someone else steps up to get the job done.

If a gun could completely destroy your game's challenge, step back and ask why? Especially when you consider all of the weaknesses, limitations, and required support from class features, feats, etc. it takes to make these weapons really dangerous.

Lastly, a Note on Genre

This is Crunch week, and as such I've been largely focusing on the mechanical aspects of firearms (and particularly early firearms) as they're written for Pathfinder's first edition. As such, I have not gotten into setting, conventions, etc.

But I feel that should be addressed.

If you are running a Pathfinder campaign set in Golarion, then firearms are a part of that setting canon. If you are running a different setting (possibly one of your own design) where firearms do not exist, then they are not a part of that setting canon. Some players love guns in their fantasy settings, some players hate them, and some players are indifferent regarding their presence. But that is a discussion you can have on its own merits.

By the numbers, though, guns are not that big of a deal by themselves in a mechanical sense. As long as you run them as they're written, and track all of the things associated with their use, they're barely be a blip on the radar regarding challenge. You aren't required to use them at your table, but if the mechanics are really your concern, you can put that concern to bed.

Like, Share, and Follow For More!

That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well! And if you'd like to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little bit of help can go a long way, trust me on that one.