Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Wargamer 07-27-06, 07:07 AM	This train of thought has occured for a Campaign setting of mine I'm working on. As such, I'll give a little background for it first: The Campaign is set in a militaristic kingdom known as Evadia, and the surrounding territories. Evadia, from its earliest days, has emphasised the importance of warrior-prowess, courage and honour. It is no surprise, therefore, that they are the leaders in the field of warfare. They have the best weapons, the finest armour, the bravest soldiers and the most expensive mercenaries. In short, only a madman fights against them. However, recent history has shown a scism form within the Kingdom. This divide is due to Black Powder. Cannons have existed for as long as anyone can remember, and have become widely accepted, but it is the increasing development of hand-held guns that causes trouble. The early Black Powder handguns were unreliable, and even now the mainstay weapon, though both accurate and powerful, has a long reload time, longer even than a heavy-cross. The latest Black Powder weapons, however, do not have this flaw. The new "cartridge" weapons are quick and easy to reload, and even the pistol weapons display frightening stopping-power. With the development of the winch-gun, a weapon that uses a complex system of weights, gears and tension-springs to allow rapid auto-loading, Black Powder is now entering the age of the Machine Gun. Many fear now that these weapons will destroy the Evadian way of life. War is not just a business, it is a religion. To die by the sword is something to be welcomed, but to die to a hail of lead has no honour. Thus, civil war was inevitable. Now the Black Powder weapons in this campaign will essentially fall into two categories: "Standard" Black Powder, and "Cartridge" Black Powder. What I would like is suggestions on each of them. Standard guns I already know what I'm after; lots of power, but a devil to reload. It's the Cartridge-guns I'm not sure about... they have to be good, but not so good as anyone who doesn't have one is going to die. Anyway, here's a basic list of "sample" guns, and their description. Kakrian Mk VII Cartridge-Pistol: Widely considered the finest pistol ever made, the Kakrian Mk VII is a one-shot pistol with a sliding breach. The pistol top is pulled back, and the gun slid into the rear of the weapon. Releasing the breach locks the round in place, ready for igniting. Despite the cost of obtaining the cartridge rounds, the Mk VII has become a truly feared weapon, and the fastest pistol-gunners are rumoured to be able to load and fire their weapons as fast as a bowmen can notch and loose an arrow. Only one man, however, has ever proved this claim... for most, the Mk VII is about equal to reloading a crossbow pistol. Mk II "Fusil" Rifle: The Fusil is the most reliable of the Cartridge-rifles. About the size of a crossbow, it is a smooth, long-barrelled weapon with impressive range and accuracy. Reloading the weapon is both quick and easy thanks to the bolt-action breach, and work on the Mk III is proceeding well, hoping to incorporate a magazine-feed system for even quicker reloading. Like all cartridge-weapons, it is only the rarity of the ammunition that prevents the Fusil's mass-production. Nevertheless, Kakrian and Aureushiem snipers have come to use this weapon almost exclusively, resulting in the nick-name "Sniper Rifle". Mk A Winch-gun: Still a prototype, the Winch-gun has a complex winding mechanism that, when fully strung, allows the gun to operate with a devastating rate of fire. Firing 5-6 rounds a second, and fitted with a magazine-feed, the Winch-Gun can empty its thirty-round clip with horrific speed, and the winch-winder stores enough power for approximately sixty shots. In terms of range and accuracy the weapon is lacking, but the sheer rate of fire ensures that it can obliterate small groups of targets. The only flaw with the weapon is that it takes a very long time to re-wind the winch mechanism once it has wound down, and jamming remains a constant problem with the gun. Once these flaws are corrected, the Winch-gun is expected to enter mass-production in the weaponshops of Kakria and Aureushiem. Gatling Guns: Originally developed by Julian Gatling, the term "Gatling Gun" is now given to almost any cart-mounted heavy machine gun. Whilst Gatling Guns have existed in some form or another for almost three-hundred years, they are still somewhat eccentric and unreliable weapons, having only truly entered mass production within the last century. Gatling Guns have a high rate of fire, which is controlled by the winder. The gun uses large cartridge-rounds, fed by either clip of bullet-chain. They were originally designed for the Vigilant-class warship to repel boarders, but found their way into army hands once the ship was accepted as the ship-of-the-line of the patrol fleets. Despite being around for so long, Gatling Guns have never really evolved beyond a one-shot wonder. They are appaulingly unreliable, mostly because no two weapons are built to exactly the same specifications. They often jam, misfire, catch fire, explode, or at times shoot by themselves! The men who crew them are considered eccentic at best, deranged at worst. Nevertheless, when they do work, they are deadly indeed. Due to increased work on the Winch-gun design, Gatling Guns are improving dramatically. The Aureushiem Docks have finally begun standardising the weapons, and setting regulations for rate and duration of fire to avoid accidents. Right, huge blocks of text aside, I would love to hear ideas on how to portray these weapons. Obviously, the Gats won't play a huge part (most D&D games don't need war engines, after all...), but I any suggestions for range, power, special rules, etc. for cartridge guns are welcomed.
The WarOverlord 07-30-06, 07:15 AM	This train of thought has occured for a Campaign setting of mine I'm working on. As such, I'll give a little background for it first: The Campaign is set in a militaristic kingdom known as Evadia, and the surrounding territories. Evadia, from its earliest days, has emphasised the importance of warrior-prowess, courage and honour. It is no surprise, therefore, that they are the leaders in the field of warfare. They have the best weapons, the finest armour, the bravest soldiers and the most expensive mercenaries. In short, only a madman fights against them. However, recent history has shown a scism form within the Kingdom. This divide is due to Black Powder. Cannons have existed for as long as anyone can remember, and have become widely accepted, but it is the increasing development of hand-held guns that causes trouble. The early Black Powder handguns were unreliable, and even now the mainstay weapon, though both accurate and powerful, has a long reload time, longer even than a heavy-cross. The latest Black Powder weapons, however, do not have this flaw. The new "cartridge" weapons are quick and easy to reload, and even the pistol weapons display frightening stopping-power. With the development of the winch-gun, a weapon that uses a complex system of weights, gears and tension-springs to allow rapid auto-loading, Black Powder is now entering the age of the Machine Gun. Many fear now that these weapons will destroy the Evadian way of life. War is not just a business, it is a religion. To die by the sword is something to be welcomed, but to die to a hail of lead has no honour. Thus, civil war was inevitable. Now the Black Powder weapons in this campaign will essentially fall into two categories: "Standard" Black Powder, and "Cartridge" Black Powder. What I would like is suggestions on each of them. Standard guns I already know what I'm after; lots of power, but a devil to reload. It's the Cartridge-guns I'm not sure about... they have to be good, but not so good as anyone who doesn't have one is going to die. Anyway, here's a basic list of "sample" guns, and their description. Kakrian Mk VII Cartridge-Pistol: Widely considered the finest pistol ever made, the Kakrian Mk VII is a one-shot pistol with a sliding breach. The pistol top is pulled back, and the gun slid into the rear of the weapon. Releasing the breach locks the round in place, ready for igniting. Despite the cost of obtaining the cartridge rounds, the Mk VII has become a truly feared weapon, and the fastest pistol-gunners are rumoured to be able to load and fire their weapons as fast as a bowmen can notch and loose an arrow. Only one man, however, has ever proved this claim... for most, the Mk VII is about equal to reloading a crossbow pistol. Mk II "Fusil" Rifle: The Fusil is the most reliable of the Cartridge-rifles. About the size of a crossbow, it is a smooth, long-barrelled weapon with impressive range and accuracy. Reloading the weapon is both quick and easy thanks to the bolt-action breach, and work on the Mk III is proceeding well, hoping to incorporate a magazine-feed system for even quicker reloading. Like all cartridge-weapons, it is only the rarity of the ammunition that prevents the Fusil's mass-production. Nevertheless, Kakrian and Aureushiem snipers have come to use this weapon almost exclusively, resulting in the nick-name "Sniper Rifle". Mk A Winch-gun: Still a prototype, the Winch-gun has a complex winding mechanism that, when fully strung, allows the gun to operate with a devastating rate of fire. Firing 5-6 rounds a second, and fitted with a magazine-feed, the Winch-Gun can empty its thirty-round clip with horrific speed, and the winch-winder stores enough power for approximately sixty shots. In terms of range and accuracy the weapon is lacking, but the sheer rate of fire ensures that it can obliterate small groups of targets. The only flaw with the weapon is that it takes a very long time to re-wind the winch mechanism once it has wound down, and jamming remains a constant problem with the gun. Once these flaws are corrected, the Winch-gun is expected to enter mass-production in the weaponshops of Kakria and Aureushiem. Gatling Guns: Originally developed by Julian Gatling, the term "Gatling Gun" is now given to almost any cart-mounted heavy machine gun. Whilst Gatling Guns have existed in some form or another for almost three-hundred years, they are still somewhat eccentric and unreliable weapons, having only truly entered mass production within the last century. Gatling Guns have a high rate of fire, which is controlled by the winder. The gun uses large cartridge-rounds, fed by either clip of bullet-chain. They were originally designed for the Vigilant-class warship to repel boarders, but found their way into army hands once the ship was accepted as the ship-of-the-line of the patrol fleets. Despite being around for so long, Gatling Guns have never really evolved beyond a one-shot wonder. They are appaulingly unreliable, mostly because no two weapons are built to exactly the same specifications. They often jam, misfire, catch fire, explode, or at times shoot by themselves! The men who crew them are considered eccentic at best, deranged at worst. Nevertheless, when they do work, they are deadly indeed. Due to increased work on the Winch-gun design, Gatling Guns are improving dramatically. The Aureushiem Docks have finally begun standardising the weapons, and setting regulations for rate and duration of fire to avoid accidents. Right, huge blocks of text aside, I would love to hear ideas on how to portray these weapons. Obviously, the Gats won't play a huge part (most D&D games don't need war engines, after all...), but I any suggestions for range, power, special rules, etc. for cartridge guns are welcomed. 300 years is to long for the gatling gun to have not become the almost unjammable "mini-gun' which is a simpler in design then a gnomish clock..lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxFMFZVQ968&search=minigun%20gatling%20extreme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juUJdzFFORs&mode=related&search=minigun%20gatling%20extreme guns Kill. machine guns murder, Mini-guns annilate..lol