KnightErrant wrote:While I can deal with the use of early type cannons and such, it does change the feel of the setting. It makes me think about how castle walls will soon become irrelevant, etc. Granted, this didn't happen all in an instant in history, but just knowing it's heading in that direction changes the feel of the game for me. And for me, it's the feel of the environment that I play in.
But they are. Realistically, a person could conjure up a storm or a dragon. Unless we make it a magical wall. And then we get more magic to counter magic, so on and so forth. But so far there has been zero limit to the levels of magic allowed in this setting.
KnightErrant wrote:I really enjoy fantasy, Tolkien, Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, I roleplay because i enjoy making up characters to act in that kind of environment. But then again, it is a matter of bias, some people enjoy the strict medieval/fantasy setting, other's enjoy including elements to my brain, seem to belong in a different time and place.
Why can't we think Warcraft or Warhammer? Guns even appear in DnD from time to time. I remember, I think, a humanoid hippo, dressed like he was on safari, who had a pistol. These settings never truly lost their High Fantasy feeling. Warhammer in particular works in a way that guns are useful but not the be all, end all. As does Warcraft.
There are a number of other fictional settings where it is considered high fantasy but have black powder at minimum.
KnightErrant wrote:On the note of change, I do not think we need to include guns in order to have the setting and channel feel alive. If that were so, how would many fantasy authors keep readers enthralled through multiple books. I advocate change through replying on story plots, planned events and global conditions that create atmosphere. I consider this to be "active change" whereas tweaking inanimate aspects of the setting to be "passive change." And yes, I am working on some story plot ideas so that I'm not just blowing smoke. It's just been my experience, though roleplaying over the last 7 years, and running a small channel of my own at one point, that
"active change" as I described is keeps things hopping better than "passive change." That's just my opinion.
- Thalion
Okay, it's true. Firearms won't make or break BDI. But I don't think having them will destroy it, either. And I do think it, along with other elements traditionally excluded from the inn, will open up more doors for more players to create new elements to the setting and have more angles without compromising that high fantasy feel.
Honestly, I feel like people treat the BDI setting like a sacred cow. Maybe we ought to put a lead ball in its cranium and have steak because we really ought to let the players who want to branch out have the freedom to A.) do it and B.) prove themselves.
All we have to go on is what happened ten or twelve years ago with 12 year olds who if they couldn't have one over powered thing, they jumped to another and then either got kicked or lost interest and left. What we have left are responsible adults who aren't going to walk into the inn and talk about how they have a hand cannon every five seconds and then shoot a dragon's head off just for laughs.