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Question: Hey Dungeon Monkey – I am a GM running a basic fantasy campaign, high magic, low technology, all the non-human races bouncing around in harmony, and things are going well so far.  I have a couple of players though who keep pushing to bring black powder weapon technology into the campaign world.  They mainly want to know why they cannot have black powder weapons, I’ve tried to come up with some rational reasons but so far using “it doesn’t work in this world” has brought back “what, physics don’t work here?” and “The Gods dislike it so it doesn’t work” has brought “So why don’t they dislike fireballs, it is the same concept?”  So Dungeon Monkey I wanted to know, any thoughts on how I can push players away from black powder in a new and interesting manner?

Answer: So the core problem here boils down to a difference in perception of what your players want from the campaign and what you, as the Game Master (GM), want from the same campaign.  I say that it is a matter of perceptions because you are visualizing an impact that black powder weapons and technology will have in your campaign that you find undesirable while your players are visualizing an impact from black powder weapons that they find irresistible.  So the key thing to tease out is what is the source of that difference in perception, I would stake a guess that the difference comes from how you both imagine black powder weapons killing non-player characters (NPCs) and monsters.  Because let us be brutally honest for a moment, most players are interested in solving problems, getting treasure, and killing obstacles that get in their way.  As usually those obstacles are fleshy and black powder weapons in history do a fair amount of damage to fleshy targets, players interested in black powder weapons seek them out to inflict massive wounds on NPCs and monsters.  You, in turn as a GM, have nightmares of important NPC figures being blown away by black powder weapons used casually, plots coming apart due to sudden unexpected death by players tossing around high speed lead balls willy-nilly, and massive charges of black powder being used to blow up doors and traps in dungeons.

Leaving aside issues of flavor and setting, my suggestion to you is that if you can stomach the change to the “feel” of a medieval fantasy campaign world, allow black powder weapons in your campaign but remove from them all the attributes that you find unpleasant.  In fact, with a little bit of work you can turn a black powder weapon into a source of high comedy and plot catches for your campaign and give your players a minimum payout for their efforts.  The first step you need to do is allow the players to develop black powder weapons and technology, toss in a few obstacles to make them work for it, but allow them to “discover” this amazing technology fairly quickly.  Inform the players you will design the range and power of black powder weapons, that is your key rule for allowing them in the game, and you will accept no debate on your determination.  Now, make them in almost every situation no more powerful then a crossbow or conventional bow, same range, same damage, same chance to hit, same rules to get to use them.  In fact allow a player who has skill in a crossbow to use black powder weapons.  Your players will complain about the impact of black powder weapons, be ready for this by trotting out your surprise, if the players score a critical or high-damage blow with a black powder weapon give them a phenomenal amount of bonus damage, two or three times what a bow will do.  Same rules as a critical for a bow but with far more damage, however also at the same probability on the other end of the scale, using modified rules, the gun will blow up in their face doing the same sort of damage to the player holding the gun.  The players will complain, ignore them, at this point they will either use the weapons and grumble or not use them and grumble.

If they decide not to use them, simply allow the idea to fade out and if it comes back up smile and whip out your finished rules for black powder weapons.  If the players want to use the weapons though, let them.  Remember that early black powder weapons are loud, flashy, and odd-looking to normal people, for example harass them with town militias asking to see these “strange weapons” in action or attempting to confiscate them from the players.  Black powder weapons are useless in any situation where stealth or concealment is necessary, so use that to your advantage and toss a few such situations at the players to remind them why black powder is not king of the battlefield at this time.  Make the players roll publicly for each shot they take and reward them with pain when they critically fail with the weapon, accept that occasionally they will critically succeed and an important NPC will eat a huge amount of damage.  If it is critical that NPC survive, give that NPC freakish amounts of vitality to cover that risk.  (But be sure the NPC retreats rather then fight to the death if you can.)

Finally if black powder weapons still prove too powerful, use the old standby, start to equip your NPCs with the same level of weapons.  Remember no idea remains solely in the hands of one person or group for long and if the weapons can be built by one, they can be built by another, or a platoon of others.  When all else fails remember the GM mantra: “I control how many dice the players roll to hit, and how many I roll to hit, when in doubt, add more to my side.”

- Dungeon Monkey

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