[DL] Re: deadlands-digest.20001004-1

["Andrew Cunningham" <techie@techie.f9.co.uk>]

Brian said,

> Well yes, but then (as always in RPG's) you have to balance realism with
> fun. Much of the time, it's a sliding scale with fun at one end and
realism
> at the other. Sure, PEG could publish strictly accurate rules for how long
> it should take to reload a peacemaker (and yes, you're right that an
> unmodified Peacemaker will not take a speed loader - you have to spin the
> chamber yourself and load the bullets one by one.) But then who would use
> one in game?
>
> Nobody. And what's more cool than a Peacemaker? :-)

    Ok, so all the munchkins'd be using break-backs... But the real cool
ones would just have lots of peacemakers :) Still, as an optional rule, for
instance, the way Schofields can spring open when you draw 'em making the
shells fall on the floor :)
>
> Brian "Will take Fun over Realism anyday" Leybourne.

    But a splash of added realism can add to things too. That's why we have
Law Dogs with its dozens of interesting historical handcannons.

John Goff said,

> Speed-load cylinders aren't the same as speed-loaders. A speed-load
cylinder
> is actually just a pre-loaded cylinder that the character slaps into the
> revolver--so a Peacemaker _will_ take one.

    Only by taking bits out of it. A standard peacemaker won't, as the
cylinder's fixed and it takes too long to remove it. A speedloader device
might work though- clockwork to run the ejector and ram in the new shells...
Ah, now there's a gadget. Hangs on yer belt, you just stick the gun there
and it rams in 6 bulltes in a second. Or catches your sleeve and rips it
off. Or catches yer thumb and rips it off. Or blows up and removes yer nads.
Colt'd license it and sell thousands, and soon it'd be the mark of the true
tinhorn "Wayll, son, ah'd rather just have another peacemaker handy... an'
they cost $20, not $500..."
   Maybe I'm just a bit too anal, but as an optional rule I think it'd add
to the authentic wstern feel (which in turn adds to the shocks of having the
standard western gunslinger's face pulled off by some sort of Tentacled
Thang), and I thought maybe others would feel the same. Not going to stop
playing if you don't change the rules or anything :)

> Finally, Deadlands isn't meant to be a dead-on simulation of real-life. I
> mean, come on--we've got guys zipping their consciousnesses off to another
> dimension to play a games with demons to cast spells. I think we can cut
> gunslingers a little slack. :-)

    Oh, I was just suggesting it as optional rules, like in Law Dogs with
the assorted glitches and advantages of the weapons. After all, the solid
frame stopped the peacemaker from blowing folk's hands off quite so often,
so there's an advantage for you. It's just, well, everyone chooses
peacemakers because they're The Western Gun, so wouldn't it be great if they
acted more like The Western Gun?

AndrewC