The fiddliness of pistols has come up a number of times, as has the idea of paper cartridges. We're going to try out paper cartridges for a bit and see how they feel! Separate powder and shot loading will remain as an option. The differences with paper cartridge shot:
- They remove the necessity for a powderhorn.
- They only need one ammo-loading action (3 seconds) instead of two.
- They do 15% less damage.
- They cost more than the combination of normal shot and a powderhorn.
- They cannot be crafted (but may be added in the future if they catch on!).
Go pick some up at Shadgard Firearms (there's an IC post on the market post board about them) and try them out and post feedback here! If they seem good enough to keep around, I'm sure those crafty shop owners at Lake Firearms will pick up on the idea and start producing and selling their own, and hope that it drums up some interest in firearms that have thus far not been popular in the north.
Ranged ammo updates/tedium-reduction
Re: Ranged ammo updates/tedium-reduction (paper cartridge firearm shot!)
<Rias> PUT ON PANTS
<Fellborn> NO
<Fellborn> NO
Re: Ranged ammo updates/tedium-reduction
Definitely catchy. Here's to being able to player craft them so we can have iron shot versions.
wander without wanting, thrust into lands unknown. the shadows shift and change, and the worlds with them.
I'm not a soldier but I'm fighting
Can you hear me through the silence?
I won't give up 'cause there will be a day
We'll meet again
I'm not a soldier but I'm fighting
Can you hear me through the silence?
I won't give up 'cause there will be a day
We'll meet again
Re: Ranged ammo updates/tedium-reduction
The new cartridge shots are really neat, but other than their high relative cost, they've encroached on the territory of pneumatic pistols quite a bit. I'd love to see pneumatic capacity be expanded slightly to accommodate the ammo tedium reduction updates.
"Always remember that we are a community before anything else. Before being a 'game' or a 'world' we are a bunch of folk who get together to have fun."
Re: Ranged ammo updates/tedium-reduction
I really like the cartridges myself, too.
Though, on the topic of encroaching upon pnuematic territory, which they do a bit. There's actually historical reference to "ball magazines" for air-powered rifles at one point, giving them "auto-loader" capabilities that might be interesting to lean the niche back towards pnuematic pistols (especially with the changes to ammo) without having to go so far as to introducing revolvers.
Though, on the topic of encroaching upon pnuematic territory, which they do a bit. There's actually historical reference to "ball magazines" for air-powered rifles at one point, giving them "auto-loader" capabilities that might be interesting to lean the niche back towards pnuematic pistols (especially with the changes to ammo) without having to go so far as to introducing revolvers.
Re: Ranged ammo updates/tedium-reduction
I've been thinking a lot during my little hiatus and thought I'd share a few things:
Paper cartridge shots are fun. I enjoyed using them, especially in my "raven-buster" pistol. I would like to see them player craftable - I think I've suggested the means and steps somewhere else with cartridge boxes.
Regardless, after using them some, I've found the damage penalty to be a bit much. The use of paper cartridges was, ideally, to provide more consistent loading and firing, especially in combat situations. One would bite off the end of the paper cartridge, prime the pan, and dump the remainder of the powder down the muzzle. The remaining cartridge, with the included ball, would then be rammed down the muzzle to create the wadding for the slightly undersized ball. All in all, this created a consistent shot-to-shot loading procedure and greatly diminished the "accidental" overloading and subsequent "rifle to pipe bomb" (this didn't *usually* occur) situation.
Instead of a damage penalty, I think I'd rather see a misfire chance for flint-locked weaponry. Blackpowder was, and still is, incredibly finicky stuff prone to hang fires - where the powder in the pan ignites, but the main charge in the barrel takes a moment to fully ignite - and misfires - where the charge just fizzles, usually, but not always, because of wet powder. Historically, these cartridges were waxed - coated in beeswax, lard, or tallow - all of which provided a good degree of waterproofing, thereby limiting the overall exposure to the elements. It also had a lubricating quality for the bore, making fouling less of an issue. The latter really isn't something we have to worry about (yet!), but it was a boon of using paper cartridges over the more traditional horn. With the added expense (of which I would be 100% okay with it being more expensive - these were painstakingly made by hand, afterall, and, from personal experience, a right pain in the ass to make!), I'd prefer them to be comparable in damage to regular loadings with a lesser chance to misfire. For normal loading of blackpowder (horn and ball method), I'd like to suggest an overcharge ability that could have a chance for damage to spike, or perhaps change the damage type to puncture, at the cost of a higher misfire rate.
In short, paper cartridges would have comparable damage and a lesser misfire chance at a much higher cost to utilize. It's consistent, shot-to-shot, with no real ability to customize it further (perhaps different shots at a later point in time, i.e. iron/steel).
Horn and ball method, would ideally be much cheaper to use with the same outcome as paper cartridges, but could, with an ability point (or not!) have a chance to dramatically increase damage or change the damage type to puncturing but have a much higher chance to misfire.
P.S. I'd prefer not to see it as an ability point expenditure unless there was a much better reason to do so. One is just pouring extra powder down the barrel, after all.
Paper cartridge shots are fun. I enjoyed using them, especially in my "raven-buster" pistol. I would like to see them player craftable - I think I've suggested the means and steps somewhere else with cartridge boxes.
Regardless, after using them some, I've found the damage penalty to be a bit much. The use of paper cartridges was, ideally, to provide more consistent loading and firing, especially in combat situations. One would bite off the end of the paper cartridge, prime the pan, and dump the remainder of the powder down the muzzle. The remaining cartridge, with the included ball, would then be rammed down the muzzle to create the wadding for the slightly undersized ball. All in all, this created a consistent shot-to-shot loading procedure and greatly diminished the "accidental" overloading and subsequent "rifle to pipe bomb" (this didn't *usually* occur) situation.
Instead of a damage penalty, I think I'd rather see a misfire chance for flint-locked weaponry. Blackpowder was, and still is, incredibly finicky stuff prone to hang fires - where the powder in the pan ignites, but the main charge in the barrel takes a moment to fully ignite - and misfires - where the charge just fizzles, usually, but not always, because of wet powder. Historically, these cartridges were waxed - coated in beeswax, lard, or tallow - all of which provided a good degree of waterproofing, thereby limiting the overall exposure to the elements. It also had a lubricating quality for the bore, making fouling less of an issue. The latter really isn't something we have to worry about (yet!), but it was a boon of using paper cartridges over the more traditional horn. With the added expense (of which I would be 100% okay with it being more expensive - these were painstakingly made by hand, afterall, and, from personal experience, a right pain in the ass to make!), I'd prefer them to be comparable in damage to regular loadings with a lesser chance to misfire. For normal loading of blackpowder (horn and ball method), I'd like to suggest an overcharge ability that could have a chance for damage to spike, or perhaps change the damage type to puncture, at the cost of a higher misfire rate.
In short, paper cartridges would have comparable damage and a lesser misfire chance at a much higher cost to utilize. It's consistent, shot-to-shot, with no real ability to customize it further (perhaps different shots at a later point in time, i.e. iron/steel).
Horn and ball method, would ideally be much cheaper to use with the same outcome as paper cartridges, but could, with an ability point (or not!) have a chance to dramatically increase damage or change the damage type to puncturing but have a much higher chance to misfire.
P.S. I'd prefer not to see it as an ability point expenditure unless there was a much better reason to do so. One is just pouring extra powder down the barrel, after all.