Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - The rights and consequences to bear arms in RPGs

WaterAndWindSpirit · 07-12-2019, 01:52 AM

Hello everyone!

This is not a discussion of real gun control/gun rights, unless they are brought up in the context of how civilians/police would react to an armed character in a real-world setting. This is not the place to debate what gun laws should be, though talk about what they are and how they will affect characters in a game set in our world is on-topic. Am I clear? Please do not ruin this discussion with political debates.

So, it is a fact that most PCs possess weapons. It is a fact that they often carry them. But how are they perceived by the world for doing so?

In fact, the answer is "it depends on the world".

As a general rule, the more the world has a stable society, the less possession/carry of weapons is tolerated (even if legal). As a matter of fact, I have seen a police officer making a video about how, in his state where open carry is legal with a license, civilians often call the police on anyone carrying a gun to a park, even if said gun carrying person is just walking his dog minding his own business and just happens to be legally carrying a gun, and how, if a police officer accosts you if you happen to be that guy, you should react to make it easier on yourself (frustrated police officers can throw the book at you for minor offenses if you anger them enough, many cops will tell you that if some of your paperwork is expired by a day they'll probably let it slide with a reminder to update it ASAP unless you've been rude to them in which case they'll stick as many minor offenses on you as they can get away with), and on the police officer, who is probably tired of investigating the 30th legally armed guy who is just walking his dog in the park today because someone called the police station and reported yet another of these guys. In most peaceful societies, a PC openly carrying a weapon, even if he has a legal right to, unless he is a Law Enforcement Officer on duty, will likely be badly perceived (Reaction Penalties in GURPS terms) and would be subject to more regular controls by Law Enforcement Officers, which makes keeping a low profile harder. The Karate and Wrestling skills may be attractive in such societies. The Streetwise skill may also be useful to know which weapons are generally tolerated by Law Enforcement even if they are not strictly legal (in my country, owning/carrying pepper spray is illegal unless you work a security job but largely tolerated by police.). If your character is found with an Illegal-but-mostly-tolerated weapon by a police officer, I'd be tempted to just have you roll a Reaction Roll, or a Diplomacy check in games with no Reaction Rolls. On a Bad reaction/poor check, you are arrested/detained. On a Neutral reaction/somewhat failed check, the offending item is confiscated but you are free to go. On a Good reaction/successful check, you are free to leave and keep your item.

Worlds where society is less stable (After The End) or where danger that can be shot dead with weapons are common (most Fantasy and AtE settings), it's usually the absence of visible weapons that gets you the most attention. Anyone not carrying a weapon, even a simple spear or club, is either a fool believing he doesn't need one or a psion/wizard/Ki practitioner knowing he doesn't need one. There are example of After the End settings where Ki practitioners can break down tanks by kicking them (Fist of the North Star), I draw a blank on AtE settings with magic but AtE with psychics are not unheard of (The Master from Fallout 1 had psychic abilities) and most fantasy settings will have at least one type of psychic, magic user or ki practitioner.

Just as the fact that you're carrying a weapon may get you attention, the type of weapon may also get you attention. Exotic weapons will get you attention by default (Katana in a Western Fantasy area, or Western sword in a pseudo-Japanese fantasy setting). Most players, and by extension their characters, are very attached to their weapons, and thus it can be assumed they maintain them properly. A thoroughly cleaned, well oiled gun without a trace of rust and corrosion is an oddity in an After the End setting, even if it's a simple WWII era rifle knockoff that's been made by a blacksmith. If you see someone with such a weapon, there's a 99% chance they know how to use them, and depending on who you are, you may want to keep tabs on anyone who clearly has skills in using a weapon. Showing in any kind of settlement with equipment worth more than the settlement's entire GDP will get you the attention of every grifter, merchant and service provider in said settlement, whether these people are legitimate or not, even if open carry of weapons is otherwise the norm. It only applies if the weapons is obviously valuable though. An Anti-Materiel Rifle or a Laser Carbine in an AtE Setting is obviously valuable, but a +5 Returning Holy Spear may be worth enough to purchase an entire small fishing village several times over, but if it otherwise looks like a regular spear, it may not attract attention until thrown at a strong Evil monster with lots of HP, who falls dead when he should have survived a simple spear, and then magically returns to the thrower's hand.

Even in a setting where weapons are an accepted fact of life, there are places where they are not accepted. You do not show up to the Duke's ball in a full plate with a two handed-hammer. High class casinos in safe(ish) enclaves in an otherwise AtE setting might confiscate weapons upon entry. Small, inconspicuous weapons mayor may not be tolerated there so long as they are kept out of view.

Alright, anyone has anything to add?

07-12-2019, 01:52 AM	#1
WaterAndWindSpirit Join Date: Oct 2014	The rights and consequences to bear arms in RPGs Hello everyone! This is not a discussion of real gun control/gun rights, unless they are brought up in the context of how civilians/police would react to an armed character in a real-world setting. This is not the place to debate what gun laws should be, though talk about what they are and how they will affect characters in a game set in our world is on-topic. Am I clear? Please do not ruin this discussion with political debates. So, it is a fact that most PCs possess weapons. It is a fact that they often carry them. But how are they perceived by the world for doing so? In fact, the answer is "it depends on the world". As a general rule, the more the world has a stable society, the less possession/carry of weapons is tolerated (even if legal). As a matter of fact, I have seen a police officer making a video about how, in his state where open carry is legal with a license, civilians often call the police on anyone carrying a gun to a park, even if said gun carrying person is just walking his dog minding his own business and just happens to be legally carrying a gun, and how, if a police officer accosts you if you happen to be that guy, you should react to make it easier on yourself (frustrated police officers can throw the book at you for minor offenses if you anger them enough, many cops will tell you that if some of your paperwork is expired by a day they'll probably let it slide with a reminder to update it ASAP unless you've been rude to them in which case they'll stick as many minor offenses on you as they can get away with), and on the police officer, who is probably tired of investigating the 30th legally armed guy who is just walking his dog in the park today because someone called the police station and reported yet another of these guys. In most peaceful societies, a PC openly carrying a weapon, even if he has a legal right to, unless he is a Law Enforcement Officer on duty, will likely be badly perceived (Reaction Penalties in GURPS terms) and would be subject to more regular controls by Law Enforcement Officers, which makes keeping a low profile harder. The Karate and Wrestling skills may be attractive in such societies. The Streetwise skill may also be useful to know which weapons are generally tolerated by Law Enforcement even if they are not strictly legal (in my country, owning/carrying pepper spray is illegal unless you work a security job but largely tolerated by police.). If your character is found with an Illegal-but-mostly-tolerated weapon by a police officer, I'd be tempted to just have you roll a Reaction Roll, or a Diplomacy check in games with no Reaction Rolls. On a Bad reaction/poor check, you are arrested/detained. On a Neutral reaction/somewhat failed check, the offending item is confiscated but you are free to go. On a Good reaction/successful check, you are free to leave and keep your item. Worlds where society is less stable (After The End) or where danger that can be shot dead with weapons are common (most Fantasy and AtE settings), it's usually the absence of visible weapons that gets you the most attention. Anyone not carrying a weapon, even a simple spear or club, is either a fool believing he doesn't need one or a psion/wizard/Ki practitioner knowing he doesn't need one. There are example of After the End settings where Ki practitioners can break down tanks by kicking them (Fist of the North Star), I draw a blank on AtE settings with magic but AtE with psychics are not unheard of (The Master from Fallout 1 had psychic abilities) and most fantasy settings will have at least one type of psychic, magic user or ki practitioner. Just as the fact that you're carrying a weapon may get you attention, the type of weapon may also get you attention. Exotic weapons will get you attention by default (Katana in a Western Fantasy area, or Western sword in a pseudo-Japanese fantasy setting). Most players, and by extension their characters, are very attached to their weapons, and thus it can be assumed they maintain them properly. A thoroughly cleaned, well oiled gun without a trace of rust and corrosion is an oddity in an After the End setting, even if it's a simple WWII era rifle knockoff that's been made by a blacksmith. If you see someone with such a weapon, there's a 99% chance they know how to use them, and depending on who you are, you may want to keep tabs on anyone who clearly has skills in using a weapon. Showing in any kind of settlement with equipment worth more than the settlement's entire GDP will get you the attention of every grifter, merchant and service provider in said settlement, whether these people are legitimate or not, even if open carry of weapons is otherwise the norm. It only applies if the weapons is obviously valuable though. An Anti-Materiel Rifle or a Laser Carbine in an AtE Setting is obviously valuable, but a +5 Returning Holy Spear may be worth enough to purchase an entire small fishing village several times over, but if it otherwise looks like a regular spear, it may not attract attention until thrown at a strong Evil monster with lots of HP, who falls dead when he should have survived a simple spear, and then magically returns to the thrower's hand. Even in a setting where weapons are an accepted fact of life, there are places where they are not accepted. You do not show up to the Duke's ball in a full plate with a two handed-hammer. High class casinos in safe(ish) enclaves in an otherwise AtE setting might confiscate weapons upon entry. Small, inconspicuous weapons mayor may not be tolerated there so long as they are kept out of view. Alright, anyone has anything to add?