Quote:
Originally Posted by Nightshade
Of course that isn't a unique problem here; there are a lot of thrusting wounds that almost certainly land in the same category, for much the same reasons.
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Quite true. About the only real reason why casualty rates were higher in the Ancient and Medieval world was that wholesale slaughter and massacres were more common. Any weapon can have a 100% mortality rate if you work at it.
A spear thrust might even be more lethal than a .38 bullet. It makes a bigger wound and causes more bleeding.
The same is true with the 50% difference in what it takes to drop someone due to hit locations.
The main reason why I am adressing it now is that with more archaic weaponry the combat dynamic allows for defense in the form of a parry or dodge, with armor soaking up some of the damage. With firearms we have no body armor to speak of (okay, there were two companies that make flak vests during the Civil War, and a couple of improve stove-plate situations), and Dodge is usually of limited effect if any, depending on what BRP game you are running.
Since "bang-your dead" isn't much fun to play. Especially when a player might not be able to do anything about it (like when the other guy has a higher DEX and Dodge doesn't work against bullets).