Slev's Armoury

[cynthialee]

Nice ideas, but I think that's a different shop...

I don't get it...weapons are weapons.

[slev]

Nice ideas, but I think that's a different shop...

I don't get it...weapons are weapons.

Weapons are weapons, magic is magic.
A mixing of the two is something else. At least where I've built my game!

[cynthialee]

When I wanted to buy a hunting rifle I went to a store that sold all types of guns, knives, even some types of ballistic armor.
The Muskets (which was what I wanted and bought) were next to the modern .308's that had scopes.
Basically the equivalent of a +5 rifle next to a basic -1 rifle.
But they were both in the same place.

And please consider a few arguments for changing things:
1) Your weapon salesman will have at the least a small amount of magic weapons he has taken in trade or purchased from those who are broke.
2) You are forcing an artificial separation of similar/same goods.
3) This forces the heroes to go to yet another vendor/store, eating up play time in playing store.
4) A single complete list prevents the hunting down of yet another resource for the game.

For these games the easiest out is to have "The Soldier Shop" where one can find all sorts of things one might expect a soldier (or Hero) in a magical world may find of interest. "Also check out our line of camping supplies and out door equipment."
Everything is under one roof: Potions, Armor, Swords, Scrolls, Clothing, Camp Gear, and the list goes on and on.
I hate playing store, anything I can do to get that part of the game over is a bonus in my mind. {Yet I love 'playing store' in real life....go figure.}

[slev]

It's also a design feature for the modularity of different types of item, regardless of my background justification.

[cornixt]

Just because magic items exist, it doesn't mean they are easily available. In Warhammer, the only people with magic stuff are leaders of whole armies, even unit commanders don't have them. Finding them as part of a quest is one thing, having a regular stock of magic swords in a shop is another.

[cynthialee]

Just because magic items exist, it doesn't mean they are easily available. In Warhammer, the only people with magic stuff are leaders of whole armies, even unit commanders don't have them. Finding them as part of a quest is one thing, having a regular stock of magic swords in a shop is another.

We have very different approaches. Soldiers get +1 Swords. Sergeants get +2 Swords. Officers get +3 Swords and Commanders, Generals and Royalty get the +4 and better stuff. Civilians don't have much access to magic in the country and wilds, but in the major cities any thing can be purchased for the right price. It is the poor housewife indeed that does not own a broom of sweeping, or a pot of well crafted meals. A sickle of rapid harvesting is a must have for the farmer and these new fangled self propelled plows from Namdak city are a wondrous addition to any farmers holdings. Crystal balls that are created to always show what is going on in a specific theater stage are sold to the well healed who can afford such luxury.

At minimum, a +1 Sword or Dagger is a must for an adventurer at my table. Far too many monsters are only effected by magic, flame or ice to not have something that will do the job.
The Empire has to have a vast vault of magic swords, lances and other assorted enchanted weapons/armor as they are needed to protect the lands from the heinous monsters that fill Glorantha (and all of the magic realms that we play these games in). For such an armory to not exist would be folly on the part of the empire. To not equip the soldiers who patrol the borders with such weapons would also be folly. I have it on good authority that the forces of chaos can even call the demons of hell to their bidding.

[Anderas]

Clash of worlds!
Ok in Cynthia's World magic is so common that a person without magic is called "poor".
I wouldn't want to call a sword "+1". Takes out the feeling. For this reason, a special supersword has to have a name at my table. And if it has a name, it is not "often" anymore, it is unique.

Apart from that, even if Slev has three piles of cards, it doesn't mean the players have to have three ingame shopping stages. On the "shopping" step they maybe just get presented cards from different piles at the same time.

[knightkrawler]

I agree.
And as Slev said himself, it's about keywords, cross-referencing, and structure.
It's about rules and wording.

[slev]

"shopping" allows my players to buy & sell whatever they want. The different breakdown of gear dictates what deck of cards the gear belongs to and thus what keywords it has. The keywords similarly give some limits as to what Heroes may use them.

[cynthialee]

:D Clash of worlds!
Ok in Cynthia's World magic is so common that a person without magic is called "poor".
I wouldn't want to call a sword "+1". Takes out the feeling. For this reason, a special supersword has to have a name at my table. And if it has a name, it is not "often" anymore, it is unique.

Apart from that, even if Slev has three piles of cards, it doesn't mean the players have to have three ingame shopping stages. On the "shopping" step they maybe just get presented cards from different piles at the same time.

I like to think that my game world is on the edge of its version of Industrial Revolution. Instead of steam power or electricity, magic is the means. Yet there are many issues with the planet. Magic fallout from the last world war, ignorance and barbarity in the wild lands, mystic beasts that threaten ecosystems, the ever present threat of war between species, a powerful Arch Lich that would control every world in every dimension he can get his paws into and a caste system and slavery all threaten the future.

But yeah, magic is very common for the most part. This way we can get to actually play with magic items and play test things, instead of them sitting out the games as just theoretical constructs. Sorry but if your game world has never had someone possess a +5 sword...then they might as well not exist as no one has them and no one will ever have them. Being so ultra rare there is no way they are in play. Thus they never have a chance to influence the game, they only exist as concepts.

This is why I just pass out artifacts at the HQ table. I got sick and tired of just looking at the cards I have and never putting them into play.

I understand the idea of keeping magic rare so it is special, but I see so many game tables where magic may as well not exist as it is so rare due to this artificial restraint of supposed rarity. (another instance where G. Gygax screwed up, if it is a fantasy game....magic should be everywhere!)