Anyway, here's my question to the community:
DMs, What style(s) of weapons and armour do you use in your campaign? Do you have a specific range? Do you have regional differences (aside from halfling/primitive)?
Players, what style(s) of weapons and armour do, or did, your characters possess?
Fans, what style(s) of weapons and armour do you picture when thinking of Dark Sun?
We had a real bastard mix of arms and armour: Corinthian-based helmets and armour (with proper clothes for protection against sandstorms and the like), gladius-type swords, Celtic-flavoured battle axes (in the hands of half-giants of course!), Japanese/samurai-styled spears, and the English longbow was the most common of bows.
But that's me, what about the rest of you?
The official 3.5 conversion of Dark Sun includes descriptions of weapons, but not armour outside of composition. In fact, I don't remember seeing any official descriptions of armour ever.
Anyway, here's my question to the community:
DMs, What style(s) of weapons and armour do you use in your campaign? Do you have a specific range? Do you have regional differences (aside from halfling/primitive)?
Players, what style(s) of weapons and armour do, or did, your characters possess?
Fans, what style(s) of weapons and armour do you picture when thinking of Dark Sun?
We had a real bastard mix of arms and armour: Corinthian-based helmets and armour (with proper clothes for protection against sandstorms and the like), gladius-type swords, Celtic-flavoured battle axes (in the hands of half-giants of course!), Japanese/samurai-styled spears, and the English longbow was the most common of bows.
But that's me, what about the rest of you?
As a DM, to paraphrase "The Crimson Legion", I allow an assortment of weapons as varied as a man's desire to kill...
No firearms, laser rifles, monofilament whips or vibro baïonettes.
Just any weapon that doesn't seem too advanced technologically.
I'm making a mental note right now to develope this further.
Should certain Regions grant weapon familiarities?
I think it would be an interesting idea and opportunity to connect with a player's homeland.
This is hard for me to believe outside of the wastelander/nomadic way of life because professional armourers tend to go by guidelines, or, failing that, by "what works". As such they tend to develop their own "styles", whether intentionally or subconsciously. No two suits of armour look quite alike, but only when comparing the works of two different armourers. General lack of literacy (the inability to scribble notes) and commissioned work aside.
And although the armor composition list (of generic armours) is a nice reference, it, coupled with the above quote, still leaves the details of Athasian armour vague at best.
And that's not a bad thing for people like me who like creative blanks like that to fill in with our own concepts. I'm just probing the community for such filled-in blanks.
I like the idea of regional weapon familiarity, by the way. As well as the real world arms and armour equivalents. Obviously, as we have already incorporated some into our Athas (as I previously mentioned). :D
Does anyone have a copy of this list of Athas-to-real world cultural equivalences?
Here's an interesting idea that popped in my head, but still haven't fathomed the consquences...
Should certain Regions grant weapon familiarities?
I think it would be an interesting idea and opportunity to connect with a player's homeland.
This is what I have done within my campaign. I gave each city-state and a few other regions a few weapons that the inhabitants had familiarity with. I feel that this gave each city its own flavor outside of traditional dress, ect.