laneg@ulowell.UUCP (Dromio) (02/20/86)
Summary:Not really a bad idea
I've both played and GMed games with high-tech weaponry and similar gizmos,
and it's been my experience that it depends (as always) on the players. We
had gangs of fun playing TSR's Barrier Peaks. We didn't get away with
anything, except for a certain barbarian who managed to snag a Walkman
(which he used incessantly, until our DM got mad at him and made the
device eat an Ozzie Osborne tape (don't ask!)).
In a game I ran, the players found themself planeshifted to a high-tech
area, and got away with a couple of portable lasers, a packful of hand
grenades, and a antigravity sled. As soon as they returned, they attempted
to stage a revolution, and... well, guess the rest.
However, I don't quite see the point in refering to tecnological items as
magical items. A laser sword is not a Vorpal blade, it is a laser sword.
(Incidentally, has anyone yet worked out just *how* a laser sword works? My
opinion is that it's a hologram of a blade, projected at a couple of
megawatts. Anyone know a better group for discussing this?)
A technological device is *very* different from a magical device. The
principals are different, the theory and pratice are different, and the side
effects are different. A smashed wand of lightning explodes beautifully and
colorfully (often killing or maiming for life anyone in the room-chortle
chortle) while a smashed laser gun just FRITZ-FRIZZLES at you. A
nonfunctional crystal ball shows nothing, while a nonfunctional computer
terminal snarf griuibble fr@6yj segmentation error-Core dumped
A lesser Power of Darkness