PapaGolfWhiskey
SOC-13
Don't get me going about real world legalities. In the early nineties my nation enacted draconian new laws that, to put it in Traveller terms, redefined most Revolvers and Autopistols as 'body pistols' (somehow my 4 inch .38 smith and wesson suddenly occupied the same legal ground as a walther ppk or .22 beretta.) putting over half the existing handguns on the market on the prohibited list.
...and that was just the tip of the iceberg.
going by the Traveller Weopans prohibitions scale I think Canada occupies something like law level 9. (higher if you take blades into account, somewhat lower depending on how you define prohibited).
but that and the comments on price DO raise a couple of significant points.
In the states, judging from the articles in gun magasines, In the late eighties early nineties, 9mm autopistols with increasingly large magasine capacities were the trend. It was legalities that made revolvers popular again.
In this case two different legal trends, one an increase in prohibition of firearms based on appearances. (nasty black plastic was out, pistol grips on rifles and other accessories that made rifles -Look Like- assualt rifles were out, now magasines were limited to 10 rounds each). At the same time many states were issueing increasingly liberal concealed carry permit laws.
As a result, compact, large calibre firearms (many of the revolvers) became the NEW trend for the end of the millenium.
There was also a nostalgic trend for replicas. (aparantly the hot new shooting sport was "coybow action shooting") The old side gate loading six shooter was coming out in a wide variety of variations. From 'exact' replicas complete with their 100 year old flaws and frailities to ones made with the most modern materials whose robust designs allowed them to fire the most potent of hand punishing pistol rounds (still very bland when compared to even anemic rifle rounds but that's another debate)
Anyhow. My point is that in traveller there may be collective and individual cultural reasons why revolvers are still popular. In T4 the 'magnum revolver' was a mark of nobility and a popular dueling weopan. Other posters here have suggested that gun laws in the game (just as in real life) may make Revolvers easy to legally own.
The other point is cost.
in my own handgun collection, between generally comparable handguns (similar calibre's age, sentimental value), Revolvers tended to be sixty to fifty percent of the price of autopistols. In the PDF teaser for T20 a revolver is seventy-five percent.
some more reasons why your character might want to own a revolver over an autopistol.
-maybe it's his grandaddy's gun.
-maybe it's a replica of a gun that has cultural significance or legendary appeal to the character.
(ie like a Colt Peacemaker might a appeal to a cowboy afficiando. Or the way an Inglis made Browning Hi-power tweaks my own patriotic nerve)
unless we pressure the makers of the game to just create bland listings of Gun, bigger gun, biggest gun. there will be selections availeble whose game mechanics advantage is dubious at best. That's where role playing comes into play. sometimes, just like us real world humans, RPG characters make less than optimal choices for poorly or even un- calculated reasons. That's what makes them FUN.
GAh... I do go on. sorry. Traveller + Guns, bad combination for garf's own rationality buttons.
Thanks for your patience
GARF
...and that was just the tip of the iceberg.
going by the Traveller Weopans prohibitions scale I think Canada occupies something like law level 9. (higher if you take blades into account, somewhat lower depending on how you define prohibited).
but that and the comments on price DO raise a couple of significant points.
In the states, judging from the articles in gun magasines, In the late eighties early nineties, 9mm autopistols with increasingly large magasine capacities were the trend. It was legalities that made revolvers popular again.
In this case two different legal trends, one an increase in prohibition of firearms based on appearances. (nasty black plastic was out, pistol grips on rifles and other accessories that made rifles -Look Like- assualt rifles were out, now magasines were limited to 10 rounds each). At the same time many states were issueing increasingly liberal concealed carry permit laws.
As a result, compact, large calibre firearms (many of the revolvers) became the NEW trend for the end of the millenium.
There was also a nostalgic trend for replicas. (aparantly the hot new shooting sport was "coybow action shooting") The old side gate loading six shooter was coming out in a wide variety of variations. From 'exact' replicas complete with their 100 year old flaws and frailities to ones made with the most modern materials whose robust designs allowed them to fire the most potent of hand punishing pistol rounds (still very bland when compared to even anemic rifle rounds but that's another debate)
Anyhow. My point is that in traveller there may be collective and individual cultural reasons why revolvers are still popular. In T4 the 'magnum revolver' was a mark of nobility and a popular dueling weopan. Other posters here have suggested that gun laws in the game (just as in real life) may make Revolvers easy to legally own.
The other point is cost.
in my own handgun collection, between generally comparable handguns (similar calibre's age, sentimental value), Revolvers tended to be sixty to fifty percent of the price of autopistols. In the PDF teaser for T20 a revolver is seventy-five percent.
some more reasons why your character might want to own a revolver over an autopistol.
-maybe it's his grandaddy's gun.
-maybe it's a replica of a gun that has cultural significance or legendary appeal to the character.
(ie like a Colt Peacemaker might a appeal to a cowboy afficiando. Or the way an Inglis made Browning Hi-power tweaks my own patriotic nerve)
unless we pressure the makers of the game to just create bland listings of Gun, bigger gun, biggest gun. there will be selections availeble whose game mechanics advantage is dubious at best. That's where role playing comes into play. sometimes, just like us real world humans, RPG characters make less than optimal choices for poorly or even un- calculated reasons. That's what makes them FUN.
GAh... I do go on. sorry. Traveller + Guns, bad combination for garf's own rationality buttons.
Thanks for your patience
GARF
