The Liberal Gun Club Forum

So the other day we were gaming (D&D) and our party of seven were entering some abandoned known-infested ruins. As we were in a stairway bottleneck between two larger areas a couple of humanoids show up behind us banging their swords on their shields while another ten humanoids rush out of a doorway opposite with raised crossbows and raised swords.

I took the whole shield-banging the same way a deer might look at one guy beating the brush while another lay in wait with the rifle. I pulled first on the initiative order and didn't stand around waiting with my thumb up my ass, I attacked. This irritated a few of the other party members who didn't think that clanging swords and being pincered with a dozen bared weapons counted as hostile intent. The player of the bard apparently wanted to "sing them into being allies" through some sort of diplomacy and really cannot see how the scene could be interpreted as being stuck between two hostile forces of unknown power who appeared to be preparing imminent attack.

Seriously, after we called it a night he complained to me about my interpretation of the scenario. When I pointed out that shield banging is done as an act of aggression from olde english combats that used crap iron and wooden shields all the way to modern day police banging their clear riot shields with their steel batons he flat refused to say that such banging could possibly be seen as threatening.

So, opinions?

Warhammer, where charging blindly at the enemy is always a good decision.... unless you're guardsman well that is if you're not playing against tau

But yes, Banging shields isn't just a threatening gesture, it's used to stirr up morale, so yeah, good call.

You're so violent. We need people like you to not have firearms. SO DANGEROUS.

</snark>

(I voted for attack by the way.)

Good point about morale, gendo. I hadn't thought of that.

KVoimakas wrote:You're so violent. We need people like you to not have firearms. SO DANGEROUS.

</snark>

They'll get my bonded battleaxe when they pry it from my cold dead hands!

There's a reason I switched from role-playing to table top wargames.

ATTACK!

Know what really needs firearms: D&D

I can almost see it now, the enchanted brown bess firing fire bullets.

I'm with Gendo and ErikO. That's when you whip out a chainsword.

Edit: Maybe not a chainsword, but at the very least, choppa.

Eve player. If it ain't blue, shoot it (NBSI).

hagagaga wrote:I'm with Gendo and ErikO. That's when you whip out a chainsword.

Edit: Maybe not a chainsword, but at the very least, choppa.

Pfffft. Maybe you're a noob, all the real men whip out a nemesis force weapon.

JayFromPA wrote:So the other day we were gaming (D&D) and our party of seven were entering some abandoned known-infested ruins. As we were in a stairway bottleneck between two larger areas a couple of humanoids show up behind us banging their swords on their shields while another ten humanoids rush out of a doorway opposite with raised crossbows and raised swords.

I took the whole shield-banging the same way a deer might look at one guy beating the brush while another lay in wait with the rifle. I pulled first on the initiative order and didn't stand around waiting with my thumb up my ass, I attacked. This irritated a few of the other party members who didn't think that clanging swords and being pincered with a dozen bared weapons counted as hostile intent. The player of the bard apparently wanted to "sing them into being allies" through some sort of diplomacy and really cannot see how the scene could be interpreted as being stuck between two hostile forces of unknown power who appeared to be preparing imminent attack.

Seriously, after we called it a night he complained to me about my interpretation of the scenario. When I pointed out that shield banging is done as an act of aggression from olde english combats that used crap iron and wooden shields all the way to modern day police banging their clear riot shields with their steel batons he flat refused to say that such banging could possibly be seen as threatening.

So, opinions?

Unless the bard had made it clear ahead of time that he wanted to use diplomacy, any group I play in would have done what you did. If you don't want to kill them all, just beat them into unconsciousness and stabilize before they bleed out. But yeah, I wouldn't be staking the safety of myself and my group on the bard's ability to influence a large group of people.

After all, it's hardly your fault they're walking around full of XP and treasure.

Oh man, I feel old...

Antiquus wrote:Eve player. If it ain't blue, shoot it (NBSI).

I used to play EVE. MASS still around?

I play cribbage with my wife.

I'm sticking with chess.

Xela

KVoimakas wrote:

Antiquus wrote:Eve player. If it ain't blue, shoot it (NBSI).

I used to play EVE. MASS still around?

\0/

If I ever get between jobs again, I'll rejoin EVE. Some days I do miss bouncing rats in lowsec, then I just go to the range and put holes in paper and it passes.

Depends on the DM. He is God of the Player Universe.

Is there any good online play? I haven't played since college in the '70s. We started with Chainmail rules.

Had to do it...

GlockLobster wrote:Had to do it...

Nah, more like geeks due to the social nature of gaming.

Geeks are nerds with non-nerdy friends.

I voted. I don't know the game. I do know this. When ambushed, turn toward the enemy and attack. Try to form an "L"

I'm working on counting cards in blackjack. It's more lucrative. (Didn't vote...sorry. Don't know the game.)

Ya pull a viking on them. Sorry to say better to be alive with regrets than dead without any regrets in my book. Bards tend to think highly about themselves. give me good steel and a sturdy resolve any day.

wvincagold wrote:Ya pull a viking on them. Sorry to say better to be alive with regrets than dead without any regrets in my book. Bards tend to think highly about themselves. give me good steel and a sturdy resolve any day.

WTF would anyone choose bard anyway?

gendoikari87 wrote: WTF would anyone choose bard anyway?

Because anybody who has listened to Rebeca Black has realized that signing truly has the power to make brains explode.