Guns & Pikes for Swyvers

Guns & Pikes for Swyvers

“Our fathers oft’ were naughty boys, 

Whack-fol-a-diddle o the die-do-day,

 Their guns and pikes were dangerous toys,

Whack-fol-a-diddle o the die-do-day”

Firearms

The Great Rebellion scared the Crown shitless before being promptly crushed. Ever since, carrying a gun is highly illegal for papes and prods alike, conferring triple the fines of regular unlicensed weapons. Even nobs with permits all in order will quickly catch the peeler’s eyes for carrying any gun larger than a pistol. 

Saying all that, the war with Auld Boney still grinds on across the Ragin’ Main. Plenty of boomsticks bound for the Continent end up falling off the back of carts, or out of the hands of deserters and corrupt quartermasters and into the hands of the good people of the Big Smoke. 

Pikes

Dirt cheap, and quick to learn how to kill with. The humble pike was the main weapon of the Great Rebellion. These long and pointy sticks were what allowed Big Harry McCracken and the Lads to turn a band of stinkin’ culchies and pissed-off townies with notions into a real bloody army. Not that it mattered in the end. 

Carrying a pike around the Smoke will mark you as having rebel sympathies, perhaps even being one of McCracken’s lot yourself.

While this risks the attention of the authorities, decent folk of the lower and middle sorts, even including some in the Watch, may be inclined to look the other way or grant small favours with a wink and a nod.  

The rules below are for the long pikes (around ten to fifteen feet) typical of pitched battles in open spaces. Short, half-pikes use the rules for spears. In the old tongue, these pikes are called Ropairí, from which we get the word Raparees, what we call Swyvers on this side of the water. 

Gun Damage

Guns hit hard, obviously. 

Ropey guns roll 3 damage dice and take the lowest two.

Decent guns roll 2 damage dice.

Mint guns roll 3 damage dice and take the highest two.

Most guns can also be used in close-quarters as bludgeoning weapons to smash someone's head in.

Misfires 

Unless you’re rich or lucky enough to get a really good one, boomsticks are more unreliable than your traditional missile weapon.

When rolling an attack, Ropey guns roll on the Critical Miss Table on any result of double ones, double twos, or a one and a two. 

When rolling an attack, Decent guns roll on the Critical Miss Table on any result of double ones or double twos. 

When rolling an attack, Mint guns roll on the Critical Miss Table normally, on a result of double ones.

All black powder also becomes useless when wet.

Shock and Awe

Guns are bloody loud. Firing a gun on or near the street is sure to attract the attention of onlookers and worse, the Watch. When applicable, the sound of a gun triggers an Encounter Roll. The loud bang also provokes morale checks in animals, and other creatures of below-human intelligence. Guns also make a lot of smoke when fired, many guns going off in a tight space will quickly decrease visibility. 

Red Powder, a brand-spanking-new way of making your boomstick go boom can be got from your weirdest local chemist. Looks like salt the colour of dry blood and smells like the back of the University, where the students piss.  A gun loaded with red powder instead of black makes no sound when fired, gives off a bright flash for a second but no smoke, and can be fired when wet. 

For full combat and weapon rules, see Swyvers pgs. 15 & 27.

Pistol - 10s

For the daring highwayman and the aggrieved nob duelist alike. Carry a bunch if you want to do some real damage. (ranged 2d6, 2 round reload) melee d6, short, 1h) 

*Musket - 12s

Your typical boomstick, probably nicked off some poor wee sod’s corpse on the Continent. (ranged 2d10, 3 round reload) (melee d8, long, 2h, bayonet) 

*Rifle - 16s

Some fancy work done on the barrel, makes it easier to aim. Nobs use ‘em to shoot partridges and the like. We use 'em’ for that too, but they call that poaching. (ranged 2d12, 4 round reload, armour-piercing, aim) (melee d8, long 2h, bayonet)

Carbine - 14s

A short boomstick for horse-soldiers, good for shootin’ in tight spaces. (ranged 2d8, 3 round reload) (melee d8, medium, 2h)

*Blunderbuss - 13s

For when you need to blast a bunch of fellas all bunched up. Load it with nails, broken glass, frozen peas, anything small and hard. (ranged 2d8, 3 round reload, spread) (melee d8, long, bayonet, 2h)

*Volley Gun - L1

Very swank, if a bit experimental. Straight off the production line of one Mister Nock. (ranged 2d10, 4 round reload, spread, armour-piercing, knockdown) (melee d8, long, 2h)

Bayonet - 1s

Pointy. Most lads killed in the wars get done in by one of these rather than a bullet. Not sure which I’d rather, to be honest. (when attached, d8, 2h, long, thrust, set) (when unattached, treat as shank)

#Ball and Charge - 1s 6d/cartridge

The best soldiers rip their cartridges open with their teeth and spit the bullet right down the barrel. 

#Blunderbuss shot and Charge - 1s / cartridge

Not sure why you need actual lead shot. Just load em’ with any old junk.

Black Powder (horn) - 10s / good for 10 shots

Keep these away from matches.

Black Powder (barrel) - L5

Keep these away from matches. Seriously.

Red Powder - 3 times price for Black Powder

Quasi-legal alchemical wizardry. See above for details.

*Pike - 5s

Croppy won’t lie down today.  (d10, really long, 2h, reach, set)

Weapon Specials

Bayonet

Weapons with Bayonet can be fit with a bayonet for close-quarters combat, using the Bayonet weapon stats. Fitting a bayonet to a gun is a half action. 

Spread

Weapons with Spread hit all targets within a 15-foot cone in front of the user when fired.

Aim

Weapons with Aim gain +2 to hit for every round spent aiming.

Knockdown

Weapons with Knockdown have a 2-in-6 chance of knocking their targets prone when hit.

Really Long (new weapon length)

Built for tight formation fighting on the battlefield. 

Really Long weapons grant the wielder a Defence Value of 14.

For Initiative, they attack last in the round, even after Long Weapons with Shields, except on the first round of combat, where instead they strike first.

Really Long Weapons cannot be used at all in cramped or tight conditions, such as inside most buildings, down narrow streets, or in the Midden.

“Well, The next thing they gave me they called it a gun,

With powder and ball and a place for my thumb

Well first she spit fire lads, and then she spewed smoke,

and she gave me auld shoulder such a hell of a stroke”

Some new weapons for my upcoming Swyvers game, set in a version of Belfast in the years following the 1798 United Irishmen Rebellion. Hopefully other Swyvers dms who want some firearms in their Smoke can make use of it. I may post some more notes on this version of the smoke in the coming weeks and months, depending on whether this campaign lasts.

Most of the firearm rules are cribbed from the excellent Wolves-hack, Shot and Splinters , and Red Powder is of course taken from The Zouave.