Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

[Donnie]

Hello,

I am running a DL Classic (revised) group and after the first adventure I have an open question about the combat rules for all marshalls out there.

One of my players want to use his rifle and his pistols in close combat to make more damage (and because he has not put any points in in fightin). In the last fight he declared that he just goes some steps back and shoots at the enemy. In my opinion this does not feel right but I could not find any rule to oppose him.

DidI miss something or do you have any experience in this case?

Best Regards
Donnie

[iskandar]

[WahookaTG]

There are no formal rules in Classic on this, but there are some from the Wasted West setting. Which obviously can be used for Weird West cowpokes as well.

I'm not 100% sure but i think it goes as follows:
Shooting a pistol in close combat is allowed. However, with all the shoving and grabbing and biting and clawing going around, you don't use your usual Shootin' roll. Instead, used fighting: brawlin'. If you hit, the character does 3d6 damage (with most guns) instead of whatever close combat damage he would otherwise do.
Shooting a rifle is a little bit more tricky, since they are longer you can't just press it against your opponent. Instead, one must first perform a fightin' roll and if succesfull (maybe requires a raise?) you can create distance (shoving the other bloke away from you, or distract him and step back, something like that) and then fire the gun as usual on his next action.

[Donnie]

Great - this really helps! I am really eager to use this rule for our next adventure ("This harrowed ground"). If they are unlucky, they might get more figthin' and bitin' than they want to.

[Redtwin]

I'm pretty sure the Law Dog book had rules on this, but it's been a long time so I might be wrong.

My recollection was that using rifles in melee is flat out impossible, and that pistols were brawlin' as Wahooka mentioned.

I don't allow guns to be used in melee at all in my games. At close range, knives win over guns. http://youtu.be/v0kI9-bD5Bo is a good demonstration of this, but if you ask the police they'll usually tell you that twenty to thirty feet is the closest range at which you can pull a pistol fast enough to have a chance against a knife running at you. People with guns try to step back and go into a trained gun stance which is easily blocked and leaves them wide open in melee. There are exceptions, some special ops guys train to fire pistols in melee, but they're incredibly rare.

It also provides more incentive for melee characters. Why would I make a knife guy when a gun guy has a range advantage and works just as well at point blank?
_________________
"Anybody else feel like fishing for Rattlers?"
Said while dragging a size 12 giant worm down the highway behind my Hummer at full speed to kill it via road rash.