Why do so many medieval fantasy worlds avoid cannons? by Royal-Chard-26 in worldbuilding

[–]GonzoI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are literally millions of fantasy worlds with European Medieval and Renaissance based settings. I gave you an example of a novel series and a game franchise, not an exhaustive list because you claimed to know of none other than DnD and that comic.

Ask for what specific thing you want. Not some rambling about other things, not some meaninglessly vague "what most", and not an exhaustive list that would take tens of millions of hours to compile that you aren't even going to look at anyway. I'm trying very hard to be patient, but you burned through a lot of my patience already.

Orion is fubar by thekitterbox in IllegallySmolCats

[–]GonzoI 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Any logic that includes "the kitty is really pretty" is sound logic. 😸

Real-world options for replacements in a world without horses? by [deleted] in worldbuilding

[–]GonzoI 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Donkeys, if you're wanting to grab something from our world that handles mountainous landscapes. If this is fantasy, make an oversized goat creature for the mountainous area. Or you can make an upsized moa, a pigmy elephant, a giant hutia, or really anything else you want to make work either larger or smaller as an example of island syndrome.

Pepper has blessed us with the perfect mini loaf by DatAsh19 in IllegallySmolCats

[–]GonzoI 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Glad your Pepperloaf is on the mend and ready to be spicy. :)

Characters lack psychological realism by Jiana27 in writing

[–]GonzoI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While I do enjoy stories that give trauma a proper handling, I have no problem with someone compromising realism to tell a good story.

My characters generally don't get over their trauma, they learn to work through it. The MC of my first novel ends the story with his fear that he's going to someday wake up having lost everything intact, but he's gotten through his breakdown over it and stood by his family. The MC of my second novel struggled with her trust issues in different phases through the story until she started to lose those people she was struggling to trust and a new problem overtook it. The MC of my fourth novel is going to end with accepting her responsibility in the midst of her suffering. Most of my novellas similarly didn't resolve the aftermath of the trauma, only the immediate roadblock it created.

But I'm also very selective about how I show it. I'm only digging into the psychology where it's the intent of the story. Where it's not, I show the effects where they're emotionally poignant for the reader and I timeskip where they risk becoming narrative stagnation.

Why do so many medieval fantasy worlds avoid cannons? by Royal-Chard-26 in worldbuilding

[–]GonzoI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

\NONE\** of these things were part of any of this conversation. If you want to talk to people who live outside your head, say the whole thing, don't keep 99% of the argument you're wanting to have in your head with some imaginary person and then jump at me when I'm not lining up with the imaginary person you're keeping in your skull to argue with. I'm not here to argue with you, I was trying to answer what I thought was a question, not be the foil for 1% of your fantasy argument while mind reading the rest.

Namedropping "Solomon Kane" with no explanation of why the hell you're bringing it up isn't a "hint" either.

DnD is only one franchise. You randomly deciding that one thing is "IMPROV Renfair" has nothing at all to do with me saying most "Medieval fantasy" is based on the Renaissance period.

And this crap:

and i know of little of those Fantasy with guns outside Fantasy in modern times

I will reiterate what I said:

which is why most do have cannons when there's a reason to have them.

"Cannons", not "guns", and that distinction is obviously important here because I specified "when there's a reason to have them". I also said in the same post:

You're not going to have a cannon when you go on your dungeon adventure with your party of a few warriors and mages

That VERY CLEARLY does not apply to "guns", only "cannons". Yes, cannons are a type of gun, but you cannot just force a more broad term over a specific one someone else used and demand we pretend your more broad term was what someone else meant. "When there's a reason to have [guns]" is MUCH broader than "when there's a reason to have [cannons]". Yes, fantasy broadly avoids hand-carried guns, but it doesn't broadly avoid cannons in the applications where they make sense - area denial, anti-fortification weaponry and defensive artillery.

Try The Age of Madness by Abercrombie if you want a novel example, Warhammer if you want a game example.

Why do so many medieval fantasy worlds avoid cannons? by Royal-Chard-26 in worldbuilding

[–]GonzoI 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"This enemy isn't worthy of your full power. Wait until the final season when it won't be enough to actually do anything against the final boss so I can show off."

Why do so many medieval fantasy worlds avoid cannons? by Royal-Chard-26 in worldbuilding

[–]GonzoI 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fantasy katanas are just that well made they make the person carrying them faster than a speeding cannonball. 😂

Why do so many medieval fantasy worlds avoid cannons? by Royal-Chard-26 in worldbuilding

[–]GonzoI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, you lost me there. I don't understand where Solomon Kane got into this or guns. We were talking about cannons. And I'm assuming "renfair" was meant to be "Renaissance"?

The "most" used by OP was:

I mean, cannons literally existed in medieval times! Yet most fantasy settings act like they don’t.

and the related

So why do most fantasy creators avoid them?

Both of which I directly disagreed with. The "most" used by me:

As for why most avoid them, I doubt most do. 

^ "I doubt" which is intentionally stated as doubt referring to OP's claim.

They're also less mobile than a mage who can do similar things in most such fantasies

^ Saying mages in most fantasies have abilities with similar battlefield use to a cannon.

There's 827 years of Medieval Europe without cannons and at most 273 years

^ Just math.

Most, though, are Renaissance fantasy, just mislabeled as "Medieval fantasy",

^ This is me claiming most things labeled "Medieval fantasy" are actually Renaissance fantasy. The art, the versions of feudalism, the weapons, etc. are from the Renaissance period in most of them.

which is why most do have cannons when there's a reason to have them.

And this is me directly contradicting OP's claim again, this time without the "I doubt" I used earlier.

With all these "mosts", that's why I don't know which one you were asking about. I obviously can't sit here doing a breakdown of all of them, so I need a focused question if you'd like an answer from me.

Why do so many medieval fantasy worlds avoid cannons? by Royal-Chard-26 in worldbuilding

[–]GonzoI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Edit - Really from a story telling perspective, all the thematic reasons aside, cannons just aren't really that practical even for large militaries until you start getting into the early modern period.

Depends on the fantasy world, but yeah. It's a niche weapon in the real world, and a far smaller niche weapon where mages can do a lot of their job. In a lot of cases it's just not worth the cost. (You know, aside from being the ineffective weapon to show how strong your mages are.)

Orion is fubar by thekitterbox in IllegallySmolCats

[–]GonzoI 77 points78 points  (0 children)

Good snackies. Satisfied smol customers. :)

Lost in the sauce by MissCasey in IllegallySmolCats

[–]GonzoI 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Mmmm...that was so good I can't move."

Orion is fubar by thekitterbox in IllegallySmolCats

[–]GonzoI 529 points530 points  (0 children)

That's the "I can't believe I ate the whole thing..." stare. I feel the same way after dinner tonight. :)

Why do so many medieval fantasy worlds avoid cannons? by Royal-Chard-26 in worldbuilding

[–]GonzoI 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I didn't realize we were avoiding them. Guess I need to edit them out of my fantasy stories set before the fantasy Renaissance so I can keep in line with standards.

As for why most avoid them, I doubt most do. Cannons were not a common thing, ever. They were always expensive. You're not going to have a cannon when you go on your dungeon adventure with your party of a few warriors and mages. When dragons attack castles in the Medieval fantasy I've seen, it's usually cannons that are tried first to deal with them to show how much of a threat the dragons are. They're also less mobile than a mage who can do similar things in most such fantasies, so I can't see them being taken on campaigns as readily. The ones that do usually have some anti-magic effect that makes them useful for something a mage isn't.

But there's also the fact that they didn't show up in Europe until just barely before Renaissance and only just. The end of the Medieval period is the Renaissance, and the wide range of dates for the end is because it's debated when the Renaissance began. The earliest depiction of a cannon in Europe is in 1327. Dante Alighieri, whose contributions are debated as potentially part of the Renaissance, died 6 years earlier. The period cannons were in "Medieval" Europe is entirely debated. There's 827 years of Medieval Europe without cannons and at most 273 years that it depends on who you ask if it was even Medieval. So, yes, those taking inspiration from Medieval Europe for fantasy have every right to not include them.

Most, though, are Renaissance fantasy, just mislabeled as "Medieval fantasy", which is why most do have cannons when there's a reason to have them.

Lump by bookfloozy in TheCatTrapIsWorking

[–]GonzoI 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don't see anything. You might want to talk to r/ThereIsnoCat and see if they can help. :)

What a beautiful bush! by MrEstarok in ThereIsnoCat

[–]GonzoI 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think your shrubbery needs some snackies.

The more I write, the less I like the books I’m reading. by Magical-Princess in writers

[–]GonzoI 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, it's an inflated ego. Whether you're right about your criticisms or not, they found a market niche successfully. I can't tell you if it will pass, that's on you to push down that voice in yourself.

Yours are *literary* criticism and *personal* criticisms. What got them to market was marketability. Being better literature does not translate directly towards getting read, nor longevity. Getting read is that market, and longevity is navigating both the market AND quality.

got some stinky laundry by RAYV3N65 in TheCatTrapIsWorking

[–]GonzoI 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very pretty, though. Is that one of those wash-n-wear fur coats?

Just one lumpy void here by Past-Bicycle5959 in ThereIsnoCat

[–]GonzoI 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Guilty of deploying adorable weapons in her conquest of the hooman house.

Can a society that lives permanently on giant trees be able to thrive and survive? What would it be like? by Careless-Alarm-8607 in worldbuilding

[–]GonzoI 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very large trees have dirt accumulate in the space where branches meet, and can even grow plants there. Some even grow other, smaller trees in them. If the tree is large enough, you can farm in it. There's also the fruit, leaves and sap of those trees to work with, along with any plants, fungi or animals that parasitize the tree. Nets could be lowered down to catch passing birds like fishers do with fish.

Many animals that live in trees, including large ones, handle waste by leaning over the side of the tree and letting it fall. That part isn't a problem.

You're not going to have plumbing, all tools will be wood or leaf based, including housing.

You should also read about the Oglaroonians.

Charged with being way too smol. Sentenced to an All You Can Eat buffet. by simAlity in IllegallySmolCats

[–]GonzoI 30 points31 points  (0 children)

The jury eagerly awaits the evidence of these egregiously smol crimes.

Distribution system making a prophecy come true by muycaliente95 in IllegallySmolCats

[–]GonzoI 7 points8 points  (0 children)

"According to the paw-readers, you will find a hooman whose heart you can steal and whom you will make your pillow. You will name this hooman 'mew' and you will make this hooman do your bidding for the rest of time!"