Crossroads: The New World

[Admiral Squish]

Okay, I posted the link to the wealth-replacement system and strongly suggested it's use in the second post.

Oh, on the subject of wealth. How are we gonna handle money? How much of each currency is '1 GP'? what currencies are we gonna have in use? What's a beaver pelt worth? And how do we do exchange rates?

[BRC]

Okay, I posted the link to the wealth-replacement system and strongly suggested it's use in the second post.

Oh, on the subject of wealth. How are we gonna handle money? How much of each currency is '1 GP'? what currencies are we gonna have in use? What's a beaver pelt worth? And how do we do exchange rates?

By 1750, Currency could be a mix of Wampum, Coins, paper notes, ect. Plains Tribes would probably not care for currency. You would be better off bringing a good Axe then coins.

[SamBurke]

By 1750, Currency could be a mix of Wampum, Coins, paper notes, ect. Plains Tribes would probably not care for currency. You would be better off bringing a good Axe then coins.

Barter is a tough, tough, system to work, though. TOUGH.

As to the "Ability Points," I like them a lot. It might need another way of saying it, though.

[Aux-Ash]

On firearms
One thing I strongly advice on this is having a rule that outright states that: You. Do. Not. Survive. Direct. Cannonfire. There's simply so much power in a cannon that it's simply not surviveable to be in the way of a cannonball. Ball. Cannister. Chain. It will plow through anything organic and destroy anything in it's path.

A cannonball will bounce twice and anything in it's path before the second bounce (and probably a fair bit afterwards) will be utterly obliterated.

Luckily, cannon are not accurate enough for individual targets.

However, due to the influence of Cahokia (with the help of Fúsang and the French), I'd say that firearms have made readily made it's way onto the plains by know.

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On currency
The question is what you want to portray it for. Is it character progression? Is it social status? Is it a consumable (ie. it's food, lodging, maintenance)?

DnD and it's derivates generally makes money mostly the former. It's there as a reward that is used to advance your character, plus some setting requirements.

Money as social status is another approach. Tracking individual coins is pretty pointless. Rather it represents your disposable income. It's a far more abstract concept. It's the approacg nWoD (and probably cWoD) uses. Either you have a high enough level, or you don't. You can also liquidate your level (and thus lower it) to purchase a more expensive commodity.
It's rather neat in my meaning. But only fits certain expectations. Would probably need some rewiring to fit the system.

If we want to tie it to travel focus that Vespuccia has, we could go with a consumable approach. Money burns in the pocket and needs constant replacement. So you need to take jobs, travel and so on. Either take lots of contracts for a very high risk, high reward lifestyle or tie yourself down with responsibility and lessen the burden on yourself. The tracking of individual coins will again, not be neccessary (if done neatly).

Pick one approach you think you want the most. The one that fits with the themes Vespuccia has. After that we go into details on how to handle money in individual cases.

[BRC]

Barter is a tough, tough, system to work, though. TOUGH.

Not if you abstract the hell out of it.
Normally you sell goods for 50% of their GP value, correct?
Under a Barter system, goods are traded directly for other goods, at their full GP value. A Masterwork Hatchet is worth roughly 300 GP, so it can get you roughly 300 gp worth of goods.

You could just buy X GP worth of Barter Goods for use on the trail. Enchanted Arrows or bullets would be a good option. They're lightweight, directly useful for a plains hunter, and each individual one is low cost enough to let you get pretty close to the value of just about any high-end good or service with them.

[SamBurke]

Not if you abstract the hell out of it.
Normally you sell goods for 50% of their GP value, correct?
Under a Barter system, goods are traded directly for other goods, at their full GP value. A Masterwork Hatchet is worth roughly 300 GP, so it can get you roughly 300 gp worth of goods.

You could just buy X GP worth of Barter Goods for use on the trail. Enchanted Arrows or bullets would be a good option. They're lightweight, directly useful for a plains hunter, and each individual one is low cost enough to let you get pretty close to the value of just about any high-end good or service with them.

Sounds about right. That's how most books describe people travelling west. Not in WHAT they took, just that it was such-and-such money in "barter goods" of various sorts.

[Admiral Squish]

I think a direct barter system would work just fine, if we keep it relatively even. I think we should probably develop a method for determining how good a deal you can get. Bluff Vs. Sense Motive? Bluff vs. Bluff? Like, you could always go for an even trade, but you can make a barter check to try and get a better deal, though if you fail, the deal goes sour and you end up trading at a loss. Nothing hugely significant, maybe 10% of value?

[SamBurke]

I think a direct barter system would work just fine, if we keep it relatively even. I think we should probably develop a method for determining how good a deal you can get. Bluff Vs. Sense Motive? Bluff vs. Bluff? Like, you could always go for an even trade, but you can make a barter check to try and get a better deal, though if you fail, the deal goes sour and you end up trading at a loss. Nothing hugely significant, maybe 10% of value?

That feels like good risk/reward. Will it be chaotic/non-lawful/non-good to try and gyp the other person?

[Admiral Squish]

That feels like good risk/reward. Will it be chaotic/non-lawful/non-good to try and gyp the other person?

I suppose it depends on the motiviation. At least partially. Looking for a deal is not, itself, any specific alignment. But a sleazy merchant who think they're better than their customer and takes pleasure in cheating them would make it evil.

[Admiral Squish]

Okay, that's most of the big things. Can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

Now, let's focus on the individual tribes. Culturally, what makes each tribe different from it's neighbors? We're looking to create a basic introduction to each tribe, that gives you a clear picture of what their life was like. I'm thinking we want something informative enough that you don't have to send your players to wikipedia (Though additional research is always nice) in order to play this setting.

[Aux-Ash]

Okay, that's most of the big things. Can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

Now, let's focus on the individual tribes. Culturally, what makes each tribe different from it's neighbors? We're looking to create a basic introduction to each tribe, that gives you a clear picture of what their life was like. I'm thinking we want something informative enough that you don't have to send your players to wikipedia (Though additional research is always nice) in order to play this setting.

I've been doing research for this specific purpose the past week. Got notes on the Kiowa, Pawnee, Choctaw thus far... I intend to do some more thorough research on the bigger tribes now in the weekend.

Is there anything specific you want us to look for?

[SamBurke]

Okay, that's most of the big things. Can't think of anything else off the top of my head.

Now, let's focus on the individual tribes. Culturally, what makes each tribe different from it's neighbors? We're looking to create a basic introduction to each tribe, that gives you a clear picture of what their life was like. I'm thinking we want something informative enough that you don't have to send your players to wikipedia (Though additional research is always nice) in order to play this setting.

Hm. Perhaps there should be a provision for extra XP for research?

[Admiral Squish]

I've been doing research for this specific purpose the past week. Got notes on the Kiowa, Pawnee, Choctaw thus far... I intend to do some more thorough research on the bigger tribes now in the weekend.

Is there anything specific you want us to look for?

Well, feel free to post your notes. You don't even have to organize them, we'll sort 'em out into something useable.

As for what I'm looking for we're doing a pretty complete writeup. I'm basically stealing this directly from the 'races of' books.

• Description
  
  • Clothing
  • Grooming
• Psychology
• Life
  
  • Arts and Crafts
  • Technology and Magic
  • Love
  • War
  • Death
• Society and Culture
  
  • Leadership
  • Social Structure
  • Family
  • Traditions
• Other Races
• Religion
• History and Folklore
• Language
  
  • Phrasebook
  • Written Language
  • Names
• Cities and Settlements
  
  • Economy
  • Example city
• Creating _____ Characters
  
  • Special Options
  • _____ as Characters

Hm. Perhaps there should be a provision for extra XP for research?

Hmm... I dunno. Personally, I find research to be it's own reward, but then, I'm a giant nerd. How would you quantify research for such purposes?

[SamBurke]

Hmm... I dunno. Personally, I find research to be it's own reward, but then, I'm a giant nerd. How would you quantify research for such purposes?

I'm not entirely sure... I'm just thinking about Model NATO, which, at the College Level, is graded almost entirely by how well you "role-play your country." When I competed, I did a flipton of research, and did well, so I don't know how easy it is to judge those things.

[Admiral Squish]

I'm not entirely sure... I'm just thinking about Model NATO, which, at the College Level, is graded almost entirely by how well you "role-play your country." When I competed, I did a flipton of research, and did well, so I don't know how easy it is to judge those things.

Hmm. Could just be an optional rule. One good level-appropriate encounter's XP. You rate the player's RP and research from 1-10, and giver them x/10ths of that XP.

[SamBurke]

Hmm. Could just be an optional rule. One good level-appropriate encounter's XP. You rate the player's RP and research from 1-10, and giver them x/10ths of that XP.

It seems optional, at best. I just suggested it wondering if one of y'all fine gentlemen had an idea.

[Admiral Squish]

I was just looking over the groups that I need to work on, and another idea occurred to me. What do you guys think about the anaasazi? They disappeared at about the same time Cahokia went into decline, and if Cahokia's still around, it's certainly possible they might be too. And the Anaasazi did a lot of really awesome things! They made a 300-mile-long road that was 30 feet wide. And they made it with hand tools and manpower, no horses or beasts of burden!

On one hand, what they could accomplish in another 500 years is potentially mind-boggling. Great observatories among the red rocks. A pueblo great wall running from the rockies to the north coast of the gulf of california. Perhaps they extend their settlements deeper into the mountains, creating great dwarf-esque caverns and mines.

On the other hand, their disappearance stirs the imagination in the real world, and in a magical realm, the possibilities are practically limitless! Maybe they ascended to the stars. Maybe they had a mass migration to the spirit world. Maybe their ritual sites are built around links, but nobody can figure out where they go.

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Now that I look, the Dorset, Anaasazi, and Cahokia were all amazing cultures that fell apart in the hundred years between 1250 and 1350. Apparently there was a Great Drought in those years. If magic means powerful american cultures survive that drought, then it'd make sense these three would be the ones to do it.

[SuperDave]

Don't forget dysentary!

I found a free online version of Oregon Trail. Giving the ol’ girl a spin might help us get a feel for how to plan appropriately for a long overland voyage, and the kind of hazards which our travelers might face.

Maybe the rule is they just have to see at least one buffalo jump?

I’d say that would fulfill their ancestral duty. But it might work like pilgrimages in the Middle Ages: even though the experience you get is essentially the same, visiting older and more famous locations makes you more of a big-shot back home. Being absolved at the tomb of a minor Norwegian saint might have the same effect on your immortal soul as being absolved in St. Peter’s Basilica by the Pope himself, but one of them will definitely make you sound much more impressive than the other.

if Gunpowder was key to Cahokia's rise, Cahokian troops probably use Muskets.

Even though that would significantly level the playing-field between the Natives and the Colonists/Invaders, I’m not sure how this would work out for Cahokia in the long run. As much as I like the idea of the Mound Dwellers having their own private army of musketeers, it’s never a good idea to arm your soldiers with weapons you can’t produce yourselves. It makes them vulnerable to sabotage, because whoever sells them muskets controls their lifelines. If the colonial powers ever wanted to take Cahokia down, they’d just need to gang up and tell Ye Olde Musket Companie to stop aiding and abetting a hostile foreign power. Then they just send a few waves of cannon-fodder to break against their gates, until the Cahokians run out of ammo. But if Cahokia has the means to produce guns, gunpowder, and ammunition of its own, then a Native army outfitted with flintlock weapons becomes much more feasible.

Gunpowder is made of three ingredients: saltpeter (aka “niter,” aka “potassium nitrate”), sulfur, and charcoal. Charcoal is easy enough to come by, anywhere that wood grows in abundance. There’s lots of sulfur in the Southwest, and I’m not sure about niter, but as long as they can get enough iron to make the actual guns, they could be mostly self-sufficient.

By 1750, Currency could be a mix of Wampum, Coins, paper notes, ect. Plains Tribes would probably not care for currency. You would be better off bringing a good Axe then coins.

I’ve read somewhere that while wampum shells were considered inherently valuable, but they were worth more when stitched together as belts or shirts. Additionally, purple wampum was rarer than white, and therefore was worth twice as much. We could just raise the value of purple wampum to make the currency system more like the one used in conventional D&D games. For example:

1 WP (Wampum Point) = one loose white bead
10 WP = one stitched white bead
100 WP= one loose purple bead
1,000 WP = one stitched purple bead

Alternatively, we could go with different bead shapes or patterns (instead of color), to make them harder to counterfeit. It may be worth noting here that European colonists eventually realized that they could just trade for white wampum beads, dye them purple, and double their money instantly. We’d need a way to counteract that, and it’s way harder to paint tiger-stripes on each shell than it is to just dye ‘em all a flat color.

BRC also brought up a good point with the axes thing: the Aztecs and Maya actually used small copper axe-heads as a form of currency. If they use wampum in the Great Plains, copper axe-heads in Aztlan, and paper money and coins in Fusang and the Colonies, how do we handle trade between different cultures with different currency-systems?

[SuperDave]

Here are a few Vespuccia story hooks I cooked up in my spare time:

The governor of Jamestown Colony is suffering from a painful sickness which no wizard in the Colonies can cure. But he has heard “rumours of an itinerant Iroquois medicine-man, whose poweres and skille be legendarie amongst th’ savages”. But because of his wandering nature, none but God and the medicine-man know in which village he will next appear. And even if he is found, will he agree to help the Governor? And if he does, at what price comes his aid?

The Radiant Throne has commissioned the First Grand Imperial Survey of the lands which lie to the east of the Heaven-Touching Mountains. Any Fusangese citizen with knowledge of these lands will be richly rewarded for imparting such knowledge to the Imperial Cartographers. Even greater compensation awaits any native of these lands who is willing to act as guide and translator to the Her Radiant Majesty’s Explorational Fellowship.

Gold has recently been discovered far to the north of Fusang in the western edge of Tuniit territory, in rugged region known only as “Alasqa”.

Aztlan priests receive a mysterious directive from Huitzilpochtli, the god of the sun, commanding them to build him a temple “in the land where my eye never closes”. But such a place surely cannot exist in this world. Can it?

A Scarred Monk, recently returned from a missionary work at a trading post in Aztlan, is stirring up unrest in the southern Colonies. He has been travelling from town to town with a caged Quetzal, displaying it before horrified crowds as “proof certain that the Aztekas do moste vilely mock our Lord and Saviour, worshipping as they do this hideous merging of sinful Man and wicked Serpent.” If this treatment of a sacred Quetzal becomes known to Aztec authorities, it will surely be taken as an unforgivable blasphemy, and will certainly mean a war between the two empires. The Scarred Monk must be silenced, and the creature returned, alive and unharmed, to his native lands.

The Imperial Kitchen-Master has recently been unable to prepare any dishes which satisfy Her Radiant Majesty’s discerning palette. He believes that he may be able to please her with an entirely new dish, something which no one in Fusang has ever tasted before. He has recently heard a rumor that far to the north, the Tuniit maintain herds of enormous woolly elephants. He has tasted their preserved meat, and believes that if he could obtain a live mammoth, and slaughter it for Her Radiant Majesty’s table, he would finally have the ingredient he requires to truly express his creative genius.

[BRC]

Even though that would significantly level the playing-field between the Natives and the Colonists/Invaders, I’m not sure how this would work out for Cahokia in the long run. As much as I like the idea of the Mound Dwellers having their own private army of musketeers, it’s never a good idea to arm your soldiers with weapons you can’t produce yourselves. It makes them vulnerable to sabotage, because whoever sells them muskets controls their lifelines. If the colonial powers ever wanted to take Cahokia down, they’d just need to gang up and tell Ye Olde Musket Companie to stop aiding and abetting a hostile foreign power. Then they just send a few waves of cannon-fodder to break against their gates, until the Cahokians run out of ammo. But if Cahokia has the means to produce guns, gunpowder, and ammunition of its own, then a Native army outfitted with flintlock weapons becomes much more feasible.

Gunpowder is made of three ingredients: saltpeter (aka “niter,” aka “potassium nitrate”), sulfur, and charcoal. Charcoal is easy enough to come by, anywhere that wood grows in abundance. There’s lots of sulfur in the Southwest, and I’m not sure about niter, but as long as they can get enough iron to make the actual guns, they could be mostly self-sufficient.

The Tuniit have knowledge of Ironworking, the Cahokians could have gotten it from them. I imagine Cahokia producing their own guns and gunpowder. Remember, we're talking about a stable civilization that encountered gunpowder over a century ago. Plenty of time for them to bribe a couple gunsmiths to move in.

[Admiral Squish]

Just saw a picture of a baba yaga shack. Which gave me an idea for russian necromancers riding around the arctic north in cottages carried about on giant, undead chicken legs.

Just wanted to say that. I think the russian necromancer thing is happening.

[Aux-Ash]

Note though that the russians didn't establish their first colonies until 14 years after our starting date. They've basically just discovered the Alaskan coast. For them to be an establish presence (as opposed to just trappers operating out of ships) means that their efforts started much earlier and the colonization of Siberia has gone through much quicker (which means a stronger, richer russia... which has huge implications in Europe).

Let's also not forget that Fusang might not want Russian "neighbours". While this will hardly stop the russians (the west coast is huge after all) it will no doubt slow them down a bit.

I admit russian necromancers are cool though (but I don't think it should be their only niche... that would be making the russian culture a huge disservice. It has so much more to give).
It is something to dig our teeth in when we do Fusang.

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On Anazasi:
Awesome! Though I do not think these guys should be in the Cahokian league. More like a neighbour and one of the real scary Rockies nations (they lived in the Colorado basin after all).

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On Cahokian gunpowder:
Saltpeter is the easy bit. It's reasonably simple to produce out of manure or urine. The soil in mangrove forests is also known to be especially nitrous. Fusang traders could easily have sold the skill a long time ago (it takes quite some time to go from gunpowder to handheld firearms though). Cahokian firearms would be behind their chinese or european counterparts (and certainly made from inferior materials than the european muskets) and their cannonry would be much inferior. But passable enough to be recogniceable and useful.

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My notes:
Kiowa

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At this time IRL the Kiowa was being pushed away from Montana southwestward to the centre of the great plains. Thanks to their allies in the Crow Sioux tribes they started adopting the horse and great plains culture in this period. I'm thinking that due to the Cahokian league (which the Kiowa was invited to through the Crow) they won't have to move.

Which means they're half hunters and gatherers and half great plains nomads. They have a rich tradition of living of the land. Living off roots, berries, small game when still and hunting buffalo on the move.

They follow the Sundance, like the Sioux. Each of their six bands having their own role to play when they gather at the sacred sites. A massively sacred aspect of their lives is their medicine bundles, each band has one which is held by the priests. It has a significant role to play at the sundance (can't figure out which though)

They have four social tiers in their bands:
Onde, or Aristocrats. Chiefs of larger camps, great warriors and priests.
Odegupa. Lesser chiefs, medicine men and people of moderate property.
Kaan. The poor, usually half the tribe.
Dapom. The misfits and crazies that need to be cared for.

Like the cheyenne, familial ties is divided in generations. They begin their lives being care for by their mothers and grow close to them. Then their fathers take over and teach them their duties to the tribe. All while the grandparents teach them the stories, morals and values of the people. A man wishing to marry a woman will have to present a prize to her family for the honour.

They speak Kiowa-Tanoan, which is the same language group as the pueblo. There's some suggestion they regularily travelled south to trade with someone much further south, they seemed to know the routes west of the plains reasonably well (it is the route they chose southward).

Finally, they have six warrior societies separate from the bands. Young men join the most junior of them, called the Rabbits, and as they grow in experience they qualify for more prestigious warrior societies. The formost one, Koitsenko, only contain the ten most skilled of all Kiowa. These societies police and protect the various camps, as well as regularily train together.

Own thoughts:
I'm thinking that the Kiowa are the tribe recruited to secure the northwestern border, protect the few Fusang and Rockies traders coming along the Oregon trail and help promote peace in the north (will discuss further down).

Their gatherer nature and their medicine bundles also suggest that they could provide a deal of alchelmical lore to the Cahokian League. Giving them a warrior and alchemist niche.

A thing I noticed while doing research is that as mentioned, the Kiowa are good friends with the Crow (sioux). The sioux and the Algonquin (most notably the Blackfoot) are bitter enemies however. So I figure that with the Sioux to the east and their Kiowa allies to the west, the Algonquin are discouraged from engaging in larger warfare against the Sioux. Thus Cahokia values Kiowa as a counterweight, keeping the Algonquin in check (the Sioux are too worried about the Cree and Tuniit to expose their back by attacking the Algonquin).

Pawnee

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These guys have a rather unique position on the plains. They're semisedentary, which is to say that they have permanent encampments and plantations along the northern banks of the Platte river (also the Loup and Republican tributaries). They go hunting buffalo and live like plains people between planting and harvest and after the harvest. Living off both horticulture and hunting. They're far from the only tribe to have that lifestyle, but they're the biggest.

They believe in 4 star gods (one for every cardinal direction) and a Creator and not the Sundance. They keep a distinct separation between gods and spirits though. Having priests (kurahus) for the gods and medicine men (kuraa'u) for the spirits. The former care for rituals that affect the entire tribe, and the latter for individuals and diseases.

The chief is a hereditary position, though it can be claimed by great success in war, signified by a sacred medicine bundle. This bundle is owned by the chief, cared for by his wife and used in rituals by the priest. According to their mythology, they are the children of the morning and evening star.

They had a reputation on the plains of being fierce warriors.

They are matrilineal, rather than patrilineal.

Own thoughts:
I see the Pawnee as clients of Cahokia and "the gateway" to the plains. Them living right between the four great tribes makes them fitting for this. The Cahokians spread through their traders up the kansas river and encountered them. Trade grew and now they're nigh inseperable.

The horticulture they practise is an important part of the breadbasket of Cahokia and recently they've been encouraged to start small-scale cotton production by the Mound-Dwellers that wishes to see industry they control (to limit what they have to buy from others).

They're also tasked with protecting Cahokian boatstops along the river and are one of the middle hands for the all important horse trade (amusingly, something they were IRL as well). I imagine them being one of the more well armed tribes on the plains.

Choctaw

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The Choctaw is a Missisippi tribe and very close to the Chicasaw (they were often enemies, but culturally close) and descendants of the southern mound dwellers (meaning they speak the same language-family as the Cahokians). They have permanent residences and are primarily farmers.

They have a sport called stickball (lacrosse) which is very popular among them, often refered to as "little war". They also practised head flattening, but that seemed to be falling out of favour around this era.

They were socially divided between elders and youth (unclear if it refers to age or not). Both consisting of several clans. They were matrilineal and gained their social status and clan belonging from their mothers.

They speak a Muscogean language.

Justice was primarily practised on an eye-for-an-eye level. Though theft was forgiven by returning the goods and apologising.

They had a dualistic belief in a good and a evil spirit, and may have worshipped the sun. If so it was refered to as "The Great One" but that might have been christian influences.

Own thoughts:
These guys are a client-nation of Cahokia and serve as the primary breadbasket of the northern river city. This is probably the base of Cahokia's initial power and are by now well integrated. Socially below even the lowest non-criminal Cahokian though.

They both protect the riverlands south of Cahokia and help facilitate the trade with the French, to whom they have rather good ties. The Muskogean languages are widespread in southeastern north America and thus this area is the primary European gateway to the Cahokian sphere of influence.

There we go... that was them. I think these tribes are something we can work quite well with. Now onto the major four nations. Which will probably take as long as these three put together

[zabbarot]

You can also get saltpeter by basically rinsing it out of a compost heap. Good fertilizer is full of it. I'm sure you've all heard of fertilizer bombs.

As for materials for Cahokian firearms, how about ironwood as in the spell. Ironwood muskets would just look cool.

[SamBurke]

You can also get saltpeter by basically rinsing it out of a compost heap. Good fertilizer is full of it. I'm sure you've all heard of fertilizer bombs.

As for materials for Cahokian firearms, how about ironwood as in the spell. Ironwood muskets would just look cool.

I second this.

-Snip-

Well that was thorough. Great Job, Aux.

[BRC]

Yes. Ironwood Muskets for Cahokian Soldiers!

[zabbarot]

Idea: regional firearms. Colonies make the standard.

Cahokia uses ironwood, which can actually be milled before its converted to iron wood so maybe more accurate but less damage.

china has a long history with fireworks so maybe theirs do more damage. Also I want a Chinese rocket launcher. Edit: or maybe they have better powder.

[BRC]

Idea: regional firearms. Colonies make the standard.

Cahokia uses ironwood, which can actually be milled before its converted to iron wood so maybe more accurate but less damage.

china has a long history with fireworks so maybe theirs do more damage. Also I want a Chinese rocket launcher. Edit: or maybe they have better powder.

I poked around a bit, and it seems like the Chinese were mainly focused on Crossbows. However, since they're fighting big nasty monsters, I could see them building some sort of hand-rocket weapon.

Better Powder shouldn't be the explanation, since otherwise somebody would say "Hey, can I put Fusang gunpowder into a Cahokian Musket?"

[zabbarot]

I poked around a bit, and it seems like the Chinese were mainly focused on Crossbows. However, since they're fighting big nasty monsters, I could see them building some sort of hand-rocket weapon.

Better Powder shouldn't be the explanation, since otherwise somebody would say "Hey, can I put Fusang gunpowder into a Cahokian Musket?"

I was thinking about that too. That should be an actual concern though. Powder quality might be best from china but they prefer rockets. It would probably be worst in Cahokia. Maybe powder quality can affect gun damage.

then I would say a cahokian rifle is just a different weapon. Maybe higher range, slightly lower base damage. Or something comparable.

[BRC]

I was thinking about that too. That should be an actual concern though. Powder quality might be best from china but they prefer rockets. It would probably be worst in Cahokia. Maybe powder quality can affect gun damage.

then I would say a cahokian rifle is just a different weapon. Maybe higher range, slightly lower base damage. Or something comparable.

It would also make sense for the Cahokians to make weapons ideal for long-ranges considering how open the Great Plains are.

Hrmm... PRC idea, Mound Marksmen. Snipers who sit up on the Mounds with enchanted Ironwood Rifles, ever vigilant for threats to the stability of Cahokia.

A Scarred Monk or somebody starts trouble, and suddenly comes under fire from three different mounds.

[Admiral Squish]

The only problem with ironwood muskets is they'd need to have the spell refreshed by a druid every 11 days or so. Honestly, though, I think it'd be easy to change the duration of ironwood to instantaneous. HArdly game-breaking, after all.

I LOVE the idea of ironwood muskets for cahokia. The ease of working wood means definitely increased accuracy for those rifles. But the involvement of high level magic means they'd be relatively rare, unless you had a mid-high level druid who just did the muskets. Maybe they're only used by the elite, or the private guards of the mound dwellers?