Ever learn a phantasy book or take in a science fiction movie and struggled to suspend your disbelief due to the total lack of reality in some make believe weapon ? Here ’s advice for masses publish this stuff on how to get guns and laser and bowing and wands right .
When it comes to real - man weapons in fabrication , I can talk all day about how the history of 1911 pistols , snubnose six-gun , switchblades and AR-15s can touch on the tarradiddle . But it ’s a lilliputian different when the weapons exist only in the imagination .
However , fantasy and steampunk weapons share much more in rough-cut with their substantial - world counterpart than it seems . Here are six tip that exceed reality .
1. Simplicity Equals Versatility
piece and knives in the actual world are often tweak for specific determination , but here ’s a little secret : The more fox out the gun or knife , the less virtual it becomes .
Every accessory , modification or addition of something “ nerveless ” narrows the function of the throttle or knife .
There ’s a reason the most popular piece and tongue in realism are also the most mundane . Simplicity equalise versatility , and I ’m betting your fiber require a truckload of the latter .
Which do you use more often on a day-after-day basis : a steak knife or a Swiss Army Knife ? The steak tongue might be signify for cutting meat , but you believably apply it for scores of other tasks , from prepping vegetables to opening mail .
Despite all the role it tries to fill up , the Swiss Army Knife is actually less functional from a practical standpoint . It requires a specific motive before it ’s used .
Instead of creating a crossbow that fires arrows and bombs and uses a backup pistol embed in the blueprint , adhere to a dedicated weapon that can do a single thing well . Give the graphic symbol a freestanding backup pistol rather of building it into the crossbow .
2. Keep Technology Consistent
That conjectural crossbow brings up a great item . Why would a character stock both a crossbow and a small-arm ? If gunpowder is available in the setting , why swear on out-of-date applied science ?
You might retrieve of reason why , but keep the tech consistent with the timeline of your universe .
One way to do this is to trace the filiation of the weapon system you ’re creating . For representative , in the genuine universe , there ’s a clear evolution from the Colt Single Action Army revolver introduce in 1873 ( aka The Gun that Won the West ) to the revolving door of today . Manufacturers build upon the SAA ’s successful pattern to produce fresh pistol .
fortune are a similar evolution took place over sentence with your fantasy weapon . One character might use something from early in the timeline and another from later on , but at least there ’s system of logic behind what ’s being used .
3. Define the Weapon and Stick to It
This is an area writers struggle with even when depicting real - humanity firearms . Their throttle ( and bullets ) wreathe up doing all sorting of things they never were designed to do .
take what your weapon does and stick to it . forever rolling out new functionality not only break the first decimal point on this lean , it can come across a small like Batman ’s public utility belt . ( And nobody likesdouble mumbo jumbo ) .
I remember this is easier to pull off with fancy weapons , since they ’re costless from the contaminant of pop culture that drive so many blunders .
4. Don’t Forget the Ammo
The gun that never runs out of ammo is a classic trope from thrillers , horse opera and crime fiction that is hopefully on its way out .
In phantasy , you may very well stargaze up a weapon that never involve to be reloaded . If that ’s not the example , you ’ll take to give your character access to more ammo .
That ’s where things become sticky , because I ’m betting your theatrical role is n’t spending the account sitting on a box of extra cartridge for that illusion gun .
If your character is mobile , that mean carrying ammunition . In the real world , this gets heavy in a hastiness . lighten up the load means fewer shots , which can be a challenge for write certain scenes .
I ’m not trying to tell you how many spare cartridges , arrow , explode vials of fleeceable - belly death snake or other ammunition your character needs to carry – but it ’s worth considering if there ’s a specific amount the quality keeps , and how that might impact the story .
5. Match the Weapon to Its User
The inclination in fabrication is to give a character the largest weapon potential . Bigger is better , good ?
Nope . The ability to use a weapon effectively is first and foremost . Any piece instructor would tell you the same .
A strike with a pipsqueak .22 handgun is always better than a miss with a .50 calibre side arm that kicks like a mule .
Even in alternate universes , characters with small hands will struggle to use large weapon system . untried or frail characters wo n’t do well with artillery that kick out a stack of recoil . inexperient characters will take a chance cut themselves in combat with edged weapon .
A fantasy weapon might not play by the same rules of physics , but check it to a reference ’s physical trait and experience deserves considerateness .
6. Do IRL Research at a Sporting Goods Store
They might literally be humankind apart , but the best manner to learn about create fantasy weapons is to render some real guns and knives out in a secure scope . Sign up for a firearm division from a local teacher , visit a sporting commodity stock , attend a gun or knife show , or hit the shot reach .
There ’s no replacement for hands - on experience , and you ’ll harvest benefit regardless of the far - fetched arm you woolgather up .
This article originally seem on Better Novel Project and is reprinted here with permission .
About the writer : Benjamin Sobieck runscrimefictionbook.comand authoredA Writer ’s Guide To Weapons , a practical reference for using piece and knives in fabrication .
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