Pyramid #3/57 – The Nock Volley Gun
This is an article-by-article review of Pyramid #3/57: Gunplay. While I don’t usually do this, the subject matter of this issue is just what this blog ordered, and even if one of my own articles is in it, I really think every article, and nearly every word, of this issue is worth reading. So, a series of (hopefully) shortish posts. You can find the installments on Modern Warfighter: Gear here, as well as The Devil’s Chariot, Brock-Avery Guns, and Dodge This.
The Nock Volley Gun (Graeme Davis)
For those who like their firearms huge, impractical, and conferring massive bonuses to Intimidation, the Nock Volley Gun is for you. This article details a very real piece of kit, giving the weapon’s history, description, and a brief bit on use.
History
Invented by the same person who gave us the double-barreled shotgun, the weapon was created to deal with boarding actions on ships. As mentioned in the article, the prototype had two issues: bone-cracking recoil and a tendency to set your ship on fire.
Oops.
Slow to load and hazardous to fire, apparently it never really took off. Go figure.
The Gun
The weapon description is complete and focuses mostly on the rules and optional rules (six of them, on Recoil, Misfires (common with this weapon), Muzzle Blast, Intimidation, Special Powder, and a much needed Speedloader.
Each section is well laid out, brief but informative, and tells a prospective GM or player what they need to know to capture the feel and use of the weapon in play.
Adventures
The weapon only saw a limited period of actual service (1780-1815) and would be suitable for Age of Sail type stuff. Otherwise it features in a few TV and Movie appearances, and so would make a nice fit there.
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| Hard to see in the smoke, but Master and Commander features one! |
Parting Shot
A short review, but this article delivers. It’s all you wanted to know about a unique piece of kit, with optional rules to simulate why this gun might have been designed, but also ultimately failed. It’s tightly written, rules focused, and terse in a good way. When you finish, you will know whether your character (or a flavorful NPC) might want to carry one (gah! heavy!), or how to use one if you stumble across one mounted to a ship’s rail.
There are also enough optional rules that adding volley concepts to fictional pieces of weaponry are a very real option for game and world-builders. So if you want a volley assault rifle, well, Graeme’s got you covered.
Alright, alright! Bought it already. But so we're clear, it's totally your fault.
I can reluctantly live with that. Steven Marsh thanks you!
Impractical as all hell but still cool and very cinematic!
History seems to concur with your assessment!
Thanks for the kind words! Did you also see my piece on the Puckle Gun in Pyramid #3/52 (along with your own excellent "Delayed Gratification")? Nowhere near as crunchy as this one (it didn't need to be), but I hope people still liked it.