History FantasyGunControl / TabletopGames

** In ''TabletopGame/{{Banestorm}}'', humans arrived from Earth (or ''[[TabletopGame/GURPSInfiniteWorlds an]]'' Earth) about a thousand years ago. There have been subsequent influxes of Earth humans, some relatively recently, so you'd expect guns to at least be known. Except that the Ministry of Serendipity hunts down and mindwipes anyone with alien ideas that threaten the status quo.

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}:

** ''Dungeon Fantasy'' doesn't worry overmuch about setting details when there are dungeons to explore, but the default is guns don't exist simply because that's usual in the genre. ''Pyramid'' vol 3 #36, however, includes a musketeer [[CharacterClasses career]], but notes that ''only'' musketeers have access to this strange new technology. (It also says it's up to the GM if the musketeer's weapons use regular gunpowder or some alchemical concoction that's harder to replicate because regular gunpowder doesn't work -- the demolisher career in the same book [dwarven explosives expert] assumes the latter.)

** The Empire, Dwarfs, and Ogres make extensive use of handguns, pistols, cannons, mortars, volley guns, and rockets. Oh, and steam-powered tanks and ''helicopters''. They're pretty much objective improvements over their muscle-powered equivalents, mainly balanced out by cost; e.g. an Imperial Handgunner is 9 points while an Imperial Archer is only 5, and a dwarf bolt thrower is 45 points to a cannon's 100. Some editions (e.g. 6e) actually make it clear that the Empire ''only'' uses gunpowder ranged weapons in their regular army, with catapults and ballistae entirely absent and archers and crossbowmen classed alongside the Free Companies as militia rather than proper troops (and even the Free Companies have a smattering of firearms in their bands). The other Old World human nations are in the same boat as the Empire, though seemingly a bit behind - it's noted in ''Dogs of War'' 5e that the crossbow is still more common than the handgun in the Southern Realms. The [[{{Wutai}} Cathayans]] also use a lot of gunpowder, though their weapons are less common and more primitive than the Empire's.

** The Empire, Dwarfs, and Ogres make extensive use of handguns, pistols, cannons, mortars, volley guns, and rockets. Oh, and steam-powered tanks and ''helicopters''. They're pretty much objective improvements over their muscle-powered equivalents, mainly balanced out by cost; e.g. an Imperial Handgunner is 9 points while an Imperial Archer is only 5, and a dwarf bolt thrower is 45 points to a cannon's 100. Some editions (e.g. 6e) actually make it clear that the Empire ''only'' uses gunpowder ranged weapons in their regular army, with catapults and ballistae entirely absent and archers and crossbowmen classed alongside the Free Companies as militia rather than proper troops (and even the Free Companies have a smattering of firearms in their bands). The other Old World human nations are in the same boat as the Empire. The [[{{Wutai}} Cathayans]] also use a lot of gunpowder, though their weapons are less common and more primitive than the Empire's.

** The Empire, Dwarfs, and Ogres make extensive use of handguns, pistols, cannons, mortars, volley guns, and rockets. Oh, and steam-powered tanks and ''helicopters''. They're pretty much objective improvements over their muscle-powered equivalents, mainly balanced out by cost; e.g. an Imperial Handgunner is 9 points while an Imperial Archer is only 5, and a dwarf bolt thrower is 45 points to a cannon's 100. Some editions (e.g. 6e) actually make it clear that the Empire ''only'' uses gunpowder ranged weapons, with catapults and ballistae entirely absent and archers and crossbowmen are classed alongside the Free Companies as militia rather than proper troops (and even the Free Companies have a smattering of firearms in their bands). The other Old World human nations are in the same boat as the Empire. The [[{{Wutai}} Cathayans]] also use a lot of gunpowder, though their weapons are less common and more primitive than the Empire's.

** The Empire, Dwarfs, and Ogres make extensive use of handguns, pistols, cannons, mortars, volley guns, and rockets. Oh, and steam-powered tanks and ''helicopters''. They're pretty much objective improvements over their muscle-powered equivalents, mainly balanced out by cost; e.g. an Imperial Handgunner is 9 points while an Imperial Archer is only 5, and a dwarf bolt thrower is 70 points to a cannon's 120. Some editions (e.g. 6e) actually make it clear that the Empire ''only'' uses gunpowder ranged weapons, with catapults and ballistae entirely absent and archers and crossbowmen are classed alongside the Free Companies as militia rather than proper troops (and even the Free Companies have a smattering of firearms in their bands). The other Old World human nations are in the same boat as the Empire. The [[{{Wutai}} Cathayans]] also use a lot of gunpowder, though their weapons are less common and more primitive than the Empire's.

** The Empire and the Dwarfs (''especially'' the Dwarfs) make extensive use of handguns, pistols, cannons, mortars, volley guns, and rockets. Oh, and steam-powered tanks and ''helicopters''. They're pretty much objective improvements over their muscle-powered equivalents, mainly balanced out by cost; e.g. an Imperial Handgunner is 9 points while an Imperial Archer is only 5, and a dwarf bolt thrower is 70 points to a cannon's 120. Some editions (e.g. 6e) actually make it clear that the Empire ''only'' uses gunpowder ranged weapons, with catapults and ballistae entirely absent and archers and crossbowmen are classed alongside the Free Companies as militia rather than proper troops (and even the Free Companies have a smattering of firearms in their bands).

** The Empire and the Dwarfs (''especially'' the Dwarfs) make extensive use of handguns, pistols, cannons, mortars, volley guns, and rockets. Oh, and steam-powered tanks and ''helicopters''. They're pretty much objective improvements over their muscle-powered equivalents, mainly balanced out by cost; e.g. an Imperial Handgunner is 9 points while an Imperial Archer is only 5, and a dwarf bolt thrower is 70 points to a cannon's 120.

** The Empire and the Dwarfs (''especially'' the Dwarfs) make extensive use of handguns, pistols, cannons, mortars, volley guns, and rockets. Oh, and steam-powered tanks and ''helicopters''.

** Played 100% straight with the elves. While there's nothing in WFRP preventing an elven character from using them, the elven factions as a whole do not make use of firearms. The Wood Elf factions have the excuse of being primitive Iron Age tribes (and most of their bows being magical giving them performance rivaling guns), but the High and Dark Elves use the same standard bows, crossbows, and ballistae that they've had for thousands of years rather than mass-producing arquebuses. Note that literally every civilization in reality with the means to do so shifted over to cannons and guns as soon as they learned it was possible - see for example the quick adoption of the arquebus and Euroeapn-style cannons all over Asia (most notably Japan) after the Portuguese ventures there in the early 16th century. In-universe no reason is given as to why they handicap themselves so severely other than a vague allusion to [[CantArgueWithElves haughty superiority]], which falls pretty flat when you remember all the other compromises they're willing to make for the sake of expediency (such as, in the Dark Elves' case, ''openly allying with Chaos'').

** Played 100% straight with the elves. While there's nothing in WFRP preventing an elven character from using them, the elven factions as a whole do not make use of firearms. The Wood Elf factions have the excuse of being primitive Iron Age tribes (and most of their bows being magical giving them performance rivaling guns), but the High and Dark Elves use the same standard bows, crossbows, and ballistae that they've had for thousands of years rather than mass-producing arquebuses. Note that literally every civilization in reality with the means to do so shifted over to cannons and guns as soon as they learned it was possible - see for example the quick adoption of the arquebus and Euroeapn-style cannons all over Asia (most notably Japan) after the Portuguese ventures there in the early 16th century. In-universe no reason is given as to why they handicap themselves so severely other than a vague allusion to [[CantArguesWithElves haughty superiority]], which falls pretty flat when you remember all the other compromises they're willing to make for the sake of expediency (such as, in the Dark Elves' case, ''openly allying with Chaos'').

** In ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'', rules are provided for gunpowder weapons but their use is discouraged by all the limitations put on them -- they are extremely rare, extremely expensive both to purchase and to maintain, and they are prone to misfires (capable of actually killing the wielder with a bad roll) to boot. That said they outclass all but [[DiscOneNuke the mighty elfbow]] for sheer damage if, ''if'' they manage to work and hit. Hochland Long Rifles do not share the same accuracy and reliability issues, but they are bloody expensive even for firearms and even if you could pry it from the owners' cold, dead fingers, rest assured their family will spare no expense in getting it back.
*** Amusingly, the Bretonnian supplement gave us a look at the statute decreeing Fantasy Gun Control. [[LoopholeAbuse A strict reading doesn't support a ban on firearms]]. It bans [[ExactWords the use of crossbows on Bretonnian soil]], but it hasn't been updated since the introduction of black powder weaponry, although including black powder weapons in the ban is generally considered within the spirit of the law. However there is a movement in the port city of L'Anguille calling for either a stricter reading or an explicit amendment of the law, so they can openly upgrade the harbour defences with cannon.

* Played straight in Redspire Game's D20 dark fantasy ''Dark Legacies'', which is a real head-scratcher. The game itself has steam-driven power armour, land battleships powered by coal and other steam-driven vehicles, flamethrowers and automatic crossbows that are fed with ammo belts (the belt-fed automatic crossbows have their own big brother in a version that uses a steam engine to recrank). But no gun...the closest thing is a weapon called the bolt cannon, which is a recently invented cannon that shoots heavy bolts by detonating a small bomb inside. What is especially weird is that Dark Legacies takes place in a future Earth which had survived a demon invasion. Yes there is magic but it's fairly weak, has many drawbacks and very rare. Not to mention that the laws of physics hadn't changed to make guns unusable. It's just that somehow, humanity and its allied race of tinker gnomes have somehow never re-invented gunpower weapons or found any surviving examples from military depots, gun shops etc...

** ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}'' has Giff -- a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy race of mercenary-minded]] [[BeastMan humanoid hippopotami]]. They love firearms, to the point of ''making the big cannon a structural element of a ship'' ("[[http://www.spelljammer.org/ships/deckplans/GreatBombard.gif Great Bombard]]"), ''with its muzzle useable as a ram'', and using smokepowder as a currency. Others usually avoid firearms, because fire is [[StuffBlowingUp unusable]] in phlogiston, powder magazines are [[StuffBlowingUp dangerous]] if hit and smokepowder isn't as cheap as catapult stones. ''Cloakmaster'' cycle shows both sides of the issue.

** Subverted in the ''TabletopGame/{{Dragonlance}}'' setting, where it's noted that some enterprising tinker gnomes have created their own versions of firearms. Most people don't use them, since tinker gnomes are notorious for their {{Rube Goldberg|Device}}-esque BunglingInventor tendencies; the kind of logic tinker gnomes use would mean that a simple musket would end up thirty feet long, mounted on a cart, and able to make you a sandwich, play your theme song, and put on a puppet show...but probably not actually shoot bullets.
** TableTopGame/{{Greyhawk}} campaign setting

*** One issue of ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' magazine took the Greyhawk world a few centuries into the future and postulated jet fighters dogfighting dragons and a gunpowerless magiteck rifle: the rifle fired by teleporting the projectile close to the sun, allowing it an hour to accelerate due to the sun's gravity, then teleporting it back combined with a time-travel spell so it returned an instant after it left. Gunpowder-using guns were also mentioned as being an outdated technology, still in use by dwarves.

** In the ''TableTopGame/{{Mystara}}'' campaign setting, this is played with in odd ways:

*** In the Hollow World campaign setting, which is really part of the Mystara setting, there is a valley containing high-tech elves, but their technology is really {{Magitek}}.

** Played with. There's a magical gunpowder equivalent which is used in guns... But there's no projectile. The "guns" just shoot a stream of fire like a miniature flamethrower. The in-canon explanation is that the guns originated during the Primordial War, when the tech-advancement of the Solars would've gone from crossbows to lasers in only a few years.
** In First Edition, there's even a martial art dedicated to the use of these weapons. Second Edition has ''two''. This means you could be badass [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot super-ninja dual-wielding flamethrower-pistols]]. This is standard fare for ''Exalted''. And let's not forget the {{BFG}} of the setting, a shoulder-mounted version that can fire molten-hot pearls covered in magical napalm.
** Actual standard projectile handguns were introduced recently in the form of "prayer pieces." In typical ''Exalted'' fashion, they are made of gold and fire golden bullets that are propelled by ''the faith generated from miniature shrines'' engraved on the barrel.
** A rather clear case of GunsAreWorthless, too. Whatever assorted "firearms" of the setting can do, [[AnnoyingArrows arrows]] can do just as good or better, especially considering there are arrow-tips with almost every projectile type avialable for guns. And in the hands of one of the namesake Exalted, soon enough a toothbrush and a nuclear bomb become equally deadly.

* The Swedish game ''Gondica'' has a Renaissance-esque technological level, and makes swords still important by

* So far in ''TabletopGame/KingsOfWar'' the only factions that use gun powder weapons are the Dwarfs and Abyssal Dwarfs. The Dwarfs possess rifles and cannons as common weapons, while the Abyssal Dwarfs combine alchemy and dark magic with their weapons.

* In ''TableTopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'', gunpowder was was introduced to Rokugan by gaijin traders but was declared supremely illegal after the gaijin used cannons to kill the Empress. This doesn't stop {{ninja}}s from using smoke- and firebombs (which are dangerous to the user as well).
* The ''Mage Knight'' miniatures game had a whole faction of gun-toting Dwarves & Humans, specifically as a counter to the setting's technomages. They had everything from flintlocks and arquebus to chain guns and ''personal cannons.''

** About six years later, Kaladesh, an artifact-oriented world that actually ''did'' use advanced technology, didn't use guns for nearly the opposite reason: the inevitable grimy, smokey aesthetic that comes with firearms didn't match the clean, shiny appearance of the technology on the plane. As a result, most weapons are [[LaserBlade Laser Blades]] or good old fashioned [[RayGun Ray Guns]].

* ''TableTopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'':

* ''TableTopGame/RuneQuest'': Although most of the world has approximately Bronze Age technology, the Mostali (Dwarfs) have high-tech superweapons called "guns", which they guard jealously. On the other hand this is partially played straight thanks to the dwarves, themselves, as they send ClockworkCreature gremlins to sabotage any human-made technology they deem too dangerous (not to mention automatically assume it has been stolen from them -- and are admittedly right fairly often), ensuring that it will either work badly, or not at all.

** In ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'', rules are provided for gunpowder weapons but their use is discouraged by all the limitations put on them - they are extremely rare, extremely expensive both to purchase and to maintain, and they are prone to misfires (capable of actually killing the wielder with a bad roll) to boot. That said they outclass all but [[DiscOneNuke the mighty elfbow]] for sheer damage if, ''if'' they manage to work and hit. Hochland Long Rifles do not share the same accuracy and reliability issues, but they are bloody expensive even for firearms and even if you could pry it from the owners' cold, dead fingers, rest assured their family will spare no expense in getting it back.

** A magically-unstable region, the Mana Wastes, is home to black powder firearms technology, and maybe some early rifles, revolvers, and shotguns. Another region, Numeria, is a ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian''-style land where an alien spaceship crashed. There you can find androids (available as player characters) and machinegun-toting {{Spider Tank}}s. Other planets in Golarion's solar system have even higher levels of technology, such as cybernetics and more spaceships.

** A magically-unstable region is home to black powder firearms technology, and maybe some early rifles, revolvers, and shotguns. Another region is a ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian''-style land where an alien spaceship crashed. There you can find androids (available as player characters) and machinegun-toting {{Spider Tank}}s. Other planets in Golarion's solar system have even higher levels of technology, such as cybernetics and more spaceships.
** The Ultimate Combat supplement for Pathfinder spends some time discussing various levels of FantasyGunControl, from 'there aren't even cannons around' to 'Showdown at the Orctown Corral', and noting how they can affect the tenor of the game. The Gunslinger class assumes that early firearms are an emerging technology with the secret of their manufacture just starting to leak out.
** Then the "Reign of Winter" Adventure Path revolved around tracking down the great witch Literature/BabaYaga with the trail leading the party to her homeland: [[spoiler:[[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI Russia, circa 1918]], thus facilitating the addition of several WWI-era Russian firearms (and a British tank) and even a Fighter Archetype based around trench warfare to the game.]] A later AP, "Iron Gods", takes place in the land with the crashed ship, and necessitated a brand-new sourcebook with technology up to laser weapons.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'':
** Played with. There's a magical gunpowder equivalent which is used in guns... But there's no projectile. The "guns" just shoot a stream of fire like a miniature flamethrower. The in-canon explanation is that the guns originated during the Primordial War, when the tech-advancement of the Solars would've gone from crossbows to lasers in only a few years.
** In First Edition, there's even a martial art dedicated to the use of these weapons. Second Edition has ''two''. This means you could be badass [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot super-ninja dual-wielding flamethrower-pistols]]. This is standard fare for ''Exalted''. And let's not forget the {{BFG}} of the setting, a shoulder-mounted version that can fire molten-hot pearls covered in magical napalm.
** Actual standard projectile handguns were introduced recently in the form of "prayer pieces." In typical ''Exalted'' fashion, they are made of gold and fire golden bullets that are propelled by ''the faith generated from miniature shrines'' engraved on the barrel.
** A rather clear case of GunsAreWorthless, too. Whatever assorted "firearms" of the setting can do, [[AnnoyingArrows arrows]] can do just as good or better, especially considering there are arrow-tips with almost every projectile type avialable for guns. And in the hands of one of the namesake Exalted, soon enough a toothbrush and a nuclear bomb become equally deadly.
* Aversion: The furry Tabletop Game ''TabletopGame/{{Ironclaw}}'', which features a Renaissance-era technology level, features guns. They're portrayed with all the limitations guns of that era had: they have a chance to misfire, they're expensive, they have a very long reload time, they can't work well in rain, etc. On the other hand they do twice the damage that other weapons in the system do.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' has some notable aversions:
** The Empire and the Dwarfs (''especially'' the Dwarfs) make extensive use of handguns, pistols, cannons, mortars, volley guns, and rockets. Oh, and steam-powered tanks and ''helicopters''.
** Even more notable are the Skaven, who wield sniper rifles, flamethrowers, [[IncrediblyLamePun Ratling]] [[GatlingGood guns]], laser cannons and... a ''nuke''. A lot of which hilariously backfires.
** However, the Knights of Bretonnia are a straight example, since they ''deliberately'' enforce Fantasy Gun Control in their own kingdom. In fact, they have Fantasy Gun Control in Bretonnia so hard some knights have [[GunsAreWorthless magical protection from guns]] just [[ThePowerOfHate because they hate them so much]]. The blessings from The Lady of the Lake also helps.
** Back in the day there was a lot of bleed between ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', meaning that futuristic warriors could have beastman troops, toting automatic rifles and riding bikes. And high fantasy armies could contain {{Powered Armour}}ed mooks with [[AbnormalAmmo boltguns]]. [[RetCon This doesn't happen anymore]].
** In ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'', rules are provided for gunpowder weapons but their use is discouraged by all the limitations put on them - they are extremely rare, extremely expensive both to purchase and to maintain, and they are prone to misfires (capable of actually killing the wielder with a bad roll) to boot. That said they outclass all but [[DiscOneNuke the mighty elfbow]] for sheer damage if, ''if'' they manage to work and hit. Hochland Long Rifles do not share the same accuracy and reliability issues, but they are bloody expensive even for firearms and even if you could pry it from the owners' cold, dead fingers, rest assured their family will spare no expense in getting it back.
*** Amusingly, the Bretonnian supplement gave us a look at the statute decreeing Fantasy Gun Control. [[LoopholeAbuse A strict reading doesn't support a ban on firearms]]. It bans [[ExactWords the use of crossbows on Bretonnian soil]], but it hasn't been updated since the introduction of black powder weaponry, although including black powder weapons in the ban is generally considered within the spirit of the law. However there is a movement in the port city of L'Anguille calling for either a stricter reading or an explicit amendment of the law, so they can openly upgrade the harbour defences with cannon.
*** The Bretonnian navy, even more amusingly, packs its ships with every cannon it can lay hands on. Since the Bretonnian navy doesn't operate [[ExactWords on Bretonnian soil]], there AintNoRule that says they can't.
* The ''Mage Knight'' miniatures game had a whole faction of gun-toting Dwarves & Humans, specifically as a counter to the setting's technomages. They had everything from flintlocks and arquebus to chain guns and ''personal cannons.''
* Averted in ''TabletopGame/IronKingdoms'' the setting makes use of guns for nearly every faction in the ''Warmachine'' game.
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'':
** The makers have stated this trope explicitly a number of times, but apparently [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=6499 muskets]] [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=201149 do]] exist in some planes. Also, the [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=33695 Goblin Sharpshooter]] appears to be using some sort of [[GatlingGood Gatling gun]]. And sometimes they go straight to magic ray guns. Guns, nothing. This game has [[http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?&id=1133 rocket launchers]].
** A very straightforward practical application of this trope, invoked by the publisher. Some time ago Magic used to have [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=45484 power armors]] and [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=21400 laser-armed spaceships]] on top of everything abovesaid (which if you check up editions is rather old, too). Nowadays, however, they announced they'd like to keep game's flavor a lot more "fantasy'sh", therefore firearms are remarkably absent from all the recent Magic sets.
** This became one of the founding pillars of the style of Scars of Mirrodin, where combining with the Machine-ideology of Phyrexia on a wholly metallic plane obviously had the implication that high-tech robots would be running amok, the designers specifically said that while things like armor, gears, levers and pistons can appear, they are to be used so that they are in no way mechanically sound, and must appear as though they're being powered by magic. The result is that most of the inhabitants had high-tech apparatuses used solely to swing around giant blades, and very little way of guns appear.
** About six years later, Kaladesh, an artifact-oriented world that actually ''did'' use advanced technology, didn't use guns for nearly the opposite reason: the inevitable grimy, smokey aesthetic that comes with firearms didn't match the clean, shiny appearance of the technology on the plane. As a result, most weapons are [[LaserBlade Laser Blades]] or good old fashioned [[RayGun Ray Guns]].
** Averted on Ixalan, where the pirates of the Brazen Coalition use cannons and muskets.

* ''TableTopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'':
** A magically-unstable region is home to black powder firearms technology, and maybe some early rifles, revolvers, and shotguns. Another region is a ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian''-style land where an alien spaceship crashed. There you can find androids (available as player characters) and machinegun-toting {{Spider Tank}}s. Other planets in Golarion's solar system have even higher levels of technology, such as cybernetics and more spaceships.
** The Ultimate Combat supplement for Pathfinder spends some time discussing various levels of FantasyGunControl, from 'there aren't even cannons around' to 'Showdown at the Orctown Corral', and noting how they can affect the tenor of the game. The Gunslinger class assumes that early firearms are an emerging technology with the secret of their manufacture just starting to leak out.
** Then the "Reign of Winter" Adventure Path revolved around tracking down the great witch Literature/BabaYaga with the trail leading the party to her homeland: [[spoiler:[[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI Russia, circa 1918]], thus facilitating the addition of several WWI-era Russian firearms (and a British tank) and even a Fighter Archetype based around trench warfare to the game.]] A later AP, "Iron Gods", takes place in the land with the crashed ship, and necessitated a brand-new sourcebook with technology up to laser weapons.
* ''TableTopGame/RuneQuest'': Although most of the world has approximately Bronze Age technology, the Mostali (Dwarfs) have high-tech superweapons called "guns", which they guard jealously. On the other hand this is partially played straight thanks to the dwarves, themselves, as they send ClockworkCreature gremlins to sabotage any human-made technology they deem too dangerous (not to mention automatically assume it has been stolen from them -- and are admittedly right fairly often), ensuring that it will either work badly, or not at all.
* In ''TableTopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'', gunpowder was was introduced to Rokugan by gaijin traders but was declared supremely illegal after the gaijin used cannons to kill the Empress. This doesn't stop {{ninja}}s from using smoke- and firebombs (which are dangerous to the user as well).
* Averted in Swedish tabletop RPG ''Drakar & Demoner'': the ''TabletopGame/{{Chronopia}}'' module mentions large siege cannons made by the dwarves. ...but in previous editions of the game, it was specifically noted that using out of character knowledge of the correct proportions of charcoal, nitrate and sulfur would only produce a slow burning fire, as the laws of physics in the game world was different than on earth.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Banestorm}}'' has very literal Fantasy Gun Control, in the form of a conspiracy of wizards who keep the technology suppressed, both through flagrant destruction of stores of gunpowder whenever they're found, and by wiping the minds of anyone with the knowledge of making it. (In this setting it's not just a matter of local inventors getting clever ideas, but also of the eponymous still-ongoing banestorms every now and then dropping people and their equipment from alternate realities -- explicitly including modern-day Earth -- right into it.)

* Averted in ''TableTopGame/SeventhSea,'' since its setting includes musketeers and pirates.
* Partially averted in ''Lace and Steel,'' another tabletop game with a ''Three Musketeers''-inspired setting. Guns exist and are common, but they are considerably slower than blades.
* In ''TableTopGame/BlueRose'', although setting is generally around the tech level of TheCavalierYears, there are no guns...but there are "crystons," which are basically just the {{Magitek}} equivalent of flintlock pistols (and are likely a subtle ShoutOut to the flashstones from the ''Literature/{{Dragaera}}'' books, mentioned under FantasyGunControl/{{Literature}}).

* Played straight in Redspire Game's D20 dark fantasy ''Dark Legacies'', which is a real head-scratcher. The game itself has steam-driven power armour, land battleships powered by coal and other steam-driven vehicles, flamethrowers and automatic crossbows that are fed with ammo belts (the belt-fed automatic crossbows have their own big brother in a version that uses a steam engine to recrank). But no gun...the closest thing is a weapon called the bolt cannon, which is a recently invented cannon that shoots heavy bolts by detonating a small bomb inside. What is especially weird is that Dark Legacies takes place in a future Earth which had survived a demon invasion. Yes there is magic but it's fairly weak, has many drawbacks and very rare. Not to mention that the laws of physics hadn't changed to make guns unusable. It's just that somehow, humanity and its allied race of tinker gnomes have somehow never re-invented gunpower weapons or found any surviving examples from military depots, gun shops etc...

* In ''TabletopGame/TheDarkEye'' black powder is known and used for fireworks. Military use is made impossible by the fact that larger concentrations of the stuff attract mischievous fire spirits, although the dwarves are rumored to have found a way around that problem and may be stockpiling firearms for their version of Ragnarok.

* ''TabletopGame/BladesInTheDark'' has a different interpretation of the trope. Being set in a pseudo-Victorian setting, firearms do exist, and are quite prolific. However, the Immortal Emperor restricts the citizenry of his Empire to only use breech-loading single-shot pistols and rifles, and even the latter require registry. The Imperial Military, however, use the bolt-action rifles, revolvers, and early self-loading pistols you'd expect from a Victorian setting, ensuring that the Empire keeps its edge over any potential rebellions. Getting their hands on Imperial-grade weaponry is a go-to "big score" for crews of Scoundrels in Duskvol, if they are willing to risk the only Tier VI faction in the game coming down on them like the wrath of an angry god.

* In "TabletopGame/OrbisAerden:ReignOfTheAccursed (think Vampire the Masquerade but set in a completely fictional world and with more HP Lovecraft themes). The Godspawn have worked to stunt technological growth to help keep themselves hidden from human society. This means that despite Aerden being at about the 19th century level; steam power is unknown, and guns are so expensive that it's still viable to wield swords and wear chain mail.

* In ''TableTopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'', gunpowder was introduced to Rokugan by gaijin traders. Said gaijin later attempt to conquer the capital with gunboats, killing the Empress in the process. From then on, all gaijin were forbidden from entering Rokugan and possession of gunpowder is punishable by death. This doesn't stop {{ninja}}s from using smoke- and firebombs (which are dangerous to the user as well).

* In ''TableTopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'', using gunpowder is dishonorable and is illegal by Imperial law. Which, of course, doesn't stop {{ninja}}s from using smoke- and firebombs (which are dangerous to the user as well).

* In ''TabletopGame/TheDarkEye'' black powder is known and used for fireworks. Military use is made impossible by the fact that larger concentrations of the stuff attract mischievous fire spirits, although the dwarves are rumored to have found a way around that problem and may be stockpiling firearms for their version of Ragnarok.

*** The series explicitly states that gunpowder does not work due to the divine will of Gond, god of invention and creativity. Instead, Gond allows an alchemical substitute called "smokepowder" to exist in the hands of his church, so that its use is easily controlled. There's also a Thayan variant -- very clumsy bombards using some liquid propellant, not scalable down to portable guns. Also, ''pneumatic'' needle guns were mentioned as a typical trick of drow commoners (''The Drow of the Underdark''): it's easier to conceal than a crossbow. Ed Greenwood even wrote a few articles on this issue (the first being named "Firearms: First guns were [[CoolButInefficient not much fun]]") for Magazine/DragonMagazine.

*** 5th Edition does provide Artificers with the Gunsmith archetype, allowing them access to the powerful Thunder Cannon. However, this is not exactly a firearm that would be mass produced, as the Thunder Cannon is a piece of {{Magitek}} that only the Gunsmith themselves can figure out [[OnlyICanMakeItGo how to fire]], let alone craft ammo for and maintain the weapon's functionality.

** In ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'', rules are provided for gunpowder weapons but their use is discouraged by all the limitations put on them - they are extremely rare, extremely expensive both to purchase and to maintain, they are prone to misfires (capable of actually killing the wielder, with a bad roll) and they don't do any more damage than the cheaper and more reliable bow and arrow.

** ''TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}}'' has Giff -- a [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy race of mercenary-minded]] [[PettingZooPeople humanoid hippopotami]]. They love firearms, to the point of ''making the big cannon a structural element of a ship'' ("[[http://www.spelljammer.org/ships/deckplans/GreatBombard.gif Great Bombard]]"), ''with its muzzle useable as a ram'', and using smokepowder as a currency. Others usually avoid firearms, because fire is [[StuffBlowingUp unusable]] in phlogiston, powder magazines are [[StuffBlowingUp dangerous]] if hit and smokepowder isn't as cheap as catapult stones. ''Cloakmaster'' cycle shows both sides of the issue.

*** The Bretonnian navy, even more amusingly, packs its ships with every cannon it can lay hands on. Since the Bretonnian navy doesn't operate [[ExactWords on Bretonnian soil]], ThereAintNoRule that says they can't.