Grimstonefire:
A few proposals of changes/ how to update the Blunderbuss for a new book.
#1
Nothing. Keep as RH
#2
Revert back to WD Presents.
#3
(no firezone)
18" range.
Strength 3
-1 Armour Piercing
First rank fires as normal, with a +1 Strength bonus for each model directly behind them, up to a maximum of 5. No other ranks fire - they just contribute to the Strength of the shots from the front ranks. All to hit penalties are ignored.
#4
Presumably as RH, with this addition:
Allow the entire unit to shoot against a large target (as they can all see it) but they lose any rank modifier to their strength).
#5
(no firezone)
16" Range
Strength 4
-1 Armour Piercing
x2 multiple shots.
Move or shoot.
No to hit modifiers (except large target).
#6
(no firezone)
18" Range
Strength 4
-1 Armour Piercing
2 ranks can fire
To hit modifiers ignored
#7
(no firezone)
18" range
Strength 3
-1 Armour Piercing
3 ranks can fire
To hit modifiers ignored
#8
Presumably as RH.
All models caught in the firezone take one hit per unit strength.
3+ to hit
Behind soft cover a 4+
6+ behind hard cover.
1�?� - 12�?� Strength 4.
12�?� - 18" -1 Strength (regardless of ranks)
#9
20" Range
1" - 10" Strength 4 -2 AS
11" - 20" Strength 3 -1 AS
Fire in 2 ranks
Can fire into combat, but not if chaos dwarfs or bull centaurs can be hit. If firing into combat, victory points go to your opponent for blowing away your own troops (balances this somewhat)
Multi-wound creatures/constructs: as many within range can fire; example if a giant is bearing down on a BB unit of say 20 in two ranks… All 20 can fire and potentially hit the giant.
4+ hits as per the current rules.
Thommy H:
Vote 7! “Change you can believe in.”
Mr_PieChee:
I love the fire zone idea. Its something different and makes CD shooting stand out. I come with the assumption that everyone playing warhammer has the intelligence to quickly grasp the slightly different firing rules. Lets face it, there’s been few problems with things like TK and ogre magic vs the standard laws. Change is good.
Bringing the rules up to date is all that is needed, not a redesign.
my $0.02 (#8)
Border Reiver:
RH rules work and if you can understand the rules of the game, blunderbusses aren’t that hard to explain
Willmark:
RH rules work and if you can understand the rules of the game, blunderbusses aren't that hard to explain
Border Reiver
I don't think understanding is the issue I think its more of a case of 4th/5th edition rules shoe horned into 7th, they stick out like a sore thumb from everything else in 7th.
Grimstonefire:
I’d have to agree with you there willmark.
Several of the above would be easy to implement, possibly even fairly decent in a game, but certain things are just not done in warhammer at the moment; firing in more than one rank (normally), ‘template’ shooting with core etc. I would also include adding then subtracting strength any more than necessary, purely subjective.
This is not to say they couldn’t do these things in 8th, but at the moment they would stick out as being outside the norm imo. We have to remember that rules should be more streamlined the more units you’re likely to have. So being core I would hope working out shooting would be quick and easy.
Thommy H:
Firing in more than one ranks is hardly controversial - it’s an existing mechanic for when a unit is on a hill.
Border Reiver:
Willmark, Grim lets be fair - the firezone stuck out like a sor thumb in 4th/5th ed as well. It’s a unique way for troops to shoot, being a template. The template is not unique to shooting, as many warmachines use it, but it is to missile troops.
Thommy H:
Well there was a lot of inconsistent stuff in 4th/5th Edition. The game is a lot tighter now.
dedwrekka:
Why not do it as a unit rule, rather than a weapon rule:
12" range
Str 4
Hits: Artillery Dice. Add one more artillery dice per full rank after the first (max +2). Discard Misfire results (they do nothing more than meaning that you don’t get those shots). Characters in the front rank have no effect on the firing capability.
So you fire, roll an artillery dice then one per rank beyond the first, discard dice that roll a misfire, and take the remaining results as your number of hits. You get the potential for a huge number of shots (more than previously), and still have enough of the element of chance to make it even.
I don’t think the rules have really gotten that much tighter in recent editions. Look at Ratling guns, Warpfire Throwers, Chaos Warshrines, Anvil of Doom, Giants, Goblin Fanatics, Cauldron of Blood…
Thommy H:
I quite like the artillery dice idea.
Grimstonefire:
Firing in more than one ranks is hardly controversial - it's an existing mechanic for when a unit is on a hill.
Thommy H
I did include the (normally) bit ;) perhaps I should have made that clearer. Normally meaning on level ground, no hill.
How many armies are there that have the capability to fire in more than one rank normally at the moment..? I know they dropped it for HE in 6th, can the WE do that?
Loki:
I say keep i the same, its something very unique that no other army has and that�?Ts what makes it a winner in my book 
Thommy H:
How many armies are there that have the capability to fire in more than one rank normally at the moment..? I know they dropped it for HE in 6th, can the WE do that?
No, no one can as far as I know, but that's not a reason to not include it - no one else has a war machine that follows the monsters and handlers rules, but Hellcannons still exist.
Even if no one else can do it, the rules are already in place and aren't difficult to understand. You fire in one rank normally, two ranks on a hill - so three ranks isn't some kind of crazy mind-bending paradigm shift.
Willmark:
Ultimately I’m fine even with three ranks(if I had to pick something I could live with), my main issue on this is the way it fires against multi wound targets.