...so that went places I didn't expect it to.

To make it clear: I wasn't taking grievance with the man disbarring firearms from his own fight.  It's his thread, that's his decision to make.  I simply have been fighting an uphill battle for most of my time as a player to get the majority of my opponents in combat scenarios to accept firearms as being so much as even just [i]valid[/i].  Mostly because of the perpetuated pseudo-reasons already discussed - "they're cheap", "they're boring", "any noob can win with a gun", "nobody can dodge bullets".

Guns aren't any cheaper than anything else that can cause a great deal of damage if it hits.
Guns aren't any more or less boring than anything else - read/watch Trigun, get proof.
A noob with a gun is still a noob.  If you can't deal with the weapon, it's probably not the noob's fault.
If you're trying to dodge the shot after it's fired, you've already made errors.  Even then, yes - a lot of folks can indeed dodge bullets.

I get the argument against firearms in Street Fighter-level lowbie fights - there's a reason no serious military force makes use of non-firearm infantry weapons in a primary capacity anymore.  A man with a rifle is going to be in a better spot to win a fight than a man with anything introduced before rifles existed.  I totally understand wanting to avoid the headache of dealing with guns in a dispowered/low-power setting, and in fact generally agree with the logic as proper firearms use is a game-winner at those levels.

What I cannot accept is the tendency across most everywhere I've been to consider firearms cheap/dirty/"no-skill nub gear" at [i]all[/i] levels of competition, without exception.  Swordsmen?  Awesome, everybody loves them.  Punchers?  Bring it on, everybody loves blood on their knuckles.  Wizards?  Fabulous, let's see some fireworks.  Angels, demons, oni/youkai, vampires, werewolves, all that other supernatural-creature stuff?  Do it up - nothing quite like fighting a monster to get the blood pumping.

Gunslingers?  The nigh-universal response, no matter how competently executed the gunslinger or how interesting/colorful the character behind the sights, is "Get that cheesy bullshit outta here, nub.  GTFO, come back with a real character."

...no.  I like guns.  I love bigass revolvers, the flexibility and sheer style of a giant six-shooter packed with selectable loads.  I love rifles - nobody, nobody, [i]nobody[/i] in this game realizes just how incredibly versatile and dangerous a bayonetted hunting-style long rifle is.  It's a high-powered cannon, a spear, and a maul all in one!  I can shoot you, stab you, or crush your skull - whatever suits the mood!  I love gun mages - my main character Cee fights as a gun mage with nigh-limitless ability to tailor her loads to the situation.  Take the best parts of being a wizard and combine it with the intuitive point-and-click interface and sweet stylin's of a badass gunslinger.  I like snipers - the "oh, [i]shit[/i]" reaction even experienced players often fall into when they realize there's a klick and a half of trapped, mined Gauntlet to run between them and their target is glorious.

[i]I.  Like.  Guns.[/i]  And I ain't gonna put up with any nonsense about how they're cheap, cheesy, or lacking in skill.

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...anyways.  Sorry - just wanted to get that off my chest, I suppose.  Back to your regularly scheduled challenge-arranging.