Seeking ideas for adding blowguns to Death in the Dry Continent

[chicklewis]

Hi, friendly denizens, I'm planning a Death in the DRY continent game and want to include my unit of Dyak Borneo Headhunter warriors, some of whom carry long blowguns.  Those 'Sea Dyaks' may paddle and sail all the way to the Torres Straights to encounter my native Australian musket men.  I don't think Ive ever seen blowguns included in wargame rulels, but I'll bet they are out there.   What variant rules might work well to include blowdarts into the excellent Death in the Dark Continent ruleset?  Thanks in avance for any inspiration.

Chick Lewis

[fred]

War of the Ring has blowpipes (not that I recall them from LoTR???)

Range is 12", where shortbows are 18" and longbows 24"
They also get an extra attack dice compared with most archers, so 9 dice per company rather than 8

One of the big advantages of blowpipes is that they are very quiet to fire, and can be aimed through foliage - so giving the firer some kind of ambush advantage seems reasonable.

[nicknorthstar]

I'd use them as skirmishers with range of 3".The interesting 'silent ambush' option could be that if in ambush they can fire, but that firing doesn't reveal their position?

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

I'd suggest making the darts poisoned, though I'm not sure how that works out in game mechanics. I tried blowing one of those once in Borneo, takes a lot of lung power!

[FierceKitty]

Nobody gives a pilum or throwing axe a shooting effect these days, but I'd be willing to bet they'd carry further than Sherlock Holmes darts. Perhaps blowguns could be given a free first round attack in heavy forest?

[carlos marighela]

'Gathered in the undergrowth crouched a group of small, lithe and almost naked men, blowing on their pipes, making a 'whap-whap' sound as they ejaculated their tiny missiles towards the newcomers. After causing considerable consternation and alarm, a constable was summoned and the offending group were, at least temporarily, ejected from Hampstead Heath and its surroundings.....'