Flintlock fantasy is huge right now, with the likes of Brandon Sanderson, Django Wexler, Brian McClellan, Naomi Novik, Jim Butcher, Brent Weeks, Robin Hobb, and several other prominent authors writing in worlds that mix magic with guns. I think the general fantasy audience is moving away from requiring fantasy to be in a particular faux-medieval mould.
I love Sanderson but not for his skills in writing characters but his creativity in combining his unique takes on magic with alternate history settings like steampunk.
For instance in the 2nd Mistborn trilogy the main character can increase or decrease his weight and push away ferromagnetic metals and Sanderson spins some amazing combat scenes out of that and the interaction of guns, trains, nails, metal in the everyday world, etc.
Funnily compared to innistrad crossbows still have a valid reason of existence and usage in that world because they can be made entirely out of wood.
Wasn't your whole argument that it's illogical to have guillotines but no guns since guillotines were used in a period with guns?
From what Rosewater said about them trying it out, I get the sense they're seeing if people like the format and if they do they'll do longer, more elaborate versions for future sets and push them via non-Magic streaming channels, etc.
My argument has always been that Innistrad in general lacks guns, the Guillotine just is another point reaffirming that.
As to the access magic, I haven't watched it because all I needed from it Gaf and Reddit posted anyway. Hence I'm not sure this is the right audience to test it out.
That's exactly what they used in Portal 2, right? People thought those were out of place, and Wizards considers it a failed experiment.
Portal 2 is 18 years past, ask 10 mtg players nowadays what they think of it and 9 will answer what great game that was.
