Antique Weapons

[Sigtrygg]

MegaTraveller probably did this best with its separation of penetration and damage, problem is the implementation is non-intuitive, clunky, and involves multiplication and division to resolve the attack...

I was always a fan of the damage dice reduction system, but this lacks the granularity, so I added two "tags" (as the whipper snappers call them)
AP - armour piercing - halves armour rating
LP - low penetration - increases armour value by half again

 

[rinku]

I'm happy with the current MGT2e system, and numbers. If I pull any firearm on a target, they are under potentially lethal threat. Short range, aiming, skill and a couple of good rolls get you there except against the higher grades of armour that you would expect to shrug it off.

It's not about what the *average* expected damage done might be, but risking a high attack roll plus a high damage one.

Do you feel lucky?

Well, do you, Punk?

(And realistically, the target won't know how good a shot they are...)

 

[Condottiere]

The Romans had aerodynamic lead casted slingshots.

 

[swordtart]

The Romans had aerodynamic lead casted slingshots.

Indeed slings were reputed to have an armour penetrating capability. That needs however to be be considered alongside the lower protection value of the armour of the day. That would not necessarily translate into an ability to penetrate modern or future armour, but Traveller does not distinguish that.

Maybe we should be lowering the protection of all armours by the difference in TL by default.

Armours usually develop to protect against the threats likely to be encountered. Modern ballistics vests don't protect well against pole arms because they don't need to. Riot armour is effective against stones and bricks and is fire proof as rioters don't use swords or shotguns. Once people start using assault weapons (or any firearm in the case of countries that do not allow citizens to carry firearms routinely), the SWAT teams will be called out and their armour will be tailored to that role.

 

[swordtart]

I never has to design an ancient muzzle-loader made with higher TL materials before now using the Field Catalogue. Oh dear, it's going to be a struggle

 

[MonsterX]

Modern ballistics vests don't protect well against pole arms because they don't need to.

You see, you wake up thinking that going to be the case, but then life takes some twists and turns and suddenly you find yourself in a situation.

 

[swordtart]

You see, you wake up thinking that going to be the case, but then life takes some twists and turns and suddenly you find yourself in a situation.

Just another Tuesday

 

[swordtart]

How long does a repeater take to cycle the next round. For it to be better than a single shot it can't be a turn. I was thinking a minor action to cycle it but reloading per the individual rounds rule.

I have complicated it by statting a Kaltoff rifle. These were black powder repeating firearms with up to a 30 round magazine. These are reputed to be safe, and reliable. They were difficult to repair in the field though which is probably why they didn't take off. Cycling the mechanism looks like it could have easily been achieved in a single turn, possibly a single major action though a minor action is pushing it.

I think the ancient ammunition type needs to be split into different traits.

Muzzle-loader causes the Slow Loading trait (and even that can be reduced by using premeasured charges or cartridges). This could also increase for each shot fired as the fouling makes ramming harder. Not all black powder guns are muzzle loaders though.

Smooth Bore would add the Inaccurate trait.

I don't think Unreliable need necessarily apply. Cap and ball pistols were pretty reliable (certainly not failing every 3 shots on average per the rules). If you want to bring the price down you can make them unreliable, just like any gun but in my experience firing black powder muzzle loaders I might get a failed shot once in a dozen shots and that usually only requires repriming to clear it and that is under battlefield conditions. Flints do break (or fall out) and frizzens can get greasy in damp conditions, wheel locks are finicky and get filthy quickly, matchlocks get unreliable in the wet or if the match is damp. None fair well if they are not cleaned before the next days shooting, but that is a result of neglect and the conditions of the day not a function of the weapon itself. I would be happier if they were only unreliable in bad weather or if not maintained properly. I'd also like to see the 10+ line say that the gun doesn't fire but you can try again after spending a minor action re-readying the weapon rather than the shot being wasted. For guns that might take 12 minor actions to reload just having to reprime would be a significant advantage.

Black Powder would result in the Signature trait, but noting a muzzleloader could still use smokeless powder and reduce this by 1 at an appropriate TL (it is always going to look like a firework).

The slow velocity bullet (though often no slower than a regular pistol) might do reduced damage, but there is no need to give them a penetration penalty as well, especially such a hefty one. Ditto smoothbores, even a buckshot version will push each pellet out faster than many pistols. The lower damage already makes armour effective, there is not need to make it invulnerable.

 

[MonsterX]

Weapon traits like "inaccurate" and "unreliable" always bring to my mind this passage from Mark Twain's Roughing It:

"He wore in his belt an old original "Allen" revolver, such as irreverent people called a "pepper-box." Simply drawing the trigger back, cocked and fired the pistol. As the trigger came back, the hammer would begin to rise and the barrel to turn over, and presently down would drop the hammer, and away would speed the ball. To aim along the turning barrel and hit the thing aimed at was a feat which was probably never done with an "Allen" in the world. But George's was a reliable weapon, nevertheless, because, as one of the stage-drivers afterward said, "If she didn't get what she went after, she would fetch something else." And so she did. She went after a deuce of spades nailed against a tree, once, and fetched a mule standing about thirty yards to the left of it. Bemis did not want the mule; but the owner came out with a double-barreled shotgun and persuaded him to buy it, anyhow. It was a cheerful weapon--the "Allen." Sometimes all its six barrels would go off at once, and then there was no safe place in all the region round about, but behind it."

 

[Condottiere]

One assumes that the antique guns were proof tested, first.

I'm sure that reloading process can be made more efficient, possibly a paper cartridge, and a reusable percussion cap, or equivalent.