Could I have a rulesplanation around the Laser Pistol

[Judge Xombe]

From the v1.6 playtest - I'm trying to figure out how the damage on this weapon would work...any suggestions?

Laser Pistol

Range:12”
Shoot Dice: 1D
Damage: Special
AP: 0
Special: Weak
Cost: 25

Laser Pistol: Requiring almost as much power as the much larger rifle, the laser pistol’s range is greatly curtailed in an effort to keep its rate of fire to an acceptable level. However, it is devastating against well-armoured targets, slicing through all but the heaviest protection with ease.

Weak: This weapon is decidedly blunt or delivered with little force, making it easily foiled by armour, or even thick clothing. Models struck by this weapon gain a +2 bonus to their Armour score during its attacks.

 

[locarno24]

Rather depends on what 'special' is going to mean, but as noted weak makes little sense.

Given the other laser weapons:
Laser Rifle____ 48” 1D 3 5 Complex
Laser Cannon_ 48” 1D 6 5 Complex

You would think the same logic would apply. 12" range as "the laser pistol’s range is greatly curtailed", but why it's not AP5 I'm not sure. Damage 1 is probably enough - put damage 2 on a pistol and you start to encroach on the hand cannon's territory (not to mention the hand cannon is nearly twice the price).

The "effort to keep its rate of fire to an acceptable level", combined with the impracticality of giving something with such a short range a reload time, means dropping Complex is probably okay.

 

[witteridderludo]

don't have the rules around for the moment but I would guess the first applies to shooting and the second to close combat where you would use it hit someone over the head...

 

[Judge Xombe]

don't have the rules around for the moment but I would guess the first applies to shooting and the second to close combat where you would use it hit someone over the head...

Ya I was kind of just looking for any kind of way to apply damage as the rules as they are now seem to be a dead end on this. Most of the weapons have something in the descriptive to explain the "special" damage but this one seems missing.