Field Catalogue Clarifications

[CthulhuStig]

I'm creating a tool to automate various aspects of Traveller, currently I'm working on adding support for weapon creation based on the Field Catalogue rules. I've managed to code up the majority of the rules for conventional firearms, cartridge grenade launchers, projectors and directed energy weapons. However, there are a few things that aren't covered or are ambiguous.

When it's ready, the plan is to open source the tool and give back to the community, for it to be of wider user it really needs to implement a set of rules that at least most people agree on. I was hoping to get official clarification on the rules from someone at Mongoose, but failing that, opinions would be good, and I'll go with the most widely held one.

These are the questions I have. I've included the notes I've made when trying to piece things together.

1. As the physical signatures for gauss weapons, cartridge grenade launchers, projectors and directed energy weapons aren't listed, are they assumed to be Normal?
   • The physical signature description on p7 says all firearms and energy weapons have a physical signature, around the same as a typical handgun/rifle. If you assume "typical" is a mid-range conventional handgun/rifle calibre, then this would be Normal
   • The signature description on p19 describes gauss weapons making an audible crack and energy weapons making noise when they ionise the atmosphere
   • The table on p39 just gives an emissions signature for gauss weapons
   • None of the example gauss weapons, projectors or directed energy weapons give physical signatures
   • The example launchers on p120-121 have a physical signature of Normal
2. What are the emissions signatures for projector weapons and directed energy weapons?
   • The emissions signature description on p6 says flame/crypo projectors have an emissions signature, but it doesn't say what value and doesn't have anything about other fuel types.
   • The flame projector example on p112 has an emissions signature of Extreme
   • The cryo projector example on p113 doesn't give an emissions signature
   • The laser examples on p115-117 all have an emission signature of Normal
   • The laser example on p146 has an emissions signature of Low, but there's nothing to indicate why it's lower than those on p115-117
3. What is the recoil of a cartridge grenade launcher?
4. When designing a cartridge based directed energy weapon, what are the base number of cartridges that for the minimal/small/medium/large receivers?
5. The weight of an energy cartridge magazine is given as weight of cartridges + 20%, is that calculating the weight of just the magazine or the weight of the magazine and the cartridges it contains?
6. Does the damage modifiers given on p42 for minimal/short/handgun/assault/carbine barrels apply to directed energy weapons?
   • I assume not as barrels have a separate max damage dice count for energy weapons given on p64
7. Do the physical signature modifiers for minimal and short barrels apply to directed energy weapons?
   • The example laser with a minimal barrel on p114 doesn't have it
8. Do heat rules affect cartridge grenade launchers and directed energy weapons? If so, what are their per burst heat generation, per round heat dissipation and overheat/danger/disaster threshold values?
9. Can you get Burst Capable, Fully Automatic, RF & VRF cartridge grenade launchers and directed energy weapons? If so, is it the same rules as for conventional weapons with those mechanisms (receiver cost/weight etc)?
10. When do the x2 receiver weight and x(Auto + 2) receiver cost multipliers mentioned in the RF description on p32 apply? Is it in addition to the x3 cost/weight modifier for a powered feed?
11. Do the x2 receiver weight and x(Auto + 2) receiver cost multipliers for RF also apply to VRF?
12. Should the Holographic Sights on p46 get the benefits of a Multispectral Scope in the same way as an ISS gets them?
13. How does the Armour receiver feature on p35 work? Does the armour threshold get added to the Mishap Threshold when following the Breaking Weapon rules on p22?
    • The description for Breaking Weapons mentions armour on p23 but doesn't say how it affects the rules