Field Catalogue questions
- Thread starter ResslynHalvik
- Start date
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
The Catalogue can be ignored, since it obviously doesn't quite sync with canon cannons.
Having said that, you can discretely use it to carefully flesh out certain areas you might be dealing with, in your game.
Having said that, you can discretely use it to carefully flesh out certain areas you might be dealing with, in your game.
MonsterX
Emperor Mongoose
But which canons are canon and which canons are not canon canons? Are FC canons canon? Some would prefer to ignore the non-canon canons, but in my game, I use both canon canons and non-canon canons, because for me having a variety of canons is more important than sticking to a strictly canon view of canons.
I love using the field catalogue to do special inventories in shops. Like in Ingacio's Gun Emporium, he has mainly small assault gun from the core rulebook and also this Crewmate, a fully automatic handgun made to use in cramped quarters that would give you +2 to your gun combat check in these conditions from its ease of use.
I use it as a box of suprise my players don't have access to, same with the JTAS inventory.
I also like the knockout rules and lo pen wrapons, but that's because I, as the DM absolutely hate having players or npc shoot one another and doing no damage round after round, but I also understand the players desire to use the biggest badest armor available to them (which is often cloth armor with a trench coat, and a extensible boarding shield) and so the knockout rules were a good option for me for guns to do something without scaling to AP ammo and military-type guns and one-shooting a player by accident with a lucky roll.
But I wouldn't use the field catalogue to try and recreate a gun from a book I want to modify. I'd just modify the gun with what makes sense with the other guns in the csc. But not having the swordworlds book, if what you want is an assault sized gun with AP 4 and 20m of range, I'd use the assault shotgun from the csc, and use AP slugs, it would be 50m range, 4D damage, AP 4 and auto 2.
I use it as a box of suprise my players don't have access to, same with the JTAS inventory.
I also like the knockout rules and lo pen wrapons, but that's because I, as the DM absolutely hate having players or npc shoot one another and doing no damage round after round, but I also understand the players desire to use the biggest badest armor available to them (which is often cloth armor with a trench coat, and a extensible boarding shield) and so the knockout rules were a good option for me for guns to do something without scaling to AP ammo and military-type guns and one-shooting a player by accident with a lucky roll.
But I wouldn't use the field catalogue to try and recreate a gun from a book I want to modify. I'd just modify the gun with what makes sense with the other guns in the csc. But not having the swordworlds book, if what you want is an assault sized gun with AP 4 and 20m of range, I'd use the assault shotgun from the csc, and use AP slugs, it would be 50m range, 4D damage, AP 4 and auto 2.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
The way I see it, is that you can use what's in it to extend your understanding of guns, and their effects, in Traveller.
Companion, but making sense.
Companion, but making sense.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
If it's gospel, you'll just have to take it on faith.
The table on p18. For example Penetration +4 gives "AP 5 plus 2 per full dice of damage, -1 damage per dice of damage."
CSC uses a different rule. That said there is nothing stopping you using the special ammunition types there with custom guns from FC, just don't expect 1-1 correlation.
For example:
The GS-40 on p77 starts at Penetration 2 but looses a point because of the barrel length. P18 tells us that is AP 1 per full dice damage. The base damage is 3D so it becomes AP 3 and matches the description in CSC of the basic gauss pistol. So far so good.
The Navy version has a longer barrel and it retains the full penetration and again p18 tells us this is AP 1 + 1 per full dice of damage for a total of AP 4. The rule also says the damage should drop by a point, but...
Now you can use those guns with FC Armour-Piercing rounds which cost double and add +1 to the weapons baseline penetration.
The GS-40 Army now has the damage and AP of the Navy version with conventional rounds or AP 4 and damage 3D (-1 cough!)
The GS-40 Navy on the other hand becomes Penetration 3. This is AP 3 plus 3 per 2 full dice damage (for a total AP 6) with 3D-2 for damage.
Now you can also use those guns with FC Advanced Armour-Piercing rounds adding +2 to the guns baseline penetration.
The GS-40 Army now has the damage and AP of the Navy version with FC Armour-Piercing rounds (AP6 damage 3D-2).
The GS-40 Navy becomes Penetration 4. This is AP5 plus 2 per full dice damage (AP 11) with 3d-3 for damage.*
For the same cost you could use CSC Armour-Piercing rounds which have a slightly different effect. These simply add the number of full damage dice to the AP of the weapon and don't affect the damage it does.
The GS-40 Army would become AP6 damage 3D.
The GS-40 Navy would become AP7 damage 3D.
There isn't a contradiction as such as there are different performance trades are being made and Allah loves wondrous variety. The FC Advanced AP rounds in the GS-40 Army are worse in all regards than the generic CSC rounds, but you don't have to buy them.
I am happy that you can either get ammunition licenced by the weapon manufacturer that is matched to the weapon and get the FC results (maybe requiring a specialist supplier depending on the commonality of the weapon).
Alternatively you can buy the generic ammunition from any well provisioned star port and get the CSC results.
Real world ammunition for the same weapon has variation. Sometimes the manufacturers ammunition is for a particular application and sometimes it is another brand. Sometimes the manufacturers version is worse for every application, perhaps because they underpower their rounds to avoid potential litigation when the gun blows up or their through-life cost model was skewed to the in-service phase.
"Oh you were not using genuine Espon cartridges... sorry warranty voided."
You pay your money and make your choice.
* This is a stonking combination and probably a decent default carry. AP 11 is good enough to deal with the majority of readily available armour and can even start threatening some of the high grade stuff. 3d-3 is enough as it stands, but with the option to put another set into the same target without significant recoil makes it very respectable. Cr100 for 40 shots is hardly going to break the bank. The range is exceptional for a pistol and with the shoulder stock with built in scope you can credibly reach out to 200m and your target nit even know you are shooting at them until they are hit. ***** Would buy
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ResslynHalvik
Cosmic Mongoose
Ah, yes - I see what that means now. Thank you. Man, this book is confusing AF.
You need to keep your wits about you as they drop modifiers in at various stages like damage and range changes depending on Barrel length etc.
Also unlike High Guard you multiply modifiers together rather than add them. For example if two modifiers increase your receiver cost by 20% the overall cost ends up at 44% higher rather than 40%.
Also unlike High Guard you multiply modifiers together rather than add them. For example if two modifiers increase your receiver cost by 20% the overall cost ends up at 44% higher rather than 40%.
MasterGwydion
Emperor Mongoose
Seriously? Who thought up that stupid and overly complex way of doing things?
That means this..
1st Mod = Base + (Base x %) 100 + (100 x 0.2) = 120
2nd Mod = 1st Mod Total + (1st Mod Total x %) 120 + (120 x 0.2) = 144
3rd Mod = 2nd Mod Total + (2nd Mod Total x %) 144 + (144 x 0.2) = 172.8
Versus adding across...
20%+20%+20% = 60%
100 + (100 x 0.6) = 160
Way easier! Also, if I have to go back and make a change, I have to redo every step of the math instead of just changing the percentage.
