Solomani Confederation (Military)

[Condottiere]

A weapon that has Deficiency points must satisfy them by applying the Inaccurate, Unreliable, Ramshackle and/or Hazardous traits. Each point of Inaccurate or Hazardous satisfies one Deficiency point. Ramshackle satisfies 2, and Unreliable satisfies 3. Ramshackle effectively imposes a point each of Inaccurate and Hazardous, which stack with any points added from one or the other.

Rocket has one point of inaccuracy, snub two, shotgun two; so tolerable. Three might be pushing it, but only after ten metres.

Unreliable is three; for those who like rolling dice; though this paragraph doesn't seem to sync with the rule explanation, which seems to have upto five levels.

The thing about inaccurate is, that the other side isn't likely to know this, whereas hazardous and unreliable could blow up in your face.

 

[Condottiere]

... when shooting at a target more than 10m distant ...

For a Saturday Night Special, it probably wouldn't matter.

You could also stack three additional points for inaccuracy on a snub pistol: couldn't hit the side of a barn at eleven metres, and probably need a randomization table as to which direction it actually wandered off to.

However, stick a laser pointer and range finder on the snub pistol, you're likely to hit anything within ten metres.

 

[Condottiere]

Saturday Snub Special

Basic one hundred seventy five starbux and eight hundred grammes, quickdraw plus four.

Three dice minus three, inaccuracy minus two, penetration minus one, modified capacity eight, physical signature normal.

Mechanism repeater, modified capacity four, modified cost eighty seven and a half starbux.

Extremely low quality, inaccuracy minus three, modified cost fifty two and a half starbux.

Handgun barrel, one hundred sixty grammes, 7.875 starbux, modified penetration minus two, modified range ten metres, quickdraw plus four.

Range two and a half, ten, twenty, forty metres.

Total cost 60.375 starbux; total weight nine hundred sixty grammes.

Quickdraw eight.

 

[Condottiere]

Minimal barrel would half dice, but increase range to five metres, basically zero to six damage, quickdraw plus eight.

Short barrel would be one, four, eight, sixteen metre range; non-explosive armour piercing effects are lost; five and a quarter starbux; eighty grammes.

Short barrel should work, ten metres is two metres into extreme range, so minus five inaccuracy at eleven to sixteen metres extreme range.

 

[Condottiere]

A revolver cylinder is a fixed magazine, so receiver would be forty seven and a quarter starbux, weight seven hundred twenty grammes.

Short barrel 4.725 starbux, seventy two grammes.

Practice rounds should cost less that one and a half starbux.

I don't think there's much point in HEAPing, but explosive rounds at five dice minus three, at nine starbux per; gas rounds.

 

[Condottiere]

SATURN SNUB SPINNER SPECIAL


Weapon
. Saturn Snub Spinner Special
Type
. handgun
Component
. receiver type
.. handgun
... quickdraw
.... plus four
... base cost
.... one hundred seventy five starbux
... base weight
.... eight hundred grammes
... mechanism
.... repeater
..... modified cost
...... minus fifty percent
..... modified capacity
...... minus fifty percent
... feature
.... quality
..... extremely low
...... deficit points
....... three
...... inaccuracy
....... three
...... modified cost
....... minus forty percent
.... magazine
..... fixed
...... modified capacity
....... minus fifty percent
...... modified cost
....... minus ten percent
...... modified weight
....... minus ten percent
.... snub
..... weight
...... zero percent
..... ammunition
...... cost
....... one and a half starbux
...... capacity
....... minus twenty percent
...... accuracy
....... minus two
...... penetration
....... minus one
...... signature
....... physical
........ normal
...... gravity
....... zero
.. weight
... seven hundred twenty grammes
.. cost
... forty seven and a quarter starbux
. barrel
.. short
... cost
.... starbux
... weight
.... seventy two grammes
... modified quickdraw
.... plus six
... modified signature
.... plus one
... modified penetration
.... minus one
... modified range
.... minus ninety percent

Actual cost
. 51.975 starbux
Actual weight
. seven hundred ninety two grammes
Actual quickdraw
. ten
Actual signature
. physical
.. high
Actual penetration
. minus two
Actual accuracy
. ten metres plus
.. minus five
Actual range
. short
.. one metre
. effective
.. four metres
. long
.. eight metres
. extreme
.. sixteen metres
Actual capacity
. four rounds

 

[Condottiere]

Ball
. cost
.. one and a half starbux
. penetration
.. minus two
. damage
.. three dice minus three
. signature
.. physical
... high
Enhanced Wounding
. cost
.. three starbux
. modified penetration
.. minus four
. modified damage
.. three dice plus three
Explosive
. cost
.. nine starbux
. modified penetration
.. minus three
. modified damage
.. five dice minus three
. modified signature
.. physical
... very high
Distraction
. cost
.. six starbux
. effect
.. minor or small distraction
Flechette
. cost
.. one and a half starbux
. modified range
.. maximum ten metres
. modified spread
..
. modified penetration
.. minus three
. modified damage
.. three half dice minus three
. modified signature
.. physical
... very high
. attack
.. five metres
... plus four
Gas
. cost
.. nine starbux
. modified penetration
.. shatter on contact
. modified damage
.. one dice
. gas
.. effect
Incendiary
. cost
.. nine starbux
. effect
.. incendiary
. modified damage
.. plus fifty percent after penetration
Low Penetration
. cost
.. one and a half starbux
. modified damage
.. three half dice minus three
. modified penetration
.. minus four
Pellet
. cost
.. one and a half starbux
. spread
.. five
. modified penetration
.. minus seven
. knockdown
.. minus seven

 

[Condottiere]

At fifty two starbux, the Saturn Snub Spinner Special is fairly ubiquitous throughout the Solomani Sphere.

The revolver cylinder is more of a rounded square, with a disposable option; this is also allows storage of ammunition in a more secure location.

They can be found in a wide variety of survival packs, and as a cheap alternative to more expensive security sidearms.

 

[Condottiere]

Actually, it would be more of a rounded diamond, considering that the bullets would have to align with the barrel.

A disposable diamond could be made of hardened plastic, and even with low velocity, I would think rather dependent on the melting point, especially if you leave out the brass case, not really caseless, as the diamond would be a four pack case.

Speaking of four packs, you could have moon clips, or in our case diamond clips, just pop in (and out) in a more permanently fixed fixed diamond magazine; surprised no one ever tried plastic rings like in a beer six pack, or hardened plastic as disposable, at least within a gravity well, might be different in zero, with the bullets possibly pointing in different directions.

Speedloader supposedly costs one percent of the purchasing price, so that would be five and one fifth starbux, and a diamond clip won't be much cheaper, but it would be faster to reload.

 

[Condottiere]

I don't think that heat dissipation has any bonuses for rockets or low velocity rounds.

Three dice over handgun receiver is one point of heat per round, fifth round reload, two points of heat remaining.

Sixth reload, assuming constant firing and reloading, ten points of heat.

Recoil is three from three dice, snub gun adds two, so four total that the handgun can soak up per round.

I'd have a beeper connected to a cheap range finder, which tells you when a target is within ten metres.

 

[Condottiere]

The basic technological level of the revolver is five, and in this specific case, I don't see much point in giving it advanced projectile weaponry.

This weapon platform is optimized to ten metres, extreme already covering nine to ten metres, eleven to sixteen metres subject to inaccuracy minus five. A twenty five percent increase in range isn't really doing it any favours.

I think that eight hundred grammes is light enough for most people.

If an increase in capacity is desired, probably more worthwhile to opt for the pistol variant.

 

[Condottiere]

If the rules of war are somewhat being followed, troops can't use enhanced wounding in combat, and most jurisdictions aren't likely to let civilians use explosive bullets; but not the other way round.

I'm not sure how much of a flare effect the incendiary round will have.

While I'm sure you can design cheaper civilian handguns, the point was to have the least expensive, viable one; at ten metres, four bullets should be enough to stop one intruder.

The next step down would be a modernized zip gun: single shot mechanism tends to simplify the design process, so forty three and three quarters starbux, extremely low quality twenty six and a quarter starbux. Break open seems obvious.

Should be enough to deal with aggressive small varmints and snakes.

Though if you happen to have an explosive round on hand, five dice minus three should be able to kill, or knockdown, a bear. At ten metres.

 

[Condottiere]

Modified capacity for a snub pistol is eight rounds.

Extremely poor quality is the only option, which brings down the cost to one hundred five starbux.

Military variant would have extended magazine, and maybe vacuum packed.

 

[Condottiere]

Here we have a discrepancy, where either the effects stack, or the writer changed his mind on the actual effect.

The Weapon Heating Effects table states that a heavy barrel adds two additional points for heat dissipation, per round.

A Heavy barrel doubles the number of rounds in which sustained fire can be maintained before malfunctions become possible.

Round could be either time, number of bullets, or heat points to be dissipated.

 

[Condottiere]

The snub bullet could actually be built to a universal standard, though that's far from certain.

The Confederation could impose military specifications from above, because it's in their interest, and their militaries appear to have controlling stakes, or maybe complete control, in arms corporations.

The snub round could become the equivalent of the nine millimetre parabellum, the damage effect is about the same, though the base cost is double that, has twenty percent less range, and is rather inaccurate after ten metres.

On the other hand, no discernible recoil, and you're unlikely to shoot through walls in your neighbour's apartment, so ideal for home defence, or shooting in the tight short corridors of a spacecraft.

It's also a lot easier to claim self defence with a revolver.

In terms of ammunition cost you're using less metal since the case is smaller, and certainly less gunpowder.

That also means you actually could make the receiver lighter and less expensive, like the rocket one, since the powder charge is less.

 

[Condottiere]

High Capacity adds 20% to cost and 10% to weight, and increases base ammunition capacity by
20% ... Actual capacity can be set at up to 150% ...


That's fifty percent to cost, twenty five percent to weight, for fifty percent increase to potential capacity: twelve rounds.


An extended magazine can hold up to 50% more ammunition than standard, but sticks out of the weapon to a considerable degree. Extended magazines impose DM-2 during a Quickdraw. An extended magazine costs twice the price of a standard one.


Modified capacity eighteen rounds; no weight gain; presumably, the cost of the extended magazine doesn't effect the receiver, just modifies the cost of default magazine.

 

[Condottiere]

If you borrowed a magazine from an assault receiver variant, default capacity would be sixteen, but because it isn't high capacity, it wouldn't fit into the military pistol.

Pluto Pistol?

High capacity would be twenty four rounds, default.

You borrow that.

The ten millimetre bullet defines the width and breadth of the magazine.

 

[Condottiere]

While the Marines of the Imperium are called the Star Marines, the Solomani Confederation Marine Corps are those of legend, and referred to as the Spacemarines.

Their primary sidearm being the double bolter, a heavy rifle rocketified minimal barrel handgun, the armoured fist of Humanity.

 

[Condottiere]

I had this sudden epiphany at lunchtime

It wasn't really sudden, and more of an unravelling revelation while crawling down a rabbit hole.

Rockitification has that ten metre gap, and the logical answer to that would be a hybrid gun, that fires rockets and snubs.

Minimal barrel would indicate that the rocket would be placed under, while a short barrel would be over.

Ammunition feed could be that you have one magazine stick downwards, and the other upwards, very much Lawgiver:

That looked awkward.

Also, bullpuppification, seemed pointless, considering barrel lengths of minimal and short. Mauser broomhandle seemed more likely:

On the other hand, those heavy rifle rockets are going to be rather large, which brought up this image:

 

[Condottiere]

That reminded me, bolt guns fire bolts:

Whereas conventional solid slugs utilize a propellant charge contained in a casing that forces the bullet down the barrel upon ignition, in contrast, a bolt is self-propelled; it features its own integrated solid fuel propellant that propels the bolt at high speeds, essentially acting like a miniature rocket.

Three quarters of an inch is 19.05 millimetres.

The standard bolt is set to .75 calibre, whereas Heavy Bolter rounds are larger, at 1.00 calibre.

That sort of is within spitting range of a rocketified heavy rifle bullet.

And, no recoil.

You still have that dead area of ten metres, though that may be more efficiently covered with a chainsword. Which is about three and a half squares, the half square being occupied by the wielder, arm extended plus sword, one square covered, plus charge movement.