What weapons for a Type A Free Trader?

[Chrome]

My group has been playing in an unarmed type A for about 4 sessions now, and we have just come into enough money that we can think about arming our free trader. I'm wondering what people normally equip these ships with?

Right now we are leaning toward Beam/Missile/Sand in each turret. Seems versatile, if not exciting.

How would you arm a free trader?

 

[Zowy]

If they have the money for 2 triple turrets.

2 x B/S/M is the most popular.

That way even if only 1 turret can fire, you have the full range of weapon options.

I like to put 3 missile racks in a pop-up turret and have the other turret be B/B/S.

 

[DCAnsell]

I prefer going with two triples, if you can afford it, going with 2 pulse lasers, and 1 sandcaster, per turret. If you have access to sandcutter rounds for the sandcaster, it gives you a decent chance to burn through defensive sand, and of course the pulse lasers give you both a good punch close up, or a good missile defense if you are getting pelted from distance.

 

[opensent]

If you can't reliably get smart missiles or nukes, then Triple Beam on offence, Two Sand and a Pulse for defence (before high guard). Put your best guner in the beam turret and punish anyone who attacks.

For Mongoose High Guard, use 2 beam, and 1 pulse in the main turret and two sand and 1 pulse in second one. If you can get smart missiles, replace the upper pulse laser with a missile launcher.

That's my 2 cent!

 

[Infojunky]

Prayer, mostly.....

Having weapons mostly encourages them to fire back.....

 

[GypsyComet]

A devious Ref will hand PCs a ship with multiple missile launchers. One or two salvos will erase the profit for that trip. The ship's Supercargo during a TNE game some years ago took one look at the per-missile cost and told the Captain "buy lasers".

 

[Galaga]

And an even more devious Ref will offer some seemingly normal missiles for sale cheaply somewhere.

These missiles will inevitably have misaligned tracking systems, suffer premature detonations, duds, etc.

"Arrrghh the cheap ones are worthless!"

 

[barasawa]

Never give a virus a missile launcher...

(or anyone who doesn't have the budget of an over-bloated military)

20 Sandcaster Barrels - Cr 10,000 (200 ea)
12 Basic Missiles - Cr 15,000 (1250 ea)
12 Smart Missiles - Cr 30,000 (2500 ea)
12 Nuclear Missiles - Cr 45,000 (3750 ea) *And just how did you acquire nukes? nudge nudge...

I didn't see a cost for Pebble Barrels for the Sandcaster, but it's reasonable to guess it's the same cost.

If you're going to use Missiles, and you don't have supergunner, go for the Smart Missiles, they cost twice as much, but they keep attacking until they hit or get destroyed. That alone can save your thrusters on a bad day.

Any weapon that has you throwing away money gets expensive real quick, but if you are a relatively secure trader, the threat is worth more than actually using them. Of course, stupid adventurers get in shooting matches way too much, it's worth the initial investment to get weapons that don't cost Cr to shoot, and have infinite ammo. (As long as you have power, of course, no power, you've lost the fight anyhow...)