laser sighting systems

"Brent L. Woods" [email removed] writes:
>  In message 1505 [email removed] (Adrian Hurt) writes:
>  >Brent L. Woods [email removed] writes:
>  >
>  >>      Depends on the pistol.  My match pistol has no perceptible
>  >> recoil, but it's very massive, compared to other .22 automatics.
>  >
>  >If it weighs 3 kg, it's a good simulation of a laser pistol.
>  > ...
>  >	If it weighs a little over 2 kg, it can simulate a TL 13 laser
>  >pistol.
>
>      Well...  Fully loaded (19 rounds, .22 long rifle), I'd say it
> masses about 1.5 kilograms.  Close enough?

Not really - that's half the weight of the standard laser pistol, and still
significantly lighter than the TL 13 one.  Yes, by laser standards, I say
your pistol is light!

>  >> I'm strange, though.  I don't use the sights.  I just hold the
>  >> weapon until it feels right, and then fire.
>  >
>  >So you get the -2 DM for snap fire (i.e. not aiming using the sights),
>  >plus a good + DM for skill and probably DEX.
>
>      Doesn't seem very fair.  My accuracy actually gets *worse* when I
> try to use the sights.  Go figure.

I believe that this is sufficiently rare to fall under the category of
"referee's discretion".  If someone wanted to run a character like this,
they would need a high DEX and skill.  They would get the standard -2 DM
for firing without sights (which they could easily handle with enough
skill and DEX bonus).  They would get a -3 DM if they aimed using sights.
That way, I wouldn't get players saying "My character has trained from
childhood to fire without sights, so he doesn't get penalised in snap
fire".

"Mark F. Cook" [email removed] writes:
>
>      I just can't imagine a high-TL laser pistol having "iron sights".
> This would be analogous to a modern fighter pilot having to aim all of
> his on-board weapons just by looking out the window (without the HUD).

Or maybe analagous to the fighter pilot having an ordinary gun and gunsight
in case the advanced electronics failed.  Or analagous to a modern rifle
having iron sights instead of the telescopic, laser, reflex or other fancy
sights available today.  Iron sights have one big advantage - they are
robust.  They are also quicker to use than anything else, with the
possible exception of reflex sights.  I'd expect a laser pistol -
especially a combat pistol - to have iron sights, at least as a back-up
to any neat high-tech sights.

- --
 "Keyboard?  How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  [email removed]
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   [email removed]