Hi gang! This one's for gearheads only, and it's kind of long, so bear with
me, okay? You can always delete it if you get bored! |->
On the subject of fun gear for tech-heads, the various Traveller games I've
run over the years have had more than their share of bizarre gadgets and odd
weapons. It's become a tradition for players to fill out their characters and
give them depth, not only by developing philosophies, religions, personal
habits and beliefs, and so on, but also by designing and building or having
built special items for combat and technical use. These included various odd
technical gizmos, customized weapons, and a class of items that became ongoing
traditions in my campaigns and which may get added to the official rules if I
can get anyone at GDW or DGP to listen to me, so they'll have to wait a while.
It's amazing to see and hear the detail to which people will go to create
weird and dangerous items to give them an edge over their foes. One of the
most popular tricks I used was to allow characters weapons and gear that were
customized to the point of ridiculousness, based on the following set of
restrictions:
1. Money, construction skill, and tech level and law level of the world and
factory or weaponsmith's shop where the device was built would all control and
limit the capabilities of the final device.
2. In the case of weapons, the weapon design would be somewhat similar to an
existing weapon in the rules lists, with certain differences suggested by the
player and allowed by the ref. The weapon would either be:
a. Essentially identical to an existing weapon in terms of rules (i.e.
the same range limitations, effectiveness against armor, etc.), but
somehow unique in its operation (thus lending "flavor" to campaigns
where it was used), and/or
b. A modification of an existing design, that would introduce certain
advantages to the user in exchange for disadvantages elsewhere.
These would show up as adjustments to the rules and noted in the
description of the weapon.
3. The player and ref would agree on all of the device's capabilities and
limitations to preserve game balance, and the ref would be the final authority
in cases where it was felt that the devices was somehow being abused.
With these basic rules in mind, my players and I had a field day! Over the
past eleven years, I've ran people with all kinds of strange stuff.
AN EXAMPLE: THE HUNTER
Consider one fellow who was running a bounty hunter in one of my more Space
Opera-ish campaigns: he wanted a weapon that would give him a certain
signature, one that was instantly recognizable to anyone who saw it, so that
criminals would know that he was nearby and tremble (!). What we decided upon
was to give him a weapon similar to the guns used in the film Logan's Run (NOT
the design in the book; that was implemented elsewhere, for other reasons).
These guns were the epitome of the evil, uncaring death that the bounty hunter
carried with him: they spat green flame in four tongues surrounding the
barrel, and the victim erupted in green fire and died. What did that become in
terms of Traveller rules? Let's see:
1. First, the weapon's mode of operation had to be agreed upon. It was decided
that the device was a Gauss pistol, firing incendiary rounds that ignited
while still in the gun so as to be fully lit before impact (hence the flame
vents). Thus it was limited to worlds with TL 13 or greater, Law level below 1
(since the rounds were explosive) OR Law above 11 (then the gun would be in
the hands of the Thought Police or some such), and oppressive or dangerous
governments. I chose a suitable world, and told him that's where the gun was
made. It's his only source of spare parts, ammo, and power packs, so he gets
back there often or arranges for shipments to other worlds at a high cost.
If he runs low, getting to a supply source as his ammo supply dwindles becomes
an adventure in and of itself! |->
2. The gun, as mentioned above, would come under option "a", as it was
essentially an unusual design of Gauss pistol, with few, if any, major changes
in terms of effects in the rules. The primary advantage, as mentioned, was
psychological.
3. We agreed to run the weapon exactly as a Gauss pistol under the rules as
given in TRAVELLER, and no questions or quibbles were ever raised. (I secretly
noted the dangers inherent in shooting such a gun in areas full of flammable
vapors, but he seemed to understand the risks and never did anything stupid.)
The end result: a nifty, impressive weapon, that didn't mess up game balance,
but gave his character depth and recognition, both to NPCs and to his fellow
players:
"The thug stands over you, one foot on your gun wrist and the muzzle of his
pistol pointing at your face. He grins as he squeezes the trigger. Suddenly,
he looks up at the sound of a tiny footstep from behind you, and screams, "NO!
PLEASE!" There is an odd coughing noise, a burst of green fire, and he
collapses in agony, writhing on the concrete. A figure in black steps out of
the shadows; the Hunter has come through again."
Get the idea?
SOME MORE EXAMPLES: THE WEAPONS OF NEAR MISS
Near Miss, the characters of my GenCon adventures and the associated fiction
stories, have been adventuring for decades, and rely on their weapons for
their survival. Over the years, they've fine-tuned their own special needs,
for weapons that cover all of the bases properly. Some of them were satisfied
with traditional designs or minor alterations, while others had very specific
needs. So:
CAPTAIN CRISIS was a Navy fighter pilot. He knew that he could be downed in
hostile territory at any time, so he needed a weapon that would let him
survive and defend himself over a wide range of situations (mostly military)
yet be portable and easy to handle. The result was the Camberwell GP114,
nicknamed the "Hammerhead," a special Gauss Pistol developed for fighter
pilots. It was heavier and somewhat bulkier than normal Gauss pistols, but had
a gyro unit and a laser targeting sight installed. RULES: treat as Gauss
Pistol, but use "Scope," "Gyro," or "Scope+Gyro" task difficulties depending
on what the firer chooses to use. Note that the firer must be braced and
non-moving to use Gyro, and that Scope changes the weapon's signature to
Medium (it's a low-efficiency laser, with lots of lens scatter) and may not be
usable for snap fire (ref's discretion).
WINDY was a Scout Explorer. Her primary concerns were self-defense, hunting,
and survival, and she couldn't be bothered to carry both a rifle and a pistol
for field research. The Scout Exploration office issues, for such operatives,
the Stenhauser MVACW, a weapon that provides excellent hunting and defense
capability in a portable package. It's essentially a 9mm ACR with a very short
barrel and no shoulder stock, the bullpup-style magazine offset slightly to
allow the weapon to be held pistol-fashion. Long barrel and full stock can be
attached if desired. RULES: The Stenhauser, when fully set up with barrel,
scope, gyro and stock, is treated like any other ACR. However, the
barrel/stock unit (which is a one-piece device on a frame, not two separate
items) also contains the scope mount and the gyrostabilizer; when the action
and grip are detached from this, the gun uses the Handgun difficulty tables,
with no Scope or Gyro enhancements. Its maximum range is Medium due to the
short barrel, and damage and penetration are as normal for the type of ACR
ammo in use. Autofire is treated as for any other handgun with autofire
capability. (Use of both hands in controlling the weapon is advisable.)
COUNTDOWN specializes in explosives applications and demolitions. This makes
the Snub Pistol (revolver style) and ARL essentially perfect for her uses, but
there's an occasional need for something heavier. So she found an ARL with an
underbarrel RAM grenade launcher. RULES: The RAM GL is a typical 3-shot TL 13
model, and the ARL runs by the same set of rules as always, but weight and
encumbrance are slightly higher. The weapon may also be restricted at lower
Law Levels than would be normal for an ARL.
MOTORMUTT doesn't fight for a living, and he never has. The less he uses
weapons, the happier he is, so he limits himself to one single device that's
there when he needs it and able to handle just about any situation in which he
finds himself: a Stinger, essentially a TL 14 version of the Body Pistol using
Gauss technology. Tiny, silent, and deadly. RULES: Treat as Gauss Pistol, but
limit range to Medium, allow no autofire, and limit number of shots to five.
In exchange, allow greater concealability and improved DMs for snap fire.
Magazines and power packs are custom designs, and may be difficult to replace.
The weapon is not designed to avoid metal detectors.
DOCSHOCK specialized in psychoacoustic response science before SuSAG put him
to work as a Field Operations Specialist (read, industrial spy). His research
into nonlethal means of subdual led him to aid in the development of the
Marovcenko Sonic Stunner. RULES: The MSS is built as a modular plug-in
replacement for the flash tube of a TL 13 Laser Carbine, and can be converted
back to use as a Laser in four rounds if the extra tube is handy. As a sonic
weapon, it operates under the Neural Rifle rules, with no effectiveness in
vacuum or Very Thin atmospheres and increased likelihood of damaging Mishaps.
Its signature is High, not due to flash but to operating noise (a piercing
shriek that ranges from skin-crawling behind the cone of effect to eardrum-
shattering within it). Appicable skill is Lasers; he also carries an Integral
Laser Pistol.
LIGHTS wasn't supposed to be a fighter for a living, but her Captain insisted
on her at least learning to handle some weapon for ship defense, since Pursers
must often be pressed into service for antihijacking work. So she chose the
Shotgun, so as not to miss too often. The problem then became obtaining a
suitable sidearm: her solution was to buy a second shotgun and cut it down.
RULES: Range limited to Long, difficulty as Pistol, no rapid fire, failure
to stand and brace increases tasks by one level of difficulty, although a
two-handed grip suffices for "bracing" in most cases; number of shots limited
to five, and weapon falls under Handguns rather than Shotguns for Law Level
limitations. No detachable magazine; must be reloaded by hand, one shot per
combat round.
HUG was a warrior, plain and simple. He chose his weapons well, and used
others only when neccessary. These days, his LAG and Snub AutoPistols are
built by human gunsmiths to utilize easily available human-made spare parts,
but are designed for Aslan hands and ergonomics: the Snub Pistols, especially,
are strange-looking, as it is Aslan custom to mount the barrel UNDER the grip
for better recoil control! (If you don't believe this, look in the annals of
the NRA: A Soviet team was barred from rapid-fire pistol competition a number
of years ago, because their "upside-down" guns gave them a massive advantage
over the Americans and Europeans.) RULES: Increase repair tasks by one level
for all devices; increase all attempts by humans to use weapons by one level
of difficulty. No other changes, except for an optional Scope modifier for all
weapons (either optical, as for LAG, or a laser pointer, for Snubbies.)
[Ref's note: this last bit is still being worked on, as there's never been a
definitive statement on the ergonomics of Aslan tools and weapons as there has
been for most of the other races (it's known that Vargr hands work well with
the ovoid-cylindrical handles given to most human tools, and that Hivers
prefer to handle spheres of various sizes with their tentacles, for example).
This design may change after DGP gets through with the Aslan in their next few
issues; another possibility is a gun with two barrels, one over the grip and
one under it...the only worthwhile idea in the entire movie THE BLACK HOLE.]
TINKER can't be bothered with weapons at all; she's a technician. But there's
no law against modifying a Laser Welder for pulsed operation, is there?
RULES: On Pulse setting, treat as Laser rifle, no real modifications.
[A possible change to this character will replace the Laser with a device
that's more efficient both as a tool and as a weapon: a Powercutter, which
utilizes a plasma beam rather than laser light. A strong disadvantage to this
design, which has yet to be addressed adequately anywhere in the TRAVELLER
rules, is the weapon's signature: "High" is too weak a word. Plasma beams
(I've worked with a couple) are unbelievably bright; it's like staring into
the Sun! You can't get anywhere near them without going blind, unless your
eyes are heavily protected. And the waste heat in the vicinity is frightening;
I can't imagine using one of these without Battle Dress on.]
Anyway, I've gotten amazingly long-winded here, and I'm sorry; the Near Miss
gang are usually good models for anything you'll find in my campaign, and if
nothing else you can consider the above a partial introduction to them. |->
I hope that these guidelines prove worthwhile for you in keeping your technoid
players under control, and that your own campaigns can now bristle with
bizarre techno-rubble without coming completely apart.
Have fun,
metlay | HOW TO DIE YOUNG, #487:
Traveller Mailing List Historian|
| "Don't worry about it. We can start the Jump
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