BSMP- Battle Sling, Man Portable

[N.I.C.E. Labs]

It's a fairly basic design, so it could be found as early as TL6. Think of an arm extention and scoop on the end, like the kind used in the sport JaI ali (what they used in the 'bounce off the ceiling' ring game in TRON). When fully deployed the arm extension measures from the user's outstretched arm to the end of the scoop to about 10 feet. Normally it is in a Z fold against the user's arm. How it works is this:
The user spins like throwing a discus. On the last circuit of his maneuver the arm extension deploys and finishes by releasing the payload. The payload is the key. It's a grenade. Back when I was taking high school physics I figured out with the rotational forces an arm exention that long, in standard atmosphere and gravity, you could throw a 1kg object something like 4 kilometers. Keeping that in mind, for a planet that never developed artillery, having a couple dozen troops equipped in this manner could be quite a force when laying seige to a town or installation.

A friend of mine originally came across this in a science fiction story he read somewhere and I incorporated it into my traveller game (usually as a backdrop with some native civil war or special ops equipment). It's use is restrictive of course, but it adds a flavor to the game, reiminding the players that all weapons don't necessarily come with a trigger.

------------------
AIM Niceman65706

 

[far-trader]

Hey, a new toy in the locker, BSMP (lol), I love it. Thanks and howdy to a new member.

I'm a little unsure about the 4 km range though, I'll have to poke around in the (very) dusty corners of my mind for the basic physics needed to do my own calcs but gut level instinct says its a little long. I'll have to figure the flight time to target too, wouldn't do to toss a regular grenade on a timed fuse and have it blow up harmlessly in mid-air half way to the target. I'm already seeing enhancements. Autoloader, radio or programmed det from hud input, multiple bomblets, fun fun fun

Just to satisfy my curiosity (and cause if I include the N.I.C.E. Labs tag for the BSMP, assuming it's their patent, the PC's will want to know) what do the N.I.C.E. Labs initials represent?

 

[N.I.C.E. Labs]

hehe I'm glad you like it

It's been about 15 years since high school so I'm a bit rust on it myself, but I do remember the range was in the kilometers....and now that I'm remembering a bit more close in it doubled (non extended) as a brawling weapon

As for N.I.C.E. ...that's a closely guarded secret <G> (in reality my nickname is Niceman and N.I.C.E. sounds cool without having to mean much of anything <G> )

------------------
AIM Niceman65706