I like to involve ECM, ECCM and EMP-weapons in my games (my gaming group has a bit of an infowar slant). 2300 certainly mentions some nice ECM systems, but there is so much more fun that can be done with electronic warfare. Last session EMP-bombs were pretty central for the plot. This is how I handled them:
Many E-bombs use conventional explosives and some exotic materials to convert explosive energy into a fierce electromagnetic pulse. The "classic" method, explosively pumped flux compression generators, uses explosives to squeeze a current-bearing superconducting coil which produces an extremely sharp pulse. There exists various more advaced variants often using technology developed for stutterwarp cores. High-power microwave devices allow tuning the pulse to certain frequencies intended for certain targets, be they RFID tags, communications equipment or vehicle electronics. Sufficiently high frequency devices can sneak radiation through tiny holes in shielding and require extra hardening (but they are also more line-of-sight).
Most E-bombs are delivered just like any other explosive ordnance: rocket launchers, aircraft dropped bombs, missiles or demolition charges. E-grenades exist but are rare (and more useful for sabotage than warfare). They tend to explode like small versions of the same type of weapon, but with weak directionality and no real armor piercing abilities. A few E-weapons are re-usable, like microwave generators connected to ship powerplants.
The effect is essentially stun damage to electronics. If the device is fully stunned it stops working, and further damage will make it permanently damaged (and if it runs out of hitpoints it is destroyed).
E-bombs are mainly useful against certain targets:
It is quite easy to harden devices and locations against E-bombs, but cost tends to increase 50-100% by each level of hardening. Worse, most technological systems rely on lots of other systems. Having a hardened phone is useless if the comms towers are out. A complex device like a car will have many parts that may be vulnerable, so even if the engine and main electronics are safe a messed up lock/alarm system can disable the car.
It is possible to try to hide under a Faraday blanket (e.g. if one is heavily enhanced), but it is not completely safe. Similarly shutting down systems before the pulse occurs is not entirely reliable: they induce currents anyway.
In my game the PCs had acquired a man-portable E-bomb (think ground-air missile) and a big E-bomb intended to be dropped from an aircraft. Both were heavy Azanian knock-offs of French designs, intended for use against Kafers (who also use E-weapons; Kafer designs are usually quite resistant to EMP).
The PCs used the man-portable to disable a scramjet during re-entry with impressively disastrous effects (you don't want your servos to lock up at Mach 2!) and the heavy bomb to somewhat disrupt a military base so they had a chance to storm it (the session was bloody, with the PCs throwing in everything and everyone they got).
The main hacker had equipped the attackers with radio relays they attached to the military networks so he and his battle programmers could give online support while the main force were trying to penetrate the bunker complex underneath the base. The online battle was over before the enemy had determined where to EMP back (the foreign legion infowarriors were quite good). Had it dragged on the hacker would probably have tasted his own medicine (or more likely, somebody else would have been emped because their computers and comms had been suborned by the hacker).
Thoughts?
Many E-bombs use conventional explosives and some exotic materials to convert explosive energy into a fierce electromagnetic pulse. The "classic" method, explosively pumped flux compression generators, uses explosives to squeeze a current-bearing superconducting coil which produces an extremely sharp pulse. There exists various more advaced variants often using technology developed for stutterwarp cores. High-power microwave devices allow tuning the pulse to certain frequencies intended for certain targets, be they RFID tags, communications equipment or vehicle electronics. Sufficiently high frequency devices can sneak radiation through tiny holes in shielding and require extra hardening (but they are also more line-of-sight).
Most E-bombs are delivered just like any other explosive ordnance: rocket launchers, aircraft dropped bombs, missiles or demolition charges. E-grenades exist but are rare (and more useful for sabotage than warfare). They tend to explode like small versions of the same type of weapon, but with weak directionality and no real armor piercing abilities. A few E-weapons are re-usable, like microwave generators connected to ship powerplants.
The effect is essentially stun damage to electronics. If the device is fully stunned it stops working, and further damage will make it permanently damaged (and if it runs out of hitpoints it is destroyed).
E-bombs are mainly useful against certain targets:
- Civilian systems are usually not shielded and will at the very least be temporarily disrupted. Most will recover after reboot, but hard-to-detect faults are not uncommon. The effect of numerous simultaneous crashes tends to disrupt the Link, which tends to recover fairly slowly.
- Communications systems are quite sensitive. Robust or military systems will recover quickly, but for a while comms will be down and sensors blinded.
- Cybernetics is quite vulnerable: small faults can be very nasty. Losing vision, limb movement or getting random firing into a cortex bomb can ruin your day.
- RFID tags tend to get fried. Although many are tuned to just a particular frequency and resistant to radiation of the wrong frequency, EMP can be quite broad spectrum and the tags have sizeable antennas that can simply pick up enough current to fry the chip or connection to it.
- Interface craft: disruption during critical maneouvers can easily lead to disaster. Even if the controls and internal systems
- Against starships e-detonations only work if they are close, precluding any normal battle use. Sneaking an E-bomb onboard or putting it on the hull however makes it possible to disable the ship very effectively. Most starships are quite sensitive to electronics overloads, especially in the drive system. A successful detonation can not just disable the drive, but cause it to malfunction catastrophically.
- Jamming is less dramatic and often more efficient, but requires a jammer that can be found or attacked. Also, EMP can hit systems you do not know about.
- E-bombs are good for equalizing tech-levels to the lowest common denominator, which is why Kafers have begun to use them against humans. Most human governments also recognize their terrorist potential and do their best to make sure they do not fall into the wrong hands (which means the black market profits for selling them are high!)
It is quite easy to harden devices and locations against E-bombs, but cost tends to increase 50-100% by each level of hardening. Worse, most technological systems rely on lots of other systems. Having a hardened phone is useless if the comms towers are out. A complex device like a car will have many parts that may be vulnerable, so even if the engine and main electronics are safe a messed up lock/alarm system can disable the car.
It is possible to try to hide under a Faraday blanket (e.g. if one is heavily enhanced), but it is not completely safe. Similarly shutting down systems before the pulse occurs is not entirely reliable: they induce currents anyway.
In my game the PCs had acquired a man-portable E-bomb (think ground-air missile) and a big E-bomb intended to be dropped from an aircraft. Both were heavy Azanian knock-offs of French designs, intended for use against Kafers (who also use E-weapons; Kafer designs are usually quite resistant to EMP).
The PCs used the man-portable to disable a scramjet during re-entry with impressively disastrous effects (you don't want your servos to lock up at Mach 2!) and the heavy bomb to somewhat disrupt a military base so they had a chance to storm it (the session was bloody, with the PCs throwing in everything and everyone they got).
The main hacker had equipped the attackers with radio relays they attached to the military networks so he and his battle programmers could give online support while the main force were trying to penetrate the bunker complex underneath the base. The online battle was over before the enemy had determined where to EMP back (the foreign legion infowarriors were quite good). Had it dragged on the hacker would probably have tasted his own medicine (or more likely, somebody else would have been emped because their computers and comms had been suborned by the hacker).
Thoughts?
