I was looking on Peters Traveller page @ the equipment list and I may have overlooked it, but I didn't see any EMP pistols or rifles. Have there been? I didn't see them in the limited books that I have, so I made some. If they are already out there though, I would gladly switch to the published version. Thanks, Mike
EMP Pistol/Rifle???
- Thread starter MikeNGina
- Start date
This is a great idea. I would love to see some ideas; rifles, grenades, missiles.....blowguns.
Gives a little back to slug throwers if my gauss rifle can be fried, or my electronic sight needs to reboot after suppressive fire.
What are the effects, constraints, drawbacks....where do I buy one, and how many children do I need to sell??
Gives a little back to slug throwers if my gauss rifle can be fried, or my electronic sight needs to reboot after suppressive fire.
What are the effects, constraints, drawbacks....where do I buy one, and how many children do I need to sell??
Patron Zero
SOC-13
EMP Byproduct
I viewed a documentary recently on one of the cable science channels that presented a segment on rail guns. If I did not incorrectly such it was mentioned that rail guns, Gauss and coil guns have a degree of EMP discharge as a byproduct of their operation. If so, why not just fire a 'blank' or empty 'chamber' to simulate just such a desired effect ?
I viewed a documentary recently on one of the cable science channels that presented a segment on rail guns. If I did not incorrectly such it was mentioned that rail guns, Gauss and coil guns have a degree of EMP discharge as a byproduct of their operation. If so, why not just fire a 'blank' or empty 'chamber' to simulate just such a desired effect ?
Well, this is what I have for MGT. Any suggested modifications??
EMP Pistol: Ranged Pistol/ Damage Special / Auto No/ Recoil -/
EMP Rifle: Ranged Rifle/ Damage Special / Auto No/ Recoil -/
EMP Pistol: Mass (KG) 3/ Magazine 50/ Cost CR 4000/ Powerpack CR 1000
EMP Rifle: Mass (KG) 6/ Magazine 25/ Cost CR 10,000/ Powerpack CR 3000
EMP Weapons due no damage to living organisms, but a bane to unshielded electrical systems. Unfortunately I can find nothing on electrical charges in the combat section, so I simple have this... An EMP Pistol May take out any unshielded robotics unit and small vehicles ( IE the size of large luxury cars in this day). An EMP rifle can fry the electrical in anything shy of a 100 ton spacecraft. Larger craft require an EMP Cannon. I haven't gone into detail about electrical damage table as I don't really deem them necessary, but if you do, feel free to create. as far as shielded electrical, if a pistol would fry it without shielding, you need a rifle ect..
I have these EMP weapons as non available/illegal on high and medium law plants due to the havoc they can create.
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far-trader
SOC-14 10K
Yeah, I can't see it either. It's a cascade effect isn't it? Gamma waves interacting with air* producing a charge that is collected by conductors that feed into vulnerable electronic components.
* no EMP in vacuum
Yep, any old Thermonuclear Hand Grenade will do the trick
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
I don't recall hearing it but it could be. I expect the effect would be very small and localized though. Not an effective weapon.
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
Sounds like another case of designer/author needing to do a little research.
My suggestion, drop the EMP name and call them Lightning guns, that's more what they are. As Uncle Bob noted I don't think there's a way to make a directional point damage EMP weapon. It's a burst effect, and relies on air to propagate.
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
I have a vague recollection of a directional electronic interference device that might work like the MGT version but iirc it was a mircowave gun.
Make the EMP gun an EMP grenade-launcher! 
If you ave never dealt with them, an actual, non-RAM, TL6-7 grenade launcher is fast and direct enough, until you start into longer ranges. The kick takes a bit of getting used to,
o: but I think better materials at increased TL's, adding in RAM, and you have it.
Better yet, an EMP (bullet trap) rifle grenade.
Here goes:
Blow a hole in a wall
Shoot in an EMP grenade, followed by a couple of HE grenades
Enter the party
Find bar
Make your way to the hotess...
(From "How to enter a room," pp. 5-61 to 5-63 of IMFM 3-47.6 The Imperial Marines' Guide to Tactics in Socially Awkward Situations)
If you ave never dealt with them, an actual, non-RAM, TL6-7 grenade launcher is fast and direct enough, until you start into longer ranges. The kick takes a bit of getting used to,
o: but I think better materials at increased TL's, adding in RAM, and you have it.Better yet, an EMP (bullet trap) rifle grenade.
Here goes:
Blow a hole in a wall
Shoot in an EMP grenade, followed by a couple of HE grenades
Enter the party
Find bar
Make your way to the hotess...
(From "How to enter a room," pp. 5-61 to 5-63 of IMFM 3-47.6 The Imperial Marines' Guide to Tactics in Socially Awkward Situations)
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
Actually another thought occurs to me, the way PGMP and FGMP guns might work, and certainly as they've been described in MGT from what I gather, they are your EMP guns in that they will cause a high EMP along the whole path of the discharge. Again though, it's not so much a directed point source EMP effect as a burst effect along the whole discharge trail. Again, a Lightning gun.
The EMP RPG is a good way to go too, it's how I explained PGMP and FGMP for my own TU ages ago.
The EMP RPG is a good way to go too, it's how I explained PGMP and FGMP for my own TU ages ago.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
An emp grenade sounds more plausable than some direct energy weapon at lower TLs, but at higher TLs then first a squad or vehicle mounted weapon and much later personal weapons.
I looked back at the post and realized I forgot the TL for each of them, sorry about that. I have the EMP rifle down at TL 11 and the pistol as a TL 13.
I figure a material that is used for EMP shielding is used for making the barrel. An alloy maybe, or several different materials layered together causing the energy to travel only out the tube is how I figure it.
PGMP and FGMP do 10d6 to 16d6 damage and that defeats the purpose of having an EMP rifle in the first place. Lightning gun also is not a good name for it. EMP rifle/pistol do no damage to people, or walls, or floors ect. EMP pulse would knock out the electronics only. They are described in MGT as plasma weapons, completely different.
Again, not lightning guns. EMP guns as that is exactly what they are. I think maybe you misread something, or the way I typed it is FUBAR or something. I'm not sure I would say there is now way to make them directional, but the point damage I think is what was misleading. When I said "electrical damage table" what I meant is a damage table for electronics. As in the electrical damage, or Electro magnetic damage a piece of electrical equipment could take as apposed to hit and fried the robot or missed the robot. You know. I didn't mean that the EMP weapon would do any sort of electrical damage to a person or tree or something along those lines. I still don't know if that is clear. Let me give an example. A NPC fires an EMP rifle and hits a vehicle that has no electrical shielding. In this case since it's a hit, the vehicles electrical system is fried. As apposed to having a damage table for electrical equipment. Same scenario: A NPC fires an EMP rifle and hits a vehicle that has no electrical shielding. Hit does xd6 EMP damage to the electrical systems, the vehicles electronics can take xx damage. How many hits of EMP can the vehicle take before the electrical is fried. That's what I meant. Sorry for the confusion.... or did I just make more???
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Just one more thought - in any universe where the emp weapon is developed then militaries will invest in emp circuit protection, or just dispense with metal based circuitry and go with fibre optics. Hence the fib computers in Traveller.
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Patron Zero
SOC-13
Retro Tech
I recall how the military forces of the old Soviet Union dealt with surviving EMP effects in technologies vulnerable to such, vacuum tubes were incorporated to guard against that threat.
I recall how the military forces of the old Soviet Union dealt with surviving EMP effects in technologies vulnerable to such, vacuum tubes were incorporated to guard against that threat.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Oh yes - the mach 3 interceptor with radio valve technology, how they laughed until they realised why...
Makes perfect sense to me.
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