Made up weapons.

[snapshotbygdw]

Over many years of running traveller games I have been asked by players to allow the introduction of exotic weapons into MTU and in most cases I have refused mainly because 1: players were seeking an unfair advantage with such beauties as disintergration pistols or laser mini-guns, 2: they we illogical or hard to control as with freeze-rays and stasis grenades, or 3: didn't seem in keeping with existing weapons and the spirit of traveller as I saw it ie: "light" swords (it is after all the world I populate so my personal foibles will come out).

Just wondered what beauties other refs have been presented with by players?
Only outrageous weapons (and equipment) refused please: you know like "The intestinanator" does 6d6 damage, no dex penalties, treats all armor as none and best of all its made entirely of bamboo so its available at Tech 0.

Thanks in advance, I just love the way players minds work bless 'em.:rofl:

 

[ShapeShifter]

After I recently saw District 9 I really, really want to stat out the weapon that discharged the shockingly effective 'splat-ray'. o: I'm not quite sure what TL to give it.

 

[far-trader]

I think I've mentioned this one before somewhere here...

...laser chainsaw.



Not sure it qualifies, as it was allowed by the ref, grudgingly I think. And it was not so much a weapon as a fellow player's tool of his trade, Starship Hull Engraving. He was an artiste, Knighted for it iirc, with his custom engraved hull work in some demand. I had him do a skull motif on my DD type S in exchange for transport and board as he travelled around spreading his fame.

I'm sure we had it statted out as a weapon, not so sure it ever came to him having to use it as such though. It certainly would have made a mess of BattleDress if he could have gotten close enough :devil:

 

[Khan Trav]

I do something different in my traveller universe. Imp military firearms are standardized for logistical reasons. Slug throwers are most common and the carbine,SMG and Auto-Pistol all fire the same cartridge. They also have the same magazine well so the ten shot pistol magazine will fit in the thirty shot carbine or SMG magazine well and vice versa.

The idea being that interstellar logistics are greatly simplified for the Imperial Military Forces and the army, Navy/Marines and Scout Service can bum ammo from each other.

This is not to say there are no other calibers just the 10MM is the most common military slug weapon. Body pistols fire a 5mm slug and large sniper rifles fire a 15mm slug. Shotguns are 20mm bore.

I realize this sounds very boring but if your party is carrying slug guns it is convienient.

 

[pendragonman]

Depends. Do you consider single-shot grenade launchers ala the M-79 to be a slug thrower?

 

[aramis]

I do something different in my traveller universe. Imp military firearms are standardized for logistical reasons. Slug throwers are most common and the carbine,SMG and Auto-Pistol all fire the same cartridge. They also have the same magazine well so the ten shot pistol magazine will fit in the thirty shot carbine or SMG magazine well and vice versa.

The idea being that interstellar logistics are greatly simplified for the Imperial Military Forces and the army, Navy/Marines and Scout Service can bum ammo from each other.

This is not to say there are no other calibers just the 10MM is the most common military slug weapon. Body pistols fire a 5mm slug and large sniper rifles fire a 15mm slug. Shotguns are 20mm bore.

I realize this sounds very boring but if your party is carrying slug guns it is convienient.

I'm pretty much the same approach.

IMTU, the IMC uses 4mm gauss as the standard line unit longarm, while PGMP and FGMP remain heavy weapons only. Assault units may be fully equipped with BD and FGMP-15's, but the price alone puts that outside army and marine general deployment costs. (IMC Line BD is MCr1+ per suit and the FGMP-15 MCr0.4... vs Combat Armor at 10% that price and the Gauss Rifle being Cr1500. See TD15 for details.)

 

[Khan Trav]

Indeed, I love the 40MM GL such as the M-79 and also the M-203 style. I also allow 20MM bore (Shotgun Shells) which fire HE rounds such as a modern BB or Block Buster round. This fires a lead finned projectile with a cavity of C-4 and a primer in the nose. Its no tank buster but its heck on civillian cars or air rafts.

My current campaign is mostly limited to the occasional pistol or carbine battle with the odd K-9 attack dog for grins. They have also exchanged fire ship to ship but we are talking small standard units like the Type-S scout vs a Far Trader with a boarding action. Good fun was had by all...

 

[shadowcat20]

We used TDX mines. They were a collaspable rod in the ground with a TDX charge plastered with shot on the edges. When the trigger was set off it would telescope up about 3 feet and go off. We were giving it a rather nasty 5D6 at 10 foot or less and subtract 1D6 from the roll for every 5 feet further out. It was a great anti infantry weapon unless they crawled or were in antigrav vehicles.

Then there were the TDX rounds for shotguns.

 

[Icosahedron]

I have standard calibres like KhanTrav, and for the same reasons - it just makes sense from a logistical POV. There are only three reasons I can think of for different calibres:
1) Inherited differences from independent manufacturers (long outgrown IMTU)
2) Deliberate differences to prevent accidental misloading dangers
3) Some differences for purpose
My standard calibres are: 4mm gauss, 5.5mm, 6mm (accelerators only), 9mm, 10mm (snubs only), 20mm shotgun, 2cm autocannon. The 20mm shotgun and 2cm autocannon rounds are not interchangeable.
The 4, 5.5, 9 and 20mm have different purposes, and the 6mm, 10mm and 2cm variants are to prevent dangerous misloading of special-purpose ammo. The lead slugs, of course are either rifle rounds or pistol rounds depending on the amount of propellant.
Although the actual rounds are standard, I haven't gone so far as to standardise all the magazines. You could exchange the magazine from a machine pistol into a submachinegun, but not into an assault rifle (rifle rounds not pistol rounds), but the magazine that slips into the grip of your pistol will of necessity be a different shape.