Meson/PA Concussion and Blast Radius

[Antony]

In the Regency Combat Vehicle Guide the Imperial Meson Sled is fitted with a TL15 3m long 663Mj Meson Gun. The stats for this weapon give it a Concussion Rating and Burst Radius at each range band.

Does anyone know how these stats were generated? I can find nothing in any of the books or errata that I have seen.

It would also be useful to be able to work out the same things for PAs and large lasers used in the artillery roles. Any ideas?

I think I have worked out the formulas for Meson Guns
For concussion it appears to be 0.002x(DV^2) where DV is the weapons Damage value at that range and
For burst radius it appears to be 0.1xDV if this is so then the burst radius rating for medium range in the Regency Combat Vehicle book is too high.
What do people think?

 

[Tysis]

Appologies but I do not have my books or pdfs with me (I am at work).

I assume you have looked in Fire, Fusion and Steel. Have you looked in the design upgrades in the Reformation Coalition Equipment Guide? If there is nothing for meson guns or PAs, try the formula for the fusion guns and see if it matches.

 

[Antony]

Hi Tysis, the formula used for high energy weapons from The Reformation Coalition Equipment Guide appear to match for Meson Guns if the multiplier for Concussion is doubled. The burst radius may work as is but as amended above if it is correct then there is an error in the Regency book for the medium range burst radius. (Which shouldn't surprise me)

As for particle accelerators and large lasers no idea whatsoever as no official ratings for this sort of thing appear to have been given.

If nothing is forthcoming I may use the energy weapon formula for PAs with the same modifiers as for meson guns (since these are a specialised PA anyway) and for lasers the formula as is since they have a Damage Value which is lower for a given energy rating anyway.

 

[Tysis]

Well I would not worry too much; do what make sense to you. The game is out of print so there is not likely to be an official ruling.

If you want to see another example of an assumption the designer made in the combat vehicle guide, take a look at the vehicles with indirect fire rules. At it turns out, they did allocate space for the indirect fire equipment (one cubic meter per ton of mass if I remember correctly).

Note that in FF&S, the fire direction centers have no specified displacement.

Note much of a point here, except that you should just do what makes sense to you and your players.

 

[Magenta-Phase]

Burst radius = 0.13(DV)

And

Concussion = 0.002(DVsquared)

works for all the ranges given in Meson Artillery Vehicle in RCVG page 40. This of course presumes that meson guns use the same formula as high-energy weapons, albeit with different factors.