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STAR WARS

Automatic Weapons in Star Wars

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Automatic Weapons: U

Made by Kevin Dole 1996

E-mail: dmerrill@PLAINFIELD.BYPASS.COM


AUTOMATIC BLASTERS

We will not be discussing automated sentry guns, but rather those
blasters who can fire more than one shot per each pull of the
trigger. This includes automatic blasters, repeating blasters, pulse
rifles and riot guns.

First, an explanation of the various terms we will be referring back
to:

* "Semi-automatic" is a term, like many of those we will be using, to
  the old days of slugthrowers, and means that ONE round is discharged
  each time the trigger is pulled by the shooter.

* "Burst" means that a small  number of shots, usually between two and
   five, are discharged each time the trigger is pulled.

* "Full Auto", or "fully automatic", means that when you hold down the
  trigger, you will fire rounds until you have run out of ammunition
  and/or let up on the trigger.

* "Selective Fire" capability means that one may choose between several
  different modes of fire, usually semi-auto and burst and/or full auto.

* "Cyclic Rate" is the number of rounds per minute (#r/m) or second
  (#r/s) that the fully automatic mode discharges when the trigger is
  held down.

The majority of weapons, from blasters to grenade launchers, that are
considered to be man portable are semi-automatic, as they fire one
round  per trigger pull.

The concept of the fully automatic weapon dates back to the early days
of warfare, when solid slug projectiles were king.  Their purpose was
to provide supporting fire to regular infantry units, and often were
used in place of, or in conjunction with, short range artillery.
As weapons technology improved, the weapons and ammunition became
smaller, allowing every infantry platoon to have an automatic weapon
in support.

Eventually, they became small enough that a pistol caliber-chambered
shoulder arm (submachinegun) could be concealed under a long coat,
and the typical infantryman's rifle was actually a light to medium
automatic weapon that could be fired single shot if the need arose.
Eventually,  the grunt's rifle had a burst limiter placed in it to
conserve ammunition, while support weapons got (at the company level
any ways) got larger, firing projectiles equal to a hand grenade in
force, or having multiple barrels that fired
anywhere between 600 and 1,200 rounds per SECOND.

Today, automatic weapons have become something of a rarity.  This is
due to the days when blasters were first introduced. Charges were
expensive, and the weapons overheated rapidly.  Eventually, people
just forgot about selective fire capabilities for the average trooper.
In fact, only the ultra-rapid fire repeating blasters are well known
today.  Each class of automatic weapon will be considered individually,
along with some of the best known examples of the class.


REPEATING BLASTERS

Repeating Blasters are the most common of the full autos today.
Repeaters are designed with three to five barrels, housed in a cooling
jacket that protects the internal working of the barrel mechanism.
The barrels fire in turn, pumping out, on the average, 850r/s.  This
means that a large number of shots pound into a relatively small area
in very rapid order, with a certain amount of shot dispersion imparted
by the mobile nature of the firing mechanism.  Due in part to ammunition
consumption, and in part to minimize wear, there is fire limiter in the
trigger group.  Once the limiter trips (usually due to barrel heat),
the system will not fire until it is safe to do so again.  Due to the
nature of the systems, and the cyclic rates involved, this limit is
usually reached in a tenth of a second burst, and takes several seconds
to cool.

Repeating blasters are usually classed by weight and throughput. Light
repeating blasters are about 50-100% larger than infantry rifles, having
a maximum range similar to rifles and only marginally more powerful,
will still be conservative enough to use standard powerpacks.  Medium
repeating blasters are two to three time the size and weight of rifles,
having about two-thirds more range and one third more power on target.
They are usually moved by a two man crew, and fired from a bipod and
power generator.

Finally, the heavy blaster rifles are the size of light artillery pieces,
having more than twice the range, and almost twice the power, of a rifle.
They are manned and carried by a three to four man crew, and fired from
a tripod or vehicle turret and feed from an external generator.

Much has been written of repeating blasters, so the discussion of
individual weapon will be limited to a few notable and unusual designs.

(Game Note:  I consider light repeaters to have an area of effect of
1/2m, medium repeaters 1m, and heavy repeaters to have a 2 meter area
of effect.  There is no added difficulty or bonus to the shot, due to the
high rate of fire.)


Czerka 912 Compact Repeating Blaster

The Czerka 912 Compact is a unique design, designed for troops who have
limited transportation and storage space.  It has no shoulder stock or
bipod, nor doe it have provisions fro the fitting of such items.  It is
quite short, only little over a meter in length when in the firing mode,
and only about the length of an E11 with the stock folded when packed up
for transport.  This is due to the radical, telescoping barrel design.
The focusing lenses, the forward half of the galven circuitry and the
cooling system are mounted in a large canister that retracts and extends
via a hydraulic piston.  It has a slightly shorter than average range,
but is also slightly more powerful than your typical light repeater.
It was originally meant for the bounty hunter market, but fell flat due
to the high cost and maintenance difficulties.

        type: telescoping, light repeating blasters
        skill: Blaster: repeating
        availability: 3 X
        cost: 4500 (25)
        range: 3-30/50/250 (+5 difficulty to hit at long range)
        fire rate: 1
        ammunition: 25, or power generator for unlimited ammo.
        damage: 6D+1
        notes:  Requires one round to lock barrels into firing position.
                +10 difficulty on all repair and modification rolls.


SoroSuub RB-407

The SoroSuub RB-407 is the standard issue medium repeating blaster to
the Imperial Army (Expansion and Inner Rim regions).  Like other medium
repeaters, it has been over shadowed by light and heavy models.
Designed to fill both the role of mounted or positional gun, and platoon
or company level support weapon, it is considered to be a compromise,
but a good one.

In the fixed gun role, it can fired from the integral  bipod, or mounted
to a wide variety of pintal and tripod mounts, meaning that it can be
used as a commander's gun on armoured vehicles, or as a door gun on
aerial transports. In the infantry role, it's fixed stock and bipod are
essential.  Meant to be fired from the bipod due to weight, the RB-407
is capable of being fired like a big rifle by a strong enough individual.
Despite this versatility, it has earned the unenviable nickname of "pig",
due to it's reputation for being temperamental (all of these problems
are corrected by using proper ammunition and maintenance procedures)
and it's considerable weight.

        type: medium repeating blaster
        skill: Blaster: repeating
        availability: 2  X
        cost:  3020  (25)
        range:  3-75/150/400
        fire rate: 1
        ammo: 15, or power generator for unlimited ammo.
        damage: 7D
        notes:  Must make a Moderate Lifting skill roll when firing
                without support (either bipod or mount), or suffer a
                +1D difficulty penalty due the weight.



AUTOMATIC BLASTERS

Fully automatic energy weapons are something of a rarity, even now.
They exist, it is just that most people don't like them, as they are
considered to be wasteful of ammunition.  In fact, only the CSA makes
a full auto weapon a standard issue weapon.  The trigger group of a
full auto blaster has multiple impulse slots, which can be chosen via
a mechanical level that transmits the impulses from the trigger.
Depending on which slot you've selected, you can fire in semi automatic,
burst or full auto modes of fire.

Despite the name, full auto is not actually fully automatic, but rather
a very long burst, that lasts about three to three and a half seconds.
This still allows a single trooper to destroy an enemy platoon, or
(theoretically) chew a hole into the heaviest repulsortanks. Full autos
are often found among merc and bounty hunters as a support or close
quarters weapon, although a few constabulary forces keep them for riot
control duty.

(Game Notes:  Full autos will have a stats entry entitled "modes".
              This will tell you what fire modes are available on a
              certain model, and how many shots are fired in each
              burst.

When firing on "full auto", or long burst, the weapon may be fired that
twice that round (unless specified otherwise).  There is an additional
-1D penalty to all actions that round, and no other attacks or piloting
rolls may be made, and only one (1) reactive skill (Dodge, etc).
Short bursts are treated just like any other shot.

It is a simple action to switch between firing modes. When fired in
burst or full auto, there is +2 difficulty to hit if the basic Blaster
skill (or a specialty other than those that follow) is used.

These specializations are not used to fire in semi-auto. The appropriate
specialization will be given in the discussion:

* Blaster: auto rifle
  - Used to fire selective fire blaster rifles.  In single shot mode,
    use the Blaster: rifle specialization.

* Blaster: auto carbine
  - Used to fire selective fire blaster carbines.  In single shot mode,
    use the Blaster: carbine specialization.

* Blaster: auto pistol
  - Used to fire selective fire blaster pistols.  In single shot mode,
    use the Blaster: heavy pistol specialization (due to increased bulk).

Once a shot from a burst hits, each additional shot on the same target,
or an adjacent one (<1m away) is one level of difficulty lower.  The
combined damage for a number of shots from a burst on the same target
is determined as per the rules for Combined Actions in your rule book
(I prefer those in 2.0).  The only difference is that Blaster replaces
Command as the skill of choice.
The legal problems with automatic blasters is usually the same as those
for repeating blasters, or worse.)


SoroSuub FastShot

A compact piece of ordinance, the FastShot is designed to be used by
those you need a LOT of firepower in a small package.  Although it's
bolt is a little underpowered by most standards, a burst from this
puppy will drop nearly anything at point blank range.  As such, it
has become popular with some body guard organizations and counter-
terrorist/hostage rescue teams. Following the basic lines of the
traditional blaster pistol, the FastShot differs from he traditional
control placement, with he safety being located above the trigger
itself, and has ambidextrous levers.

        type: selective fire blaster pistol
        skill: Blaster: auto pistol
        availability: 3  X
        cost:  850  (25)
        range:  3-10/50/150
        modes:  semi-auto and burst (5 shots/burst)
        ammunition:  100
        damage: 3D+2


BlasTech ES-23 "ESPO Riot Gun"

This is one of the standard issue weapons of the CSA's vaunted ESPO
forces, and one of the most common and popular automatic rifles in
action today. Despite it's popular nickname, it is not a true riot
gun.  Sharing the durability and reliability of the rest of the Blas-
Tech line, the ES-23's control layout and maintenance drill are quickly
learned if one has mastered the E11 rifle or E14 carbine.  The biggest
difference lies in placement of the special, oversized powercell on the
underside of the weapon.
They are well designed, fitted with a vertical foregrip to compensate
for the lack of shoulder stock. This means that it can provide an
incredible amount of fire in a relatively small package. Contrary to
most descriptions, it is actually no more inaccurate than an E11, and
not much heavier.

(These notes expand on those given in the Han Solo and the Corporate
Sector Sourcebook, and adapt those stats to these rules and terminology.)

        type: selective fire blaster rifle
        skill: Blaster: auto rifle
        availability: 2 X
        cost:  1700   (50)
        range: 3-30/100/300
        modes: semi-auto, burst (5 shots/burst) and full auto
               (30 shots/long burst)
        ammunition: 300
        damage: 5D+1


Th'Ta Manufacturing TA-16 and TA-16H Blaster Rifle

The Th'Ta TA-16 is a good, though relatively unknown, blaster rifle.
The TA-16 is calibrated to be fired in single shot and burst fire
modes, while the TA-16H squad automatic weapon is designed to be fired
in long bursts only.  They both use standard power cells, and have the
typical layout of most rifles, although hey are a little larger than
average.  The TA-16 and -16H may be readily differentiated by the
thicker barrel and ventilated hand guard on the TA-16H.  Other, less
noticeable differences include the higher cyclic rate, lack of a
bayonet lug and larger, less accurate sight on the TA-16H.

(note: the stats for the TA-16H appear in the brackets]

        type:  selective fire blaster rifle   [squad automatic weapon]
        skill: Blaster: auto rifle
        availability: 3 X
        cost:  1500 (25)  [1650 (25)]
        range:  3-30/100/200  [3-25/90/200]
        modes:  semi auto and burst (4 shots/burst)
                [burst (10 shots/burst) or full auto (50 shot/burst)]
        ammo:  100
        damage:  4D+2


RIOT GUNS AND PULSE RIFLES

Riot guns and pulse rifle differ in design theory, but they both have
the same effect:  hit a large area with a single shot, without the
complication of a repeating blaster or the higher maintance of a
selective fire weapon. They are used by police,  pirates and bounty
hunters around the galaxy, but aren't really popular due tot their
expense.  Still, how many times can you take out a full bar with a
single shot. Due to their rarity, pulse rifles and riot guns will not
be discussed in depth in this briefing, due to lack of specimen avail-
ability.  We will show you some of the most common and popular models,
except the Corondex VES-700, which is documented in Col. Stuart's
excellent treatise on bounty hunting.

(Game Noes:  Pulse rifles and riot guns effect a large area, but they
do have holes in their pattern.  Each target in he field of fire must
make success Dodge roll, or be hit.)


Th'Ta Manufacturing TA-11LB Tight Bore and TA-11Wide Bore SB Riot Guns

Again, the folks at Th'Ta have made a wonderful weapon, and due to
their small scale and remote location, most of us can't experance it.
Typical of riot guns, the TA-11 series has multiple, fixed barrels,
that are splayed apart in what often called a "bird's foot" or "fan"
pattern.  Each of these barrels has an individual exciter, prismatic
crystal housing and actuating blaster module, alloying them to build
up a bolt on their own, yet not interfere with it's neigbors.

The TA-11LB has longer, tightly bundled barrels for longer range and a
tighter group, while the -11SB has short barrels that spread radically,
giving a very wide, short range spread.  The -11LB's barrels create a
cone of fire that spreads to 7.5 degrees from the line of sight, with
the -SB's spread being twice that.  Anything there is in for some major
pain.  (note: the stats fro the TA-11SB are shown in the brackets)

        type:  multi-barrel riot guns
        skill: Blaster: pulse rifle
        availability:  4 X
        cost:  2000  (25)  [2750  (25)]
        range:  3-10/30/60  [2-5/20/40]
        fire rate: 1
        ammo: 6
        damage: 4D+1  [4D]
        notes: The TA-11LB does damage in a 15 degree arc (7.5 degrees
               from line of sight).  [The TA-SB does damage in a 30
               degree arc (15 degrees from line of sight)]


BlasTech AEW-2X Pulse Rifle

The AEW-2X is a prototype blaster rifle that is developing an improved
version of the microfilaments used in the Corondex VES-700 pulse rifle,
for longer barrel life. These newer filaments use a 50 degree spread,
unlike the 60 degrees of the VES-700, but have almost four times the
service life. Most users agree that the tradeoff is well worth, if for
no other reason than economics.  This spread is caused by a series of
micro-bursts of highly ionized gas to be introduced into the exciter,
causing the bolt to be split along the filaments and to exit the weapon
on a short series of waves, giving it a good spread.  At this time,
the weapon is and it's parts are rather expensive, but BlasTech expects
that to go down as the first mass production run goes to shop.

        type:  pulse rifle
        skill:  Blaster: pulse rifle
        availability:  4  X
        cost:  8000  (250,  500 fro the barrel)
                (in about a year: 6500  (200, 350 for the barrel))
        range:  1-10/20/30
        fire rate: 2
        ammunition: 15, may be attached to a power generator for un-
                    limited ammo. Super conducting filament cluster in
                    barrel must be replaced every 75 shots.
        damage: 6D, target area 1m.  5D to 10 degrees from target, 4D
                to 25 degrees from target.



EMPLOYMENT

The employment of repeating blasters is fairly well understood.  You
use selective fire blasters either the same way as repeaters, or like
sharpshhoter's rifles (in an infantry/cavalry sense) or like grenade
launchers. They are very versatile, but ammunition consumption must
be watched closely. And I gaurentee, that you will run out of ammo
only when you turn the corner and bump into the company of Storm
Commandos walking the garrison commander's pet rancor.

Using pulse rifles and riot guns is something of a mystery.  This,
and their ammunition supply, is why no major military power has ever
used them in any quantity.  How you use them is up to you; I haven't
a clue.



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