Modern Firearms

[Vagabond Elf]

So, being the unrepentant geek that I am, I hacked out some rules for modern firearms using the basic RoS mechanics.  Take a look & tell me what you think.

Firearms combat for the TROS system, part One.

Basic Principles

The core system for ranged attacks remains in place.  Attacks are made using a Missile Pool, which is based on both the Aim attribute and the Proficiency with the weapon.  The MP begins to refresh once the weapon is ready, and fills at the rate of (Wits) dice per Round.  Successes are added to weapon damage, the target's Toughness and Armour are subtracted, and the resulting wound is applied.

(It has been observed that, given the detail of damage location in this system, additional accuracy of shot shouldn't really boost damage.  And this is, in my opinion, true.  The weakness that this approach creates, one that I have not managed to solve, is that this eliminates the possibility of glancing blows.)

Missile weapons do a fixed damage, but being a better shot allows one to hit what one wants more accurately.  If the target is beyond 20m, then every third success (round down) allows the attacker to modify the d10 zone for where he's shooting by 1.  If the target is at less than 20m, then the attacker may have declared a d10 zone; in this case every 3 successes allow him to modify the d6 roll by one.  Note that this is in addition to any effects the Major Gift of Accuracy may have.

A note on timing: although melee rounds can be left somewhat vague as to how much time has passed, many of the missile weapon rules are written in terms of seconds.  Therefore, for the purposes of these rules, a Round is determined to be 2 seconds long and to consist of two 1 second Exchanges.  This timing should be used whenever a ranged weapon is involved, even if melee is also occurring.

The biggest single change is in preparation time, repeated fire and MP refresh rates.  Unlike a bow, crossbow or even a Napoleonic-era musket, a modern firearm does not generally need to be made ready between each shot.  Therefore, preparation time only applies when drawing or reloading the weapon.  (There are a few exceptions, such as bolt-action rifles.  These will be noted in their descriptions.)  Once the weapon is made ready, no significant time need be spent to do so again, even when switching targets.

The MP begins to refresh when the weapon is in firing position – when a pistol is pointed, when a rifle is brought to the shoulder, and so on.  As long as the shooter continues to aim at the same target, his MP dice continue to refresh at WT/round.  Even if he has been using some to shoot, the dice continue to build.  (Of course, those used to shoot are used.)  Some weapons have bonuses or penalties to the first round of refresh; these modifiers only apply when a given target is first selected, and are reapplied only when a new target is selected.

Example:
Messy Harold is trying to take down Unlucky Punk.  Harold is a very good shot, having an Aim of 5 and a Pistols proficiency of 8, for a total MP of 13.  His Wits are a solid 4.  Harold had his .44 Magnum Revolver drawn all ready, so when he spots Unlucky Punk it only takes a moment to point the pistol at him.  Pistols have a bonus to MP – they refresh at WT+1 – so in the first round Harold has 5 MP dice.  Harold pops off two quick shots (one in each Exchange) using 2 dice each.  At the end of the round he has (5-2, -2=) 1 dice left.  As the next round begins, Harold gets his Wits, plus 1, in dice (5) bringing him to 6.  Punk is farther away now, and so Harold takes more careful aim.  He waits out the round, and at the beginning of the third round has five more dice, for 11.  With 11 dice, and Punk nearly out of range, Harold takes one massive shot and drops his target.

A character who moves while firing will loose any dice he doesn't use during the round..

Any character who is aware of an attacker may attempt to dodge a shot fired at him.  In essence, this represents "broken-field" running, evasive manoeuvres, and so forth, trying to spoil the aim of the attacker.  The dodge, technically, must take place before the shot occurs – once the bullet is in the air it's going wherever it was aimed, and a person just isn't fast enough to be somewhere else before it connects.  However, the standard mechanic of: "attacker declares attack & dice, defender declares defence & dice, roll 'em" is still the simplest way to do this.  Only allow dodges against attacks the target can be aware of.  As a clarification: if any given attacker has not yet fired on any given target, and has not brought his weapon up prior to the attack, there is no time to dodge.  The attacker is limited to his first round's worth of MP dice, and if not using a pistol must fire from the hip.  (Bringing the weapon up to one's shoulder makes it too obvious who you're about to attack.)

Dodges are generally made using the Pugilism Combat Pool, though cases can be made for most of the melee pools.  The normal TN is 7; if a character chooses to hit the deck, dive behind cover, etc., then the DTN drops to a 5.  Successes on the dodge subtract from successes on the attack as normal, and if the all attacking successes are negated the shot has missed.  By dodging the target is obviously not aiming – he's moving about too much – and so cannot be accumulating MP dice.  (Any dice available in his MP are lost as soon as the dodge is declared.)

The MP penalties for shooting at a moving target should not be combined with Dodges.  If the target is unaware of the shot but is moving, use the –2 MP penalty.  If he is moving evasively, use the –3 MP penalty.

It will occur that a dodging character will sometimes roll less than 3 successes, in which case he'd have been better off if he'd just been moving evasively.  This happens.  Sometimes one is just unlucky; sometimes one is telegraphing one's intentions and the shooter can guess where you're going.  Suck it up, princess.

Being under cover can make the dodge roll easier; As mentioned above, if there's something to duck behind, use a DTN of 5 instead of 7.  Also, there are less targets to choose from.  If the shooter is close enough to make a called shot, he must shoot at the exposed portions of the body and take the associated MP penalty.  If the shooter cannot make a called shot,  (or chooses not to) he rolls as normal on the hit-location table.  If the shot hits a covered location, it hits the cover.

GMs make wish to assign ARs to cover; if the damage is high enough the shot may penetrate anyway.

Hit location:  Most weapons are not accurate enough to hit a specific zone at any great distance.  Why?  Because you can't see well enough.  To target a specific part of the body, the target must be at no more than 20m range.  If a scope has reduced the effective range to 20m or less, a called shot may also be made.  Called shots have the following penalties:
   Torso, Abdomen, upper legs:      No penalty
   Head, Upper Arms:         -2 MP
   Lower Arms, Lower Legs, Groin      -3 MP

Otherwise, roll on the table below to see where the shots land.  GM's should use some common sense; a kneeling target is going to have a leg up, blocking much of the torso; if a torso hit is rolled the GM might give it even odds of hitting the leg instead.  The other leg, however, is under the character, and the lower leg certainly can't be hit.

Missile Fire Hit Location
D10 Roll    Hit Zone
1       XIV (Arms)
2       XIII (Head)
3-4       XII (Chest)
5-6       XI (Belly)
7       X (Pelvis)
8-9       IX (Upper Legs)
10       VIII (Lower Legs)      


Of course, the Major Gift of Accuracy can be used to modify this roll by 1, and every 3 net successes can also be used to modify the roll by 1.

[Vagabond Elf]

Firearms Part Two

Overshock:
Most gunshots kill the same way swords do – by blood loss or by destroying a vital organ.  It is, however, possible to kill someone just by shock when using a firearm.  If the GM wishes, any hit to the head or torso zones that results in a level 6 (or higher) wound may be considered to be instantly fatal.

Fast Draw Skill
Defaults to 15 or Rifle Drill +3.  Fast Draw skill reflects practice in drawing and preparing a pistol.  In general, it is used with Reflex to try and reduce the preparation time or re-load time with a pistol, at the rate of 1 second per 2 successes (round up).  It should not be used directly for gunfights – other than checking to see how quickly the weapon clears the holster.

Rifle Drill Skill
Defaults to 15 or Fast Draw +3 or MG Drill +1.  Basically the same skill, but used with a longarm.  Since these weapons need to be pulled off the shoulder rather than from a holster, and tend to load differently, it is a separate skill.

Machine-gun Drill Skill
Defaults to 20 or Rifle Drill +1.  Similar to Rifle Drill, but involves the arts of loading a belt-fed weapon and changing barrels.  Note that most machine guns can be easily reloaded by a person other than the attacker, allowing the attacker to remain in firing position and start shooting again much faster.  This aspect of the weapon requires MG Drill and cannot be defaulted.

Naked Dwarf Syndrome
The damages on the weapons below are scaled to assume that most people are TO 4, and very few are TO 6 or 7.  However, there are a few out there.  If a character is wearing armour, and his TO + Armour exceeds the damage of the bullet, he take a Level 1 Bashing wound; multiple hits in this way will not raise this wound level.  (Shoot him elsewhere, folks.)  However, if he is unarmoured, he will take at least a Level 1 Piercing Wound from a gunshot, even if his TO exceeds the weapon damage.  These effects do stack, and the minimum damage is per bullet – so a burst will take down even a very tough character quite quickly.

Proficiencies:
The basic proficiencies are:
Pistol; Sub-Machine Gun; Rifle; Light Automatic; Heavy Automatic; Thrown Grenade; Grenade Launcher; Rocket Launcher.

These proficiencies should cover pretty much anything man-portable in a modern-ish setting.  Vehicle mounted weapons and fixed emplacements are larger scale weapons than these rules are trying to cover, and will be modelled on the TROS artillery rules once those are published.

Pistol
This proficiency covers the use of any single-handed autoloading or manual-loading firearm.  It does not cover machine pistols (fully automatic pistols) which are handled under Sub-Machine Gun, though a machine pistol set to semi-automatic fire could be used under Pistol without penalty.

Manoeuvres:
Double-Tap (1); Suppression Fire (2); Two-Gun (1); Two-Target (1)

Defaults:
Sub-Machine Gun –2; Rifle –3; Light Automatic –3; Heavy Automatic –4; Thrown Grenade –3; Grenade Launcher –4; Rocket Launcher –4.

Sub-Machine Gun

This covers the use of light fully automatic weapons that fire a pistol bullet.  GMs will have to make some calls which proficiency best suits some weapons – for example, the Colt 9mm SMG conversion of the AR-15 rifle could be argued for either proficiency, and should be assigned to one or the other.

Manoeuvres:
Double-Tap (1); Suppression Fire (0/2); Short Burst (1); Walk-Fire (2);

Defaults:
Pistol –2; Rifle –3; Light Automatic –2; Heavy Automatic –3; Thrown Grenade –3; Grenade Launcher –4; Rocket Launcher –4.

Rifle

This covers any two-handed longarm that is not fully automatic or burst-capable, including bolt/lever/pump-actions, autoloaders, and shotgun.  Like the SMG/Pistol relationship, Rifle can be used to fire a Light Automatic weapon that is set to Semi-Automatic fire.

Manoeuvres:
Double-Tap (0); Suppression Fire (1); Five-Rounds Rapid (½ WT);

Defaults:
Pistol –3; Sub-Machine Gun –3; Light Automatic –2; Heavy Automatic –3; Thrown Grenade –3; Grenade Launcher –4; Rocket Launcher –4.

Light Automatic

This covers any rifle-sized fully automatic weapon, including assault rifles, light machine guns and most harumphrodites such as the BAR.  It includes the use of the weapon when carried or used with a monopod or bipod; tripod or vehicle pintle mounts switch the weapon to the Heavy Automatic proficiency.

Manoeuvres:
Double-Tap (0); Suppression Fire (0/1); Short Burst (0); Walk-Fire (2);

Defaults:
Pistol –3; Sub-Machine Gun –2; Rifle –2; Heavy Automatic –2; Thrown Grenade –3; Grenade Launcher –4; Rocket Launcher –4.

Heavy Automatic

This covers two broad classes of weapon: any portable automatic weapon with a larger than rifle-sized calibre, and any automatic weapon on a tripod, fixed mount or pintle mount.

Manoeuvres:
Double-Tap (0); Indirect Fire (2); Suppression Fire (0/1); Short Burst (0); Walk-Fire (1);

Defaults:
Pistol –3; Sub-Machine Gun –2; Rifle –2; Light Automatic –2; Thrown Grenade –3; Grenade Launcher –4; Rocket Launcher –4.

Thrown Grenade

This covers throwing an explosive object.  It is not quite the same as ordinary "Thrown Object", used for rocks, beer bottles, empty pistols and the occasional dwarf.  This proficiency includes the ability to not only make the grenade land exactly where one wants it to, but also to place it behind cover and the like.

Grenades attacks are handled just like those of any other weapon; however, it is impossible to aim precisely with a grenade and so called shots are impossible.  If the defender's successes exceed the attackers, the attack has obviously failed.  This may be described as the GM sees fit – anything from the grenade being a dud, to the target sprinting out of range, or diving behind cover.  Whatever makes sense.

Because this system does not normally keep track of the precise location of characters, blast radii and deviation are best handled by using the successes.  Any character the GM thinks might be in the blast radius may make a defensive roll, and compare his successes to the attacker (who only make one roll).  Obviously, the characters who roll higher were farther away/behind cover/in the dead-zone of the weapon.

Grenades usually have a fuse of a given length, measured in seconds.  Assuming that the grenade will spend roughly 1 second in the air, it may not go off as soon as it lands.  Characters trying to avoid the grenade receive –1 DTN for each second it lies on the ground.  It is up to the GM exactly how long it takes to pick up and throw the grenade back, but 1-3 seconds is not unreasonable, depending on how far the character must move to reach it.

If the attacker wishes, he may "cook" the grenade – that is, hold the grenade for a few seconds before throwing it so, the fuse burns down and the grenade explodes as it arrives.  Doing this is risky, for it is easy to loose track of time in combat. A roll of WT vs. 8 is needed to count accurately.  The Character declares how many seconds he is going to hold the grenade, and needs that many successes on his WT roll.  Failure means he throws early by the number of successes he was short; botching means he throws late, and the grenade goes off in his face with 1d10 successes.

Manoeuvres: Indirect Fire (1)

Defaults:  Thrown Object –1; Thrown Knife –2, Grenade Launcher –2; All others –3.

Grenade Launcher
This proficiency covers any weapon held like a rifle but used to launch grenades, and light, man-portable mortars.  Most attacks with grenade launchers should be handled the same as thrown grenades, the major difference being lower ATNs and larger ranges.  The lower ATN represents both the greater accuracy of the launcher (as opposed to hurling something) and the fact that most launched grenades have contact fuses, making them harder to avoid.  Obviously, a launched grenade cannot be "cooked."

Manoeuvres: Indirect Fire (1); Five-Rounds-Rapid (½ -WT); Suppression Fire (2)

Defaults:
Pistol –4; Sub-Machine Gun –4; Rifle –3; Light Automatic –3; Heavy Automatics –4; Thrown Grenade –2;  Rocket Launcher –2.

[Vagabond Elf]

Firearms Part Three

Manoeuvres

Double Tap
This manoeuvre allows an attacker to quickly fire several shots at a single target.  A number of shots may be fired equal to the Cycle of the weapon.  The activation cost is paid once; the shooter's MP are then split as he pleases among the shots.  (The low number of dice in use here helps reflect recoil.)  The double-tap may be combined with Short Burst fire; the double-tap activation cost is only paid once, but the Short Burst cost must be paid for each attack.  No more than two Short Bursts can be made in any given Double-Tap.

Five-Rounds-Rapid
This is a manoeuvre designed for bolt-, pump-, or lever-action longarms.  With practice, it becomes possible to chamber a new bullet without bringing the weapon out of firing position.  Technically no MP dice are needed to do this, but for any Round in which the weapon is being chambered, the MP refreshes only ½ WT.  However, no time is spent bringing the weapon down from or raising it up to the shoulder.  Remember that a round is 2 seconds long; if the reloading is finished part-way through the round the shooter may fire on the second exchange, but the ½ WT refresh limit still applies.  This Manoeuvre is available at proficiency level 7.

Indirect Fire
Some weapons are designed to lob their projectiles up and over intervening cover to land on or beside the target; the classic example of this is a mortar but grenades, some rockets and even heavy machine guns are also designed to do it. The attacker pays the activation cost and adds 2 to his ATN.  If he is successful, the attack has landed on the same side of the cover as the target.  If he fails, the target is unharmed.  The target may still use a DTN of 5 as he is very hard to see behind cover.  Attacks made with Heavy Automatic weapons must use the Walk Fire rules, except that: a) the first 10 bullets fired have no effect on the ATN, b) an additional bullet hits every five successes, not every three, and c) sustaining this attack for multiple rounds does not increase the maximum number of bullets landing.

Short Burst
This manoeuvre can only be used with an automatic or burst-fire weapon.  It allows the user to fire several bullets in a short group at a single target.  The activation cost must be paid when using an Automatic weapon; when using a burst fire weapon there is no activation cost.  Burst-fire weapons will be pre-set to fire 2,3,4,5, or even 6 bullets as a single attack, with 3 being far and away the most common and 5 the next.  (A weapons description will usually specify what settings are available.)  Automatic weapons can fire anywhere from 3 to 6 bullets.  (It is worth noting that a given user will have trained to fire a certain size of burst, usually 3 or 5 bullets.  Firing any other amount will be difficult for them.  Players are encouraged to specify how long a burst they have practised and to spend 1 or 2 extra dice as an activation cost to fire more or less.)

A single attack roll is made, which can be defended against normally.  Either the whole burst hits, or none of it does.  Each bullet will strike in the same Zone, but may hit a different d6 location; roll for each bullet separately.  Successes may be used to affect all the d6 rolls if the target is at less then 20m, but the attacker must adjust each bullet towards the same location.  Subtract TO from each bullet, and combine the net damage at each location into a single wound.

Example:
Hans is hit in the chest (Zone XII) with three bullets from a Tommy Gun.  Sam has four net successes on the shot.  The d6 rolls are 2, 4, and 5.  2 is "Under the Ribs;" 4 and 5 are both "Chest."  With 3 successes, Sam can modify any of those rolls by one, and changes the 2 to a 3, so all the bullets hit the chest.  The Tommy Gun's damage is 6, and Hans' TO is 4, so each bullet is doing 2 levels of damage.  So Hans takes a level (2+2+2=) 6 wound to the chest.  That could be considered overshock, but the Level 5 result is "pierced heart – dead" so it really doesn't matter, does it?


Suppression FireSuppression fire involves "hosing down" an area to try and keep an opponent's head down.  It is not particularly accurate fire, but there is a lot of it.  The attacker pays the activation cost and rolls a normal attack; if he gets even one success the fire is in roughly the right spot.

Any persons down range of the suppression fire must roll WP vs. (attacker's Aim), plus 1 for each bullet fired in the exchange.  If he gets any successes he may stand up and act normally.  If he fails, he must take cover (though he may still attempt to fire from cover, move under cover, etc.)  If he botches, he takes cover and freezes up for (10-WP) rounds.

Since no attempt to aim is being made, autoloading pistols may double their Cycle rate for Suppression Fire.  Automatics do not – but probably won't need to anyway.

If the defender succeeds in his WP roll, and chooses not to take cover, whether or not he is hit comes down to random chance.  Roll percentile; if the result is equal to or less than the number of bullets fired +10, then he has been hit.  Assume it to be one bullet with 1d6 successes, and roll randomly for location.

Multiple attackers may combine Suppression Fire attacks.  Use the lower Aim attribute and the total number of bullets for the WP TN.

A single Suppression Fire action can affect several targets at once.

Sub-Machine Guns & Light Automatics have two different Activation costs for this Manoeuvre; the first, lower number is for Automatic fire; the second, higher number is for Autoloading or Burst Fire attacks.

It is worth noting that automatic weapons can create nearly impossible TNs.  SMGs and Assault Rifles present little problem here, as they will run out of ammunition after a round or two.  Belt-Fed machine guns can keep going for some time; however, they will have (in their descriptions) rules for barrel overheating and warping, which will force a pause to change barrels or a moderate rate of fire.

Two-Gun
This manoeuvre allows an attacker to hold a weapon in each hand and use them both.  Not available until proficiency level 6, it means the character has trained in having a weapon in each hand.  (Characters who work up to this level should make sure their rp reflects the need for this training.)  After paying the activation cost, the shooter makes a single attack roll.  Both shots must be aimed at the same zone but separate locations are rolled for.  As with Short Burst above, TO applies to each bullet.  The attack can be avoided with a single dodge; either both bullets hit or neither do.  This attack can be combined with Double-Tap.

Note the following: 1) This attack cannot be combined with Short Burst as the weapon is not accurate enough fired one-handed.  2) Both guns must be fired at the same zone on the same target.  3) Knowing this manoeuvre does not necessarily mean the character can shoot off-handed with one weapon; what he has learned is how to aim with the weapon in his good hand, and point the other gun so it hits the same spot (more or less).

Two-Target
The attacker has, with this Manoeuvre, learned to keep his attention on two separate targets.  With a weapon in each hand, he may aim at two separate targets.  His MP accumulates normally, and must be split to attack both targets, but is available to use against either of them as the attacker sees fit.

This Manoeuvre is available at proficiency level 7, and requires the character be able to shoot with both hands; until he learns to do that he cannot use this manoeuvre.  The character cannot attack both targets in a single exchange, but may use part of his built-up dice against one target in the first exchange and the remainder in the second, assuming he hasn't dodged or otherwise ceased to aim.

Walk Fire
Walking fire is when one simply holds down the trigger and steers the attack onto the target.  The advantage of this is it is easier to hit a target.  The disadvantage is that it is very wasteful of ammunition.

Walk fire may only be attempted with a fully automatic weapon.  The attack must fire the full cycle rate of bullets in the exchange.  For every 10 bullets fired (round mathematically) the ATN is lowered by 1.  For every three successes (round up) 1 bullet has hit the target, to a maximum of 1/10th (round down) the number fired.

In Example: A Tommy Gun has a Cycle of 12 bullets per second.  Walking fire with it will use 12 bullets, giving a –1 to the ATN of the attack.  Every three successes means another bullet has hit, but the Tommy Gun's cycle rate is low enough that only 1 bullet (12/10=1.2=1) can hit anyway.  An MG 42, on the other hand, has a Cycle of 26 bullets per second.  Walk Fire gives –3 to the ATN (26/10=2.6, rounds to 3), and up to 2 bullets can hit (2.6 round down is 2).

Sustaining the walk fire over multiple rounds is possible.  No further effect is had on the ATN, but each round an additional bullet might hit the target (ie, the Tommy Gun could hit with 2 bullets on the second round, provided the attack had at least four successes).

Walking fire usually requires tracer rounds (at least 1-in-5).  If the weapon is not loaded with tracers, the user must use some of his MP to roll against 7, +1 for every 10 metres.  If this roll is failed, the attacker cannot tell where his rounds are going and the attack automatically fails.  (At the GM's discretion, it could be treated as a Suppression Fire attack as the targets may not realise the attacker has no clue where he's shooting.)

Walking Fire is not all that accurate, and so the attacker cannot make called shots, nor may he use successes to affect the die roll for hit location.  The Gift of Accuracy cannot be used with Walk Fire.

Peripherals & Accessories:

Bayonet: Essentially a dagger that can be fitted onto the end of a Rifle.  Doing so changes the rifle from a two-handed club into a short spear, essentially. However, it does make the weapon less handy, imposing +1 to ATN (from shoulder) and to any Rifle Drill checks.  Attaching the bayonet usually needs 2 seconds to draw it and about 3 to attach it; this can be improved using Rifle Drill as normal.

Scopes: Telescopic sights, or scopes, make it easier to see the details of a distant target but harder to find it.  Using a scope means the MP refreshes at half WT; this does override most first-round modifiers.  However, the effective range to the target is reduced by the scope's rating.  If using a scope with 5x magnification, a target at 100m would be treated as if it were at 20m for the weapon's range penalty and for called shots.

[Vagabond Elf]

Firearms Part Four (Last Part)

Weapon Stats

These weapons stats, describing Second World War weapons (because that's what I know about), are created with the following assumptions & goals:
•   That a pistol should inflict a level 2 wound on a solid hit, and a rifle level 4
•   That 2 net successes constitutes a solid hit
•   That the "typical" toughness is 4
•   That little or no armour is in use

The Preparation time listed is broken down into a great amount of detail as many steps will not be needed every time.  In example, if a bullet is all ready chambered there is no need to do so again.

Some terminology is used here.  For clarity, definitions:

Firing mechanisms:
Autoloading: refers to a weapon where the act of firing one bullet brings the next bullet into place.  The gun can fire about as fast as the user can pull the trigger.  On a revolver this is more properly known as double-action but the game effects being the same, I'm not bothering with two terms.
Automatic: The weapon will continue to fire as long as the trigger is held down.  Machine Guns, Sub-Machine Guns and Assault Rifles are all automatics.
Burst-Fire: A form of automatic fire where the weapon will stop shooting after a number of bullets.  3 is common, but 4, 5, 6 or even 7-round bursts are known.
Single-Action: mostly found on revolvers, the weapon must be cocked between each shot by pulling back the hammer.
Bolt-Action: Found on rifles, the bolt – a small lever on the side of the weapon – must be lifted & pulled back to eject the spent cartridge, then pushed forward and down again to load the next.  Relatively slow, but simple to make, easy to use, and interferes less with accuracy.
Pump-Action: Seen mostly (but not always) on shotguns, each shot is chambered by pulling on the forestock.
Lever-Action: the "cowboy rifle" where each shot is chambered by working a lever under the stock.

Game Terms:
Cycle: refers to how quick the physical mechanisms of the gun are.  Cycle is rated in a number of shots per second (i.e., per exchange.)  Cycle only appears on weapons that do not need to be manually cocked or chambered in some way.

That being said, here are the sample weapons:

Pistols

The preparation time for pistols includes drawing it from a holster.  This is assumed to be a secure holster (possibly with a flap) worn on the hip.  Concealed holsters, including shoulder, down-the-pants and ankle types, would take longer to draw from.  Cut-down holsters would be faster, but have a good chance of the weapon falling out if the character is running, climbing, prone, etc.  Similarly, the re-load times assume the new ammunition is in a gunbelt, bandoleer or some other easily grabbed place.  If not, it would take much longer to retrieve.

Most autoloading pistols are cocked by pulling back the slide, the piece on the top that jumps back and forth to load the next round as one shoots.  Most of these weapons will lock the slide in the open position when the weapon is empty, making it both easy to realise this and faster to reload – once the new clip is in, a simple thumb switch releases the slide and chambers the next bullet.

Colt M1911A1
The classic "Colt 45," this weapon became the standard U.S. Army sidearm in 1911 and remained in service (in one form or another) into the 1980's.  It is a rugged, durable design; the surprising amount of play in its parts meaning that it will continue to operate even when very dirty.  It must be manually cocked before the first shot, but will cock itself afterwards.

Total preparation time: 1-5 seconds.
   Draw Pistol: 3 seconds; Chamber Round/Cock hammer: 1 second. Remove Safety: 1 second
Reload Time: 6-10 seconds
   Eject Spent Clip: 1 second; Recover Spent Clip 3 seconds; Retrieve New Clip 3 seconds; Insert New Clip: 2 seconds;  Release Slide 0 Seconds; Chamber Round: 1 second.
2 MP dice to roll Reflex vs. Fast Draw to reduce time by 1 second per two successes.
Refresh starts when weapon pointed. Refresh is equal to WT+1.
ATN: 7
Damage Rating: 6
Range:  +1 per 7m.
Ammo: .45in ACP.  7-round clip.
Cycle: 2 shots per second. Autoloading.
The .45in is a powerful bullet.  Any Knockdown rolls made for hits from this weapon are at +1 TN.

P 08 Luger
Possibly the most recognisable handgun in the world, the Luger is in fact a pre-WWI design, first created for the Swiss in 1900 and adopted by Germany in 1908.  It remained in production until 1942, however, as it is an excellent pistol.  Its only real failing was its complexity, and therefore expense; as the Second World War dragged on a cheaper solution had to be found.

Total preparation time: 0-5 seconds.
   Draw Pistol: 3 seconds; Chamber Round: 1 second. Remove Safety: 1 second
Reload Time: 6-10 seconds
   Eject Spent Clip: 1 second; Recover Spent Clip 3 seconds; Retrieve New Clip 3 seconds; Insert New Clip: 2 seconds;  Release Slide 0 Seconds; Chamber Round: 1 second.
2 MP dice to roll Reflex vs. Fast Draw to reduce time by 1 second per two successes.
Refresh starts when weapon pointed. Refresh is equal to WT+1.
ATN: 7
Damage Rating: 6
Range:  +1 per 7m.
Ammo: 9mm Parabellum. 8-round clip.
Cycle: 2 shots per second. Autoloading.



Sub-Machine Guns

Generally, an SMG is defined as a fully-automatic weapon firing a pistol round.  First developed for fighting inside the trenches of WWI, they are handier than rifles or assault rifles but less accurate and powerful.  Although it is theoretically possible to fire some SMGs with one hand, they become very inaccurate.

Thompson M1
The M1 is the successor to the M1928 made famous by Hollywood as the gangster's "Tommy Gun."  From our perspective the two weapons are more or less the same, but the M1 was simpler to build and maintain – very important when fighting a war.  The M1 lacks the forward pistol grip of the M1928, having just a standard forestock.  The weapon can use the classic 50- or 100- round ammo drums, but these are both noisy and awkward.  Sneak rolls should be heavily penalised when using the drums, as the bullets shift around loudly.  Add 1 second to the Recover Spent Clip, Retrieve New Clip and Insert New Clip stages of reloading,  and add 1 to the Reflex TNs when using the 100- round drum.  The Thompson needs two hands to shoot.

Total preparation time: 0-7 seconds.
   Unsling SMG: 3 seconds; Chamber Round: 1 second. Remove Safety: 1 second; Bring to Hip 1 Second; Bring to Shoulder 2 Seconds.
Reload Time: 8-11 seconds
   Eject Spent Clip: 1 second; Recover Spent Clip 3 seconds; Retrieve New Clip 4 seconds; Insert New Clip: 2 seconds; Chamber Round: 1 second.
2 MP dice to roll Reflex vs. Rifle Drill to reduce time by 1 second per two successes.
Refresh starts when weapon is pointed from hip or brought to shoulder
ATN: 6 (From Shoulder) 8 (From Hip)
Damage Rating: 6
Range:  +1 per 10m.
Ammo: .45in ACP.  30-round clip.
Cycle: 12 shots per second. Automatic (Walk Fire –1 ATN, 1 hit)
The .45in is a powerful bullet.  Any Knockdown rolls made for hits from this weapon are at +1 TN.

MP 40
The MP 40 actually began life as the MP 38 in (as one might expect) 1938.  A simple, basic submachine gun, it is remarkable for being the first firearm designed to be mass-produced rather than handcrafted and machined.  MP 38's only real fault was a tendency to start firing all on its own if dropped or jarred, and in 1940 the design was modified to the MP 38/40, which had a safety pin that held the bolt back when the safety was on.  Later in 1940 the MP 40 entered service; functionally identical to the MP 38/40, it had even less machined parts and more pressed & welded one, substantially reducing the cost and time required to produce it.  This weapon is often referred to as a "Schmeisser," but Hugo Schmeisser was not at all involved with it; the weapon comes from Erma.

Total preparation time: 0-7 seconds.
   Unsling SMG: 3 seconds; Chamber Round: 1 second. Remove Safety: 1 second; Bring to Hip 1 Second; Bring to Shoulder 2 Seconds.
Reload Time: 8-11 seconds
   Eject Spent Clip: 1 second; Recover Spent Clip 3 seconds; Retrieve New Clip 4 seconds; Insert New Clip: 2 seconds; Chamber Round: 1 second.
2 MP dice to roll Reflex vs. Rifle Drill to reduce time by 1 second per two successes.
Refresh starts when weapon is pointed from hip or brought to shoulder
ATN: 6 (From Shoulder) 8 (From Hip)
Damage Rating: 6
Range:  +1 per 10m.
Ammo: 9mm Parabellum  32-round clip.
Cycle: 8 shots per second. Automatic (Walk Fire –1 ATN, 1 hit)

Rifles

Rifles are not fast weapons, particularly during the Second World War, where they were long and very heavy.  This did make them accurate with careful aimed fire, but between the weight and the sights added noticeably to the time needed to acquire a target.  On the other hand, they did make good clubs and spears on the rare occasion one got that close to the target.

M1 Garand
The first autoloading rifle to be adopted by any military, the Garand was the standard U.S. Army rifle during WWII and the Korean War.  It was popular for its rate of fire, durability and ease of use.  It was unpopular because of its weight (the autoloading system made the rifle even heavier than the bolt-action types in use by everyone else) and one other problem:  The weapon uses an internal clip or bandoleer; when the last round is fired this clip is ejected with a loud ringing sound.  Any enemy with some experience with Garands will notice this sound on a roll of PR vs. 4, and realise the weapon is empty.  On the plus side, bandoleers aren't recoverable and don't have to be ejected, making reloading much faster.

Total preparation time: 0-8 seconds.
   Unsling Rifle: 3 seconds; Chamber Round: 1 second. Remove Safety: 1 second; Bring to Hip 1 Second; Bring to Shoulder 3 Seconds.
Reload Time: 6 seconds
   Retrieve New Clip 3 seconds; Insert New Clip: 2 seconds; Chamber Round: 1 second.
2 MP dice to roll Reflex vs. Rifle Drill to reduce time by 1 second per two successes.
Refresh starts when weapon is pointed from hip or brought to shoulder. Refresh is WT-2 (minimum 1).
ATN: 6 (From Shoulder) 10 (From Hip)
Damage Rating: 8
Range:  +1 per 25m.
Ammo: .30in Rifle.  8-round internal magazine.
Cycle: 3 shots per second. Autoloading.
Large-calibre rifles produce a lot of impact.  Any hit to the chest or legs that would not normally cause a knockdown roll does at +2 dice.

Karabiner 98k
The standard rifle of all the German forces, the 98k was referred to as a carbine but was basically the same size as every other rifle in the war, which gives you some notion of how long the original Gewehr 98 must have been.   Produced by Mauser the 98k was, like most of the rifles of the Second World War, a shining example of 1910's technology.  It was reliable and accurate, but too slow and unwieldy for the close-quarters most of the war was fought at.

Total preparation time: 0-9 seconds.
   Unsling Rifle: 3 seconds; Chamber Round: 2 seconds. Remove Safety: 1 second; Bring to Hip 1 Second; Bring to Shoulder 3 Seconds.
Cycle action 3-5 seconds:
Lower rifle and work bolt: 2 seconds.  Bring to Hip 1 second, Bring to shoulder 3 seconds.
Reload Time (Stripper Clip): 10-13 seconds
Open Bolt: 1 second. Retrieve Stripper Clip: 3 seconds.  Fit Clip: 2 Seconds. Push in bullets: 2 seconds.  Remove stripper clip 1 second.  Recover stripper clip 3 seconds.  Close bolt 1 second.
Reload Time (Loose rounds) 6 – 22 seconds:
Open Bolt: 1 second. Retrieve bullet: 2 seconds.  Insert bullet: 2 seconds.  (Repeat for each bullet).  Close Bolt: 1 second.
2 MP dice to roll Reflex vs. Rifle Drill to reduce time by 1 second per two successes.
Refresh starts when weapon is pointed from hip or brought to shoulder. Refresh is equal to WT-2 (Minimum 1).
ATN: 6 (From Shoulder) 10 (From Hip)
Damage Rating: 8
Range:  +1 per 25m.
Ammo: .7.92mm Rifle.  5-round internal magazine
Cycle: 1. Bolt-Action.
Large-calibre rifles produce a lot of impact.  Any hit to the chest or legs that would not normally cause a knockdown roll does at +2 dice.

Light Automatic Weapons
This category includes a large number of weapons.  Light Machine Guns and Assault Rifles are very common, especially in the modern era.  Even in the Second World War all armies had some sort of Light Automatic weapon, and the Germans and U.S. were well on the way to replacing rifles with them before the war was over.

BAR M1918A2
The Browning Automatic Rifle is a sort of "Giddy harumphrodite" of a weapon, as it is heavier than most weapons classed as assault rifles, but lighter than those considered light machineguns.  In practice it was used at the squad level as an LMG, but was not really capable of the sustained fire needed by such a weapon.  Nevertheless it was popular, even if it was awfully heavy.  One handy feature of the weapon:  it could be switched to fire between two different Cycle rates (300 rpm or 600 rpm); switching back and forth requires removing the weapon from the firing position and needs about 2 seconds.

Total preparation time: 0-10 seconds.
   Unsling Rifle: 3 seconds; Chamber Round: 1 second. Remove Safety: 1 second; Bring to Hip 1 Second; Bring to Shoulder 3 Seconds, Drop Prone 1 second; bring to position 4 seconds.
Reload Time: 6 seconds
   Retrieve New Clip 3 seconds; Insert New Clip: 2 seconds; Chamber Round: 1 second.
2 MP dice to roll Reflex vs. Rifle Drill to reduce time by 1 second per two successes.
Refresh starts when weapon is pointed from hip or brought to shoulder. Refresh is equal to WT-2 (Minimum 1).
ATN: 6 (Prone with Bipod) 7 (From Shoulder) 10 (From Hip)
Damage Rating: 8
Range:  +1 per 25m.
Ammo: .30in Rifle.  20-round clip.
Cycle: Slow Rate: 5 shots per second (Walk Fire –1 ATN, max 1 hit); Automatic
   Fast Rate: 10 shots per second (Walk Fire –1 ATN, max 1 hit). Automatic
Large-calibre rifles produce a lot of impact.  Any hit to the chest or legs that would not normally cause a knockdown roll does at +2 dice.

MG 42
The MG 42 was to machineguns what the MP 40 was to sub-machineguns – simple, cheap and mass-produced.  In addition is was capable of a vastly higher rate of fire than most other machineguns in the war, and could easily be used as both a light MG, or as a heavy by mounting it on a cleverly designed tripod.

Total preparation time: 0-10 seconds.
   Unsling Rifle: 3 seconds; Chamber Round: 1 second. Remove Safety: 1 second; Bring to Hip 1 Second; Bring to Shoulder 3 Seconds, Drop Prone 1 second; Bring to position 4 seconds.
Reload Time: 8 seconds
Retrieve new belt (loose) 4 seconds, (boxed) 3 seconds. Lay belt (loose) 3 seconds (boxed) 4 seconds. Chamber round 1 second.
The MG 42 can be reloaded by a second crew member, allowing the operator to remain in firing position.
Change-out Barrel 13 seconds:
Remove old barrel 3 seconds.  Retrieve new barrel 5 seconds.  Insert new barrel 5 seconds.
2 MP dice to roll Reflex vs. Rifle Drill to reduce time by 1 second per two successes. (MG Drill for reload/Change Barrel).
Refresh starts when weapon is pointed from hip or brought to shoulder. Refresh is equal to WT-2 (Minimum 1).
ATN: 6 (Prone with Bipod) 7 (From Shoulder) 10 (From Hip)
Damage Rating: 6
Range:  +1 per 25m.
Ammo: 7.92mm Rifle.  50-round belt.
Cycle:  26 bullets per second.  Automatic (Walk fire –3 ATN, max 2 hits).
Large-calibre rifles produce a lot of impact.  Any hit to the chest or legs that would not normally cause a knockdown roll does at +2 dice.
The rate of fire will rapidly wear out the barrel.  Any exchange where 10 or more bullets are fired, roll a d10. If the result is equal to or greater than the barrel's heat+1, add 1 to the heat (Heat starts at 0).  If the roll is under the heat rating by 5 or more the barrel has overheated and warped, ruining the weapon.  30 seconds of cooling (no firing) will remove 1 heat level.

[Rattlehead]

Hmmm... this is very interesting at a glance...

But where's the Ma Deuce?!?!

Brandon

[Vagabond Elf]

But where's the Ma Deuce?!?!

Which, for those of us speaking English, is ... ?

[toli]

But where's the Ma Deuce?!?!

Which, for those of us speaking English, is ... ?

.50 caliber heavy machine gun.  I think the real name is M24HB....

[Rattlehead]

Yup.... the heavy barrel. It's one bad mamma-jamma....

B

[Salamander]

The American slang of 'Ma Deuce refers to the Browning M2B or M2HB .50 cal heavy Machine Gun. The M24 is in fact the US Army Snipers rifle based off of the the USMC M40 and Remington 700.

[Rattlehead]

D'oh! You're right! I should have read toli's reply more carefully... that '4' slipped by me! LOL!

The M2HB was always one of our favorites in our games of Twilight 2000, although the M214 was unbeatable for sheer rate of fire. The M214 was just too rare to see often though.

Just as a bit of trivia, has anyone here seen a .50 cal shell? Those things are enormous! We've got one that someone turned into a cigarette lighter. A table-top kind of lighter - certainly not a pocket lighter! Heh.

@Topic - I'd love to hear how these modern firearms rules work out in actual play. Something I've been considering is playing some more Twilight 2000, possibly set in Vietnam rather than WWIII. Contemporary military RPGs seem rare to me. T2k is just about the only one I can think of just off the top of my head. Perhaps this will give me a new option...

Brandon

[Overdrive]

Just as a bit of trivia, has anyone here seen a .50 cal shell? Those things are enormous! We've got one that someone turned into a cigarette lighter. A table-top kind of lighter - certainly not a pocket lighter! Heh.

Well, I have fired some 122mm artillery rounds. They are pretty big, but nothing compared to the 155mm ones used in the new Finnish cannon. The blast of pressure is kinda heavy to the gun crew, and should one wander in front of the pieces, well..

Yup, me seen those .50 rounds too (or equivalent Eastern equipment, 12.7mm). Never got to fire the machine gun, though. :)

[Turin]

I have seen some 16 inch shells, I'm sure they were disarmed (of course never got to fire them).  It's been a few years, but as I remember as a kid they seemed a few feet in diameter (after writing these I realize not a few feet, but 16 inches! Duh!).  I think that equates to about 400mm!

[Vagabond Elf]

Which is cool and all, but I am hoping for some real feedback.

The big question in my mind at the moment is this:  Is it better to go with the physics and set a given weapon to a fixed amount of damage, or is it better to make weapon damages a bit lower and allow successes to add to damage?

The former is a bit less math, and probably more realistic, but doesn't allow for grazing hits or lucky flukes.   It means that someone with a TO of 4 will always take a level 2 wound from a heavy pistol.

The latter creates some variation in the damage inflicted, allowing both good luck and bad to fit in.  It's a bit more math, though not any more than the regular system, and probably a touch less accurate from a physics point of view.

Anyone have an opinion?

[Rattlehead]

Personally, I feel that the second option is the best. As for realism, well, no two gunshot wounds are the same...

Brandon

[Turin]

I think for realism, you want to make bullet wounds variable.  Though I think damage should be higher, I would think a heavy pistol would average more a level 3 wound.

You also may not want to make toughness apply to bullet wounds more man sized, or at least not th same way it does in TROS for melee weapons.

As far as sucesses = wound level - Fine if you are looking for a real cinematic feeling (James bond, most 40's-50's style WWII movies, Rambo, any action flick with Will Smith, etc.).

But I do not believe this is realistic if looking for a more simulationist game.  Make the sucesses more akin to an aiming type roll, but not effect damage.

Here is an Idea:  Roll D10 - of 5-6 equals damage per the weapon damage.  7-8 is +1 wound level, 3-4 is -1, etc. etc.
You can also attempt to roll under toughness on a D10, if you do damage is reduced a level (though you should probably add 1 to all weapon damage on your list of firearms).