Clever Future Weapons

[SSJ Archon]

Ever seen 5th element?

That thing is sweet!

 

"A real killer would immedialty ask about the little red button on the bottom of the gun."

[DigitalGolem]

Re: Ice gun.

 

Originally posted by SSJ Archon

Don't use water ice. I would use liquid/solid nitrogen, or something like that. You can still shoot it in a cartidge, because its cold enough that it won't melt/evaporate right away.

They would still be detectable. The only real advantage is that there is no shell or anything to be traced. These super cold ammos would also reveal themselves through the freezing damage they would do the the skin.

 

....

 

Any more technical question the science man can awnser? (Guess what kind of character I usually play!)

 

That would work. The reason I suggested water is that it's available just about anywhere, and freezes easily without special equipment, which makes the weapon much easier to hide/transport. That's assuming the campaign setting includes an earth-like environment. Solid nitrogen would be much easier to get on Pluto, for instance. (?)

 

DGv3.0

[DigitalGolem]

Re: Clever, but not futuristic

 

Originally posted by Kevin Scrivner

The ice bullet IS a clever idea but not necessarily futuristic. Charlie Chan matched wits with a murderer who employed such a weapon in "Meeting At Midnight" (1944). In this case, the bullet was made of frozen blood of the same type as the victim's. In an era before DNA testing, that made it even harder to detect. The projectile melted and mixed with the blood flowing from the wound. Incidentally, the "gun" itself was quite compact -- a dual-purpose cigarette case.

 

Now THAT is interesting. Imagine a futuristic version of that, using blood from a clone of the victim! Of course, if technology is advanced enough to produce illicit clones, there will probably be easier ways to kill someone without getting caught.

 

DGv3.0

[CorpCommander]

Originally posted by chaos_engineer

however, i think it's pretty absurd to say it's "lame" to have lasers and particle beams in a sf setting, especially if you're striving for any kind of realism. and if you aren't, why not just transpose some flashy magic spells?

 

Its lame in the fact that it is so overdone. I doubt coherent light weapons will become useful as personal weapons. I think more interesting weapons will come into play and coherent light will play the part it's played for 3 decades now: range finding and guiding. Some lasers have been useful for ABM and anti-satalite work but overall I don't see people running around with laser weapons anytime soon if ever.

 

As we've seen there has been some pretty good discussion so I am pretty happy with this thread in general.

[CorpCommander]

Soldier Replacements

 

I think there is probably need for soldier replacement in the form of robots. For years units have been moving forward by stringing out and sending a point-person. What if that point person were a robot who was particularily adept at spotting? This would make ambushes and sniping a lot harder unless you could take out the robot first which would spawn anti-robot robots. In generall, however, it will affect the way units do business by changing how they collect vital information on what is ahead.

[BobGreenwade]

I was just checking through here to see if anything looked good for the STKO (Spacer's Toolkit Online). I know the thread's been around for a while, but now's the first time I've had a few minutes to read through.

 

Basically I like Lord Liaden's "ninja-tech" weapons (already properly formatted! -- well, almost) and CorpCommander's robot scout. Let's see these things written up and sent in to Ben, people!

 

Personally, I prefer non-lethal "anti-personnel" weapons, like the force bola -- upon hitting a target, it creates a tight force field around him, keeping him from moving. When not in use, it's about the shape and size of a small saucer. Great for taking prisoners.

[Lord Liaden]

Thanks for the compliment re my "ninja-tech," Bob, but I'm a little conflicted. I'd actually written them up as part of the equipment for agents in my expanded VOICE organization, which I hope to post elsewhere in its entirety when it's tidied up.

[CorpCommander]

Scout Robots

 

I'll write up the scout/pointman robots. Who is Ben? How do I get the write up into him?

[BobGreenwade]

LL: I don't think the two need to be mutually exclusive.

 

CC: Go to the STKO and click on "Contribute to the Toolkit" for information on formatting, contacting, etc.

[Tempuswolf]

I vaguely remember a crowd control weapon from Vacuum Flowers. It was a wetware injection that programmed people into becoming...riot police. As I recall, there was a short trial and punishment phase on-site: "For the crime of Unlawful Trespass pursuant to Penal Code ... you are found guilty and are hereby deputized under Regulation..."

[chaos_engineer]

Originally posted by CorpCommander

Its lame in the fact that it is so overdone.

 

that's because they're so credible. besides, you could say the same about nearly all the other weapons mentioned so far. if i had a dollar for every time i read a sf story with a needler, vibro-blade, robot soldier, et al., i'd be livin' large.

 

...I don't see people running around with laser weapons anytime soon if ever.

 

but you do see them running around with plasma rifles?

 

if you've got something against laser weapons, that's fine. but the fact is they're just as plausible as most of the weapons mentioned so far, and hardly "lame".

[Space Cadet]

Originally posted by Tempuswolf

I vaguely remember a crowd control weapon from Vacuum Flowers. It was a wetware injection that programmed people into becoming...riot police. As I recall, there was a short trial and punishment phase on-site: "For the crime of Unlawful Trespass pursuant to Penal Code ... you are found guilty and are hereby deputized under Regulation..."

 

Now that is just too twisted for words...

 

Space Cadet

[austenandrews]

What was the name of that weapon used by Niven's Puppeteers? The one that incapacitated the target by direct stimulation of the brain's pleasure centers?

 

-AA

[gewing]

Army is hoping for a HMMVW mounted solid state anti-aircraft weapon within 10 years. They plot man portable within 20. Interesting as scary at the same time.

 

Look up the SPIKE mini-missile the Marines are trying to buy.

6 lbs loaded with a fire control system.

Missile is 2.2 lbs, uses a ccd camera for guidance and has a range of 2 miles. warhead is an Explosively formed projectile, supposed to penetrate about 1-2 inches of steel, but be effective versus machine gun nests, trucks, etc. Can hit a crossing helicopter moving at speeds of up to 60 mph. Originally designed for mounting on Remotely piloted vehicles, the marines realized it would give them a nice capability, each fire team can carry about 6 missiles and one re-usable fire control, system.

IIRC ATK has the contract for the warhead.

 

 

on the OICW/SABRE, etc

the 20mm grenade is so the velocity and so range can be higher, the airburst capability is nice, and there is a HEAT anti armor round under development.

 

NEAR TERM, however, The went to a somewhat slower 25 mm grenade.

 

 

 

Originally posted by CorpCommander

Its lame in the fact that it is so overdone. I doubt coherent light weapons will become useful as personal weapons. I think more interesting weapons will come into play and coherent light will play the part it's played for 3 decades now: range finding and guiding. Some lasers have been useful for ABM and anti-satalite work but overall I don't see people running around with laser weapons anytime soon if ever.

 

As we've seen there has been some pretty good discussion so I am pretty happy with this thread in general.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Originally posted by austenandrews

What was the name of that weapon used by Niven's Puppeteers? The one that incapacitated the target by direct stimulation of the brain's pleasure centers?

-AA

It was called a 'tasp', wasn't it?

[CorpCommander]

Originally posted by chaos_engineer

if you've got something against laser weapons, that's fine. but the fact is they're just as plausible as most of the weapons mentioned so far, and hardly "lame".

 

Well, I don't think they are really all that plausible, but that is beside the point. The "lameness" comes from the ubiquity of the device in all sci-fi plus the fact that it is so prosaic - its just another rifle. You mention other sci-fi standards that have been repeated too often. That is what I am getting at. Its not a question of plausibility - its one of creativity. Is that more clear?

 

So, the wierd and unusual are what I am looking at. Things that will change the way war is conducted.

 

Smart mine fields (gosh they even had this in Dr. Who)

Smart/brilliant bullets

Non-leathal weapons

RPVs (especially interesting since we've seen 1st and 2nd generations of these and they clearly offer a whole new way of conducting war.)

Unusual weapons like the M2 SLAM (Selectable Lightweight Attack Munition) - basically a wierd pocket sized mine able to blow up material, defeat some vehicles and as an anti-personel device. Triggers include passive IR, magnetic influence, time delay and command detonation.

Non-weapon stuff such as methods of getting in and out of trouble, unusual communication gear, unusual camo, unusual detection gear etc.

 

Anyway, hope that helps.

[Killer Shrike]

Coil-poppers: Hollow rounds containing tightly wound coils of metal which unravel with tremendous force once the round is deformed, pretty much destroying any fleshy target.

[chaos_engineer]

Originally posted by CorpCommander

Smart/brilliant bullets

 

bullets are lame. they're so overdone.

 

seriously though, lasers are only "just another rifle" if you're unwilling to imagine their possibilities. (i can envision their uses as smart and/or non-leathal weapons quite easily.)

[gewing]

some of the basic ides for lasers are pretty nifty.

 

I like the low power targetting beam that when you are on target you press the trigger and a high powe pulse is fired.

 

A very weak lens that can be rotated in front of it could give you a shotgun like spread, less damage but much easier to hit with.

 

IIRC, In order to cover a larger target area (ease of hitting) and yet have high enough energy densities I think the SDI was talking about instead of one 10 meter diameter beam using say 5x 2 meter beams, one central and four smaller around it.

 

Large area covered, high damage if hit. On a really large target (not what they were intended for) it would be kind of like an autofire probably.

 

 

Same design could be used with smaller lasers, I suppose.

[CorpCommander]

Originally posted by chaos_engineer

bullets are lame. they're so overdone.

 

Damn straight! Now you get it. Lasers can be useful. You could attache them to the heads of sharks because no creature should ever go without a hot meal.

 

The coil poppers are, um, disgusting but great!

 

I am not one of the people that really has the ability to suspend disbelief on most nano-tech but bullets with Nano-tech are kinda neat if you have an open mind.

 

The Vacuum flowers weapon someone mentioned, the anti-riot wetware, sounds great. I read the book years ago and forgot how it works. How would you do it in Hero? Transform? Mind Control? Could be cool.

 

OH and I wrote up the Pointman Scoutbot and submitted it to the Spacers Toolkit online. If it isn't accepted I'll post it here.

[Lord Liaden]

I just stumbled across an old link to a conversion of weapons from GURPS Ultratech to HERO System. Perhaps folks visiting this thread would find it of interest:

 

http://www.geocities.com/ac_jackson/hero/ultrahero.html

[chaos_engineer]

Originally posted by gewing

some of the basic ides for lasers are pretty nifty.

 

I like the low power targetting beam that when you are on target you press the trigger and a high powe pulse is fired.

 

or it could be used to ionize the air between attacker and target, allowing an electrical current to be delivered stunning the target. such a "wireless Taser©" is in the works.

 

ok, enough about coherent light from me;) how about some more weird weapons?

 

there's the loogie gun from Snow Crash: "Both metacops, under their glossy black helmets and night vision goggles, are grinning. The one getting out of the mobile unit is carrying a short range chemical restraint projector - a loogie gun. Their plan worked. The loogie, when expanded in the air, was about the size of a football. Miles and miles of tiny cables like spaghetti with sticky gooey stuff that stays liquid until the loogie gun is fired. The snotty, fibrous drops of stuff wrapped all the way around her arm and forearm, lashed to the bar of the gates."

 

now that's an Entangle if i ever saw one.

[Adventus]

The loogie, when expanded in the air, was about the size of a football. Miles and miles of tiny cables like spaghetti with sticky gooey stuff that stays liquid until the loogie gun is fired. The snotty, fibrous drops of stuff wrapped all the way around her arm and forearm, lashed to the bar of the gates."

 

So that is where I got the idea from. I made something simmilar for my character The Discman. It was a str draining entangle, i.e. you lost any leverage for using your strength. Therefore your str is useless.

[AnotherSkip]

Re: Soldier Replacements

 

Originally posted by CorpCommander

I think there is probably need for soldier replacement in the form of robots. For years units have been moving forward by stringing out and sending a point-person. What if that point person were a robot who was particularily adept at spotting? This would make ambushes and sniping a lot harder unless you could take out the robot first which would spawn anti-robot robots. In generall, however, it will affect the way units do business by changing how they collect vital information on what is ahead.

 

pretty much SOP for Rigger Shadowrunners.

 

If ya want more tactical info lemme know.

[Tom Carman]

Originally posted by DigitalGolem

The Ice gun;

 

Makes its own ammo from water, may also dissolve various chemicals in each round, and after hitting its target at lethal velocity, the ammo dissolves. No evidence.

 

How to accelerate an ice needle to a lethal velocity, I have no idea. Perhaps a high-tech heating element in lieu of a firing pin, creating a small but powerful steam explosion? Any other suggestions?

 

thanx heaps,

 

DGv3.0

Compressed air works fine if you don't insist on high velocity and long range. I remember seeing this in a story as a basic survival weapon. It was a solar-powered airpistol. It also had a capsule of concentrated neurotoxin (lethal or stun, I don't recall) which was used to dope the ice needles.