Re: [Campeign Creation Project] Pirates of the Naebbirac Astroid Belt
Okay, let's talk weapons. We're talking Pirates, so let's play to the tropes: blaster in one hand, las-cutlass in the other stormings, not space-marine style smg's and assault guns.
So, first we put a lock on ROF of energy guns. Standard blasters use a power cartridge that feeds capacitors, and that takes a measurable amount of time to generate a shot. Lasers are too bulky to be used as sidearms; they can only be used for emplaced weaponry. Projectile guns, hmmm...we could go with a kinetic shield such as the one from Dune. The field does nothing to slow objects, but interdicts any fast moving object. It also cannot affect energy weapons of any kind.
It occurs to me that such a shield, on a larger scale, could serve ships very well in a dirty system, protecting against micrometeorite strikes and dust abrasion. It would also render projectile and missile attacks useless. Further, more powerful versions would prevent the high-speed molecules of a gas from leaking through while allowing space-suited individuals to pass unharmed. No need for bulky, cumbersome airlocks.
Now, to make melee weapons more desirable, let's reduce the effectiveness of blasters. If a pistol does 6d6 normal, and a rifle 8d6, Then lets give the standard spacesuit 15 ED (after all, it has heavy radiation shielding), while combat models have around 20. Thus a person has a good chance of coming out of a hit both alive, and quite possibly conscious. On the other hand, since the suit's kinetic deflection field protects against micrometeoroids, rPD is probably around 5 for standard suits (don't want them too bulky, after all) or 10 for combat models. According to the Arms and Equipment Guide, a scimitar (close enough to a cutlass) is a 1d6+1 weapon. Laser-edged or vibro- versions probably wouldn't do more damage, but I'd add the Armor Piercing advantage, thus making them by far the most effective weapon in a boarding environment.
So, what are we seeing in a boarding action? Attackers spilling out of open bays towards the enemy, blades unsheathed, while their more cautious brethren keep the defender's heads down. Defenders popping up to fire blasts at incoming boarders, then a great melee as the horde reaches the target hull...
I'll work out costs for the suits and guns over the next few days, then post them up.