Weapon skills

[Son of Fire]

I have never been entirely happy with some of the skills for weaponry present in D6 Star Wars. With the advent of the “essential guide” manuals, EU material, and the newest movies some things just don’t seem to be covered in the list of weapon skills. Though the game does suggest that player create skills for anything not present, (like the armour weaponry skill for Fett that only applies to selective weapons without rhyme or reason). I believe that that train of thought will bring far too many skills into a system that prides it’s self on it’s simplicity. Many of which could easily be adopted into existing skills.
So I proposed to my group a few subtle changes to “tweak” the system towards the simple streamline system that it is supposed to be. Let me know what you all think.

I will only list the skills that I believe deserve the changes that I have mentioned.

Blaster: now incorporate disruptors and other energy weapons that function with the same technology.

Bowcaster: having one skill for just one weapon is a waste, so I think that bowcaster should include other weapons that operate under a similar function, such as mass-drivers, gauss weapons, or rail guns. Perhaps renaming it something like “magna launcher” might be in order?

Bow: will also include slings, those spear lunching stick thingies and any other primitive man powered missile device (outside thrown weapons that is).

Firearms: include all and any solid projectile that is launched through combustion. This includes contemporary rounds and more esoteric rounds like case less, and Metal Storm technology, etc (Excluding things covered under Missile Weapons).

Missile Weapons: now includes dart launchers, rocket dart launchers and flechete launchers.

Exotic Weapons: would be a new skill to cover anything else not present in the aforementioned skills. This would include flame units, power liquid dispensers, sonic weapons, etc.

Hopefully this system would allow getting ride of ridiculous redundant skills and have a bit of the broad qualities that most of the other skills in the game posses.

So let me know what you all think.
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"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Crell Damar]

rail weapons also fall under the Missle Weapons skill, take a look at the Magna Caster, a crossbow that uses magnets to speed up the bolts
and as for bowcaster, there's really no sense in using a bowcaster when you've got a good ol' blaster at your side, 4D damage is weak.

[Son of Fire]

I just wanted to give the bowcaster skill a bit more use than just…”bowcasting”.
But you are right a blaster is far better than a bowcaster.

Also it just seems silly to me that a two weapons that very similar (bowcasters and I am assuming that a magna caster functions comparably) operations would be cast into different skill groups. Is a magna caster really that much closer in function and operation to a missile launcher?
_________________
"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Crell Damar]

ummmm...

all i know is that any weapon that fires projectiles like grenades, missles, or bolts counts as a missle weapon.

[Son of Fire]

Then wouldn’t a bowcaster fall under that category?
All I’m saying is that I believe that a few of the weapon skill should be updated, now WEG can’t do that anymore so it’s pretty much up to the players.
I just fail to see the logic in giving a special skill that applies to only one weapon that could easily be filed into a broader skill that could easily encompass said weapon.

But considering that this is purely subjective I posted my thoughts on the subject in the house rule section.
_________________
"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Loc Taal]

I agree that bowcaster being it's own skill is kinda weird. Maybe it's such a specialized/unique weapon that they thought it warranted it's own skill, kinda like lightsaber? They don't seem that complicated, but who knows...
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The original RANCOR PIT archive

[Son of Fire]

I believe that was the rational that they had LocTaal.
But I can see the Lightsabre as having it’s own skill due to its rarity, unique qualities, and capabilities. Also it distances the Jedi from regular characters, which I also think is a good thing, or else everyone would want to run around with one. A Bowcaster is not even that powerful a weapon so what’s the point of giving it it’s own skill? Since its not really powerful it can’t be game balance, so then there is no real reason other than to make Wookiee characters feel special.

The Bowcaster is effectively a rail gun (according to the essential guide to weapons). The only major difference is that it wraps its projectile in energy at discharge. Yet now I hear that they lump rail guns in with missile weapons, which already seems to cover plenty of bases. That’s why I suggested the changes that I mentioned in my first post, to spread out each skills area of influence by throwing in similarly functioning weapons. And anything that is not listed would fall under the exotic weapons skill.
_________________
"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Crell Damar]

well, i suppose in that case, you could have the bowcaster a missle weapon. but you know? i think the bowcaster is seriously underpowered for a race of beings that have a 5D str, i mean, come on, that thing would have trouble hurting anyone wearing armor... well, except a newby jedi... or a jawa, or some other little person. I've seen someone who out matched a jawa with 2d+2 damage, and did nothing to him, he stunned it.

[Loc Taal]

That's a good point. If the bowcaster was designed as a weapon for Wookiees, you'd think it would at least be powerful enough to injure/kill most Wookiees.
_________________
"Mind what you have learned. Save you it can." --Yoda

The original RANCOR PIT archive

[Son of Fire]

I think that the Wookiees use the bowcaster for hunting and defence against predators. Though what good a bowcaster would be against something that ate Wookiees I don’t know.

Though I would rather not put bowcasters in with missile weapons, that skill covers more than enough ground. I would rather take some of the pressure off the missile weapons skill by giving bowcaster a few more weapons under its wing.
_________________
"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw

[Volar the Healer]

I think missile weapons applies to weapons which are self propelled such as anti-aircraft missiles, rocket propelled grenades, one shot disposable rocket launchers, CPSL launcher, that kind of thing; where the projectile provides it's own propulsion.

I think magnacaster is not a rail gun because the ballistics of the disc would be very different from the lead/duralloy? projectile fired from a rail gun. Anyone using a magnacaster would have to account for that difference...unless the disc was guided somehow. Ever see the movie "I come in Peace"? That alien used a magnacaster. I think the magnacaster is unique enough that it would require unique training to use one.

It seems obvious to me the bowcaster is not designed to kill wookies. I figured it must be a hunting tool. Why have a seperate skill for it? Because Chewbacca had one in the movie and it is not a blaster. I doubt anyone having access to blasters would use a bowcaster. Perhaps wookies don't? Perhaps they don't fight among themselves and so never needed a weapon except to hunt with? Perhaps it's a tradition? A Shoshone friend of mine practices with a bow. I practice with a katana.

I think any weapon which is completely different from another needs it's own skill. Blasters (particle beam), lasers, and sonic weapons all operate on different principles and would have different operating characteristics. What about planets that don't produce any of these weapons eg. Kayshekk, Earth? They're going to have their own weapons. Some may have catagories of weapons (firearms) some may have only one weapon (bowcaster). Some groups may have their own weapons (the Indian Kris or Jedi lightsaber).

And the most important reason: it's fun to have a Star Wars character carrying a weapon nobody else can use.
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[Crell Damar]

um, magnacaster uses missle weapon's skill because it says so on the weapon stats

i agree with your other points though

[Volar the Healer]

I know that.

I refer you to WEG's Director's Rule: "If you don't like it, don't use it".

A question was asked on how do other people think weapon skill rules should be handled. I gave my opinion along with suggestions and examples. Perhaps I've misunderstood the purpose of this forum?
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Know Jesus, Know Peace.
No Jesus, No Peace

[Crell Damar]

i know, and i was expressing my opinion

I'm sorry if i made you feel that i was shooting down your opinion

[Son of Fire]

Volar, rail guns, mass drivers, gauss guns etc are all effectively different names for weapons that function under the same principle, that being a projectile that is launched through electromagnetism as apposed to being launched through combustion. And looking the magna caster we see a weapon that uses that same principle in assistance of the crossbow. The bowcaster as well functions similarly, which is why I think they should be covered in the same skill block.

Missile Weapons officially has rocket darts, grenade launchers (ironically grenades are not self propelled, but they have the option of indirect fire which may separate them from firearms), flechette launchers, grapple launchers and a whole slew of other weapons that I haven’t mentioned under its belt. Any more squeezed in there and it would be just plain ridiculous and the skill would become even more cumbersome than it already is. Which is why I proposed spreading out a few of the other weapons into existing underused skills (like bowcaster which has a similar operation to rail guns and the like).

For other weapons such as sonic weapons, flamers, liquid weapons, etc. I figured that creating a new skill for each an every uncommon weapon would be a bit of an over kill by bogging down the system with tons of pointless skills, creating the same problem that the Bowcaster skill has. Which is why I proposed the Exotic Weapon skill to cover anything not covered by the existing skills but we know exists in the Star Wars universe. The game is supposed to simple and streamline.

BTW I have seen “I come in peace”, it was cheesy but cool in that B movie way.

And Auron, how come no one feels bad about shooting down my ideas?
_________________
"My schooling not only failed to teach me what it professed to be teaching, but prevented me from being educated to an extent which infuriates me when I think of all I might have learned at home by myself." - George Bernard Shaw