Re: New DSII weapon system

>1. You're talking about a mega-cannon here. Pretty unbalancing it 
>seems.

I don't think so.  Not at all.	See below.
 
>2. Why wouldn't it affect the targetting and weapons control circuits 
>in PA? If it'll stop PA, then it'll stop PA's weapons rig. 

Because, as I said, of a whim on my part.  Yes, the armor would be down 
but I figure that personal weapons would still function.  I simply don't

feel like assigning a firing penalty for them.	I like keeping the 
paperwork to a minimum.

>3. I would only imagine the PA would be shielded against such 
>threats. Perhaps this thing should have a penetration that applies 
>versus shielded targets of D10 or something and PA should roll its 
>armour die against that (assuming it has EMP shielding). 

It depends.  In a game with an Ogre background, hell yes.  There's 
enough Nukes flying around to make shielding mandatory.  Under normal 
circumstances, I think that the d4 will do just fine.  In my background,

Nukes are a definate No-No (not enough habitable planets to allow 
indiscrimate use of such things), so I am not concerned.

>I don't believe high frequency emissions are 
>1. that easy to generate 

Not at the moment.  But, as I mentioned, this is based on a real 
proposal, and the author seemed to be pretty confident that it would 
work.

>2. that healthy to generate (can you say cancer, Mr. rifle bearer?)

*Shrug*  Can you say lead suit, Mr. Rifle Bearer?  And no, this would'nt

be a rifle.  It would be a (barely) man-portable, modular weapon.  It 
would require a three or four man team to carry the bits and put them 
together.  Obviously not the kind of thing that everyone is going to 
carry.

>3. that healthy to be the target of

It's not to be used as a non-leathal weapon system.  It's to be used as 
a non-destructive one.	"We want to capture the prototype.  Intact.  The

crew are more than expendable."

>4. something that military minds of the future would be unaware of as 
>a threat, hence shielding, fields that block it, weapons that use its 
>own emissions as homing targets, etc. would all be developed. I don't 
>necessarily think such a weapon would be such a runaway success as it 
>seems that people might want to imagine. 

It's not going to be a particualrly effecitve or common weapon.  Just 
think: which would you, as a soldier, rathter do?  Destroy the enemy 
tank, or temporarily knock it out so that it has a pretty good chance of

powering back up and nailing your ass in the near future?  Me, I'd want 
to blow it up.

>Let's just think how many times people have said "This is the 
>ultimate weapon" or "This will make infantry obsolete" or whatever. 
>Most of the time, a counter is devised, and such predictions are in 
>grave error. It may be a tool in the arsenal of the future soldier, 
>but it is not the tool that renders him obsolete, of that I am 
>certain. 
>
>Just my 0.02. 
>
>Tom.	

     I certainly wouldn't call it an "ultimate weapon".  Frankly, I 
wouldn't even call it a particularly effective weapon....  I designed it

for the use in specific scenarios, something to add a particular flavor 
to the game.  Personally, I would not have more than one or two such 
individual weapons on the board during a game.	And I would, depending 
on the Tech levels involved, make it more or less effective against some

forces.  Anyone remember how useful EMP was in Turtledove's "Worldwar"? 

And highly advanced aliens might not even use electrical systems.  
Frankly, I intend to use it just for flavor.  As I mentioned, I first 
read about it being proposed for use by the DEA, but I can see a 
desperate enough planetary govt. making use of anything that it can 
find.

Tom Sullivan
"The older you get, the better you realize you were."

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