Re: [SG 2] Infantry weapons combinations

>Subject: [SG 2] Infantry weapons combinations
>
>Leaving APSWs and other crewed weapons, dealing only with 
'slugthrowers'
and 
>ignoring melee weapons; it appears there are nine  combinations of
small
arms.
> 
>LTAR and SAW
>LTAR and Rotary SAW
>LTAR and Gauss SAW
>AAR and SAW
>AAR and Rotary SAW
>AAR and Gauss SAW
>Gauss rifle and SAW
>Gauss rifle and Rotary SAW
>Gauss rifle and Gauss SAW

Are you lumping in underslung-grenade launchers with your AAR and Gauss
Rifles here?

In game terms, you might stat out your weapons like this:

LTAR - firepower 2, impact d8
AAR - firepower 2, impact d10
Gauss rifle - firepower 2, impact d12

but if you add an underslung grenade launcher to the rifles, you get an
FP1
bonus, so

LTAR/GL - fp 3, imp d8
AAR/GL - fp 3, imp d10
GR/GL - fp 3, imp d12

This is reflected in the basic TO&E's shown in the back of the rulebook.
The NAC forces use an AAR/GL combo, for example, while the FSE have a
Gauss
Rifle with no GL.

It means that there are actually 18 combinations of weapons:

>LTAR and SAW
>LTAR and Rotary SAW
>LTAR and Gauss SAW
>AAR and SAW
>AAR and Rotary SAW
>AAR and Gauss SAW
>Gauss rifle and SAW
>Gauss rifle and Rotary SAW
>Gauss rifle and Gauss SAW

and then

>LTAR/GL and SAW
>LTAR/GL and Rotary SAW
>LTAR/GL and Gauss SAW
>AAR/GL and SAW
>AAR/GL and Rotary SAW
>AAR/GL and Gauss SAW
>Gauss rifle/GL and SAW
>Gauss rifle/GL and Rotary SAW
>Gauss rifle/GL and Gauss SAW

for a firepower/impact range of fp 2, imp d8 all the way up to fp3,
impd12.
 This makes a pretty big difference in game terms, particularly
depending
on your squad sizes.

If you want a weak force, for example, use six-model squads with the
feeblest weapons (this would be a weak low-tech force), so five models
with
fp2/impD8 rifles and one with a SAW (fp d8/imp d8).  If they were
"regular"
quality, your best shot would be: d10 (rifles) + d8 (saw) + d8
(quality).
If you upgrade them to an 8-model squad, then they get to toss a d12,
and
that helps...

If you want to balance out low-tech with high-tech while using this wide
spread of weapons, you can do it with squad sizes.  So, your lowest tech
force has a squad as described (8 - 10 troops with rifles, one SAW). 
Your
highest tech force could have 4 - 6 model squads armed with GR/GL +
G-SAW
(so, FPd10 for rifles, even with just three figures shooting, FPd12 for
G-saw, and their quality die - say a d8 at regular).  This second squad
is
throwing the same "weight of dice" with four models as the 10-model
lower
tech squad.  The lower-tech squad, however, can lose three riflemen
before
their firepower is affected.  The high-tech squad can't lose any.  This
makes up for their better impact rating and more flexible force (more
smaller units), and allows you as the GM another tool for balancing
scenarios.

-Adrian