Weapon Familiarity Question

[VonKatzen]

Is weapon familiarity for specific ammunition/gun types or for specific models?
For example, would an HK USP 9mm and a Beretta 92FS count as the same for familiarity?
I ask this mainly because Ultra-Tech guns don't have models, just specifications.

[mlangsdorf]

Basic p 169 certainly implies that familiarity applies to specific models: "two similar models of Colt revolver should be considered identical."

Based on personal experience, I would say that a pair of guns that share the same action type and ammo are not necessarily similar enough to count as identical for familiarity: a Glock 17 and a Browning Hi-Power are very different guns even if they're both semi-auto 9mms, and a Remington 870 and a Keltec KSG operate very differently despite both being pump action 12g shotguns.

Ultratech guns are really meant to be examples of broad classes of guns, like the simplified gun list on Basic p 279. When setting up a game, the GM should ideally create a bunch of models of guns with variations in their specs, something like:

Blaster Rifles
Blastech Hunter5 does 5d(5) damage with Range 500/1500
Czerka Arms FS-1 Farshot does 4d+1(5) damage with Acc 11+3 and Range 1100/3300
Dreareian Defense Light Sport is the standard blaster rifle from UT p 123
Herloss HBt4 does 6d(5) with Acc 10+2 and Range 900/2700
Merr-Sonn LD-1 does 7d(5) with Acc 11+6 and Range 1200/3600 and Shots 5/2C
SoroSuub X-45 does 6d(5) damage with Range 800/2400
Xerrol Nightstinger does 3d+2(5) damage with Acc 11+3 and Range 1500/4500

So then PCs buy a specific model of blaster rifle and have familiarity with it.

Or you could just not bother and use the typical weapon examples and not worry about familiarity.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

Or you could just not bother and use the typical weapon examples and not worry about familiarity.

Exactly. It depends on how fine of a grit you wish to get to.

When I run ultra gritty games I also allow a Perk: Familiarity With All [TYPE]. This gives them Familiarity with all types under a certain set of specifications (action, grip, and caliber).

[VonKatzen]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

Basic p 169 certainly implies that familiarity applies to specific models: "two similar models of Colt revolver should be considered identical."
...
Ultratech guns are really meant to be examples of broad classes of guns, like the simplified gun list on Basic p 279. When setting up a game, the GM should ideally create a bunch of models of guns with variations in their specs...

Okay, that's more or less what I was doing, I just wanted to check with the hive mind.

[Þorkell]

Originally Posted by VonKatzen

Okay, that's more or less what I was doing, I just wanted to check with the hive mind.

Also have a look at the third paragraph int he Familiarity box in Basic p.169

[mlangsdorf]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Exactly. It depends on how fine of a grit you wish to get to.

When I run ultra gritty games I also allow a Perk: Familiarity With All [TYPE]. This gives them Familiarity with all types under a certain set of specifications (action, grip, and caliber).

Isn't that a variant of Cross-Trained (Gun Fu ps 18, Tactical Shooting p 38)?

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by mlangsdorf

Isn't that a variant of Cross-Trained (Gun Fu ps 18, Tactical Shooting p 38)?

Maybe? I don't break out the 'Gun-Fu' stuff that often anymore (I've been more into fantasy the last five+ years), but I likely stole the base idea from somewhere.