Weapon Assistance (4e)

[OttoDSFB7]

My group and I are relatively new to gurps and are attempting to run a TL 11 campaign where time is messed up and any type of person from any time can be present. Long story short one of our group wants to have a Thunder 50 bmg and frankly we can't decide on how to stat it out.

[johndallman]

This almost certainly isn't a good idea, but some people take a lot of persuading to realise things like that. The basic problem is that it's a pistol that weighs 12lb, and fires a cartridge that has Rcl 3 in a 35lb rifle. To work out stats, a copy of High-Tech is invaluable. You could also get a copy of Douglas Cole's ballistics spreadsheet, but eyeballing usually gets you fairly close.

So, to work through the statline for a gun:

TL: 8. The photos look like modern manufacturing techniques.
Name and calibre: Triple Action Thunder, .50 Browning.
Damage: 6d pi+ looks about right. The photos of shooting it show that it wastes a lot of its powder burning outside the barrel, but it's a very powerful cartridge.
Acc: 3 at a guess, maybe only 2. It has a fairly long barrel relative to its calibre for a pistol, but not for a carbine or rifle.
Range: 500/2000 at a guess. Pistols in a rifle calibre tend to have less than half the range of a rifle.
Weight: 12/0.25. Weight-per-shot is on pp. 176-177 of High-Tech.
RoF: 1, it's a single-shot pistol.
Shots: 1 (5). It needs to have the cartridge ejected, and to be cocked, both separately from being loaded, taking an extra 2 seconds over a normal single-shot gun.
ST: 12†, it's heavier than most rifles, and a much more awkward shape for holding with two hands.
Bulk: -4, the same as a carbine.
Rcl: -5 or -6 at a guess.
Cost: Probably doesn't matter in your campaign.
LC: 2, same as a military rifle. Claims that this is a self-defence weapon for the modern day will be greeted with howls of derisive laugher, Bruce.

[OttoDSFB7]

Thank you so much for your help johndallman

[tanksoldier]

. LC: 2, same as a military rifle. Claims that this is a self-defence weapon for the modern day will be greeted with howls of derisive laugher, Bruce

Nah. You can buy a Barrett .50 same as any other rifle, and the Thompson Contender that comes in many rifle calibers is the same as any other handgun.

...actually, making it a handgun restricts it more than a rifle.

What restricts a firearm’s legality, at least in the US, is whether it can fire more than one round per pull of the trigger. This is a single shot handgun. In most states people under 21 couldn’t buy it but could possess it. No other real restrictions would exist in most states.

...and you can buy .50 BMG API ammo online:

https://www.xproducts.com/product/50...nition-50-bmg/

https://www.freedommunitions.com/amm...-10-count.html

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by johndallman

This almost certainly isn't a good idea, but some people take a lot of persuading to realise things like that. The basic problem is that it's a pistol that weighs 12lb, and fires a cartridge that has Rcl 3 in a 35lb rifle. To work out stats, a copy of High-Tech is invaluable. You could also get a copy of Douglas Cole's ballistics spreadsheet, but eyeballing usually gets you fairly close.

Allegedly the whole point of the gun was to showcase the recoild suppression system, though there's no clear data on how well it worked.

So, to work through the statline for a gun:

Range: 500/2000 at a guess. Pistols in a rifle calibre tend to have less than half the range of a rifle.

Says 25 yards effective range at the link, so I think this might be generous.

[RyanW]

It's a tangent, but "new to GURPS" and "TL 11 campaign where time is messed up and any type of person from any time can be present" sounds like it could be a recipe for disaster. With GURPS you can do just about anything, but that doesn't mean it will necessarily work well if you try to do all the things.

I'm not saying it can't work. Just that this is an ambitious campaign premise, especially for newcomers.

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by RyanW

I'm not saying it can't work. Just that this is an ambitious campaign premise, especially for newcomers.

They might be quite experienced in other systems. But if a player wants a one shot pistol that takes 5 seconds to reload, they're probably not worried too greatly about balance.

[tanksoldier]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

Says 25 yards effective range at the link, so I think this might be generous.

A .50 BMG round will kill things more than 25 yards away.

It will kill something half a mile away if you can hit it.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by tanksoldier

A .50 BMG round will kill things more than 25 yards away.

It will kill something half a mile away if you can hit it.

Yes, but if you can't hit it at 25 yards because it's 12 lbs and your wrists are falling off...

[Maz]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

Says 25 yards effective range at the link, so I think this might be generous.

Effective range in GURPS generally means "acc bonus".