[Space Opera] Combat Loadouts

[Phantasm]

I'm gearing up for a space opera space pirate game, and I'm considering what kind of opposition the PCs would be running into (at least initially). These are intended to be the "standard" units the PCs would encounter, not the elite units. Backwater frontier colony militia and mercenary units would, of course, be less standardized.

One change I'm making from the stats in Ultra-Tech is that the Blaster Carbines and Blaster Rifles have RoF stats of 9#/10 (capable of 3-round bursts and full auto) and 10 (full auto), respectively, instead of RoF 3 as published; the Heavy Blaster Rifle now has RoF 20!.


Station Security
Blaster Pistol or Heavy Blaster Pistol
Blaster Carbine
Vibro-Shortsword
Electric Stun Baton
Monocrys Tactical Vest (trauma plates optional)
Assault Boots
Light Infantry Helmet
* IR or Multi-spectral Visor
* Radio Communicator, Tiny
* HUD
* Augmented Reality linkup
Handcuffs


Standard Soldier (major powers)
Blaster Pistol or Heavy Blaster Pistol
Blaster Carbine or Blaster Rifle
Underbarrel Gyroc or Underbarrel EMGL
Vibro-Broadsword, Vibro-Bastard Sword, or Force Sword
Force Shield
Combat Hardsuit
Combat Infantry Helmet
* Multispectral Visor
* Grav-Ripple Communicator, Tiny
* HUD
* Augmented Reality linkup
1 in 6 has a Heavy Blaster Rifle (LMG equivalent)
1 in 12 has an Infantry Missile Launcher


Space Marine (major powers)
same as Soldier, except for the following:
Space Armor
Space Combat Helmet
* Multispectral Visor
* Grav-Ripple Communicator, Tiny
* HUD
* Augmented Reality linkup


Starfighter and Shuttle Pilots (when out of the cockpit)
Blaster Pistol or Heavy Blaster Pistol
Blaster Carbine (stored)
Vibro-Shortsword or Force Blade
Monocrys Vacc Suit
Visored Space Helmet
* IR or Multispectral Visor
* Grav-Ripple Communicator, Tiny
* HUD
* Augmented Reality linkup
(note that assault shuttle pilots would be outfitted like standard space marines)


So, thoughts, comments, suggestions criticisms, critiques? (flames will be sent to /dev/null/)

[Ulzgoroth]

Why does everyone get a pistol?

My impression is that sidearms are generally not issued to your basic rifle-bearer.

On the other side, I wouldn't expect security personnel to routinely carry that much weaponry, unless you mean tactical team types or paramilitary guards rather than uniformed officers.

Also, swords for everyone? Some space opera goes that way, but I don't think the gear you're issuing is going to make that a sensible bit of hardware.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Why does everyone get a pistol?

My impression is that sidearms are generally not issued to your basic rifle-bearer.

Hmm... You might be right about that. Pistols for the soldier and marine are unlikely; the security and fighter jocks would be more likely to have them.

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

On the other side, I wouldn't expect security personnel to routinely carry that much weaponry, unless you mean tactical team types or paramilitary guards rather than uniformed officers.

Hmm... You may be right about that. Uniformed officers are likely to have the pistol, stun baton, and monocrys vest or jacket; the loadout listed above would be the tactical teams for when things go wrong on-station.

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Also, swords for everyone? Some space opera goes that way, but I don't think the gear you're issuing is going to make that a sensible bit of hardware.

Thinking back on it, I think I went too much the wrong way. The soldiers are more likely to have knives than swords. Still, as you say, some space opera goes that way, and when things close to melee the guns aren't always that useful. What would you recommend?

[SCAR]

Mailanka created a ton of Templates and Space Opera Military Loadouts for his game(s) and kindly uploaded them for others to see.
They certainly make an excellent starting point or reference for such things!

[chandley]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

Thinking back on it, I think I went too much the wrong way. The soldiers are more likely to have knives than swords. Still, as you say, some space opera goes that way, and when things close to melee the guns aren't always that useful. What would you recommend?

If your going space opera in GURPS and you want someone to pull a knife or sword in melee instead of STILL using their gun, you need to do something drastic to either the gun or the knife/sword. Giving everyone force swords/knives and precognitive parry would do it certainly... Upping ROF on blasters is kind of going the wrong way to wanting people to use melee weapons in melee though. Id be looking for a vibro-bayonet or force-bayonet... save myself the ready maneuver if I really need to stab someone instead of shooting them.

You might get away with just the force weapons (without precog parry), given you CAN parry a ranged weapon thats in your melee reach, and a force weapon that did that would chop the pistol or rifle in half pretty much automatically. Its space opera, so you wont really have to explain why everyone has gobs of force sword skill to get parries up to decent levels and gobs of Fast Draw to get it out quick. Vibro blades, despite some interesting prose in their description, dont seem to get a destructive parry, nor does mono-wire, so Im not sure there is enough motivation to use them over your gun in melee.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by SCAR

Mailanka created a ton of Templates and Space Opera Military Loadouts for his game(s) and kindly uploaded them for others to see.
They certainly make an excellent starting point or reference for such things!

Those do look good, and I'll certainly point my players that way once I get to that point. The big differences I see is that his setting is TL10 while mine's TL11^, and that my PCs will be on the other side of the law from his. :)

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

Thinking back on it, I think I went too much the wrong way. The soldiers are more likely to have knives than swords. Still, as you say, some space opera goes that way, and when things close to melee the guns aren't always that useful. What would you recommend?

I'd toss the sword-and-shield kit. You appear, based on the other gear involved, to be building closer to the mil-SF 'space opera' style than space swashbuckling or otherwise sword-friendly subgenres.

Soldiers would likely have some kind of knife as a backup close combat weapon (and tool). Even a shortsword is too much...you want a weapon with reach C, and you don't need the extra encumbrance either. That said, in the real world carbines are primary CQB armament, and GURPS is pretty favorable to the 'shoot them before that comes up' approach to melee.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by chandley

If your going space opera in GURPS and you want someone to pull a knife or sword in melee instead of STILL using their gun, you need to do something drastic to either the gun or the knife/sword. Giving everyone force swords/knives and precognitive parry would do it certainly... Upping ROF on blasters is kind of going the wrong way to wanting people to use melee weapons in melee though. Id be looking for a vibro-bayonet or force-bayonet... save myself the ready maneuver if I really need to stab someone instead of shooting them.

You might get away with just the force weapons (without precog parry), given you CAN parry a ranged weapon thats in your melee reach, and a force weapon that did that would chop the pistol or rifle in half pretty much automatically. Its space opera, so you wont really have to explain why everyone has gobs of force sword skill to get parries up to decent levels and gobs of Fast Draw to get it out quick. Vibro blades, despite some interesting prose in their description, dont seem to get a destructive parry, nor does mono-wire, so Im not sure there is enough motivation to use them over your gun in melee.

On the other hand, guns tend to have a pretty hefty Bulk penalty which comes into play when things close to melee range. Adding a destructive parry to vibro- and monowire blades is in-keeping with the fluff and makes sense; a gun won't fire right if it's damaged, and even nowadays there's a lot of plastic in the gun (although the barrel is still metal; this may or may not be true with blasters).

[Phantasm]

Okay, here's the new loadout listings:

Station Security Officer
Blaster Pistol or Heavy Blaster Pistol
Electric Stun Baton
Monocrys Vest or Jacket
Radio Communicator, Small
Handcuffs


Station Security Tactical Team
Blaster Carbine
Vibro-Shortsword
Monocrys Tactical Vest (trauma plates optional)
Assault Boots
Light Infantry Helmet
* IR or Multi-spectral Visor
* Radio Communicator, Tiny (team leader gets a Small unit)
* HUD
* Augmented Reality linkup


Standard Soldier (major powers)
Blaster Carbine or Blaster Rifle
Underbarrel Gyroc or Underbarrel EMGL
Large Vibro-Knife or Force Blade
Combat Hardsuit
Combat Infantry Helmet
* Multispectral Visor
* Grav-Ripple Communicator, Tiny
* HUD
* Augmented Reality linkup
1 in 6 has a Heavy Blaster Rifle (LMG equivalent)
1 in 12 has an Infantry Missile Launcher


Space Marine (major powers)
same as Soldier, except for the following:
Space Armor
Space Combat Helmet
* Multispectral Visor
* Grav-Ripple Communicator, Tiny
* HUD
* Augmented Reality linkup


Starfighter and Shuttle Pilots
Blaster Pistol or Heavy Blaster Pistol
Blaster Carbine (stored)
Small Vibro-Knife or Force Blade
Monocrys Vacc Suit
Visored Space Helmet
* IR or Multispectral Visor
* Grav-Ripple Communicator, Tiny
* HUD
* Augmented Reality linkup

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Soldiers would likely have some kind of knife as a backup close combat weapon (and tool).

A knife will always be issued, because guns suck at cutting rope.