GURPS High-Tech: Adventure Guns

Kromm · 11-07-2014, 12:15 PM

Like old-timey gods
Guns can take life or save it
With fire and thunder
— Some old guy in the saloon

GURPS High-Tech offers guns – lots of guns – but it never hurts to have more. This is most obvious when you want to stay true to the spirit of a specific era, because while GURPS offers stats for loads of firearms, only some of these suit any given period. The GURPS High-Tech: Pulp Guns series has your back in the 1920s and 30s . . . and now GURPS High-Tech: Adventure Guns is here to cover the mid 1800s through to the start of the Great War.

This catalog from gun guru extraordinaire Hans-Christian Vortisch describes the handguns, shotguns, and rifles of mature TL5 and the dawn of TL6, along with some light cannon and early machine guns for good measure (because sometimes, you need bigger guns, not more guns). It also looks at the associated ammo and accessories, so you don't ride off to the Wild West or disappear into Darkest Africa half-cocked. Heck, it even includes a few hand grenades, if you like that kind of thing (what could possibly go wrong with a hand-thrown bomb studded with percussion caps?).

But we all know that Hans doesn't just dump weapons in our lap and expect us not to blow ourselves up. All this hardware comes with lots of rules covering realistic considerations ranging from customizing guns and ammo, through technologies such as shotgun chokes, to the dangers of chain-firing revolvers and loading old black-powder life preservers with newfangled smokeless ammo. Don't get hung up on "realistic," though – Hans also looks at using period machine guns and cannon as armaments for crazy steampunk vehicles! And it isn't all about the hardware, either; the law and gun slang get some attention, too . . . because sometimes, actual talkin' is as important as talkin' irons.

No matter how bad the bad guys or how big the game, GURPS High-Tech: Adventure Guns will give your expedition the firepower it needs to get the job done!

—

Store Link: http://www.warehouse23.com/products/SJG37-1633

Vynticator · 11-07-2014, 03:14 PM

This looks excellent! Definitely on my Christmas list.

johndallman · 11-07-2014, 03:27 PM

It's excellent. A few more elephant and tiger guns would have been nice, since Big Guns have a way of solving problems that a change of pistols cannot.

Fred Brackin · 11-07-2014, 05:55 PM

Already purchased. _This_ is the thing in the pipeline I was waiting for.

johndallman · 12-10-2014, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johndallman

It's excellent. A few more elephant and tiger guns would have been nice, since Big Guns have a way of solving problems that a change of pistols cannot.

I'd like to apologise for that criticism, now I've looked a bit further into guns of the period. The explosion of gun and cartridge types didn't really get going until the end of the Adventure Guns period.

Anders · 12-10-2014, 01:04 PM

An explosion of guns and cartridges? Is that really wise?

Turhan's Bey Company · 12-10-2014, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anders

An explosion of guns and cartridges? Is that really wise?

Well, it's entertaining.

Icelander · 12-12-2014, 10:41 AM

I can't figure out the Shots stat for the Bullard Express .50-115 Bullard and Steyr-Mannlicher M.88 on Adventure Guns p. 88.

The Bullard has an underbarrel tube magazine and there is no mention of it being removable or that carrying spare magazines is a viable option, but the Shots stat for the weapon is listed as 10+1(3).

Meanwhile, the Steyr-Mannlicher M.88, which is described as (and well known for) being loaded with en bloc clips, but the Shots stat for the weapon is listed as 5(2i).

This implies that you load the rounds individually with the Steyr-Mannlicher, but somehow can reload the whole underbarrel tube magazine for the Bullard in three seconds, without bothering with individual cartridges.

Is this errata?

Is there something I'm missing about these individual weapons which explains why you count individual cartridge reloading time when loading en bloc clips into the Austrian weapon but don't need to load the Bullard with individual cartridges?

Dewey · 12-12-2014, 11:37 PM

This is a very minor quibble, but I was kind of bummed that the RML 2.5" Mountain Gun (AKA the Screw Gun) didn't make the cut.

Fred Brackin · 12-13-2014, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dewey

This is a very minor quibble, but I was kind of bummed that the RML 2.5" Mountain Gun (AKA the Screw Gun) didn't make the cut.

Are you asking for something different than the Screw Gun in HT?

11-07-2014, 12:15 PM	#1
Kromm *GURPS* Line Editor Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Montréal, Québec	GURPS High-Tech: Adventure Guns Like old-timey gods Guns can take life or save it With fire and thunder — Some old guy in the saloon *GURPS High-Tech* offers guns – lots of guns – but it never hurts to have more. This is most obvious when you want to stay true to the spirit of a specific era, because while *GURPS* offers stats for loads of firearms, only some of these suit any given period. The *GURPS High-Tech: Pulp Guns* series has your back in the 1920s and 30s . . . and now *GURPS High-Tech: Adventure Guns* is here to cover the mid 1800s through to the start of the Great War. This catalog from gun guru extraordinaire Hans-Christian Vortisch describes the handguns, shotguns, and rifles of mature TL5 and the dawn of TL6, along with some light cannon and early machine guns for good measure (because sometimes, you need bigger guns, not more guns). It also looks at the associated ammo and accessories, so you don't ride off to the Wild West or disappear into Darkest Africa half-cocked. Heck, it even includes a few hand grenades, if you like that kind of thing (what could possibly go wrong with a hand-thrown bomb studded with percussion caps?). But we all know that Hans doesn't just dump weapons in our lap and expect us not to blow ourselves up. All this hardware comes with lots of rules covering realistic considerations ranging from customizing guns and ammo, through technologies such as shotgun chokes, to the dangers of chain-firing revolvers and loading old black-powder life preservers with newfangled smokeless ammo. Don't get hung up on "realistic," though – Hans also looks at using period machine guns and cannon as armaments for crazy steampunk vehicles! And it isn't all about the hardware, either; the law and gun slang get some attention, too . . . because sometimes, actual talkin' is as important as talkin' irons. No matter how bad the bad guys or how big the game, *GURPS High-Tech: Adventure Guns* will give your expedition the firepower it needs to get the job done! — Store Link: http://www.warehouse23.com/products/SJG37-1633 __________________ Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch <kromm@sjgames.com> *GURPS* Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games My DreamWidth [Just *GURPS* News]

11-07-2014, 03:14 PM	#2
Vynticator Join Date: Jul 2012	Re: GURPS High-Tech: Adventure Guns This looks excellent! Definitely on my Christmas list.

11-07-2014, 03:27 PM	#3
johndallman Night Watchman Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cambridge, UK	Re: GURPS High-Tech: Adventure Guns It's excellent. A few more elephant and tiger guns would have been nice, since Big Guns have a way of solving problems that a change of pistols cannot.

11-07-2014, 05:55 PM	#4
Fred Brackin Join Date: Aug 2007	Re: GURPS High-Tech: Adventure Guns Already purchased. _This_ is the thing in the pipeline I was waiting for. __________________ Fred Brackin

12-10-2014, 01:04 PM	#6
Anders Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Gothenburg, Sweden	Re: GURPS High-Tech: Adventure Guns An explosion of guns and cartridges? Is that really wise? __________________ “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius

12-12-2014, 10:41 AM	#8
Icelander Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Iceland*	Oddities of listed reload times for Bullard Repeating Rifle and Steyr M.88 I can't figure out the Shots stat for the Bullard Express .50-115 Bullard and Steyr-Mannlicher M.88 on Adventure Guns p. 88. The Bullard has an underbarrel tube magazine and there is no mention of it being removable or that carrying spare magazines is a viable option, but the Shots stat for the weapon is listed as 10+1(3). Meanwhile, the Steyr-Mannlicher M.88, which is described as (and well known for) being loaded with en bloc clips, but the Shots stat for the weapon is listed as 5(2i). This implies that you load the rounds individually with the Steyr-Mannlicher, but somehow can reload the whole underbarrel tube magazine for the Bullard in three seconds, without bothering with individual cartridges. Is this errata? Is there something I'm missing about these individual weapons which explains why you count individual cartridge reloading time when loading en bloc clips into the Austrian weapon but don't need to load the Bullard with individual cartridges? __________________ Za uspiekh nashevo beznadiozhnovo diela! Last edited by Icelander; 12-12-2014 at 10:46 AM.

12-12-2014, 11:37 PM	#9
Dewey Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: New mexico	Re: Oddities of listed reload times for Bullard Repeating Rifle and Steyr M.88 This is a very minor quibble, but I was kind of bummed that the RML 2.5" Mountain Gun (AKA the Screw Gun) didn't make the cut.