Equipment Questions

[Medic Guy]

I have a couple questions about some of the equipment that we're using. From looking at the adventure game rules and book of tables as well as the player guide it seems that there may be some differences between the amount of ammunition carried per magazine or clip.

The pulse rifle seems to be pretty much the same in game and in the books, but we would be using a different munition than the standard hand grenade. Something more like a 3 inch long round nose projectile if it's anything like modern ones.

Smartgun...how many rounds are in a magazine there seems to be some irregularities between the forum and the book. I don't particularly care what the number is as long as there is a consensus.

How do the monitors on the smartgun/scope of the sniper rifle work? Through some of the past campaigns I've seen a lot of different uses for them. Do they have night vision, thermal, infrared or other technology?

Thanks for any information yall are willing to throw out there, I'm enjoying sifting through the stand alone missions and older campaigns now. Looking forward to joining you guys in the field sometime soon.

[Morse]

I'll take this a piece at a time.

The Pulse Rifles are of course standard - The ammo counter tells us that. 99-100 rounds depending on who you ask. (pointless difference)

The Smartgun's ammo is something has even confused me for the years. I have sources that say it holds 150, 250, 300, 400, 600, and 1000 rounds. - I generally go with middle of the road number of 400 rounds (I think you can just give some narrative description of round/drum size to justify it however you want)

WE however don't really calculate ammunition too much here. It's mainly just a narrative point but does not effect the over all game.

The monitors on the sniper and smartgunner scopes have crazy sensors. They track movement, heat, ICC signals, even organic shape monitors. They do have thermal, heat, night vision, and infrared, though the visual basically just appears as slightly brightened up visual with the target outlined.

- Any other questions just fire away.

[maxvale76]

Also; just to point this out.....there is also the RPG book info and stuff from the movie; including the novelization; which has very, very little 'hard' info on much of the equipment; a lot of the info came from a rare book about the Colonial Marine Corps, which many people have accepted as 'cannon'; even though there's never been any official (as far as I know) word that it should be considered as such.

As for the many computer/video games; I have no idea; I haven't played any in eons.

In the RPG book (from which the rules for characters and combat, etc. are taken); the Pulse Rifle has 96 rounds in a clip (which presumably is only loaded to 95 in the movies because this helps with jamming?); Smart Guns have 192 rounds in a drum (which actually considering they're using a single 50 round drum from an MG 34/42....and the size of the modified Thompson clip which holds 95 rounds; this seems much more realistic than 300+ rounds)....the game also always uses ammo sizes that are divisable by 8 and 16; since this is the number of rounds fired in Low Rate Auto-Fire (Pulse Rifles) and Medium Rate Auto-Fire (Smartguns) bursts.

Another interesting fact....there is no mention of the term "Smartgun" ANYWHERE in the movie or the RPG book.....they simply refer to it as a "Machinegun". I'm not sure exactly where the Smartgun concept originated (in regards to Aliens); but it certainly isn't mentioned in the film or RPG book.

Personally; while I can buy that the Smartgun has a 'cut-off' to ensure that marines or possibly even anyone with a "PDT" chip implanted in them won't get hit by spray fire; some of the other stuff I've seen some writeups of the Smartgun being capable of just doesn't jibe with the source material at all in my opinion....but that's just me!

[Medic Guy]

Thanks guys that helps a lot. I'm trying to get a hold of the USCM tech manual, just figured you all would have a pretty good grasp of what the weapons specs/capabilities would be. And when I eventually meet up with you guys, not planning on carrying around 2 pulse rifles set to full auto. I've been enjoying both of yall's characters in the stand alone missions, good contrast between you two and enough depth to your characters to actually have some concern for what happens to them.

[Morse]

The main point I have to the ammunition number is several books reference the fact that ammunition in the Aliens universe is a bit weird for us. Bullets are case-less balls about the size of BB's but still explode and leave exit wounds the size of an orange.

This is generally why I just pick and choose a middle of the ground with everything, because really none of it matters. - Its strictly narrative stuff and not game related things when it comes to stats and rolls.

Just use your best guess, and don't go crazy with making things up. - Remember, duct tape and twist ties is still a viable option for fixing and rigging everything in this universe.

[Dakka]

Morse HAS to get a grenade launcher built into his shiny new leg, or a shotgun. For those umm...pesky colonial bar brawls... Yes. Foot drops off and BOOM...smoking hole in some bastard.

[Morse]

All I've found on prosthetic limbs in the Aliens universe tends to make them seem fairly bare bones. 'Functional at best' is I think the rule of thumb........ but if you think I won't be hiding a knife in it, you don't know me at all.

[maxvale76]

A knife? I figured a still for the homebrew.

[Quinn]

The main point I have to the ammunition number is several books reference the fact that ammunition in the Aliens universe is a bit weird for us. Bullets are case-less balls about the size of BB's but still explode and leave exit wounds the size of an orange.

This is generally why I just pick and choose a middle of the ground with everything, because really none of it matters. - Its strictly narrative stuff and not game related things when it comes to stats and rolls.

Just use your best guess, and don't go crazy with making things up. - Remember, duct tape and twist ties is still a viable option for fixing and rigging everything in this universe.

Being the size of BBs doesn't work at all, besides the movie quoting "10mm" as the standard round, a Thompson MAGAZINE would hold somewhere in the neighborhood of 200+ bbs (being the airsofter I am), and the drum able to hold around 6-800.

[Dakka]

All I've found on prosthetic limbs in the Aliens universe tends to make them seem fairly bare bones. 'Functional at best' is I think the rule of thumb........ but if you think I won't be hiding a knife in it, you don't know me at all.

Is there such a thing as a tazer knife?

[Quinn]

They make shock knives nowadays, but primarily as training tools (stings a fair bit). Should be a matter of bigger battery and amping up the voltage.