[Star Frontiers] Shotguns on the Frontier

[nerfherder]

I really hate to be one of those guys who brings real-world physics into a fictional arena, but the truth is: shotguns don't generally pattern wide enough to be considered a cone effect.

You saved me the bother of typing that out myself.

Well, Hound, it looks like you're further on with your GC game than I am

 

[HellHound]

I really hate to be one of those guys who brings real-world physics into a fictional arena, but the truth is: shotguns don't generally pattern wide enough to be considered a cone effect.

I know. I have several shotguns. At most shooting ranges, a shotgun pattern will sit nicely in a teacup.

That said, shotgun at a really wide choke can have some amount of spread. The rules I gave above only allow for the shot to hit targets in a single 'square' on a standard SF map, and with full choke will only hit a single target, but the choke can be spread to the point of being able to shoot (innefectively) multiple targets in that zone.

So if you're trying to stat an area of effect type of attack, the shotgun is not a good fit. Instead I'd be inclined to take the stats for how a gyrojet scales damage with distance and invert them. Shotguns are devastating up close, but rapidly lose both pattern density and inertia downrange.

Except that SF Gyrojets deal the same damage at all ranges.

Well, Hound, it looks like you're further on with your GC game than I am

Looks like. So Tubs is going to be a vrusk with a shotgun.

 

[Friadoc]

Man, I miss Star Frontiers.

My Dralasites, Bob (sue me, I was like 9 and my name is Robert), was the bomb.

Literally, he was a genedier, and one of the best explosive guys around.

Hmm, d20 Future has a SF write-up, doesn't it?

 

[HellHound]

Yes, d20 Future has the Alpha Dawn races in it, and a Star Law campaign.

However, after trying to run a d20 future Star Frontiers game, I realized that the game runs at LEAST as well using the classic rules. I ran a Truane's Star Vice mini-campaign that rocked, and I'm building it into a one-shot game for running at GenCon.

 

[Friadoc]

Yes, d20 Future has the Alpha Dawn races in it, and a Star Law campaign.

However, after trying to run a d20 future Star Frontiers game, I realized that the game runs at LEAST as well using the classic rules. I ran a Truane's Star Vice mini-campaign that rocked, and I'm building it into a one-shot game for running at GenCon.

That's true, I know I have the classic rules in my ol' gaming pile.

It was funny, when 3e came out, I dumped a lot of my 2e stuff, but kept my oD&D and 1st edition stuff.

I still have my Gamma World and Star Frontiers stuff, not to mention all of my Top Secret, Top Secret SI, and such, too.

 

[Thrommel]

It's been a while since I dragged out the old SF blue box. This is what I was referring to:

A gyrojet pistol is not effective at very short range, because the rocket is still accelerating. Thus the short range modifier is used even at point blank range.

The scaling ranged weapon I was thinking of is the sonic disruptor. That would make a decent analog to a shotgun.

Looks like the rules laid out for this scattergun are basically a half-strength version of a burst. Should be fine. I agree that a shotgun shooting in a wide pattern would be ineffective IRL, but this seems more fun to bang around with in a SF game.

-Thrommel, who misses Tim Holloway's art.