Terl obar at 17:22, 10 March 2010

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Terl obar at 17:21, 10 March 2010

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	by Andrew Modro		by Andrew Modro

Terl obar: Created page with 'by Andrew Modro A ripple of gas venting, a wooshing rush, an unerring streak that ends in a deadly wound -- the gyrojet is a truly unique weapon born from a singular idea. The g…'

Terl obar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:37:06 GMT

Created page with 'by Andrew Modro A ripple of gas venting, a wooshing rush, an unerring streak that ends in a deadly wound -- the gyrojet is a truly unique weapon born from a singular idea. The g…'

New page

by Andrew Modro

A ripple of gas venting, a wooshing rush, an unerring
streak that ends in a deadly wound -- the gyrojet is a
truly unique weapon born from a singular idea. The
gyrojet concept was created in the real world in the
1960s and, because of manufacturing difficulties and
costs, was sidelined, relegated to rich collectors. But
the concept lives on, and in STAR FRONTIERS, gyrojet
weaponry packs a powerful punch.

This article examines gyrojet pistols and rifles,
exposing their benefits and drawbacks as well as
investigating their psychological and social impact in
the Frontier.

==A Brief History of the Gyrojet==
In the early 1960s, Robert Mainhardt and Art Biehl, the
originators of the gyrojet concept, founded a company
named MBAssociates to produce a unique weapon
system. Rather than firing lead projectiles, their new
design made use of miniaturized rockets. The weapon
itself would be easier to manufacture, as it would not
have to withstand the combustion pressures of regular
firearms. The accuracy of delivery would be improved
over normal firearms because there would be less
recoil and the rounds would gyroscopically stabilize
their own flight, like a bullet shot from a rifled barrel
but to a much higher degree.

The concept was sound, but execution was lacking.
Manufacturing difficulties caused flaws in the
ammunition, and most of the produced rounds were
less than perfect, causing them to go astray. The
gyrojet's much-vaunted accuracy never materialized,
and the project was shelved. Also, the rounds did not
immediately come "up to speed", requiring distance to
accelerate, meaning that the weapon could not be used
at close ranges where its accuracy would improve.

In STAR FRONTIERS, however, advanced manufacturing
techniques ensure the rocket rounds fired by
gyrojet weapons are produced up to specs. While the
acceleration difficulty remains except in expensive,
specialized ammunition, the accuracy and power of
gyrojets is legendary throughout known space.

==Anatomy of a Killer==
[[File:SFM03GyrojetPistol.png|250px|right]]
A gyrojet weapon is, in essence, a hand-held rocket
launcher. The weapon itself loads a round into a firing
chamber. The rocket round's propellant is touched off
when the trigger is pulled (on some models, the trigger
is replaced with a simple firing stud, risking twitchy
release for speed). Four nozzles on the rear end of the
round release and direct the propellant, just like a
chemical rocket. However, a gyrojet round's nozzles
are "aimed" in such a way as to set the round spinning
along its long axis, causing gyroscopic stability, which
greatly enhances accuracy over bullets, even from
rifled barrels.

Average gyrojet rounds tend to measure approximately
13 mm by 50 mm. As with bullets, there are many
different makes, but the chances are that any
randomly selected gyrojet weapon will have rounds
about that size. The round itself is complete, using its
full mass, unlike cased bullets. The nose of the round
usually resembles a broad pointed cone, though some
rounds are produced with varying shapes. Gyrojet
pistols and rifles often use similar ammunition; some
rifles have been produced to use larger calibers and
more specialized rockets. Because of the size of the
rockets, gyrojet weapons tend to hold less ammunition
in their clips/ magazines than slugthrowers.

Besides accuracy and power, the properties of gyrojets
also provide benefits in underwater and microgravity/
freefall combat. The rounds will fire when submerged,
and the much lower recoil is easier to compensate in
micro-g situations.

A final, almost side-benefit of gyrojet technology is
that the weapons are somewhat quieter in operation
than slugthrowers, putting the hearing of users at
much less risk. This is not to say that gyrojets are
stealthy, but it is possible to utilize one without ear
projection and still be able to hear after the fight.

The major cited drawback of gyrojet weapons is the
fact that a fired round has not yet reached its full
velocity when it leaves the weapon, just like a rocket
lifting off. The round is still accelerating as it emerges,
and continues to accelerate until its propellant is
exhausted. Because of this, gyrojets are very difficult
to use at point blank ranges; it is not until further out
that the round has reached its full velocity, giving it its
full damage capacity. STAR FRONTIERS technology
has reduced the required acceleration distance, but it
cannot eliminate that distance entirely.

==Rocket Power==
[[File:SFM03GyrojetRifle.png|350px|right]]
To use a gyrojet weapon is to declare yourself a breed
apart. Gyrojets are about deadly power. Carrying one
at your side is a warning: you don't take halfmeasures.
Proponents of beam and projectile weapons
consider gyrojets to be overkill, or even needlessly
bloodthirsty. Gyrojet-slingers don't care; they know
what their weapons can do.

The community of gyrojet users is recognized by
suppliers throughout the Frontier. Jetclips and rockets
are inexpensive, almost as inexpensive as bullets.
They are available on just about every inhabited world.
Soldiers, mercenaries and adventurers all acknowledge
the usefulness of gyrojet weapons, and accord respect
those who carry and use them.

Beyond the social cachet, carrying a gyrojet weapon
means you're also prepared for situations where lasers
and bullets are hampered or even useless. Jetclips are
much less expensive than powerpacks, making them
more cost-effective than lasers for use in space, and
gyrojet rockets function underwater where bullets
cannot. Lasers set to high SEU consumption rates can
do more damage in a single hit, but shot for shot
gyrojets deliver just-as-reliable damage for much less
cost, in a broader range of environments.

==A Deadly Enthusiasm==
Gyrojet technology has produced a few special items
for use by true enthusiasts. Though not commonly
available, these modifications, devices and specialized
ammunitions can be found... for the right price, of
course.

===Weapon Modifications===
'''Recoil Compensator:''' This is a modification to the
barrel of a gyrojet weapon. Improved venting balance
allows the weapon to fire with no noticeable recoil.
While the difference is minimal in a normal planetary
environment, in space it becomes enough to add 10%
to the wielder’s chance to hit on any shot.

'''Target Link:''' This expensive but deadly modification
consists of a small eye sensor mounted on top of the
weapon's barrel, wired to a tiny targeting computer
which in turn uses a wireless broadcast to provide
targeting information to its specialized rounds. When
used with proper Linked ammo, the Target Link
provides the wielder of the gyrojet weapon a +10%
bonus to hit on each shot.

'''Targeting Scope:''' This advanced targeting scope
allows the operator of the weapon to use a range
category one step better when determining the range
modifier from the main rule book. A targeting scope
doesn’t help at point-blank or short ranges. It costs
50Cr to add a targeting scope to a rifle or pistol. Any
pistol or rifle equipped with a targeting scope is 0.5kg
heavier than it was without.

===Ammunition===
[[File:SFM03GyrojetAmmo.png|250px|right]]
'''Doze Jetclip.''' The doze jetclip is loaded with rockets,
each carrying a small amount of doze gas. The rockets
burst on impact, causing no damage, but filling a onemeter
area with doze gas. The target must pass a
current Stamina check or fall unconscious for d100
turns. The doze gas is only effective on the round it is
fired. These rounds are often used by police or security
forces to take suspects alive.

'''Extended Jetclip:''' This is nothing more than a largersized
jetclip holding 15 rounds of ammunition for a
gyrojet weapon (both rifle and pistol extended jetclips
are availble). The extension adds 50 Cr to the cost of
a normal jetclip, plus the cost of the ammunition
inside. For example, a standard Rifle Jetclip normally
costs 20Cr. Adding 50% more bullets makes this cost
30Cr. Adding the cost of the extended jetclip brings
the total to 80Cr. The costs are all summarized in the
table at the end of this article. All gyrojet ammunition
in this section can be purchased in Extended Jetclips.
The added bulk causes a -1 to the Initiative Modifier of
the firer.

'''Fast Jetclip:''' By sacrificing round mass for propellant
and utilizing larger nozzles, fast gyrojet rounds can get
up to speed more quickly than normal rocket rounds,
at the cost of damage; in game terms, it gives the
weapon a Point Blank range and sacrifices some power.
The range of a gyrojet pistol using fast rounds is
changed to 2/5/50/100/150; that of a rifle becomes
2/5/75/150/300. Fast rounds reduce damage by 1 die:
pistols cause 1d10 and rifles 2d10.

'''Fragmentation Jetclip:''' These specially-designed
rockets explode on impact like normal ammunition, but
have a head packed with dozens of tiny metal slivers,
increasing their overall tissue damaging potential.
Fragmentation ammunition adds 1d10 to damage.

'''Linked Jetclip:''' Advances in miniaturization have
allowed the creation of these tiny semi-guided missiles.
When combined with a Target Link, linked ammunition
adds 10% to the user's chance to hit with a gyrojet
weapon. The rounds, like the link, are prohibitively
expensive and not currently available except in very
certain circumstances. Because of the added size of
the circuitry required for these very expensive rockets,
no other gyrojet ammunition type may have “Linked”
circuitry installed and still fire from a gyrojet weapon.

'''Poison Jetclip.''' The poison jetclip’s rockets each carry
a small dose of poison gas that will affect a one-meter
area. When the target is hit, no damage is done, but a
current Stamina check must be made. Those that fail
will be affected by a S5/T10 poison. If the character
passes the check or is wearing a gas mask or
spacesuit, he will not be affected. A shot of antitox will
neutralize the poison so no further damage is taken.

'''Tangler Jetclip.''' This jetclip has rockets filled with
tangler fluid. No damage is caused when a target is hit,
but a one-meter area is filled with tangler threads. The
target may avoid being caught in the threads if a
Reaction Speed avoidance roll is made. Otherwise, the
threads will last for 30 minutes. Creatures with more
than 100 Stamina points may break free in one turn.

<div style="border:thin solid black; width:75%; background: #eeeeee; clear:both;">Editor’s note: the Doze, Poison, and Tangler jetclips are not created by the author of this article, but reprinted from Dragon Magazine, August 1986. The Targeting Scope was added by me following guidelines from the main rulebook and from previously published issues of this webzine.</div>

{|style="text-align: center; border:1px solid black;"
|- style="font-weight:bold; background:navy; color:white;"
|align="left"|Gyrojet Weapon Modification Table||Wgt (kg)||Cost (Cr)
|-
|align="left"|Recoil Compensator<br />
   +10 to hit in micro-G/freefall
| -- || +100Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="left"|Target Link<br />
   +10 to hit with linked ammo
| -- || +500Cr
|-
|align="left"|Targeting Scope<br />
   Use next better range category.<br />
   Does not help in PB or S ranges.
| +0.5 || +50Cr
|}

{|style="text-align: center; border:1px solid black;"
|- style="font-weight:bold; background:navy; color:white;"
|align="left"|Gyrojet Weapon Ammunition Table||Wgt (kg)||Cost (Cr)
|-
|align="left"|'''Pistol Jetclips:'''
   Normal Jetclips (10 rounds)
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Standard
         as in Alpha Dawn book
|| -- || 10Cr
|-
| align="left" |      Doze
         STA check or sleep d100 turns
|| -- || 20Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Fast
         Range: 2/5/50/100/150
|| -- || 50Cr
|-
| align="left" |      Fragmentation
         Damage: 3d10
|| -- || 50Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Linked
         For Target Link (above)
|| -- || 100Cr
|-
| align="left" |      Poison
         Damage: S5/T10 poison
|| -- || 50Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Tangler
         RS check or tangled 30 min.
|| -- || 30Cr
|-
| align="left" |   Extended Jetclips (15 rounds, -1 IM)
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Standard
         as in Alpha Dawn book
|| -- || 55Cr
|-
| align="left" |      Doze
         STA check or sleep d100 turns
|| -- || 80Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Fast
         Range: 2/5/50/100/150
|| -- || 125Cr
|-
| align="left" |      Fragmentation
         Damage: 3d10
|| -- || 125Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Linked
         For Target Link (above)
|| -- || 200Cr
|-
| align="left" |      Poison
         Damage: S5/T10 poison
|| -- || 125Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Tangler
         RS check or tangled 30 min.
|| -- || 95Cr
|-
|align="left"|<br />'''Rifle Jetclips:'''
   Normal Jetclips (10 rounds)
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Standard
         as in Alpha Dawn book
|| -- || 20Cr
|-
| align="left" |      Doze
         STA check or sleep d100 turns
|| -- || 30Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Fast
         Range: 2/5/50/100/150
|| -- || 100Cr
|-
| align="left" |      Fragmentation
         Damage: 3d10
|| -- || 100Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Linked
         For Target Link (above)
|| -- || 200Cr
|-
| align="left" |      Poison
         Damage: S5/T10 poison
|| -- || 100Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Tangler
         RS check or tangled 30 min.
|| -- || 30Cr
|-
| align="left" |   Extended Jetclips (15 rounds, -1 IM)
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Standard
         as in Alpha Dawn book
|| -- || 80Cr
|-
| align="left" |      Doze
         STA check or sleep d100 turns
|| -- || 95Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Fast
         Range: 2/5/50/100/150
|| -- || 200Cr
|-
| align="left" |      Fragmentation
         Damage: 3d10
|| -- || 200Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Linked
         For Target Link (above)
|| -- || 300Cr
|-
| align="left" |      Poison
         Damage: S5/T10 poison
|| -- || 200Cr
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
| align="left" |      Tangler
         RS check or tangled 30 min.
|| -- || 95Cr
|}

Technical Journal: Gyrojet Weaponry - Revision history

Terl obar at 17:22, 10 March 2010

Terl obar at 17:21, 10 March 2010

Terl obar: Created page with 'by Andrew Modro A ripple of gas venting, a wooshing rush, an unerring streak that ends in a deadly wound -- the gyrojet is a truly unique weapon born from a singular idea. The g…'