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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Contemporary Weapons of the Colonial Age Pt. 01-

Copyright (c) 2009 Kyrinn S. Eis
Non-commercial use granted


Having neglected the gamer candy for a long while, I offer this series:

NOTES-

Ranges:

* MxE = Maximum Effective ~ The end of the ballistic arc, and one heck of a shot
* E = Effective Range ~ The theoretical limit
* ShE = Short Effective ~ The practical limit

Determine MxE and divide by Pi to reach E, then divide E by Pi to reach ShE, and so-on until the barrel is poking the target. This may yield results of feet or less in shorter MxE ranges.

Damage:
[Legacy] = D&D-scale HP damage; Metamorphosis Alpha, Original Gamma World, and MF should use standard listed damages

BEP = Blunt, Edged, and Piercing special effects


Galmaether Cylindrical Repeater (WICE Patent, various manufacturers)

Type: 10-round Revolver + Single-shot Feed
Size: Small, One-handed use; Two-handed re-load
Ammo.: Alchemical Cartridge
Max. RoF: 5 rounds discharged per 6 seconds
Ranges: MxE 500/E 159/ShE 50 Yards
Modifiers: varies from +01 to -02 based upon manufacture
Damage: 3d6x3BEP (31.5 DP) [3d6 Legacy] per round striking

:: Begin Datafile:

The Galmaether Cylindrical Repeater (GCR) was first patented in 685, in the Western Isles by Themeul Vedrys Marsden Galmaether, a lesser noble of the Byrtheq Families of that isle. Galmaether, largely dissatisfied with bolt-action or lever-actuating designs which forced him to manually load into the weapon (thus slowing his burgeoning 'trick-shooting' routine), envisaged a noble's weapon which would allow for both speedy delivery of a full compliment of ammunition, as well as single-round feed capability. After several false starts (and tens of Royals [thousands of gp] invested in the project), Themeul was greeted with success once he abandoned simple chemical propellants and dove headlong into the world of Alchemy.

Nearly a decade later, the first of the 'strikerless' firearm designs began to show promise. In these mechanisms, an Alchemical operation takes place, mixing raw Elemental Air with the mundane chemical in the shell, producing a strikerless and primerless combustion. Likewise, this made the shells inert in normal exposure to mundane atmosphere, and as an added advantage, allowed the cartridges to be fired in a non-oxy atmosphere or even a vacuum. Unlike most revolver designs, a rearward moving valve-pin re-cocked the Alchemical hammer, providing a semi-automatic firing sequence, rather than mechanically rotating the cylinder. Prior to his presumed death in an industrial accident in 689, Galmaether had established patents for various improvements and refinements in the GCR, and even one using a spring-tension magazine-feed version utilising triangular shells that fed into a fixed cylinder. However, the GCR is still a quick-change cylinder design, as are all knock-off makes of any reliable manufacture.

Once his design became known to the Black Crown, variants were produced in The Black Metal and this allowed for more powerful cartridges, as well as higher capacity cylinders (due to The Black Metal's uncompromising strength even in thinner chamber walls). Marnharnnan Vrun soon gained samples of these 'Western' models, and, although unable to duplicate the metallurgical advances, were able to patent and produce models with as many as twelve shots for their aeronaut, cavalry, and naval officers. The proliferation of Cylindrical Repeaters began to spread worldwide, as well as across weapon types to carbines and rifles, making ram-rod 'wool-rifles' antiquated by as early as the late 690's.

As the weapon type became more popular and ubiquitous, ammunition quantity and quality was never far behind the trend. By the mid 690's, any trading post on Marnharnna that carried firearms also carried standardised ammunition in various 'calibres', ranging from non-cylindrical derringer-type 'short-case' cartridges, to the Beast Hunting bores. Well into the Resth Clan Confederacy's (RCC) nascent national history, GCRs were issued to military personnel, political commissars, and Marnharnnan Defence Agency marshals. Gradually replaced by drum-magazine fully-automatic firearms by the middle of the First Tyrrhean War, GCRs passed down for generations were still the trusty companion of soldiers and adventurers until ]Å}]&*&$%% file corrupt
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