| From: | Paul Jonathan Adam <Paul@********.demon.co.uk> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | The Arms Bazaar - Part 1 of 3 |
| Date: | Sat, 04 Nov 1995 10:07:24 GMT |
The Arms Bazaar, 1 of 3
A-01
--------
The street-level arms market is supplied by two sources, and is driven by
rather different dynamics to the legitimate gun trade.
One primary source of weapons is criminal: theft or diversion of corporate
arms shipments, raids on corporate or police arsenals, stolen private
weapons, et cetera. Another source - widely known, but too embarrasing and
complicated to deal with - is the sizeable "theft, loss and/or breakage"
accounts of most corporations.
However, for those on tight budgets, the other source of street-level
weapons - in 2055 as well as today - is historical. Countless AK-47s and
clones disappeared when the Berlin Wall came down, or in Afghanistan (and
those were merely the ones not accounted for by the Russian Army, not the
millions handed out to 'national liberators'): a quarter of a million G-3
rifles were handed out during the Iranian revolution, and none were brought
back: and how many M-16s went to South Vietnam before the fall of Saigon?
With the 21st century's repeated upheavals on the North American continent,
many more weapons "disappeared" and remain in circulation, just as many of
the illegal weapons used in Britain today are leftovers from the World
Wars.
Once you have your weapon, where do you find your ammunition? Some weapons
firing cased ammo can have empty cases reloaded and reused. In fact, with
time and skill, handloaded ammunition can be noticeably more accurate than
factory-made material.
And, especially with an older weapon, how do you modify and customise it?
Rules for gunsmithing are also attached.
These rules expand and enlarge on the Shadowrun rules for acquiring weapons
and using them: as with the additional rules supplied in Fields of Fire,
GMs are free to pick and choose as they wish. Some may be too complex for
those who are not firearm enthusiasts, other players and GMs may find these
rules too simplistic.
To track malfunctions and faulty ammunition, I use a system of counting
rounds fired: GMs who find this irritating or difficult are welcome to
devise alternatives. I track PC ammo expenditure anyway simply to ensure
they change magazines when they're meant to...
*****INDEX*****
PART I
BUYING - BY THE BOOK
Potential Problems
Ammunition
BUYING LEGALLY
Possession permits
Transport permits
Destructive Weapon Licence
GUNS ON A BUDGET - RENTALS
Ammunition
PART II
ANTIQUE WEAPONS
Conversion rules
PART III
RINGING THE CHANGES - GUNSMITHING AND HANDLOADING
GUNSMITHING
AMMUNITION AND HANDLOADING
Custom Handloads
Match Grade Ammunition
BUYING - BY THE BOOK
The channel of purchasing a weapon through a fixer, armourer or other
contact is exactly as described: the price of the weapon is modified by the
Street Index, and the Availability test applies. However, merely obtaining
"a weapon" is a little vague... how old is that weapon? What condition is
it in?
All "street" weapons are second (at least) hand. The buyer may add 2 to
Availability, double the base time, and add 1 to Street Index to demand a
"new" weapon - they can be had, but they are rather harder to come by and
command a premium. For a second-hand weapon, the GM should roll 2d6
secretly on purchase.
2 - Severe mechanical fault: the weapon is unserviceable and will not fire
at all. It cannot be economically repaired. A Firearms (4) test, if
the player declares they check the weapon before accepting it, will
reveal this fact.
3 - Worn barrel. Apply a +1 penalty to all shots taken with this weapon
until the barrel is replaced (25% of weapon price, Availability 1
level higher, same Street Index as weapon)
4 - Minor mechanical fault. The weapon requires a Firearms B/R (4) test
before it will function. Can be detected as in (2).
5 - Any one accessory is dysfunctional (laser sight faulty, gas vent
clogged, folding stock broken or missing, etc.).
6 - Weapon functions normally
7 - Weapon functions normally
8 - Weapon functions normally
9 - Minor fault, not affecting function: stock rattles, smartlink display
brightness stuck on 'high', et cetera.
10 - Incipient failure. The weapon will fail as in (4) after 20d6 shots
have been fired. A Firearms B/R (5) test will reveal this fact.
11 - Incipient failure. The weapon will fail as in (2) after 20d6 shots
have been fired. A Firearms B/R (6) test will reveal this fact.
12 - Weapon has been used before and is on one or more police/corporate
databases (GM discretion)
Thus, you have a 3/4 chance of getting at least a usable weapon... but it
may need a little work.
Ammunition
Street ammunition is sometimes cheaper than commercial: of course there is
a reason. Typically it is military surplus, time-expired, or similar.
'Street' ammunition other than APDS will misfire one round in one hundred
on average. How the GM wishes to enforce this is up to him or her.
Fixers et al will happily buy in better quality, even up to match grade
ammunition (see Gunsmithing). However, there is a delay and an extra charge
involved: appropriately: add 1 to Availability, double the time required,
and add 0.5 to the Street Index, for "100%" ammunition and double time and
price again on top of that for match grade. APDS ammunition has such rapid
turnover, and is sufficiently scarce, that this penalty does not apply:
APDS will *usually* be very reliable. (GMs who wish to allow players to
steal a large consignment of APDS only to discover that it was being
rejected due to a 25% dud rate, are of course welcome to do so...)
BUYING LEGALLY
It is not too hard for a SINful citizen to acquire, own and carry a weapon.
In Seattle, the criteria for a Possession permit (a weapon for sporting
purposes or home defence only) are rather lax: proof of citizenship, no
felony convictions, and payment of the appropriate fee suffices. A Rating-3
background check is carried out, for those trying to use false identities.
This allows the lucky holder to purchase a single weapon of a type declared
when the permit was obtained. A requirement of the permit is that the
weapon be submitted for ballistic analysis, and samples of fired bullets be
held: a new barrel requires that the permit be revalidated (and barrels are
controlled items).
However, this does limit the holder in many ways. Perhaps most difficult,
only single-shot or semi-automatic weapons may be acquired, and excessively
"militaristic" types are forbidden: a handgun, shotgun or sporting rifle is
acceptable, an assault rifle, SMG or heavier weapon is not. The legality of
burst-fire handguns and shotguns (Ares Vipers, Savalette Guardians,
Mossberg CMDTs etc) is up to the GM, but it is strongly recommended that
they be left as controlled weapons and unavailable at this level.
Also, if the weapon is being transported (from home to the shooting range,
for instance) it must be carried unloaded and seperate from its ammunition.
Even loading up magazines before leaving the house is a breach of a
Possession permit.
TRANSPORT PERMITS
A Transport permit involves a larger fee and a more detailed check. The
applicant may not have any felony convictions, and misdemeanors may be
sufficient to show a "lack of good character". In addition, a basic
firearms safety test is required: for game purposes, a Firearms (4) test
covers the requirement to be conversant with the weapon and to be
adequately proficient in its use. Normally, a Possession permit for the
weapon in question will be held (upgrading merely costs the difference, not
a full new fee). The background test is a Rating 5 for this level.
A Transport permit allows the owner to carry the weapon in a loaded and
ready state subject to local regulations. However, the owner is of course
legally responsible for their actions while in possession of that weapon. A
crime committed with a legally-owned weapon will be penalised no less
severely than one with an illegal weapon: the only difference is the lack
of an additional possession charge. Of course, "legally allowed to" does
not mean "socially acceptable to": and walking into a bank carrying a
shotgun may evoke a...lively response from the security guards.
For the foolhardy, honest or brave, there is the Destructive Weapon
Licence: there to allow enthusiasts to possess weapons of almost any type.
The fact that their issue is controlled by the Federal government should
indicate the difficulty of obtaining one: the details are up to the GM if
it is decided to allow players with SINs or excellent approximations
thereof this option. These permits are *only* for possession, and the
degree of investigation involved should scare off most shadowrunners, or
make a good hook for a later shadowrun.
The disadvantages of these methods is that they do, as intended, make
illegal activity with the weapon in question rather more difficult: having
the weapon's rifling pattern already on file is a considerable
complication. The limits on the weapon type are also quite restrictive for
a would-be shadowrunner hoping to acquire a HK227.
The great advantage for many weapons is that they allow a character to buy
a new weapon in mint condition at book price, or a secondhand weapon for
half to two-thirds of the book price, unmodified by Street Index and with
availablity of almost 100%. In addition, items such as spare parts,
ammunition, et cetera may all be acquired at book cost, though some items
(typically the receiver, bolt and barrel) are individually numbered and are
controlled items.
The ammunition you may legally buy is also good-quality factory grade,
rather than "fixer specials". Explosive and flechette ammunition may be
legally available at GM discretion (valid for both hunting and self-
defence), gel rounds most certainly will be, but APDS should be as
difficult to obtain as ever. "Street quality" ammunition, with its 1%
failure rate, may be acquired legally at half price and is perfectly valid
for practice, training et al. Match grade has an availaibility 2 higher
than factory, and doubles cost.
Of course, a wise PC who uses an (illegal) Ares Predator during shadowruns
may well acquire a second, legal weapon for day-to-day carriage and to
allow legal access to spares and ammunition.
GUNS ON A BUDGET - RENTALS
There are several ways to acquire a firearm more cheaply than in the basic
rules. The first, applicable to most modern weapons as well as the older
ones described here, is to rent rather than buy. Generally, fixers and
armourers will rent out firearms: other criminals may, at the GM's whim.
Renting a weapon will usually involve a deposit of a reasonable fraction of
the gun's value: in many cases, saleable goods rather than cash (if you had
that much cash you'd buy, right?) Rental fees hover around 20% of the
street value of the weapon, usually charged "per job" rather than on any
fixed period: a customer hurrying to return a rented weapon might lead
unwanted attention back to the armourer. The lower the deposit, the higher
the rental, to the point of paying 50% of the weapon's price per job if not
leaving any security deposit at all.
Ammunition has to be bought with the weapon, usually at double street
price, and will be bought back at normal rate. Some armourers offer
discounts, typically buying back ammunition at the price you paid and/or
refunding a third to a half of the rental fee, if the weapon is carried but
not used (less unwanted attention directed at them, less chance of being
caught with a hot and wanted weapon) Note, at least standard ammunition
will be available without an Availability check, since otherwise there
would be little point to renting the weapon...
Advantages
It is easier to find a weapon rented, rather than bought. Subtract 2 from
the Availability figure and halve the time required, if the intent is
merely to hire. In addition, the weapon is much less likely to link the
wielder to any crime he or she commits - once it has been returned!
Disadvantages
The most obvious drawback is that you have no idea who has used the weapon
before, or for what... but possession is nine-tenths of the law, and being
illegally in possession of a weapon previously used to kill several police
officers can be somewhat unhealthy if you are caught.
Also, the relatively high cost of ammunition makes automatic weapons
expensive to rent. Some more specialist weapons (e.g. sniper rifles, heavy
machine guns) may well only be available for rental from two or three
individuals in any one city, and the user takes ther chances with the GM's
whim as to the exact type of the weapon. In any case, heavy weapons will
usually be hired complete with gunner, and be rather more expensive.
Roll 2d6 for the state of the weapon when rented.
2 - Severe mechanical fault: the weapon is unserviceable and will not fire
at all. It cannot be repaired. A Firearms (3) test, if the player
declares they check the weapon before accepting it, will reveal this
fact.
3 - Worn barrel. Apply a +1 penalty to all shots taken with this weapon
until the barrel is replaced (25% of weapon price, Availability 1
level higher, same Street Index as weapon)
4 - Minor mechanical fault. The weapon requires a Firearms B/R (4) check
before it will function. Can be detected as in (2).
5 - Any one accessory is dysfunctional (laser sight broken, gas vent
clogged, etc.).
6 - Weapon functions normally
7 - Weapon functions normally
8 - Weapon has been used before and is on one or more police/corporate
databases (GM discretion)
9 - Minor fault, not affecting function: stock rattles, smartlink display
brightness stuck on 'high', et cetera.
10 - Incipient failure. The weapon will fail as in (4) after 20d6 shots
have been fired. A Firearms B/R (5) test will reveal this fact.
11 - Incipient failure. The weapon will fail as in (2) after 20d6 shots
have been fired. A Firearms B/R (6) test will reveal this fact.
12 - Weapon has been used before and is on one or more police/corporate
databases (GM discretion, but should be severe)
--
"When you have shot and killed a man, you have defined your attitude towards
him. You have offered a definite answer to a definite problem. For better
or for worse, you have acted decisively.
In fact, the next move is up to him." <R.A. Lafferty>
Paul J. Adam paul@********.demon.co.uk
