AAA guns

Interviewer:

Mr. Gabriel, our viewers have noticed that you are using some unconventional weapons - can you enlighten us on them a little?

Gabriel:

[stubs out cigarette, lights fresh] Sure. These days I buy my guns from ArchAngel Arms, they're a small but innovative company. My sidearm of choice is the AAA Ofanite machine pistol. Chambering an 8mm long round, it's controllable firepower in a small package. Rate of fire is decent, comparable to the average SMG, clip size is good for the size of the weapon and you can get extended clips for those special occasions when you want to say it with bullets - lots of them. Doesn't fit much in the way of snackies, but other than a laser sight and a silencer, hell, what do you need?

Interviewer:

And of course there's your most famous gun...

Gabriel:

[laughs] The Malakite. Yeah, that's popular. AAA did it originally as a custom one-shot, but after TEN showed the Electric Eddie segment they got a lot of calls asking for prices.

Interviewer:

I think we have that cued up - John?

[film segment, paused - a Manchine is caught in mid leap as it descends into a shopping mall]

Interviewer:

Can you talk us through this?

Gabriel:

Of course. That of course is Electric Eddie, a Manchine who went postal and invaded Upper Downtown.

[the film starts]

Gabriel:

We'd chased him for three blocks by this time on a Red BPN. Crucify was down with major internal injuries from the initial skirmish. Eddie lands... there, that's Szy'm'czyk putting a 12mm into him. Hurt him, but it clearly wasn't going to finish the job. I made a Jump down to the mall, landed on the fountain. Pulled the Malakite and... There. Exeunt Eddie, stage left.

Interviewer:

That's a big gun.

Gabriel:

Kinda. It's a 17mm in a derringer configuration, which is to say a two-barrel over and under setup. Break action, of course. Most of the weight is in the butt to absorb the shock - touching off a 17mm is no joke, believe you me. I don't like to use it unless I have no choice - those rounds can cause a lot of peripheral damage. They cost a bundle, too.

Interviewer:

Last but not least is of course your rifle of choice...

Gabriel:

The Seraph, yes. Having used it, I honestly think FEN have something to worry about in contention with their 30-30 line.

Interviewer:

That's a significant statement.

Gabriel:

It's a significant gun. 8mm long again, my round of choice, comes with the full range of accessories, but - and here is where it scores for me over the 30-30 - it mounts a box magazine. Less time off target.

Interviewer:

It's still a bolt action, though, yes?

Gabriel:

Of course, all the most accurate sniper rifles are.

Interviewer:

So is there anything else from this company we should be looking out for?

Gabriel:

Actually, yes - AAA are bringing out a drug gun in the new year, the Mercurian.

Interviewer:

A... drug gun?

Gabriel:

You may scoff, but it's a big hole in the market given the number of times Ops have to make live captures. AAA have been working with a small pharmaceuticals company to create a weapon that will deliver a hard-hitting knockout drug to a target.

Interviewer:

But surely Hotline...

Gabriel:

Vastly over-rated, and prone to causing fits and even heart failure in targets.

Interviewer:

How about penetration of armour?

Gabriel:

Well, taking anyone in sealed armour alive is difficult - most of the decent armours are shielded from Hotline these days - and to their credit AAA haven't tried to cover too many bases and dilute the weapon. What the Mercurian will do is fire a pellet ball - like a training round - carrying a DMSO/drug combination for easy and immediate absorption through the skin. Which means that if you can get a few holes in your target's snacky sealed rmour, you stand a fair chance of getting some splash through the holes to at least slow him down.

Interviewer:

Moving with the times indeed... Well, that's all we have time for. Thank you for your time.

Gabriel:

Thank you.

AAA Editor's note:

Good call sponsoring this one, make sure he gets a freebie Mercurian when they come out.>

Game notes:

	CLIP	CAL	ROF	RCL	RANGE	COST
AAA Ofanite	25	8mmL	5/1	5/2	15m	250c
Can accept laser sights and silencers only.
AAA Malakite	2	17mm	1	9	20m	600c
Can accept laser sights only.
AAA Seraph	5	8mmL	1	6	1000m	1350c
Comes with laser painter, 5000m IR/UV scope & bipod as standard. Silencer can be fitted.
AAA Mercurian	5	Ball	1	1	10m	200c
The Mercurian fires a round similar to a paintball containing DMSO and a knockout drug. The ball itself never does more than a single point of bruising damage, and PEN is irrelevant - if the target is not in sealed armour then the drug is delivered (PHYS save applies). Despite Gabriel's assertion, getting the drug through holes in sealed armour remains a GM call. On a fumble, the ball ruptures in the barrel, possibly necessitating a PHYS save from the firer.

GUNS GUNS GUNS!

Dick:

Next up on "Guns Guns Guns" are a few new offerings from new industry darlings Archangel Arms

Bob:

GGG does AAA, gotta love it

Dick:

Yeah, you're a real hoot Bob. AAA, or Triple A as they're being called, shot to popularity after Morituri, a squad containing one of their sponsored Operatives, got several prime-time vid slots.

Bob:

Let's run that Electric Eddie piece again.

film begins running on back screen

Dick:

You have to love that Malakite. A whole hunk of gun - weighing in at a massive 3.5kg - but boy, does it get the job done!

Bob:

But AAA, not content with sitting on their laurels, have learned some new tricks.

backscreen image - Calabite range

Dick:

That's right, Bob, the Calabite Assault Weapon System. Now, in itself the Calabite isn't anything particularly new except in its choice of round - an 8mm long full-on assault rifle, once again showing AAA's operational bias towards this under-used round.

Bob:

With good reason - the 8mm AR has a higher penetration ratio than its larger-calibre contemporaries, and squeezes extra rounds into the over-barrel clip due to their smaller size. Rock and roll!

Dick:

I think it's time for one of the pink pills, Bob...

Bob:

Oh, okay.

Dick:

The Calabite is a solid, functional weapon, in keeping with AAA's unspoken Project ethic of "substance over style". :Like many of their weapons, this rifle is heavy for its size, but that neatly absorbs the recoil from the high-powered rounds. The real innovation in the Calibite line, however, is the range of optional underslung add-ons. Each one is purchased individually, and mates to a simple to use mount on the underbarrel of the Calibite.

Bob:

Easily field-switchable too, I might add - a bang for every occasion!

Dick:

Currently, AAA are making three underbarrel options, but insider information is that more are on the way. First off the line...

Bob:

And my personal fave

Dick:

...is the Divine Wrath grenade launcher. Currently, of course, the Divine Wrath is only licensed for use off-Mort, although persistent rumours say that the ban on grenade launchers may be lifted soon.

Bob:

Hoo-yah!

Dick:

If that's the case, then AAA will get in on the ground floor with this state of the art design. Firing a new mini-grenade round, the Divine Wrath earns its name. Pump action, with four rounds in the tube magazine, the Wrath uses a revolutionary on-board targeting computer to enable the user to air burst his rounds precisely on target.

Bob:

Badda-boom!

Dick:

Simple to use with the Calabite's telescopic sight and rangefinder patching directly into the launcher, the user simply highlights his target and locks that distance in with a button press. Then launch, and...

Bob:

Chunky salsa!

Dick:

I think it's time for one of the green pills, Bob.

Bob:

Really? Cool!

Dick:

The second of AAA's underbarrel options is the Baal, a monster in all senses of the word. A 17mm pump action weapon, the Baal also carries four rounds in the tube. When you suddenly need a big round, there it is.

Bob:

...wurble...

Dick:

I see the pills are working at last. Lastly, AAA have a novel new idea - the Nimrod. Using a variety of sensor equipment, the Nimrod increases an Operative's situational awareness dramatically. Feeding to a flip-up screen mounted alongside the unit, the Nimrod offers several useful scanner options in a single package. AAA have issued a disclaimer stating that the Nimrod is primarily aimed at Scout-trained Operatives, as some of the sensor packages are quite exotic. The overall effect, however, cannot be denied.

Bob:

...thznkt...

Dick:

Eloquent as always, Bob. AAA were guarded on future releases in the line, but hinted that alternative calibre versions of the Baal and a liquid delivery system along the lines of their Mercurian weapon might be on the drawing board.

Bob:

[falls over]

Dick:

About time. And that's it from "Guns, Guns, Guns". Tune in for our next show, when I hope to get Bob to take the black pill...

GAME INFORMATION

TYPE	SIZE	CLIP	CAL	ROF	Recoil	Range	Weight	Cost
AAA Calabite	R	50	8mmL	5/3/1	9/6/3	25m	4.5kg	900c
The Calabite comes with a custom integral sighting system with 1000m range, IR/UV and laser rangefinder. It cannot be swapped out as it is part of the Calabite's carrying handle. The Calabite cannot mount any other top-mounted accessories due to the position of the 50 round clip (similar to the HK G11).
Divine Wrath	UB*	4	MG*	1	6	20m	1.5kg	750c
*UB and MG are Under Barrel and Mini Grenade respectively. The Divine Wrath can acquire a target from the Calabite's rangefinder, effectively adding a +3 circumstance modifier to the firer's to-hit roll. Acquiring the target is a full action (one phase).
Baal	UB	4	17mm	1	8	24m	1.5kg	500c
The lower recoil for the Baal represents having the bulk of the Calabite to help absorb it. Range is taken from the FEN 091 (since this is in its simplest sense an 091 bolted to an AR :) )
Nimrod	UB	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	2.5kg	1000c
The Nimrod incoporates a motion scanner, enviro scanner, AV recording/playback and tight beam scanner (all as per the individual items in the MRB), 8000m IR/UV sight, 3000m rangefinder, Ultrasound sight [thinkof it as sonar] (the last three connect to and override the Calabite's internal sight), 150w flashlight, laser microphone and nava-map. Due to the array of options, non-Scout trained personnel may - at the GM's all - be at a penalty to use the Nimrod.

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