Chapter Two: The Fabulous Troopers' Arsenal

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Chapter Sections:

Weapons and Equipment
Pistols
Rifles
Death Guns
Explosives
Clubs
Blades
Spears
Axes
Archery
Armor
Equipment

Weapons and Equipment

The weapons and equipment listed in this chapter are divided into the sections listed above. Each section contains a table of statistics, pictures, descriptions, and sometimes special rules for the group of weapons or equipment that they detail. The table headings may require a little explanation.

Weapon or Item - This column lists the name of the weapon or item being described.
2H - Short for 'Two-Handed.' If there is an X in this column, then the item is two-handed and the unit carrying it must free up both hands before he can use it.
Pts. - The point cost to 'buy' one of these items.
Range - The range of this item, usually in inches. If there is a CC in this column, it can only be used in Close Combat, i.e. the unit carrying it must be able to touch it to the target.
UR - Short for 'Usage Rating.' A unit needs a Skill Roll higher than this number to successfully use this item.
-MP - Short for Movement Penalty. This item is heavy enough, or clumsy enough, that it slows down the unit carrying it by the number of inches listed in the column.
Damage or Effect - If a unit successfully uses this item, it will either do the damage dice listed in this column, or have the effect listed in this column.

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Pistols

Weapon	2H	Pts.	Range	UR	-MP	Damage
Pirate Pistol		3	8"	4	-	1d6
Revolver		3	10"	3	-	1d6
Gyro Pistol		2	12"	2	-	1d6
Impact Pistol		3	10"	3	-	1d6+2
Assault Pistol		4	15"	4	-	1d10

The first thing you might notice about this table is that the Pirate Pistol and Revolver are both weaker than the Gyro Pistol, but both cost more. Why would anyone want these? Well, these are included in case you have some RennaisanceMen or ModernMen, who don't know how to use SpaceWeapons. If you don't have any low-tech units on the field who need these, then you can use the Pirate Pistol and Revolver pieces as Gyro Pistols if you want.

You can make pistols by starting with a PistolPiece (just about any piece with a handle can be made into some kind of pistol) and adding cylinders and gems until the pistol is as big as you like. A pistol made of one piece is a Gyro Pistol, a pistol with two pieces is an Impact Pistol (there are two in the little picture), and a pistol with three pieces is an Assault Pistol.

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Rifles

Weapon	2H	Pts.	Range	UR	-MP	Damage
Pirate Rifle	X	5	12"	5	-	1d6
Shotgun	X	5	14"	3	-	1d6+1
Gyro Rifle	X	5	20"	3	-	1d6+3
Impact Rifle	X	6	18"	4	-	1d6+5
Assault Rifle	X	8	20"	5	-1"	2d6+2

Rifles are a lot like pistols, except where pistols are made for taking down SpaceMen, rifles are designed for punching holes in light vehicles. Like pistols, rifles also have Rennaissance and Modern models, which can be used as Gyro Rifles if you don't have any low-tech units to cater to.

A rifle is also built like a pistol, but with more pieces. A Gyro Rifle is made of four pieces (three if they're big pieces), an Impact Rifle is made of five, and an Assault Rifle is made of six pieces. All the SpaceRifles in the picture are Gyro Rifles.

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Death Guns

Weapon	2H	Pts.	Range	UR	-MP	Damage
Launcher	X	10	16"*	6*	-3"	1d10+3*
Death Gun	X	10	16"	5	-2"	2d10+2
Sniper Cannon	X	10	20"	5	-2"	3d6+4

If you are one of those types who enjoys mass destruction (and we can't say we blame you), you're going to want to pass out some of these heavy hitters.

The Launcher is a troop-portable version of the RennaissanceMan's Cannon. The stats given are for firing MkI explosives (cannonballs) - the ratings will change with different classes of explosives and missiles. Launches are subject to NearMiss and AreaEffect rules. A SpaceMan armed with a Launcher is going to be pretty stationary: besides the -3" MovePenalty, it takes a full turn to pick up a fresh round and load it into the Launcher, and trying to haul around a lot of spare MkII Missiles by hand is next to impossible. Be careful not to stand behind a launcher when it fires a missile! Flames shoot out the back of the launcher and 45 degrees to each side, to a range of the missile's Mk number in inches and doing that number of d6 in Fire Damage. For instance, a MkII missile would shoot 2" flames that did 2d6 Fire damage.

If it is an actual Rennaissance Cannon, it cannot be moved unless it is mounted on wheels, and it will take a second full turn to load gunpowder in the back (you can reload in one turn if you have two RennaissanceMen: one to load cannonballs in the front and one to load powder in the back).

The Death Gun is like a ridiculously big Rifle that shoots explosive bursts of superheated plasma. Usually it will be bigger than an Assault Rifle, but try to put a bayonet of some kind on your Death Guns so they're easier to tell apart. Like all weapons with a d10 damage rating, it does explosive AreaEffect damage. It is not subject to NearMiss rules.

The Sniper Cannon is a big Rifle with an extended barrel (an antenna piece). It is another 'slow' weapon, because you have to stand still for a turn to aim before you can fire it. However, every consecutive turn you stand still aiming at a target gives you an additional +1 to Skill when you shoot at it.

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Explosives

Weapon	2H	Pts.	Range	UR	-MP	Damage
CannonBall	X	3	16"*	6*	-3"	1d10+3*
MkI Explosive		4 (6)	(20")	3(6)	-	1d10+3
MkII Explosive		8 (10)	(22")	3(7)	-1"	1d10+6
MkIII Explosive		12 (14)	(24")	3(8)	-2"	2d10+3

Explosions are integral to any BrikWar. They are not always the most precise or elegant tactical solution, but they are almost always the most entertaining. There are higher grades of explosives than those listed in this chart, but not in troop-portable sizes - look in the Missiles and Bombs section of Chapter Six: Siege Weapons. Explosives have four potential uses: as grenades, as bombs, as timed explosives, or as missiles (The numbers in parentheses are the statistics for missiles). Grenades, bombs, and missilies can be launched out of a Launcher; timed explosives can't. Cannonballs cannot be thrown, they can only be launched from Launchers and Cannons. A SpaceMan who tries to throw a Cannonball will only injure himself.

Grenades and bombs will look about the same; you can tell them apart because bombs are attached to Flyers, while grenades are carried by SpaceMen. Grenades are cylindrical in shape, and increase in size depending on their Mk rating. There are three grenades in the upper left of the little picture under the Explosives table. The range of a thrown grenade is five inches, plus the Skill of the SpaceMan throwing it, minus the MovePenalty of the grenade. For instance, a SpaceMan with a MkII Grenade would be able to throw it 5+1d6-1 inches, or 1d6+4". A SpaceMan with a MkIII Grenade wants to be behind cover when he throws it, because he often can't throw it far enough to be out of the blast range. For more information on throwing things, see the Throwing rules in the Brik Physix section of Chapter Three: Advanced Combat.

Timed explosives are the sime size as the corresponding grenades, but made with square one-dot brix instead of cylinders. Timed explosives are coated with a special glue called "Glom." Once an explosive is Glommed onto something, there is no way to remove it, so be careful where you put those things. It takes a full movement phase to arm the explosive, set the timer, and Glom it onto a target. The timer can be set for any number of turns (including zero!). The timer counts down by one every Combat Phase of the turn of the player that set it. When the timer reaches zero, it explodes, so I hope you've got your units out of the area. If you're having trouble keeping track of the timer, you can either put a couple of jewels on top of the explosive and remove one every turn, or just mark off turns on a piece of notepaper.

Missiles are usually launched out of a Launcher. In desperate situations, a SpaceMan can set off a missile by hand. He aims with a -5 penalty to Skill, and he is automatically hit by the thrust flames as it launches (1d6 times the Mk rating of the missile in Fire Damage).

Why do we love explosions so much? I'll tell you why. You shoot a SpaceMan with a laser, it puts a little hole in him and he falls over. Big Deal. You shoot a SpaceMan with a MkII Missile, he not only throws himself into the air and divides himself into component pieces, but all his buddies in the area do the same thing. Now that's entertainment! Any weapons with damage measured in d10's cause explosions, so you have to use the AreaEffect rules in the More Ways To Die section of Chapter Three: Advanced Combat.

The other thing to consider when launching and throwing things like explosives around the battlefield, is that when you miss, that explosive doesn't just disappear, it has to land somewhere. So, any time you fail a ToHit roll when you're throwing or launching an explosive, use the NearMiss Rules in the Ranged Combat section of Chapter Three: Advanced Combat. Return to the top of the page.

Clubs

Weapon	2H	Pts.	Range	UR	-MP	Damage
Fists	*	-	CC	2	-	1d6-3
Mace		1	CC	2	-	1d6-1
Staff	X	1	CC	2	-	1d6-1
Shovel	X	-	CC	5	-	1d6-1
Hammer		-	CC	4	-	1d6-2

Every SpaceMan has a soft spot for bashing weapons, founded on fond memories of his first Thumping Stick, awarded him in SpaceKindergarten after his first kill. Just about anything can be turned into a bashing implement by a determined SpaceMan. However, bashing weapons are pretty weak, so SpaceMen use them only if they have nothing else.

If a SpaceMan goes into battle empty-handed, he has years of unarmed combat training to fall back on. He will use his fists only if he has no other weapon, because the armor of enemy SpaceMen is pretty tough and he doesn't want to break his hands.

Maces include everything from clubs to baseball bats; usually just an antenna with a couple of cylinders stuck on it.

Staves happen when you let little kids come over and play with your PBBs, and they break the heads off your spears and pitchforks. How they do that is a mystery to me. PBBs are almost unbreakable, as far as I can tell.

Shovels and Hammers aren't weapons you buy, they're just provided as examples for when you have to improvise weapons. If you try and beat somebody down with something big and heavy like a Launcher or a metal detector, use the Shovel stats. If you're swinging a tool-sized object, like a wrench, a radio, the butt of a pistol, or a coffee mug, use the Hammer stats. Remember that if it's not a weapon, it might break if you hit someone hard enough with it. Most equipment items have an AR of 3; if you do more than 3 points of damage thumping someone with it, it will break.

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Blades

Weapon	2H	Pts.	Range	UR	-MP	Damage
ChainSaw	X	3	CC	6	-	2d6+1
LightSaber		10	CC	2	-	3d6+2
Golden BroadSword		5	CC	3	-	2d6+1
Katana		4	CC	2	-	1d6+3
ShortSword		2	CC	3	-	1d6+1
Saber		2	CC	2	-	1d6
Knife		1	CC	2	-	1d6-1

When a SpaceMan expects to do some hand-to-hand combat, he reaches for a sword. More deadly than a mace, less clumsy than an axe, and with a million battlefield uses including shaving, gutting and dressing opponents, and emergency whittling operations, the sword is a perfect companion to any SpaceMan.

A ChainSaw is an excellent cutting tool but is very difficult to use in combat. The gyroscopic forces of the spinning blade or chain make it tricky to swing around with enough skill to hit an adversary. (We had to do some real-world testing before we found this out.) Usually, you'll be using this against inanimate objects like locked doors and parked cars.

A LightSaber is a powerful weapon but very expensive. You don't want to hand these out to just anybody. Usually you find these only in the hands of the students of the Farce. If one has the Farce as his ally, he can use a LightSaber to do some pretty impressive things indeed.

The Golden BroadSword and, to a lesser extent, the Katana, are not usually given to SpaceMen in the lower ranks. Because of their rarity and expense, they are held mainly by generals and kings. The ShortSword, Saber, and Knife are given to the footsoldiers, and they do the job well enough, so who can complain?

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Spears

Weapon	2H	Pts.	Range	UR	-MP	Damage
Lance (Iron)		4	CC	4	-2"	(max 20)
Lance (Wood)		3	CC	3	-1"	(max 15)
Trident	(X)	3	CC	3	-	1d6+1 (max 10)
Spear	(X)	2	CC	3	-	1d6 (max 10)
Spike		3	CC	2	-	1d6-1 (max 30)

Spears are interesting weapons because they can be used for a number of purposes. Except for the lances, they can be used in close combat and thrown as ranged weapons (with a range of five inches plus the thrower's skill). But in all seriousness, the whole point of having a spear is taking a firm grip on it and running fill-tilt at something. If you're riding a horse or a motorcycle at the time, all the better. If you've just mounted a bunch of spears on the front of your station wagon, better yet.

The Trident and Spear only require two hands when being used in close combat. A SpaceMan can throw them with one hand, or tuck them under one arm and rush someone. If a SpaceMan is using a Trident in Close Combat and rolls an Automatic Success on his skill roll, he can choose to disarm his opponent rather than dealing damage. If the defender is holding something in each hand, the defender chooses which item is dropped.

Now, if you've taken up your spear and are rushing an opponent, you have the potential to do some serious damage. How much damage you do depends on how fast you're going, how heavy you are, and how strong your spear is. A rush attack with a spear will do as much damage as a Collision (detailed in the Brik Physix section of Chapter Three: Advanced Combat Rules), without hurting the attacker in any way. However, if that would be more than the maximum damage capacity of the spear (listed in parentheses in the Damage column), the spear only does its maximum damage capacity and then shatters. So if you mount a couple of Tridents on the front of a semi, you're probably not going to use them more than once.

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Axes

Weapon	2H	Pts.	Range	UR	-MP	Damage
Halberd	X	4	CC	5	-2"	2d6
BattleAxe	X	3	CC	4	-1"	1d6+3
PickAxe	X	2	CC	3	-	1d6+2
Hatchet		2	CC	2	-	1d6

Axes are good for some cheap Close Combat power and range. Unfortunately, at the higher end, they require two hands and have high Usage Ratings. The most important consideration, of course, is how scary a SpaceMan wants to look. The axes are probably the meanest-looking weapons you can field.

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Archery

Weapon	2H	Pts.	Range	UR	-MP	Damage
CrossBow	(X)	2	8"	3	-	1d6
Bow	X	1	5"	4	-	1d6-1
Quiver		1	-	-	-	-

Archery is not popular with SpaceMen. Who would use a bow when they could get a Gyro Pistol just as easily? Bows are for MedievalMen. A SpaceMan with a bow just looks silly.

A CrossBow can be fired with one hand, but you need two hands and a full Movement Phase to reload it. It takes two hands to fire a Bow, but it doesn't take any time to reload. No unit can use a Bow or a CrossBow unless he is wearing a Quiver.

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Armor

Item	2H	Pts.	Range	UR	-MP	Effect
Shield		1	-	-	-	+2 AV
BigShield		2	-	-	-	+4 AV
PlateArmor		5	-	-	-1"	+1d6 AV
Helmet		1	-	-	-	+1 AV
BigHelmet		2	-	-	-	+2 AV

Every now an then a soldier gets it into his head that he wants to live through the next battle. It's not very common. The usual SpaceMan is so excited about the chance to kill other SpaceMen, he is never bothered with thoughts of personal survival. When it does happen, it's time to pick up some armor.

There are a number of considerations to take into account. Shields give the best armor boost per point, but take up a hand you probably want to keep free for another weapon. PlateArmor is expensive and slows you down, and you can't depend on its armor boost. Helmets don't have any particular downsides, but SpaceMen can't fit them over the helmets they already have (armored Helmets are primarily for MedievalMen).

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Equipment

Item	2H	Pts.	Range	UR	-MP	Effect
CB Radio		0	-	-	-	allows squads to communicate
JetPack		5	-	-	-	doubles a unit's movement
AntiGrav Parachute		2	-	-	-	prevents falling damage
Brain Control Device (Suitcase)		10	5"	-	-	controls Civilians
Tools		5	-	-	-	sometimes you just need tools
Thermal Skis		2	-	-	-	doubles movement on smooth ground
Flippers		1	-	-	-	unit moves at full speed underwater
Hi-Pro Ammo (green)*		2	-	-	-	+1d6 damage to ranged weapons, +1 to weapon UR
ShootFar Ammo (blue)*		2	-	-	-	+5" to range of weapon, +1 to weapon UR
Stabilizer Scope (red)*		2	-	-	-	-1 UR to a ranged weapon

Sometimes the nature of a battle will offer special opportunities to the soldiers that have the tools to take advantage of them. These are those tools. Or some of them, anyway. There are all kinds of tools you might think up. These are some that we like.

The CB Radio is a holdover from earlier versions of this game, where soldiers were organized in squads of three to five. Each squad had to have one radio operator to stay coordinated with the main force. If a squad lost its CB Radio, they became disoriented and just wandered aimlessly. You can still play that way if you like. You're also going to need CB Radios if you decide to play by the rules in the Chain of Command section of Chapter Seven: Regular Combatants.

AntiGrav Parachutes are used by SpaceParatroopers. You can deploy SpaceMen very quickly by loading them into a Mass Driver and just launching them wherever you want them to go. Unfortunately, they were seeing high fatality rates on the landings until someone thought of wearing Parachutes. Thanks to the AntiGrav technology, they even work in airless space, and you don't have to wash and fold huge silk sheets before you can use them again. The AntiGrav is powerful enough that a SpaceParatrooper can carry a One-Piece Vehicle with him.

Brain Control Devices can be used to control any Civilian within 5". This isn't as great as it sounds, because Civilians are pretty useless. If any Civilian falls under the influence of more than one Brain Control Device at once, he suddenly suffers an instant and fatal case of Exploding Head Syndrome.

Some units need a set of tools to do specialist jobs they were trained for. If you're just using normal SpaceMen, you won't need to buy any tools.

The items marked by an asterisk are gun modification kits. Each is a different-colored transparent cylinder you just stick on the modified gun somewhere. I don't like these things much, but we had them in earlier versions and a lot of people seem to like them, so we left them in - this time.

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