"Your favorite sci-fi support weapons?" Topic

I'm talking infantry support weapons here. Things carried by or used by a crew of infantry. Some people favor heavy lasers and plasma guns, others good old gatling-style lead shooters and missile launchers. How about you? Once a company makes its basic 6 riflemen and a sergeant, what do you most want to see next?

SAW (squad auto-version of whatever the basic rifle is),
Auto-Grenade launcher,
(dumb) missile launcher (ie. non-guided)
guided missile launcher (Tow, Milan, Sagger, etc…),
Heavy laser,
multi-laser (like a gatling laser),
rotary/chain gun, heavy-machinegun,
mortar,
plasma gun,
"particle" or "beam" weapon,
"melta" or flame weapon,
other…

SAW (squad auto-version of whatever the basic rifle is),
Auto-Grenade launcher,
(dumb) missile launcher (ie. non-guided)
guided missile launcher (Tow, Milan, Sagger, etc…),
Heavy laser,

For me.

Rotary laser cannon
SAW
Missile launcher

Plasma gun
Missile launcher

Ideally, once they produce a standard set of figs in standing/firing poses, I like to see skirmishing, running, searching, prone, and kneeling figs too.

For support weapons, the following are useful:

Plasma Gun
Smart Missile Launcher
Mortar
SAW

Flammable Liquid Bomb Thrower – I don't believe anyone does these currently. Think a Panzerfaust, but with a jellied liquid fuel warhead, for use against troops in the open, or structures. A proximity, or timed fuse enhances the ability to engage troops in the open. An impact fuse works well against structures and soft vehicles.

Airborne Remote Recon/Fire Support/Suicide Drone – these can provide intelligence, carry smart micro-missiles to take out individual bad guys, and have enough plastique, or other powerful explosives in their nose to take out a major target of opportunity if one is found, e.g. enemy HQ or bunker, vehicle, arms cache, etc.

They are cheap, and easy to produce, since they are made of foam, so each squad has several on call, when needed. Many more are available at the platoon level.

critical mass games has a squad-squamata imperialis who carry a banner into combat-the banner is loaded with HE. the stand with the banner charges into CC and detonates, then the other stands follow into CC. Now thats a squad support weapon.
- I always liked the thud gun as well

It's Sci-fi… go crazy!

Gravity beams! 40k 1st ed. had the Marine-issue graviton gun which increased your effective mass until you couldn't move… allowing anyone who felt like it to just saunter up and kill you with a spoon.
Half-life had the 'Zero Point energy field manipulator' which allowed you to pick up hefty objects and launch them at your opponents: free ammo + death by bathtub = WIN.
This weapon could also sieze plasma projectiles from their flight path and redirect them.

Strontium Dog's hand-held Time-bombs… gave out a null-energy field, impervious to the passage of time and space. When the field dissipated, the planet you were standing on had moved on along it's orbit, and you materialised in the depths of space!

Mega-city One's "Stupid Gun" reducing the target's mental capacity to drooling infancy.

One of the 'Unreal' series included a launcher that sprayed a swarm of genetically engineered spider-like critters over its targets… who immediately dropped their macho space-merc posturing and ran around like little girls, shrieking: "GEDDEMOFFAME!"

Shrink Rays, Evolution Guns, BFG9000s… they laugh at your puny earth weapons!

"allowing anyone who felt like it to just saunter up and kill you with a spoon. " but why a spoon Norman?

I'd like to see more drones and robotics. I think there would be a place even on the ultra modern battlefield. So a good weapon against them would be an EMP gun. Then of course their sheilding would get better making EMP useless so it would be back to blowing the snot out of them.

Norman, as a scientist and an SF fan, I object to the stereotypical "junk science" approach some people take – After all, you want to do that, go play 40K. :)

*ahem* Having thus upset people, I will list my choices as -

For High tech forces:
SAW
Laser Cannon ( Any type ) and/or Plasma Cannon
Missile Launcher
-and add in a Manpack AT Railgun.

For Mid Tech forces:
SAW
Mortar
Missile Launcher
Advanced Grenade Launcher/ "Super Shotgun" support weapon.

For Low Tech forces:
SAW or HMG
Mortar
Basic Rocket Launcher ( Bazooka/RPG style)
Grenade Launcher.

Junk science or not, here's another vote for the graviton gun.

I'd like to see more drones and robotics. I think there would be a place even on the ultra modern battlefield.

I'd like to see them integrated into squads more often. Forget having the humans lugging around heavy weapons and ammo – assign the squad a combot or two with integral heavy weapons and the carrying capacity to haul serious amounts of ammo, and let the organic troops travel a bit lighter (or wear heavier armor).

For settings where "support weapon bots" don't fit, I think a generic "launcher" type weapon would be my first want for man-portable support. Not hard to imagine future tech where the same system can fire a wide variety of "clever" warheads for different roles, letting one launcher act as mortar, anti-tank, or even recon support as needed. Versatile, yeah?

Thermal Detonator.

A tech with some sort of laptop like device with wich to call down fire or use small drones or such.

I always liked the crew served Gauss cannon and man packed fusion gun.

I like a good heavy machine gun… just the idea of the noise and loads of flying lead. I guess I am part ork like that.

A picture is worth… link burn burn…burn baby burn

Nothing like a flame thrower to win friends and influence enemies.

I like the shok atak gun myself.

I also liked the graviton gun.
Infinity has quite a few models with various computer devices that could call in support or hack into enemy power armour.

Also it seems unlikely that you would need something as big as a laptop when I'm sending this from my blackberry.

PQ36 explosive space modulator.

The Death Star!!!! Its crewed by…..infantry…..ok maybe not.

2nd vote for the Shock Attack gun. The idea of a warp tunnel that spews out insane goblins at the enemy…or possibly yourself…is just great.

I also nominate the Vortex Grenade. Nothing like a mini black hole hanging on your belt to boost the morale of you and the troops around you……

I was always partial to the mole mortar for some reason.

Rediculous concept but I always thought it was cool.

Laser howizters

Plasma mortars

Field Gauss Gun

Flaz Gaz heat ray

The coolest sci-fi support weapon of all time has to go to Aliens and that big gun with the harness. That weapon system just rocked.

For a little more fire power, I always liked Star Wars repeating blasters with those big power cells that always took a little too long to setup. Since I was a kid, I've always wondered what they look like going to town.

Never been a big fan of the ridiculous sized rocket launcher. But that role is required. Just don't make them ridiculous.

Oh, you need some sort of UAV operator. I forsee a need for some guys on the ground close to the action that control some sort of UAV for vision and indirect attacks. Sort of like a mortar is to artillary. They could be launching a plane. Or perhaps it can get shot into the air via a grenad launcher.

Mmm.. You need alternate rifles. I think there will always be a need for submachine guns, sniper rifles, and carbines for different missions and troop types etc.

Flame throwers. Those are fun.

Depends on who you are taking on

Flamers/flamethrower plus a SAW/heavy bolter for those pesky hordes

Plasma gun/laser cannon for those armour-heavy foes

Plasma or Melta

I like a weapon that can vaporize most living things, slice through armor and melt doors or bulkheads.

LMG-45B1 "Saw" Gauss Squad Assault Weapon

I always liked the Gauss weapons from Traveller, especially the VRF Gauss, but that can only be turret mounted.

David

I just love the "retro-futuristic" look of big rotary/chain guns.

The Big death ray from Mars Attacks, the one they were sneeking up behind the old biddy with when her headphones came unplugged. It looked gratuitously large & high tech.

Phil

I always thought a dual-purpose Squad Automatic/AT energy weapon would be cool. Visually the 40K plasma gun looks like a candidate imo. It could fire in auto/pulse mode as a SAW or in single-shot/beam mode as an AT weapon. At least that's how it works in our home grown rules! :-)

I would have to disagree with Adub re: the Aliens automatic weapon. It had a big harness and attachment arm. Not sure how that's supposed to work when prone!!! :-)

I also strongly dislike the "overhand grip" on so many SF heavy weapons. Pig Iron and GW have both been churning out MGs/Heavy weapons with the left-hand grip on top of the weapon. That assumes the gunner's leaving his entire upper torso and head exposed to enemy fire!

I was alway partial to Slaver Disintegrators from the early days of StarGuard

I will add flamethrowers they tend to be a favorite of mine for clearing operations and driving the enemy from cover. Many of the people I have played with over the years are fond of setting things on fire. Light the building on fire, set up the rest of the unit in overwatch to blast the bad guys when they vacate the structure.

Single-barrel weapons only, NO GATLINGS. Too heavy for anything but a vehicle mounting. I assume combination weapons on the individual soldier (direct-fire and a grenade launcher), possibly one dedicated weapon with a door-breacher instead of the GL for urban ops.

1. Squad Automatic (a sustained-fire version of whatever the basic squad weapon is). This would NOT have the GL installed.
2. Some kind of antivehicle weapon. (*guided* Rocket Launcher is my preference, but ammo becomes a serious weight issue as you add realism. Ergo, the Phased-Plasma gun)

Auto-GLs are a vehicle or crew-served weapon, if only because the ammo is too heavy to hump in useful quantities for 'mere mortals'. Same thing for MMG/HMGs (heavier damage than whatever the individual weapon is, sustained-fire capable like the SAW).

Although, I expect to see M2 .50cals still in use in 2050.

Drone operator (maybe). Whether you need an operator depends on whether your drone still requires a man in the loop for anything more than pulling the trigger. Call him a battlefield EW tech instead.

I would have to disagree with Adub re: the Aliens automatic weapon. It had a big harness and attachment arm. Not sure how that's supposed to work when prone!!! :-)

Wearer actually goes supine (on his back), tries to not shoot his toes off! Better answer is that you're not supposed to need to hit the dirt when you have an MG42 on a steadicam mount and are throwing 1200rpm downrange from the run.

I assume there will always be a need for a Designated Marksman's Rifle (and fullblown sniper rig – two different things), but no SMGs in the military. I'm not sure the US is going to go back to a full-length rifle, the 14" barrel on an M4 can be man-sized-target-at-500m accurate.

Various engineering specialties: flamethrowers, bangalores, and other breaching tools.

For me it's the VF-1: "It's light. Handle's adjustable for easy carrying, good for righties and lefties. Breaks down into four parts, undetectable by x-ray, ideal for quick, discreet interventions. A word on firepower. Titanium recharger, three thousand round clip with bursts of three to three hundred, and with the Replay button – another Zorg invention – it's even easier." Also has rocket launcher, poison arrow launcher, net launcher, flamethrower, and freeze ray.

1). Shock attack gun
2). Squig catapult
3). Hopsplat gun
4). Lift a drop a

Got to love the old school Ork weaponz

Noel

The flaming shock weapon, like was used in District 9 was pretty cool. Some of Prawn technology at its finest.

The smart grenade launcher, aka the XM-25. Only an uprated version, with 1,000 meter range, and a 50mm diameter grenade.

See here for the standard, 25mm, 500 meter range projectile weapon:

link

"Nothing like a flame thrower to win friends and influence enemies".

Lessin it's one of those new-fangled Panzerfaust Napalm Bomb Launchers, that can really reach out and touch someone 500 yards away. Sort of like a giant waterballoon launcher on steroids, but carrying jellied gasoline instead of H2O.

It can be used for precision strikes, and/or to detonate on the fly, providing a rectangular beaten zone in the target area.

I'm not too keen on "near-future" sf forces a la Aliens. If you're going to do some SF weaponry, you might as well make it cool. .

I was always fond of the Colonial Interdict Marines from Kryomek, who mounted an LMG or anti-tank rifle on the shoulder of the power armour.

Hey, if you're going to step up to power armor, then it's *at least* an AT weapon on the shoulder, and what would be a HMG with an underbarrel autoGL for an individual weapon.

Better still is a Y-rack on the back, rocket launcher on the shoulder, and a big rifle in the hands (or maybe hand flamers, if it's a really built-up place).

@TGA: The point of the XM25 is that it's flatter-shooting to longer distances, and is supposed to carry as effective a warhead as a 40mm grenade. Going bigger would be counterproductive.

Bravo!
Foxtrot!
Golf!

BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG BFG!

link
link
link
link

BFG makes things go boom…

Masers. How do you like yer hordes of xenos, regular or extra crispy?

Leland R. Erickson
Grayhawk Studios
grayhawkstudios.com

"I was always fond of the Colonial Interdict Marines from Kryomek, who mounted an LMG or anti-tank rifle on the shoulder of the power armour."

I loved the art work and concept of the SWAT armor. I can't believe the guy that owns the rights to Kryomek has done nothing with it!

Orbital Lasers! Where the ground pounders use a marker gun to guide it ala "Gears of war". Still an infantry weapon that could be used for taking out city blocks!

Not exactly a support weapon, but I also liked the idea of the Tractor-Repulsor Beams on Andromedan ships in Star Fleet Battles. The Beam alternated very rapidly between attraction and repulsion, capable of literally shaking an enemy ship to pieces.

Imagine a smaller version on the battlefield.

Then again, what would happen if you tried to use the Beam on something with more than your mass, like an infantryman taking on a tank? Would the "recoil" shake *you* apart, or would some form of self-damping ensure that the Beam only affected the target?

Surprised I havent seen the following three I left out of my original post picked more:

sniper (conventional rounds),
anti-material sniper (anti-armor rifle),
light artillery.

Interesting answers so far though!

Web guns, conversion beam projectors, and human bombs.

Forgot about the Y-Racks.

Backpack launched tactical nukes do seem to be the ultimate in squad level, or individual support weapons.

Possibly a bit of overkill, but probably not when dealing with really bad hostiles, or alien forces.

"It's light. Handle's adjustable for easy carrying, good for righties and lefties. Breaks down into four parts, undetectable by x-ray, ideal for quick, discreet interventions. A word on firepower. Titanium recharger, three thousand round clip with bursts of three to three hundred, and with the Replay button – another Zorg invention – it's even easier."

Now a real killer, when he picked up the ZF-1, would've immediately asked about the little red button on the bottom of the gun…

Rotary gauss SAWs would combine all my favorite weapons into one

Harking back to Starship Trooper (the book, not the transporter accident they called a movie) the first two items:
--10-second fire pills.
--the Talking Bomb, available in the language of the enemy of your choice ("I'm a 30-second bomb! I'm a 30-second bomb! 29! 28!….)

--An orbitally-delivered mass weapon, called "THOR" IIRC, a satellite with overpass of the battlefield, from which you could release basically finned aerodynamic ballistic crowbars to drop onto your enemy from a REALLY BIG height.
--a Heavy Dallygun ("Dial-A-Gun"), not the light version from Gordon Dickson's Tactics of Mistake, which was notorious for malfunctioning when changing from one function to another. If you want a skewed idea of what a dallygun might be like, Google "Johnny-7 toy gun".
--a Tasp--a Puppeteer weapon from the Larry Niven Ringworld/Known Space universe which could be used to stimulate your target's pleasure center remotely, instantly immobilizing the enemy. Of course when you turn it off, the withdrawl effects are going to make the erstwhile targets really peeved--perhaps they'd attack each other while your side munched popcorn and watched. Or they might surrender for another jolt of the tasp!

"--An orbitally-delivered mass weapon, called "THOR" IIRC, a satellite with overpass of the battlefield, from which you could release basically finned aerodynamic ballistic crowbars to drop onto your enemy from a REALLY BIG height."

Reloading must be a pain in the tuckus.

Would certainly make a big boom.

"Web guns, conversion beam projectors, and human bombs."

Now ther's a true Rogue Trader fan!

Love gatling-style guns.