I've always wanted there to be a bigger, mechanical difference between these two.

Ideally, I've wanted slug throwers to run out of ammo quicker than blasters, but in order for that to be fair, I'd have to up their damage and I'm not going to do that.

Right now, I'm thinking of giving slugs +1 Pierce for 3 (or maybe even 2) Adv house rule, but I want to do something similar for blasters and I can't readily think of anything. Anyone have any ideas?

I'd stick with the different kind of ammo options as presented in EtU as a guideline.

What's the intent here? Is there something not working, or is this just a rule for rules sake?

I would tend to give setback dice to anyone trying to spot a sniper with a slugthrower, one loud sound and a brief flash vs a highly visible and coherent bolt of energy that can be backtracked easily to its origin point. Seems fair and gives them at least a small niche.

I would tend to give setback dice to anyone trying to spot a sniper with a slugthrower, one loud sound and a brief flash vs a highly visible and coherent bolt of energy that can be backtracked easily to its origin point. Seems fair and gives them at least a small niche.

Assuming blaster bolts travel at the speed of light, they'd actually be harder to spot than a bullet at any relevant range.

Bullets can't be deflected by a lightsaber. Any Jedi attempting that would be showered in molten metal (lead/steel/whateverused).

And while bullets require some chemicals to make them they do not need Tibanna Gas. Just look at our world, lots of firepower in form of slugthrowers, we don't need no outside materials to kill ourselfs.

how about a satisfying BOOM when you fire a slug thrower. Comapred to the pew pew pew of blasters? Also the wounds tend to be a bit more messy with slugthrowers

I believe a difference can be achieved by naration not by making the rules for their use different.

Right now, I'm thinking of giving slugs +1 Pierce for 3 (or maybe even 2) Adv house rule

The problem with that is that unless your PCs are going up against a lot of Soak 0 enemies, extra damage is exactly what yer giving them.

If I wanted to change them, I'd give 'em something more esoteric. A rare advantage, otherwise why wouldn't everyone else use them? Perhaps the ability to bypass shields. (I was in an adventure* where something was shielded against blasters / lasers, but not against missiles.)

* if you know it, no spoilers please.

You could use threats and despair or triumphs and advantages differently.

"The loud boom scares the Nexu and he is reluctant to attack the person carrying the slugthrower for now."

"The gunpowder from the slugthrower going off hits you in the eye and upgrades the difficulty of your next shot."

Etc.

Ideally, I've wanted slug throwers to run out of ammo quicker than blasters, but in order for that to be fair, I'd have to up their damage and I'm not going to do that.

Why is that fair, or unfair? I'd agree that slug throwers should run out of ammo sooner, I don't get why you'd have to change anything else to house rule that. Just make it 3 threat and be done.

I would tend to give setback dice to anyone trying to spot a sniper with a slugthrower, one loud sound and a brief flash vs a highly visible and coherent bolt of energy that can be backtracked easily to its origin point. Seems fair and gives them at least a small niche.

Assuming blaster bolts travel at the speed of light, they'd actually be harder to spot than a bullet at any relevant range.

Except they don't travel at the speed of light. They aren't lasers, they're blasters, lasers exist in this setting as a separate thing. A blaster bolt is more a shaped blast of plasma, which is matter not energy and travels at a speed detectable by the human eye as seen in the movies.

If anything I'd say they travel slightly slower than a bullet.

Bullets can't be deflected by a lightsaber. Any Jedi attempting that would be showered in molten metal (lead/steel/whateverused). And while bullets require some chemicals to make them they do not need Tibanna Gas. Just look at our world, lots of firepower in form of slugthrowers, we don't need no outside materials to kill ourselfs.

Or otherwise they they just get vaporized rather than melted, which I would be more inclined to go with since it doesn't require any mechanical discrepancy between the two. At least until we have rules for such things. And even then, it is unlikely that FFG will distinguish slugs from blaster bolts when developing rules for deflection and redirection.

There is the advantage that no one takes them seriously. You can walk around coruscant with a .50 cal hand cannon and no one blinks an eye. Put a light blaster pistol on your hip and suddenly people take notice.

it is unlikely that FFG will distinguish slugs from blaster bolts when developing rules for deflection and redirection.

I kinda hope they rule that bullets can't be redirected .

There is the advantage that no one takes them seriously. You can walk around coruscant with a .50 cal hand cannon and no one blinks an eye. Put a light blaster pistol on your hip and suddenly people take notice.

People don't take them seriously? I could see that if slugthrowers were crap, but they're reasonably lethal - I'd hope they'd provoke an appropriately cautious response.

There is the advantage that no one takes them seriously. You can walk around coruscant with a .50 cal hand cannon and no one blinks an eye. Put a light blaster pistol on your hip and suddenly people take notice.

Very true, no one is scanning for a concealed slug thrower, they might take it if they see it but they're looking for blasters. and in a fight they won't think you're a threat till you nail a few in the head.

Edit: Ninja'd by Orange: Well think of it this way, how much of a threat would you consider a guy with a matchlock pistol? Sure you wouldn't let him walk around the UN with it but you aren't going to be half as worried as you would of someone with a modern weapon.

I would tend to give setback dice to anyone trying to spot a sniper with a slugthrower, one loud sound and a brief flash vs a highly visible and coherent bolt of energy that can be backtracked easily to its origin point. Seems fair and gives them at least a small niche.

Assuming blaster bolts travel at the speed of light, they'd actually be harder to spot than a bullet at any relevant range.

Except they don't travel at the speed of light. They aren't lasers, they're blasters, lasers exist in this setting as a separate thing. A blaster bolt is more a shaped blast of plasma, which is matter not energy and travels at a speed detectable by the human eye as seen in the movies.

If anything I'd say they travel slightly slower than a bullet.

I can't suspend disbelief that an energy weapon bolt would travel slower than a solid projectile. Hell, lightning is made of plasma and I think we can tell that moves faster than a bullet.

And yes we all know TV/movies typically depicts energy weapon attacks as visible, because to do it "realistically" would mean damage appearing on people and things instantly, with no noise or visual cue.

Edit: Ninja'd by Orange: Well think of it this way, how much of a threat would you consider a guy with a matchlock pistol? Sure you wouldn't let him walk around the UN with it but you aren't going to be half as worried as you would of someone with a modern weapon.

I'd think he was a loon.

Maybe dangerously so.

How would I see it in-universe? They're still a lethal, reliable weapon but are quite uncommon...

Hmm, how about, "What the feck is that guy using?" (Player reaches for the rulebook, GM slaps him down:

if the Player doesn't know what the guy is capable of then - in this instance - neither does their Character.)

I like the idea that you could get by scanners designed to detect energy weapons, though. That would make them very useful...

Are blasters largely made of metals or plastics? Scanners might be designed to detect both the weapon (if ferrous) and the gas used to produce a bolt.

I mean, it makes sense to go for the lowest-common-denominator if scanners could detect blasters, slugthrowers, vibroblades, normal blades, etc

A houserule we used was that you could/buy make your own ammo. Either with a mechanics check or paying extra funds and finding a crafter of specilty ammunition.

I believe there is fan resource, Free-Traders and Freebooters that had some custom slug rounds that dealt strain instead of wounds, gained the pierce ability (armor pierce) and also gained the blast ability. This would encompass some light armor piercing rounds, rubber bullets and buckshot rounds.

Edit: added name of fan work.

I can't suspend disbelief that an energy weapon bolt would travel slower than a solid projectile.

Boy, you must really hate Star Wars then... with all the bolts flying about slow enough for us to see them...

They already are different. Slugthrowers do less damage and cannot have a stun feature . What more do you need?

Edit - Forgot about the Field Sports Model 77 Air Rifle which has stun damage. Except for outliers, Slugthrowers typically don't do stun while every base blaster has a stun option.

The lack of stun is particularly crucial!

MY PC's almost exclusively use stun on other sentients...

I can't suspend disbelief that an energy weapon bolt would travel slower than a solid projectile.

Boy, you must really hate Star Wars then... with all the bolts flying about slow enough for us to see them...

Nah I just don't like to try and impose unrealistic mechanics on what are clearly cinematic decisions. It doesn't make sense for me that a plasma bolt travels slower than a bullet, even if it's actually moving slower than lightspeed for whatever reason.

1) A houserule we used was that you could/buy make your own ammo. Either with a mechanics check or paying extra funds and finding a crafter of specilty ammunition.

2) I believe there is fan resource, Free-Traders and Freebooters that had some custom slug rounds that dealt strain instead of wounds, gained the pierce ability (armor pierce) and also gained the blast ability. This would encompass some light armor piercing rounds, rubber bullets and buckshot rounds.

1) That is a nifty idea, and a nice rationale for the spare clip talent.

2) It's called Cartol's Emporium now and yes, there's stun bullets there (page 14). The older version, Free-Traders and Freebooters, did have it too, but the updated CE follows the FFG way of making alternate types of ammo.