Boonta blaster is pretty great, and it's bling. I allow the Fiver as a holdout, since they're describing a snub-nose revolver.

I have a driver npc in my game and he appears unarmed, but he has the boonta blaster on his key-chain I don`t think the illustration of the boonta blaster in the book is a very interesting description of it though..

I don't think most of the line drawings in the books are particularly interesting, so I typically just scour the internet until I find something I like.

I don't think most of the line drawings in the books are particularly interesting, so I typically just scour the internet until I find something I like.

But in the illustration it looks like a gun, not some kind of jewlery as in the description, so that just seems off.

It doesn't say it doesn't look like a weapon at all, it's just gaudy and ridiculous looking.

I allow the Fiver as a holdout, since they're describing a snub-nose revolver.

Interesting take. I read it to be more of a Dirty Harry revolver, and distinctly not a holdout (mechanically speaking) because it has a 2 Encumbrance which is pretty hefty for a sidearm. It's one of my favorite weapons because of the flavor to it, but I couldn't justify it to be in the same realm as a holdout blaster.

I allow the Fiver as a holdout, since they're describing a snub-nose revolver.

Interesting take. I read it to be more of a Dirty Harry revolver, and distinctly not a holdout (mechanically speaking) because it has a 2 Encumbrance which is pretty hefty for a sidearm. It's one of my favorite weapons because of the flavor to it, but I couldn't justify it to be in the same realm as a holdout blaster.

The "Big" pistols are Enc 3, Enc2 is average and Enc1 is tiny.

There is also the Variable Holdout, which can be set for a ... variable ... amount of damage, although it only holds so much energy before it has to be reloaded. So, two shots at six points of damage, and it's empty. One shot at seven and one shot at five then empty. Three shots at four damage, empty.

So, that could also be an option.

I generally find concealability to be an under-used and under-rated concept. I tend to GM very "low-fantasy" (speaking in tone terms, not genre ones) games, where hunger, thirst, weight, and survivability all play more prominent roles than most people might be used to. Accompanying that is the need to consider how BIG things are: you're carrying a backpack, wearing armor with a utility belt with all the attendant kit attached to it, have a blaster rifle slung over your shoulder, are climbing up a hill and you want to throw a heavy blaster pistol for added kick? That's your call, but you'll be much less nimble than the person with the concealed pistol tucked away in their sleeve.

My players are also often thrown into situations where "palms up military ops" aren't really de rigeur. They're walking the streets of a metropolis, or sneaking around behind enemy lines, or infiltrating a gang. Most of the situations they're in, showing any weaponry whatsoever is going to call suspicion on you.

So I'd say the need for them is essential, depending on the circumstances of the campaign. Stealth can be a huge force multiplier, even for Heavies or Gunslingers.

The Encumbrance system would need more steps - as well as the hardpoint/customisation system.

It makes no sense to me that a rather strong and big weapon like the X-30 Lancer or the Dragoon share an encumberance of 1 with the holdout blaster. To me a heavy blaster pistol like the HH50 or the disruptor pistol are similar in size to a desert eagle or a .44 Magnum, a light to medium blaster is like a Glock or M1911, a holdout is in between a short .38 revolver, a Walther PPK or even a Derringer. So it would make sense to me to treat the holdout as a encumberance 0 item. Ascian throwing daggers or other small knifes should fall in the same category.

I allow the Fiver as a holdout, since they're describing a snub-nose revolver.

Interesting take. I read it to be more of a Dirty Harry revolver, and distinctly not a holdout (mechanically speaking) because it has a 2 Encumbrance which is pretty hefty for a sidearm. It's one of my favorite weapons because of the flavor to it, but I couldn't justify it to be in the same realm as a holdout blaster.

The "Big" pistols are Enc 3, Enc2 is average and Enc1 is tiny.

Again, I'm looking purely at the mechanics. A concealed holdout pistol adds a Setback die to the Perception roll to find it and there is no holdout pistol that is above an Encumbrance value of 1. For my taste, any pistol that is called a holdout or is clearly in that vein (12 Defender, Palm Shooter, Boonta Blaster) qualify for that mechanical bonus to concealment. The "Fiver" is an Enc2 revolver that the write up describes as a large caliber slugthrower. It seems RAI for this particular pistol to not qualify as a "holdout" for mechanical purposes.

As for your assessment that Enc2 is average; I'm not so sure that is accurate. Average seems to be somewhere between 1 and 2 for pistols. A majority are Enc1, a fair amount are Enc2, and only a few are Enc3.

So, one of the things about a Boonta Blaster is that — RAW — the handle and trigger are supposed to be sized for the hand of a Hutt, and therefore too large for any normal PC species to use.

Now, I’d allow a large-size PC species like Wookiee, Besalisk, Herglic, etc… to use a Boonta Blaster, but maybe give them a setback die — due to the sizing issue. I’d even do that for a Hutt PC, because they’re still young and growing at that stage in their life.

If they were to modify the Boonta Blaster to be more usable by species with more normal hand sizes, then of course there wouldn’t be any setback. But then, it might not look like a normal bejeweled Boonta Blaster.

Of course, this is just the way I’d be inclined to do things in my game, and YMMV.

So, one of the things about a Boonta Blaster is that — RAW — the handle and trigger are supposed to be sized for the hand of a Hutt, and therefore too large for any normal PC species to use.

Now, I’d allow a large-size PC species like Wookiee, Besalisk, Herglic, etc… to use a Boonta Blaster, but maybe give them a setback die — due to the sizing issue. I’d even do that for a Hutt PC, because they’re still young and growing at that stage in their life.

If they were to modify the Boonta Blaster to be more usable by species with more normal hand sizes, then of course there wouldn’t be any setback. But then, it might not look like a normal bejeweled Boonta Blaster.

Of course, this is just the way I’d be inclined to do things in my game, and YMMV.

If a droid has a blaster pistol, you can flavour it as being part of and attached to the droid, like they say in the species description. The illustrations of the armors, laminate and heavy battle armor are different from the models listed as available.

My point is that even if the very first boonta blaster was fitted for a hutt, it can be flavoured however you like.. And I got the impression that every boonta blaster is different and fitted as a custom jewlery or similar for each user.