Hello

A question crept up in my preparations for my next campaign session:

How are Support Weapons for Minion Groups handled?

Example:
Shoretrooper (from dem Adversary Card Decks) lists the following: "Squads may carry 1 Heavy Blaster Rifle or 1 Light Repeating Blaster as a Support weapon."

I haven't used those guys until now, so I'm kinda unsure how to use this Support Weapon.

Will they just attack as normal using the Support weapon since Minions do attack with only 1 weapon at a time anyway?
Or will it only be 1 Minion from the Group attacking using the Support weapon and the rest does only narrative stuff during that turn?

How do you handle this stuff?
Or do you have experience in deploying Minions like these?

I'd just split the support weapon guy into a separate Minion group of 1.

He's not gonna be as accurate but then the reat if the group can still all fire their own weapons.

If the support weapon is a single-person weapon, then I would just split up minion groups by their weapon type as @Stethemessiah said. I mean, you wouldn't normally mix minion groups of thugs + stormtroopers, so this wouldn't be any different from any other situation. A minion group represent a group of people all kitted out the same with the same basic abilities (even if that "group" is only one person).

If you need a squad to run a weapon (eg: an E-Web) then...same thing: you've got one guy on the trigger and 1-3 running around making sure the thing is settled, realigned between shots because it bucks, has a clean power feed, etc. The more crew the more accurate it is, so narratively only one guy is firing but the rest are still busy and as they fall the shooter is less and less effective.

Fair point.
Although I'm still a bit confused about the wording and why this is never mentioned in any of the books, but probably that's because someone else not affiliated with the books team made the adversary cards.

...or...you could be overthinking it

16 hours ago, whafrog said:

...or...you could be overthinking it

true

If the minion group is filled with regular stormtroopers, and one person in that minion group carries a different weapon, there is one thing you need to look at: Do they have the same abilities/characteristics and ratings. If they are different in any way, then they should be split into two separate groups of minions.

Now if they are the same, then here are four ways you can approach this:

1. Ignore it. Play the minion group as if they didn't have the support weapon. (If this confuses you and makes you take too much strain on the book keeping side of things)
2. The minion group only uses this weapon. (Simplest way, narratively, one can identify targets. Another can keep a lookout for enemy forces flanking them, another can help provide ammo if it requires it, etc.)
3. The minion group splits up between those using this weapon and those not using this weapon (creating two minion groups). This can allow you to utilize it while still keeping the book keeping simple.
4. Alternate between which weapon the group uses. This allows the utilization of the weapon and the members of the minion groups as well. It would require you to remember which weapon you want to use in which round, however.

Hope this helps you!

Also, you could just fudge it. As one of the most aloof flakes in the world, I try to avoid errors by simplifying the opposition as much as possible- then I can focus on more important parts of the encounter, like the environmental conditions and set pieces. If a minion is carrying a big support weapon, I'll just keep them as part of the group and add a black die (or even a red die, in extreme cases like boss battles) to Players' rolls at times when I deem that the volume of auto-fire is sufficient to cause an impediment. That way, heavy weapons just become part of the environment. If I include some minions with an E-web or some other variety of ridiculous firepower, they get to be in their own group.

I would split the support weapon into a group of two minions. In the military squad weapons such as SAW's or 240's are in teams of two to three with the gunner having help carrying and setting up, which could easily translate to a gunner and an assistant gunner team of minions. Would account for the upgrade pretty easily, and they could set up in a position with cover while the main group moves forward.

1 hour ago, Mattheau said:

I would split the support weapon into a group of two minions. In the military squad weapons such as SAW's or 240's are in teams of two to three with the gunner having help carrying and setting up, which could easily translate to a gunner and an assistant gunner team of minions. Would account for the upgrade pretty easily, and they could set up in a position with cover while the main group moves forward.

That makes more sense with weapons that need significant amounts of ammo and set up.

What you describe actually matches HRBs pretty much exactly. With LRBs, we see people using it solo and there is no mechanical requirement for assistance.

To address the main question, a machine gun is typically used for suppression. There are a few ways I can see going with this:
Fire with only the blaster rifles. Narrate Advantage expenditures as effects from the covering fire provided by the LRB.
Fire with the LRB at least some of the time. Additional hits could be narrated as hits from the rifles, and an LRB is going to hit at least some people some of the time, right?
Instead of actually using the LRB's stats to target someone, add an ability to the Minion group. I'd suggest Covering Fire from the Rebel Infantry statblock.

2 hours ago, P-47 Thunderbolt said:

That makes more sense with weapons that need significant amounts of ammo and set up.

What you describe actually matches HRBs pretty much exactly. With LRBs, we see people using it solo and there is no mechanical requirement for assistance.

To address the main question, a machine gun is typically used for suppression. There are a few ways I can see going with this:
Fire with only the blaster rifles. Narrate Advantage expenditures as effects from the covering fire provided by the LRB.
Fire with the LRB at least some of the time. Additional hits could be narrated as hits from the rifles, and an LRB is going to hit at least some people some of the time, right?
Instead of actually using the LRB's stats to target someone, add an ability to the Minion group. I'd suggest Covering Fire from the Rebel Infantry statblock.

Yeah thats a good idea probably (although I'd make it an automatic effect when the group has attacked).

I'm also playing with the idea to just give them a few Ranks in Suppressive Fire as long the LRB is present in the squad.

If I want the damage from the LRB I'll probably just seperate the Minion or add a LRB Gunner Rival instead.