Well since this apparently Armoury Week, or so I hear, I figure might as well bring this dead horse back, so please tear into it.
So, making a rather broad statement here, its unanimous that the Good and Best Quality upgrades are rather useless. As it is the Good Quality only grants a trait that’s found on a total of 11 weapons (6 Las-Weapons, 4 SP-Weapons, and 1 Low-Tech Weapon); while this doesn’t seem all that bad considering there are a total of 46 ranged weapons (11 Las, 16 SP, 4 Bolt, 3 Melta, 3 Plasma, 4 Flame, 7 Low-Tech, 5 Launcher, 3 Exotic; and of which 10 are found only on vehicles) most of the weapons that ‘do’ already have the Reliable quality are the most likely weapons that a regiment will likely have (Laspistols and Lasguns come to mind). This had strangely enough, made a tier system in which some weapons are not ‘worth’ upgrading beyond common quality: a “Good” Quality Lasgun is a joke item, while a “Good” Quality Autogun (the lasgun‘s Solid Projectile counterpart) is a decent deal.
Most will ’fondly’ remember when the Weapon Specialist used to get an option for a “Good” Quality lasgun, an option so ridiculously pointless as to boggle the mind how it got in there in the first place. While it its undeniable that the Reliable quality is a good trait for a lot of weapons (Bolters, Meltas, and Plasma weaponry all greatly benefit from it), its fairly agreeable that it should not be the only option for better-than-average firearms.
Another reason, that was brought up at last second
, was that finding weapons (either as spoils of war or as well-earned rewards) is currently very unimpressive. Acquiring a Best Quality M3 Lasgun doesn’t ‘wow’ Players as its no better than the ones in the hands and will be seen more as a slap-to-face than anything. While a Best Quality Inferno Pistol will, it will be because it’s a bloody Inferno Pistol (an almost, probably-should-be unique weapon); at which point its weapon itself that draws Players and not its quality.
Since upgrading to Good or Best Quality is expensive, either in Kit Points or Logistics, my circle of Inquisitors (as I might as well call them) have considered the writing up a list of options that would allow players and GM’s to make their armaments more impressive and memorable. For the purpose of this alternative a weapon must be of Common quality before it can be upgraded to Good quality, and Good quality before it can be upgraded to Best.
For the Standard Kit Customization this would modify the old options to look like this (wish I could make a table, or make use of the tab-key, emperor-****-this-machine!
):
Item or Upgrade Cost Limitation
Improve a firearm to Good Quality 5 Item must be of Common quality
Improve a firearm to Best Quality 15 Item must be of Good Quality
This would mean that it would cost 20 Kit Points to upgrade 1 firearm to Best Quality, which seems fair as you could purchase a lot with 20 points otherwise and the boon for having a well-equipped unit. Also before I forget to add it, standard kit firearms of Good or Better quality always have the same Special Qualities (chosen either by the GM or Players at Regiment Creation) and cannot be modified to have different Qualities.
GOOD QUALITY ABILITIES
One of the following weapon traits may be chosen when upgrading a weapon to Good quality. Some weapon traits can only be taken by specific types of weapons, while others have different effects depending on the type of weapon they are place on, these will be noted in parentheses. If a weapon already possess a weapon trait it cannot normally take the same weapon trait again (examples: a lasgun cannot take the Reliable quality as it already has it). Some traits stack with the weapon’s default and/or with the previous high Quality effect, this will be specifically stated in its description, unless noted.
Accurate, Blast 1 (Explosive Weapons Only, Stacks), Concussive 0 (Weapon without the Concussive Quality), Concussive 1 (Weapon with the Concussive Quality, stacks), Crippling 1 (Low-Tech Weapons, except the Bola, Only), Felling 1 (Stacks), Haywire 1 (Melta and Plasma Weapons Only), Proven 3 (Heavy, Launcher, Melta, Plasma, Vehicle, and Exotic Weapons), Proven 5 (Base and Pistol Weapons), Reliable, Toxic 1 (Solid Projectile and Exotic Non-Explosive Weapons only, Stacks).
BEST QUALITY ABILITIES
One of the following weapon traits may be chosen when upgrading a weapon to Best quality. Some weapon traits can only be taken by specific types of weapons, while others have different effects depending on the type of weapon they are place on, these will be noted in parentheses. If a weapon already possess a weapon trait it cannot normally take the same weapon trait again (examples: a lasgun cannot take the Reliable quality as it already has it). Some traits stack with the weapon’s default and/or the Best Quality, this will be specifically stated in its description, unless noted. Alternatively, instead of choosing one of the below listed traits a character may chose one from the Good Quality list following the normal rules for customization.
Blast 2 (Explosive Weapons Only, Stacks), Concussive 1 (Weapon without the Concussive Quality, stacks), Concussive 2 (Weapon with the Concussive Quality, stacks), Crippling 2 (Low-Tech Weapons, except the Bola, Only), Felling 2 (Stacks), Haywire 2 (Melta and Plasma Weapons Only), Lance (Melta and Plasma Weapons, Lascannons and Hot-Shot Laspistol/Lasgun Only), Maximal (Las and Melta Weapons Only), Ogryn-Proof, Storm (Only Weapons capable of Automatic fire), Tearing, Toxic 2 (Solid Projectile and Exotic Non-Explosive Weapons only, Stacks)