SPACE MARINES The Space Marines, for those seventeen people who play miniature wargames or real-time strategy games but haven't been exposed to Wankhammer, are the gengineered defenders of the Imperium of Man. In a dystopic future where heresy comes in both thought, deed, and genetic makeup, it is the eugenic supermen of the Space Marines that make up the first line of defense and offense against the enemies of Mankind. This is of course why Marine heresies are... tolerated to a degree, as long as they don't threaten the Imperium as a whole. And now, it's time for me to pillage the tradition. SPACE MARINES IN STARSHIP TROOPERS After-action reports against the Arachnids, especially after the Battle of Klendathu, raised a particular worry to the Strategically Integrated Coalition Of Nations (SICON). While the Mobile Infantry (M.I.) was perfectly capable of engaging and destroying any and all Bug threats save the relatively rare and specialized Plasma Bug at range, once Arachnid forces entered a twenty meter zone around a M.I. position the statistical probability of those infantry being overrun and killed in melee approached unity.
	M-7 Tactical M-7 Assault M-7 Counters M-(h) Termies Weapons - Melee - Squad - Heavy Traits
	Artwork Rant of the Week

With the near impossibility of hiding the results of brutal melee combat between Arachnids and M.I. after Big K and the resulting outcry from the civilians of the United Citizens' Federation (UCF) for better protection for the warfighter, SICON introduced the M4 series of exosuits. When the M4A1 "Grizzly" turned out to be too maintenance-intensive for broad use and the later M4A2 "Cougar" did not entirely solve the problem, the procurement offices went back to basics. While certainly the Atlas Rigs of the Grizzly and the finely articulated plates of the Cougar made extremely effective warfighters, simpler systems would be more cost effective. SICON procurement also believed that the Invasion Companies--to remain part of the Order of Battle until they could be reduced by attrition or promotion--would require some sort of light armored support to not be a completely wasted investment in the time being. For this reason, SICON developed the M-7 series of powersuits.

The traditional M-1 series of M.I. powersuit consisted of 'hard' plates of dense composite armor nanofabrics around a less dense but more flexible undersuit of armor nanofabric. While all of these had excellent anti-ballistic properties, they were insufficient to protect against the razor-sharp scythes of the Bugs. Like the M4 series, the M-7 powersuit instead covers the wearer in as many truly hard components as possible, borrowing armor cermets from the M8 and M9 series of Marauders. Replacing the large, vulnerable clear faceplate of the M-1 with armor penetrated only by eyeholes and integrating the M1's flip-down snoopers into the goggle-like eyes of the M-7 increased survivability of the trooper inside by a considerable margin at the cost of a measure of situational awareness. The added weight required a heavier jump jet system than the M-1, and the demand by SICON that the new suit have solid-armored gloves instead of the M-1's soft-armored finger-mittens meant that even standard M.I. weapons had to be modified to be compatable with the new suit's thicker hands.

In operational testing Mobile Infantrymen have complained primarily about three negative characteristics of the M-7: first and foremost, it is far less comfortable than the M-1 because it is less supple. While a full range of motion is still supported by the M-7, because of its structure it forces the user to fit it rather than the other way around; Infantrymen (and women) have complained of chafing, especially along the groin, shoulders, and fingers. Secondly, its helmet limits peripheral vision, preventing troopers from reacting to threats outside of their immediate view until "they were right on top of them." Finally, the jetpack--essentially an armored and compressed WASP pack--simply does not make up for the additional weight, leading to a shorter jump which tends to make M-7 suits fall out of formation when assigned to work with M-1s. It is SICON's current belief that the M-7, being able to keep up with the M8 "Ape" Marauder, makes a sufficient heavy-armor Mobile Infantry suit for high-risk operations, especially with the development of new weapons intended to maximize the Infantryman's killing power before the Bugs get too close.

Currently, the M-7 is still officially in the late operational testing phase and has been issued to front-line units on a limited basis to test the effectiveness of the Heavy Mobile Infantry concept in SICON's combined-arms doctrine.

M-7 POWER SUIT TACTICAL SQUAD

Every M-7 powersuit tactical squad consists of one M-7 sergeant (unit leader) and four M7 troopers, generally called "Marines," for a total of 320 points. They follow all Mobile Infantry army rules except that their Alert Status range is only 6", not 10" as normal. Any M-7 trooper, corporal, sergeant, NCO, or lieutenant may opt to not wear their helmet and thus have a 10" Alert Status range, but this is only possible on planets with nontoxic, Terrestrial-pressure atmospheres and reduces their save to 4+ against all weapons except Flame weapons, from which they get no save.

Weapon: XTW-300-a gyrojet assault rifle.

Unit Options: If an M-7 corporal is added for 100 points, then up to four additional Marines may be added to the squad for +50 points each. This unit may act as an independent squad.

Equipment Options: An M-7 powersuit squad may be equipped with Lizard Lines for +7 points per model.

The Most Expendable of the Best and Brightest: M-7 Marines may each be bought heroic traights up to +15 points. The corporal may have heroic traits up to +20 points, and the sergeant may have heroic traits up to +25 points.

Weapon Options: M-7 Marines may carry M-902F Frag Grenades for +5 points per model and/or M-904C Chem Grenades for +10 points per model. Two M-7 Marines may exchange their XTW-300-a gyrojet assault rifles for:

• modified SW-226-f Hel Infantry Flamers for +10 points,
• XSW-250-a plasma assault rifles for +20 points,
• XSW-300 microwave rifles for +20 points at Priority Level 2 and up,
• SW-404 Javelin Missile Launchers for +40 points,
• XSMW-X29 Lance laser for +45 points at Priority Level 2 and up,
• XSW-350 gyrojet machine gun for +20 points,
• XSW-375 microwave cannon for +30 points at Priority Level 3,
• or XSW-400 plasma cannon for +45 points at Priority Level 3 and at least one Lieutenant is in the force.

The sergeant may exchange his XTW-300-a gyrojet assault rifle for any two Melee Weapons described below, one in each hand.

• XPW-100 Gyrojet Pistol for +0 points.
• PW-55-f Hand Flamer for +0 points.
• XPW-250-p Plasma Pistol for +5 points.
• XCC-200 Chainsaw Sword for +0 points.
• CC-176-S Shock Sword for +5 points.
• CC-176-A Shock Axe for +5 points.
• XCC-176-PF Shock Fist for +15 points.

M-7 Powersuit Squad

M-7 POWER SUIT LIEUTENANT

Any M-7 trooper, corporal, sergeant, NCO, or lieutenant may opt to not wear their helmet and thus have a 10" Alert Status range, but this is only possible on planets with nontoxic, Terrestrial-pressure atmospheres and reduces their save to 4+ against all weapons except Flame weapons, from which they get no save.

Weapon: XTW-300-a gyrojet assault rifle.

Equipment Options: An M-7 Lieutenant may be equipped with Lizard Lines for +7 points per model.

The Most Expendable of the Best and Brightest: An M-7 Lieutenantmay each be bought heroic traights up to +100 points.

Weapon Options: An M-7 Lieutenant may carry M-902F Frag Grenades for +5 points and/or M-904C Chem Grenades for +10 points and/or one M-908P Plasma munition for +20 points. The Lieutenant may exchange his XTW-300-a gyrojet assault rifle for any two Melee Weapons described below, one in each hand.

M-7 Powersuit Lieutenant

AVAILABLE M-7 COUNTERS

Marine Template - GIF, 30KB: Standing, no weapon (Photoshop in your own!)

The initial successes of M-7 powersuits, combined with the successes of heavier exosuits in melee combat, eventually lead SICON to experiment with the idea of close-combat specialists given additional mobility in the form of an uprated WASP jetpack. The WASP Mk.II sat around for quite some time (and indeed portions of it were adopted for use in exosuit jump systems) because it was too heavy for the M-1 series of powersuits, and therefore there were enough to adapt for M-7 use. The heavier M-7 frame could easily support the bulky Mk.II and the M-7's increased survivability would make it work at least as well in melee as Cougar exosuits.

The result are powerful Mobile Infantrymen who, with jump packs comparable to that of an exosuit's and yet still in the powersuit weight range, can jump faster and farther than any previous. Initial estimates suggest they will make highly mobile riflemen and close-combat specialists. The primary weakness of M-7 Assault Marines is their inability to carry heavy weapons.

M-7 POWER SUIT ASSAULT SQUAD WITH WASP MK.II JUMP PACKS

Every M-7 powersuit assault squad consists of one M-7 sergeant (unit leader) and four M7 troopers, generally called "Marines," all with WASP Mk.II jump packs for a total of 420 points. They follow all Mobile Infantry army rules except that their Alert Status range is only 6", not 10" as normal. Any M-7 trooper, corporal, sergeant, NCO, or lieutenant may opt to not wear their helmet and thus have a 10" Alert Status range, but this is only possible on planets with nontoxic, Terrestrial-pressure atmospheres and reduces their save to 4+ against all weapons except Flame weapons, from which they get no save.

Weapon: XTW-300-a gyrojet assault rifle.

Unit Options: If an M-7 corporal is added for 100 points, then up to four additional Marines may be added to the squad for +50 points each. This unit may act as an independent squad.

Equipment Options: An M-7 powersuit squad may be equipped with Lizard Lines for +7 points per model.

The Most Expendable of the Best and Brightest: M-7 Marines may each be bought heroic traights up to +15 points. The corporal may have heroic traits up to +20 points, and the sergeant may have heroic traits up to +25 points.

Weapon Options: M-7 Marines may carry M-902F Frag Grenades for +5 points per model and/or M-904C Chem Grenades for +10 points per model. Two M-7 Marines may exchange their XTW-300-a gyrojet assault rifles for:

• modified SW-226-f Hel Infantry Flamers for +10 points,
• XSW-250-a plasma assault rifles for +20 points,
• XSW-300 microwave rifles for +20 points at Priority Level 2 and up

Any number of Marines may exchange their XTW-300-a gyrojet assault rifle for any two Melee Weapons described below, one in each hand.

• XPW-100 Gyrojet Pistol for +0 points.
• PW-55-f Hand Flamer for +0 points.
• XPW-250-p Plasma Pistol for +5 points.
• XCC-200 Chainsaw Sword for +0 points.
• CC-176-S Shock Sword for +5 points.
• CC-176-A Shock Axe for +5 points.
• XCC-176-PF Shock Fist for +15 points.

M-7 Powersuit Assault Squad

M-7 POWER SUIT LIEUTENANT

Any M-7 trooper, corporal, sergeant, NCO, or lieutenant may opt to not wear their helmet and thus have a 10" Alert Status range, but this is only possible on planets with nontoxic, Terrestrial-pressure atmospheres and reduces their save to 4+ against all weapons except Flame weapons, from which they get no save.

Weapon: XTW-300-a gyrojet assault rifle.

Equipment Options: An M-7 Lieutenant may be equipped with Lizard Lines for +7 points per model.

The Most Expendable of the Best and Brightest: An M-7 Lieutenantmay each be bought heroic traights up to +100 points.

Weapon Options: An M-7 Lieutenant may carry M-902F Frag Grenades for +5 points and/or M-904C Chem Grenades for +10 points and/or one M-908P Plasma munition for +20 points. The Lieutenant may exchange his XTW-300-a gyrojet assault rifle for any two Melee Weapons described below, one in each hand.

M-7 Powersuit Lieutenant

With the unexpected cost overruns of the Exosuit program and the recognition that Light Infantry found in any sort of front-line operation still desperately needed Exosuit-grade armor and weaponry came further development of the M-7 suit. In operational testing the M-7 suit was still almost too mobile. Doctrine suggested that in a mixed unit of M-7 suits and Light Infantry the M-7s would stay on the bounce at running pace, supplying cover fire for the unarmored troopers while they run from location to location, increasing the mobility of Light Infantry to some extent. Under actual battlefield conditions, however, M-7 Marines would end up attempting flanking maneuvers or other standard Mobile Infantry tactics, splitting up the force and leading to excessive casualties amongst the unsupported Light Infantry as M-7 suits without a W.A.S.P. Mk-II jump booster simply lacked the mobility to do what their officers or noncoms, using the doctrine they had learned as 'proper' armored cap troopers, demanded of them.

Therefore SICON developed a heavy extension of the M-7 suit, dubbed the M-7(h) with the (h) of course standing for "heavy." Initially it was simply an up-armored version; but additional armor required additional servos which meant it had to be expanded to fit them. The M-7(h) is so visually and internally distinct from the original M-7 powersuit that it is essentially an entirely new machine; only the most basic chassis remains the same. Generally called a MicroApe (or Mr. Waddles) for its appearance, the M-7(h) is technically an exosuit by weight class and armor protection. Unlike the M4 series, however, the M-7 is a much simpler machine with relatively little maintenance attached to it. Unlike the complex Atlas Rig system and the finely engineered overlapping armor plates of the Cougar and Grizzly, the M-7(h) is made of as few slab-like plates as possible, controlled by myomer muscles stretched under them and extended into its hunched back. More constricting than original M-7 armor and yet still not painful to wear for extended periods, the psychological suggestion of limited mobility is practically engineered into the suit. To counteract this each part of the suit is gyrostabilized to allow for firing solutions against targets even in a full run, albeit at a drastically reduced rate of fire. Finally, the mixture of heavy armor and internal volume dedicated almost solely to additional musculature means that the M-7(h) has no jump ability whatsoever, and there are no reasonable points to attach an external rig.

The M-7(h) infantryman is usually a full-fledged cap-trooper, but not a particularly good one. He knows enough to survive capsule drops, but he isn't fast or nimble enough in body or mind to be properly Mobile. On the one hand, he is a liability to other powersuit units. On the other hand, he is still overqualified and too much of an investment to be simply placed in an Invasion Company. On the gripping hand, he has the perfect mix of skills to be a walking armored brick analogous to the infantry tanks of old armored doctrine. As a result, SICON, on the basis of efficiency and psychological reports, has begun to deploy M-7(h) Marines as organic attached liason support to Infantry Companies, where they serve the role of a mobile pillbox. Capable of moving just as fast as Light Infantry but no faster but still able to provide fire support in a full run as the original attached M-7 units were intended to, the M-7(h) is intended to spearhead an assault where their heavier armor will provide protection for the infantrymen provide them who return the favor with massed fire.

Because of its cost and rather narrow mission, the M-7(h) is rare, rarer than the M-7 suit, and kept only with the most elite Invasion Companies. They are, however, highly valued within these companies.

M-7(h) EXOSUIT

M-7(h) MicroApe exosuits are added to Invasion Companies as a Priority Three support choice, with 0-1 M-7(h) exosuit squads per platoon. Because M-7(h) exosuits are support units, they do not have 'officers' besides sergeants.

An M-7(h) MicroApe exosuit squad consists of one M-7(h) Marine Sergeant and two M-7(h) Marines for a total of 410 points. They follow all Mobile Infantry army rules except that their Alert Status range is only 6", not 10" as normal. Any M-7 trooper, corporal, sergeant, NCO, or lieutenant may opt to not wear their helmet and thus have a 10" Alert Status range, but this is only possible on planets with nontoxic, Terrestrial-pressure atmospheres and reduces their save to 4+ against all weapons except Flame weapons, from which they get no save.

Weapon: XTW-300-b twin gyrojet assault rifle and XCC-176-PF Shock Fist.

Unit Options: Up to two additional Marines may be added to the squad for +120 points each.

Firing on the Run: M-7(h) Marines may combine a Move and Shoot action (as a single action) to fire any Squad weapon as if it were a Pack weapon. This means that the weapon in question may only fire once a turn (no Fire action and then a Fire/Move action).

Brick!: M-7(h) Marines always get a save roll attempt on each hit against them, including those from a Kill result. A Target result requires one save; a Kill result requires two.

Weapon Options: Two M-7 Marines may exchange their XTW-300-b twin gyrojet assault rifles for:

• modified SW-219-f Inferno Support Flamers for +20 points,
• modified MW-265 Sixgun autocannon for +25 points,
• XSMW-X29 Lance laser for +45 points,
• XSW-350 gyrojet machine gun for +20 points,
• XSW-375 microwave cannon for +30 points,
• or XSW-400 plasma cannon for +45 points and at least one Lieutenant is in the force.

Any model may exchange his XCC-176-PF Shock Fist for any other Melee Weapons described below:

• XCC-200 Chainsaw Sword for -15 points.
• CC-176-S Shock Sword for -10 points.
• CC-176-A Shock Axe for -10 points.
• XCC-176-PF Shock Fist for +15 points.

One model may additionally replace his XCC-176-PF Shock Fist for a targeting unit (no effect) and:

• SW-490 Blizzard Missile Pack for +30 points.
• SW-414 Rapier AA Missile Launcher for +30 points.

M-7(h) Exosuit Squad

Type	Value	Size	Move	Close Combat	Target	Save	Kill	Traits
M-7(h) Marine	120	1	4"	D6	5+	2+	9+	Hits/2
M-7(h) Sergeant	170	1	4"	D6	5+	2+	9+	Hits/2

AVAILABLE M-7(h) COUNTERS

None yet

WEAPONS

Melee Weapons

• XPW-100 "Nadetosser" Gyrojet Pistol: Scaling down the rounds of the XTW-300 gyrojet rifle series by reducing the rocket propellant, the XPW-100 is a short-range defensive weapon whose explosive shells can tear apart a Warrior Bug with a few well-placed shots. Like its larger cousin, however, the XTW-300's oversize rounds limit reasonable magazine size and so even with burst limiters they often turn up dry when they seem to be most needed.
• PW-55-f "Firey Fist" Hand Flamer: The venerable hand flamer that the SW-226-f Hel Infantry Flamer is based on, the "Trusty Fifty-Five" spouts a short but extremely deadly gout of plasma perfect for fighting off Bugs at ranges too close to be comfortable.
• XPW-250-p "Red Dwarf" Plasma Pistol: Scaling down the magnetic coil mechanism of the XSW-250-a plasma assault rifle in the same way the gyrojet pistol scales down the gyrojet rifle, this experimental plasma pistol fires a burst of coherent plasma toroids that maintain themselves in a way similar to the fireballs of atomic weaponry. While it has a longer effective range than a gyrojet weapon, it is still a dangerous pistol with a tendency to overheat and shut down if used on automatic fire.
• XCC-200 "Hedge Trimmer" Chainsaw Sword: Not exactly the most effective weapon in the world, the XCC-200 is a weaponized chainsaw in a vaguely sword-like format. It can grind through Arachnid carapaces if they sit still for it, but mostly M.I. find it more useful on the defense swatting away limbs than on the offense.
• CC-176-S "Zap-to" Shock Sword: Taking the CC-176-ER shock stick and turning it into a sword makes it a much more effective weapon against Bugs. The non-lethal setting is retained because it's less expensive to mass-produce the core shock stick circuitry than retool for a specialized weapon.
• CC-176-A "Executioner" Shock Axe: Much like the -176-S, but optimized for two-handed use. While it can easily cleave a Warrior Bug in half when weilded with two hands, very few Mobile Infantrymen are crazy enough to use it that way (Treat a one-handed Shock Axe as a Shock Sword).
• XCC-176-PF "PunchaPunchaPuncha!" Shock Fist: Replacing the entire forearm structure of a powersuit, the Shock Fist incorporates four shock stick cores in its armored back as well as additional myomers and nanomusculature to make it punch harder than any human could ever punch unaugmented. It has little to no reach and no non-lethal setting, but it can pulverize any known Bug and send it into arrythmia with a single blow. M-7 Marines have been known to outbrawl Tanker Bugs with it despite its limitations.

Melee Weapons

Name	Range	Damage	Type	Traits
XPW-100 Gyrojet Pistol	12"	2xD10-2	Ammo Hog	Auto Piercing/1
PW-55-f Hand Flamer	4"	D10+2	Squad	Flame LZ (Stream) Retaliate
XPW-250-p Plasma Pistol	15"	2xD10-1	Charge/1(2)	Auto Retaliate
XCC-200 Chainsaw Sword	Close combat	As user +1	--	Parry
CC-176-S Shock Sword	Close combat	As user +2	--	Parry Piercing/2
CC-176-A Shock Axe (2 hands)	Close combat	2x as user +2	--	Parry Piercing/2
XCC-176-PF Shock Fist	Close combat	3x as user +D10	--	Point-Blank

 

Squad Weapons

• XTW-300-a "Nadeslinger" Gyrojet Assault Rifle: After SICON assigned several high priority missions to M-7 squads that they then promptly lost because their improved armor did not make up for the increased number of Bugs they faced. Post-operation analyses showed that the M-7 squads failed because while their defensive capability allowed them to at least escape, their offensive capability did not match the situation especially once taking into account the smaller size of full strength M-7 formations when compared to M-1A4-equipped units. To resolve this, SICON scientists developed a new form of hybrid ammunition that shares traits with grenades, standard cartridge ballistics, and gyrojet weapons. Essentially a modified M-295 Bugshot close-in pellet grenade stacked on top of a 'gyroscopic' rocket motor and an initial ballistic cartridge designed to alleviate a gyrojet's inherent low muzzle velocity, the new round required a new weapon. The XTW-300 series, an upgrade of the TW-20X Morita series' proven electro/thermal-chemical (ETC) system and an old Kalashnikov repeating bolt action, answered this call in relatively short order and was immediately issued to all M-7 tactical units in the field. Despite being unusually hardy for an experimental weapon, the larger ammunition and smaller magazine compared to a Morita's led to the XTW-300-a having a well-deserved reputation for eating through ammunition faster than a cap trooper could think. Nevertheless, each burst from the weapon has a proven ten percent chance of killing a Warrior outright and can actually threaten a Tanker, two things the standard Morita simply cannot do.
• XSW-250-a "Green Giant" Plasma Assault Rifle: SICON experiments with the venerable, if not exactly commonplace, M-908P plasma bomb indicated that it could be possible to produce small amounts of plasma in controlled bursts given access to sufficient gas to heat to plasma and a microfusion reactor to provide said heat. Scientists in secure facilities on Pluto idly toyed with working on it; during and after the Second Pluto Campaign, however, the project was imbued with quite the sense of urgency and those scientists that survived quickly produced the XSW-2XX series of plasma weapons. The -250 plasma rifle, despite (or perhaps because) of its entire upper casing being devoted to heat radiators, had the unfortunate tendency to melt through the outer layers of M-1A4 power suit armor and through heat fog and darken the armor-acrylic visor of the helmet to opaqueness. Naked and blind troopers are not troopers at all, so SICON wisely shelved the XSW-250. When the M-7 power suit was developed, SICON tested it with the -250 and discovered that it was thickly armored enough to resist the weapon's tremendous heat output. Production, limited by the weapon's cost and complexity to manufacture due to its fusion core, followed and the relative scarcity of the weapon shifted its deployment from standard rifleman's weapon to a squad automatic weapon. The fusion core requires time to heat up sufficient plasma for a burst, so the -250 suffers from having a limited burst capacity combined with a combat-noticable recharge time inbetween full auto bursts. More than one M-7 Marine has suffered for having his or her weapon be unavailable after an ill-advised bout of "rock 'n rolling."
• XSW-300 "Radar Range" Microwave Rifle: Certainly one of the more esoteric weapons available to the M-7 Marines, the "Radar Range" microwave rifle uses new developments in heat-radiating black bodies and matter-energy conversion to make what is in effect a very powerful short-range maser weapon that can cook Bugs from the inside... explosively. Above all other things this weapon's weakness is its short range, its extreme rarity due to the cost of manufacturing its injection-fueled black body microwave emitter core, and the fact that almost any cover can disperse it--while bushes bursting into flame are certainly impressive, one would prefer that the Warrior behind the bush have taken at least something. While it has often been derided as merely comperable to the SW-226-f Hel infantry flamer, any Marine who has taken it against a Tanker or a Plasma Bug know that its true potential lies in its armor-penetrating power. M-7 Marines sent on tunnel crawls for Brain Bug captures a la Planet P rely on this weapon just in case their quarry gets too fiesty.
• XTW-300-b "Nade-Special" Twin Gyrojet Assault Rifle: This blocky contraption is no more than two XTW-300-a actions bolted together and linked to the same trigger mechanism. It uses two standard XTW-300-a magazines and offers a slight increase in damage potential due to the simple fact it's spitting rounds everywhere, much like the Morita Ape Special. Due to increased cleaning times and the like, they are only used by M-7(h) exosuits and M-7 officers.

Squad Weapons

Name	Range	Damage	Type	Traits
XTW-300-a Gyrojet Assault Rifle	20"	2xD10-2	Ammo Hog	Auto Piercing/1
XSW-250-a Plasma Assault Rifle	20"	2xD10-1	Charge/1(2)	Auto Retaliate
XSW-300 Microwave Rifle	10"	D10+2	Squad	Multihit Piercing/2
XTW-300-b Twin Gyrojet Assault Rifle	20"	2xD10-1	Ammo Hog	Auto Piercing/1

 

Heavy Weapons

• XSW-350 "Nadechunker" Gyrojet Machine Gun: Even though the ETC gyrojet technology developed for the XTW-300 is more expensive than a Morita's simple kinetic pulse-ETC round, it is far less expensive than the esoteric microwave and plasma technologies also adapted to M-7 Marine use. Because the XSW-250 lacks any additional range on the XTW-300, the MW-206 Derringer light rotary autocannon has neither the range nor the desired hitting power, and the MW-5050 is simply too hefty to be carried, SICON decided to upgrade their nascent gyrojet technology into a heavy squad automatic weapon to fill the heavy machine gun role. The result: the XSW-350, a weapon with hard hitting rounds and only fifteen of said rounds per single hefty drum magazine. "Six-Pack"-style backpack ammunition bins were considered, but the linkage between the weapon and pack was considered too unweildy and too dangerous for operational use by a single Marine; weapons fed by extended belts are safest when left to crews. Therefore the GMG's rate of fire was decreased to that of a standard assault rifle, but the recoil even at the lower rate still requires a trooper to brace for firing. To its credit, it does have a better chance at killing Bugs at a greater range, and SICON deems those traits sufficient to produce the XSW-350 to make it commonplace amongst M-7 units.
• XSMW-X29 "Lance" Infantry Laser: Given the success of the SW-X28 and SW-X29 laser weapons, SICON decided to scale the Scythe down to a smaller, infantry-portable weapon. They were only marginally successful in that regard. Instead, they built a weapon with the anti-armor capability of the Scythe and a range exceeding that of the Bugbroom. The weakness? Relative rarity and no killing swath of destruction due to the micro-pulsed nature of the beam.
• XSW-375 "Trogdor" Microwave Cannon: A truely rare and fearsome weapon, the XSW-375 essentially takes two smaller "Radar Range" microwave rifles, scales them up slightly, and then adds a lot more power to double their range. SICON scientists can't yet determine which effect causes damage--the direct transfer of microwave energy to the target, or the resultant explosion as metallic lattices disassociate and water--or anything else that reacts energetically to microwaves--vaporizes explosively.
• XSW-400 "Blue Supergiant" Plasma Cannon: The ultimate suit-portable scaleup of the XSW-250 plasma rifle action, this heavy plasma gun has two settings: One setting guarantees that it will at least be able to keep up a rate of fire equal to other support weapons. The other setting will annihilate whatever it hits in a ball of self-sustaining plasma, essentially giving an individual Marine the power to create small short-lived suns in tactical situations. This sort of firepower nears the amount required for standard SICON nuclear release protocols, but not quite--an officer signing off on the tactical necessity of using one is sufficient.

Heavy Weapons

Name	Range	Damage	Type	Traits
XSW-350 Gyrojet Machine Gun	32"	2xD10-2	Ammo Hog	Ready Auto Piercing/1
XSMW-X29 Lance Infantry Laser	50"	D10+2	Pack	Ready Piercing/2
XSW-375 Microwave Cannon	20"	2xD10+2	Pack	Ready LZ (1.5") Multihit Piercing/2
XSW-400 Plasma Cannon (low)	32"	2xD10-1	Pack (needs charge of 1 after high-power shot)	Ready Piercing/1 Retaliate
(high setting)	50"	2xD10+4	Charge/0.5(1)	Ready Flame Killshot LZ (1.5") Persistent

 

NEW TRAITS

Ammo Hog: Either because of a slightly higher rate of fire or a marginally lower magazine capacity, Ammo Hogs tend to burn through ammunition compared to normal Squad weapons. They follow all normal Squad weapon rules except that when fired as a reaction they run out of ammunition on a to-hit roll of a 1 or a 2.

Charge/X(Y): This weapon uses a power source to fill an internal capacitor that can only hold a specific number of bursts before requiring recharge. In this notation, a weapon with the Charge Trait charges up by X number of Fire Actions per turn (at the end of the turn, after the Air Phase) and can hold up to Y Fire Actions. Because of the care with which their limited charge must be kept, they follow standard Squad Trait rules for reaction fire but in case of an Out-Of-Ammo result they remain Out-Of-Ammo for an entire turn as they try to refill a nearly completely discharged battery.

Point-Blank: These melee weapons have absolutely no reach beyond that of the person weilding it. To be used, the model with the Point-Blank weapon must be physically touching the target model. Additionally, the target may opt to react with a melee attack and strike first if its Size (and reasonably, reach) exceeds that of the attacker. As always, models that for whatever reason do not go on Alert Status cannot react.

Games - Universe - Deep - Projects - Archives - Home