Here's an idea. Far future, sci fi.
Energy weapons can pierce through energy shields and barriers, but their heat is usually dispersed on enemy armor. More effective against shields, less against armor.
Traditional firearms are easier to block with shields, but can usually penetrate most armors.
Melee weapons ignore shields, and usually have a high armor penetration, but it's extremely risky to get close without cover, transport or other means to make yourself unshootable.
Thoughts? Should it work like this?
>>44088441
The catch: shields require a full body exoskeleton to work, and an immense amount of energy.
They're also highly susceptible to EMP weaponry, to the point of being useless if the enemy has the right ammunition in his weapons.
>Far future
>lazers, gunpowder, and melee
Lame. Why not get more creative?
>propellants, metallurgy, and ballistic science have advanced so far, your typical pocket handgun fires projectiles at Mach 2+. Rifles greatly outclass them.
>they are still considered "quaint" compared to the average Gauss gun
>magazines and pre-packaged cartridges are the stuff of yesterday. Guns are now fed solid blocks of metal and explosive (or batteries), and 3D print your payload on the spot.
>the level of detail of your printer determines the complexity of your bullet: the shitty stuff will print you regular, SP, or AP ammo. The expensive ones can get you scramjet-boosted guided micromissiles.
>all that was the low-power stuff available to civilians. Military weapons are often hyperspace-based. The typical assault rifles draw ammunition and energy from pocket dimensions. The AK47 of the 33rd century fires 120mm tank shells and needs reloading once a week.
>Space warlords often employ mad scientists and engineers in their ranks. There's no way to predict what weapons you will face if you pick a fight with these crazy motherfuckers. One crew is infamous for employing grenades that flash-clone swarms of flying piranhas upon impact.
>you better install some sturdy countermeasures in your exoskeleton and/or cyber implants. Although they were banned by the 5th NeoGeneva Convention, the Toolbar Installer Gun still sees extensive use among non-compliant nations and irregular troopers
![toolbars[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/acSONKw.jpg "toolbars[1].jpg")
>>44088860
>Toolbar Installer Gun
Deadliest weapon known to man
>>44088860
putting a 3d printer on every gun seems like a real good way to crank up your weapon manufacturing costs tenfold
i prefer gritty scifi. stuff that looks functional, rugged and cheap, but still somehow very technologically advanced. big fan of the original fallouts for this reason
>>44090019
oops didn't upload my pic
>>44088860
>Guns with 3D printers on them
>3D printers with guns on them
>Extracting energy and metal instantly from thier surroundings
Down this route lies Total Anihilation and SupCom. Interesting settings, but not conducive to an RPG experience.
>>44088681
Seems more than reasonable.
Having both kinds of protection is pretty rare, because armor tends to be bulky, and the exoskeletons and energy also require a lot of space, so someone using both at the same time would have to be in something akin to a power armor, although less bulky I guess.
Based on what principle or physics would the lasers trespass the energy shields?
>>44088860
Too fucking expensive I guess, but doesn't sound like a bad idea.
>>44090019
I too prefer that. That's why I was thinking of ways of making gunpowder still valuable, even in an age of lasers, plasma and whatever.
The tech level would be high, but not that high. FTL travel just recently discovered.
>>44088441
I think you have it backwards from a pseudo-science POV. Beam weapons can melt/cut through traditional ceramic/metallic composites, but it will stop projectiles. Energy shields will disrupt the magnetic containment fields of plasma weapons, or de-phase a laser beam weapon, scattering it so it can't focus its energy on one spot. That's how I'd do it anyway.
>>44090738
This seems more reasonable to me.
>>44090738
Hmmmm it could be. I was thinking more on the lines of, heating part of an armor for a while isn't just enough to pierce it, but having a piece of metal at high speed crash against it will probably penetrate it.
On the other hand, a beam of condensed light and heat can pass through an energy shield, but a bullet would not.
I don't know, maybe you're right though.
Anyone else has a thought on the matter?
>>44090738
>de-phase a laser
Oh god please no. The scientist part of me just died inside. At least say "Decohere".
>>44088985
Hey, this is a SFW Board, get that filth out of here.
>>44090019
Yeah, I was just tossing down some random ideas for a far future when stuff like that is cheaper and more reliable. As a /k/omrade I know that shit wouldn't fly in anything close to reality, I was just trying to picture a future where firearms aren't the usual 1911 clone with a couple LEDs and laser sights.
>>44088681
Friendly newsblast from /k/ re: buzzwords: EMP is the old shit, HPM is the new shit.
EMP takes explosively-pumped flux generators or nuclear bombs to do anything, and the former are quite weak. High powered microwaves are reusable, powerful, and effective, and use existing radioscale technology.
>>44088681
But these ammunitions are pretty expensive. Or only certain types of weapon can use them.
Any good sci fi setting with both energy weapons and firearms?
>>44092263
Depends on personal interpretation of pretty much all the words in that sentence. Mostly the words "good" "Sci-fi" and "firearms".
Both 40k and Star Wars might fit, but they both more Science Fantasy than Fiction. What with all the space-wizards, and none of the tech really making sense.
What would you like us to use as the benchmark for "good"? Well known? Financially successful? Critically aclaimed? Or just each of our personal preference?
>>44092369
Personal preference of course.
I'd like for tech to make sense, but it doesn't need to be autistic assburger level
>>44092552
Well, I'd probably say my favoirite setting with both energy weapons, forcefields and more conventional weapons is probably the Bolo-verse. Though since both are mostly carried by massive tanks I'm not sure it's what you're looking for.
>>44088860
>magazines and pre-packaged cartridges are the stuff of yesterday. Guns are now fed solid blocks of metal and explosive (or batteries), and 3D print your payload on the spot.
They did this with the MP-35 rifle in Old Man's War. IIRC it can fire bullets tailored to exactly what you're wanting to do, not to mention rockets. It's also completely customizable with your BrainPal computer that's in your head. At one point, fighting an enemy army that's equipped with personal shields that overload after 1 good hit, the main character programs his gun to fire 2 bullets with every trigger pull to the same point of impact. It's pretty cool.
