Hacker Chronicles 2/HACKER2.BIN/1137.MINES.TXT

Text File | 1993-01-07 | 20KB | 361 lines

                          Mines in Shadowrun

     Shadowrun is not a battle oriented game, by design, but it does
have a setting that allows for quite a bit of military action.  After
all, there is a notable lack of superpowers on the globe; only allied
coalitions of nations can muster enough overwhelming military power to
lean on their opponents in the manner that Russia and the United States
did throughout the "Cold War" and beyond.
     With all these smaller nations and governments around, there is a
notable increase of "brush wars"; of passing conflicts, small battles,
minor skirmishes and things of a less than all out nature.  Guerrilla
warfare is the term that comes to mind, and the one that I will use.  As
a result of this shift in the global socio-political balance; defense
contractors and other weapons designers shifted their focuses.
     Where the emphasis used to be on single use, massive weapons
systems and platforms; now things are multi-functional, versatile and
flexible.  Aircraft are capable of more than just air-to-air combat, or
air-to-ground combat; they can handle both.  Tanks that can operate
effectively in toe to toe slugfests on the battlefield or block to block
in an urban maze.
     And that means infantry that can do more than merely look around
corners, spot for air delivered weapons and shoot at opposing infantry.
The new era of high technology has given the modern solider a whole host
of options for offense and defense against what was once the sole realm
of vehicles only.
     Part of this new infantry combat system is explosives, specifically
missiles and mines.  I've dealt with missiles, rather effectively I
think; and now I'll turn to mines.  As with the ranged delivery
explosive systems, mines have many options and many configurations that
give them the spread of abilities to assist the troops regardless of the
situation.
     What follows is the basics, as I've detailed them, of a complete
mine or mine system.  You can get light or powerful, simple or complex,
quick or intricate; all as you need or decide.  These are rules that are
flexible and fun to use, putting tactical decisions firmly in the hands
of the players and GMs that choose to make them.

-----Detonation Systems-----

     The key in any explosive device, missile, mine, bomb, is the
detonation parameters.  How does it detonate, what is required to set it
off?  Modern mines are very sophisticated in their detonation.  The host
of options is nearly inexhaustible in it's variety and ability to give
what is required to meet the needs of the situation.
     First up would be the old stand by, pressure.  The mine has
pressure applied to it and it detonates.  I don't have the background in
the maths required to be specific, or I'd get technical with PSI (Pounds
per Square Inch) pressure and such.  I'll just handle it with straight
weight and some kind engineer type out there reading this can contact me
with the proper figures and a short explanation.
     Generally, the detonator can be set to any level of pressure before
it detonates; as light as a breath of wind to as heavy as a suborbital.
This is important for a classic tactic; set your mines to not detonate
for anything less than about the weights of your enemy's heavier
equipment.  The screening forces and advance/scout forces pass right
over your heavily concealed ordnance and only begin detonating when the
prime targets are in the kill zone.
     After pressure, tripwires of all sorts can be used.  These are
generally only used for anti-personnel varieties, or for wide damage
zone devices (wide in this instance means a large area, whether
uncontrolled or shaped charge); allowing detonation of the device before
the target(s) are actually *over* it.
     Old fashioned tripwires can be used; move them at all (ie, cause a
pull on the sensors that secure either end of the wire) up to or past
their pressure threshold and they detonate the device.  You can also
double the threat by making the tripwire a monowire; not only does that
give you the laceration damage of a monowire, it might distract your
target(s) into thinking it merely a cut-trap.
     Lasers are a higher tech variation on tripwires.  Without the
proper equipment, lasers are far more invisible than a wire.  Visible
light lasers aren't very noticeable unless the air has enough particle to
"scatter" the light.  This scattering principle also goes for
non-visible light laser systems; infrared and ultraviolet.  Regardless,
if the laser beam is broken (the sensors at either end register an
interruption in the beam) and detonation occurs.
     Moving along, there's timed delay.  The mine incorporates a bomb
style timer that detonates the device after a certain interval of time
has passed.  After that, remote detonation.  If the mine receives a
proper radio signal, most often on a certain frequency in a certain
encryption, it detonates the device.
     Then you can get fancy.  Nearly any manner of sensor can be used
with a mine package.  Thermographic sensors that will trigger detonation
if heat form(s) matching set parameters (vehicular, humanoid, etc..) are
detected inside a certain range.  Motion sensors that detonate if
movement is detected inside a certain range, if the motion meets those
lovely parameters (how large is the object moving, how fast, etc..).
Basically, any type of sensor may be adapted.
     Of course, any number of different triggers may be used, and most
often are.  Remote detonation is probably the number one secondary
trigger, and with some more exotic or elaborate mines it might be
required; not activating the mine until the setting personnel are clear.
You can even have one trigger set off another trigger, like a pressure
release detonator that triggers a remote detonator after a certain time
delay; possibly allowing your targets to fully enter the minefield
before all hell starts breaking loose?
     Regardless, the configuration of the mine is up to the user; any
competent armorer may change or add to the configuration.

-----Device Types-----

     What the trigger triggers is the most important part of the whole
device.  There are a wide variety of types, each with strengths and
weaknesses.  All inflict damage, and can affect nearly any type of
target to some degree or another; but some targets will be much more
resistant to some devices than they will others.
     High Explosive is the most common, and simplest, type.  It is
simply an amount of explosive that generates a blast that relys on heat
and the sudden air pressure wave to inflict damage.  Generally, hardened
targets such as armored vehicles and sturdy structures are mostly immune
to direct damage from such devices.  Secondary damage that might result
from getting tossed around by the air disturbance is the most that can
generally be hoped for, as well as damage or destruction of non-hardened
items attached to it like weaker windows, sensors and so forth.
     Anti-Personnel is mostly an extension of HE.  It adds fragmentary
effect to the blast that will tear and rend soft targets such as people.
Consider it similar to shotgun blasts; fragments travelling at high
speed followed by heat and air pressure.
     Shaped Charge is the last type, though it too is mostly an
extension of basic HE explosives.  It is merely an application of
detonations and physics knowledge to channel the force of the explosion
in certain directions, generally all in one fairly small cone.  This
drastic increase in applied force allows damage to be inflicted to
hardened targets.  The weakness is in it's limited area of effect; the
results to targets not in the cone is much weaker.

-----Stats-----

     What follows are a number of mines that are available for use in
the market, as well as costs for configuration of triggers.  Any mine
may be reconfigured in trigger, even those that come preconfigured.
Any chemists or military enthusiasts out there can send me specific
compound names and I will gladly use them; my knowledge is plastic
explosives, TNT and that's about it.

-----Trigger Stats-----
Pressure: Equipping a mine with a standard pressure trigger costs 200¥,
allowing it to be set to ignore (not detonate) any weight from zero
(detonates on any pressure) to 100 kilos; to detonate a weight greater
than the setting must be applied.  For a device that ranges to 200
kilos, double the cost, and continue doubling the cost for every
doubling of the top end range (to 400 kilos range, 800¥, etc..) up to a
reasonable upper limit that the GM decides is applicable.  This limit
should be about at 20% over the weight of a standard scout vehicle
(jeep, etc).

Pressure Release: Any standard pressure trigger may be set to detonate
only after the *release* of pressure; useful for anti-personnel mines
(keeps the man atop it from limiting the blast area).  Any application
of pressure that passes the parameters, detonation occurs after 50% of
that pressure has been removed (if the setting's for 10 kilos, 90 kilos
of pressure applied, then more than 45 kilos removed, detonation).  Add
20% to the cost of an equilivant pressure trigger (a standard trigger
with the 0-100 kilo range costs 220¥).

Tripwire: Equipping a mine to accept detonation orders from a tripwire
unit is 300¥.  Set up the tripwire, attach the sensors to the ends and
run leads to the mine.  Set parameters for the tripwire identically to
those for a pressure trigger; a standard tripwire can be set for 0 to 50
centimeters.  Double the cost for every additional doubling of the
range.  The only limiting factor is how much wire you include to be paid
out as it is stretched.

Tripwire release: Identical to the pressure release trigger; detonates
only after the pressure on the tripwire has lessened.  The pressure must
first have passed the detonation parameters, then any reduction of more
than 50% of that amount triggers the mine.  This is intended mainly to
catch people who realise that they're on a tripwire and attempt to back
out without "pushing past the limit"; not realising that if they stay
still they'll be ok.  Add 20% to the cost.

Laser: Equipping a mine to accept detonation orders from a laser
"tripwire" is 1000¥.  Set up your laser emitter(s) and receptor(s) and
attach the leads back to the mine.  If the beam is broken, it detonates.
A standard laser trigger can be set to detonate on any break of the beam
or to wait for a break of a certain length of time (no upper limit).
This might be useful to detonate only on a larger vehicle, for example,
rather than on the smaller screening vehicles.  You can also set it to
not detonate until it has been broken a certain number of times (no
upper limit); allowing detonation to affect the middle of a marching
order.

Laser release: Similar to the pressure and tripwire release systems.
Sets the standard laser system to not detonate until after it
reestablishes itself after a beam breakage; that is, the beam is broken
and then unbroken, like someone walking through it.  The beam won't
detonate until after the person has passed the beam.  Add 20% to the
cost.

Timer: Standard time with a maximum time setting of ninety-nine hours.
Set your time and when it reaches 0:00:00 it detonates.  Simple and
foolproof.  100¥.

Remote: A single frequency radio that monitors for a transmission that
meets it's detonation parameters; generally a code or a code encrypted
in a specific way.  If the signal is received, detonation.  250¥.

Thermographic: A heat sensor that triggers detonation on detection of
heat patterns that match it's parameters.  The cheapest trigger of this
type looks for any heat pattern that is a set number of degrees above
the air temperature and within a set distance; if set for +10 degrees
and 1 meter, and it's 21 degrees Celsius outside, anything 31 degrees
Celsius or higher in range triggers detonation.  This is 900¥.  More
expensive is one that is set to trigger if anything hotter than the set
parameters enters the set range; this is 2000¥.

Thermographic Release: again, this triggers detonation only *after* the
set parameters have been met, then backed down from.  For a thermo
trigger, that would mean either a heat pattern entering the set distance
then cooling to below a second set level (can be from one to any number
of degrees lower) or leaves the set range.  Add 20% to the cost.

Ultrasonic: Uses ultrasound to aurally map the area, computing for size
and speed of objects.  Arming it causes it to map the area and tag as
"non-targets" all "scenery" (trees, buildings, etc...); thereafter
anything that matches the parameters triggers detonation.  Parameters
may be set for a certain size or larger, a certain speed or higher, or
both, within a set range.  Note that this is an active trigger,
detectable and possibly avoidable as a result.  Cost is 3000¥

Ultrasonic release: Same old release.  If parameters are met, then
backed away from, detonation.  In this case, it would be any object that
triggers the speed parameter then slows, that enters the range, then
leaves, or (somehow) triggers the size parameter then shrinks.  Add 20%
to the cost.

-----Mines-----

M-502: (Standard HE).  The "baseline" model for mines, simply a 1/2 kilo
of explosives.  Damage is 6D, -1 Power/6 meters.  750¥ apiece.

** Note that for all mines; every doubling of the amount of explosive
   equilivant of 1/2 kilo of "general" grade explosives doubles the
   damage and size, not to mention cost.  Theoretically, there is no
   upper limit on how big of a mine you could create.  Every doubling
   also doubles the cost of a "jumper" charge.  Also note that all costs
   below are for just the device itself; does not include triggers.
   Those must be purchased and configured/installed separately.

** A jump charge equipped device leaps into the air via a small lifting
   charge underneath it before exploding.  This has the effect of
   increasing the area of effect by raising the detonation point, and
   allowing shockwaves to travel along with the ground instead of having
   to force their way out of the ground.  A jumper will go (1d6/2)
   meters in the air.  Make all determinations for frag modifiers
   before calculating the jump modifiers.  Increase the Power Level of
   any jump charge weapon by 2 and add 1 meter to the distance travelled
   to reduce the Power.  Jump charges increase the cost by +100¥.

M-502j: (HE jumper).  A basic M-502 with a "jump charge" added.  Damage
is 8D and -1 Power/7 meters.  850¥ apiece.

** Adding Fragmentation effect to a device drastically increases the
   damage inflicted, and how that damage is done.  Rather than relying
   solely on heat and blast effect, shrapnel and other sharp, small,
   hard objects moving with the blast will rip and tear into targets.
   Add 3 to the Power Level of any Frag device, and reduce the distance
   travelled before a Power Level reduction by 1 meter.  Increase the
   cost of the device by 40%.

M-503: (HE Frag).  This is an M-502 with frag added to the blast.
Damage is 9D, -1 Power/5 meters.  1050¥ apiece.

M-503j: (HE Frag jumper).  Base M-503 with a jump charge.  Damage is
11D, -1 Power/6 meters.  1190¥ apiece.

M-510: (Anti-personnel).  More or less a flechette bomb, detonating with
a weak charge that is there only to power a scathing wave of flechettes
that blanket the area.  Use flechette damage rules.  Damage is 8S, -1
Power/3 meters.  600¥ apiece.

M-510j: (Anti-personnel jumper).  Base M-510 with a jump charge.  Damage
is 10S, -1 Power/4 meters.  700¥ apiece.

** For any shaped charge explosion (assuming a cone that is 70 degrees
   in arc), increase the base damage of the explosion by 50% (round
   down).  Make all determinations for Frag or Jumpers before
   calculating the shaped charge modifiers.  Add 1 meter to the distance
   traveled before a Power Level reduction for in-cone determinations,
   Add 2 meters to the distance traveled before a Power Level reduction
   and flip the numbers (-1/8m becomes -8/1m) for out-cone
   determinations.  Double the cost.

M-504: (HE Shaped Charge).  Same explosive force of a M-502 channeled
into a cone 35 degrees horizontal by -10 degrees to 60 degrees vertical.
Damage is 9D.  -1 Power/7 meters in the cone, -8 Power/1 meter out of
the cone.  1500¥ apiece.

M-504j: (HE Shaped Charge jumper).  M-504 with a jump charge.  Cone is
altered to a true 35 degree by 35 degree cone.  Damage is 12D.
-1 Power/8 meters in the cone, -9 Power/1 meter out of the cone.  1600¥
apiece.

M-505: (HE Frag, Shaped Charge).  Base M-504 with frag added.  Damage is
13D.  -1 Power/6 meters in the cone, -9 Power/1 meter out of the cone.
2100¥ apiece.

M-505j: (HE Frag, Shaped Charge jumper).  M-505 with a jump charge.
Cone is a true 35 degree by 35 degree cone.  Damage is 16D.  -1 Power/7
meters in the cone, -6 Power/1 meter out of the cone.  2300¥ apiece.

M-511 (Anti-personnel, Shaped Charge).  An M-510 channeled in a shaped
blast.  Standard ground cone.  Damage is 12S.  -1 Power/4 meters in the
cone, -5 Power/1 meter out of the cone.  1200¥ apiece.

M-511j (Anti-personnel, Shaped Charge jumper).  An M-511 with a jump
charge.  Standard "true" jumper cone.  Damage is 15S.  -1 Power/5 meters
in the cone, -6 Power/1 meter out of the cone.  1400¥ apiece.

M-520: (Chemical).  A small "spreader" charge is surrounded by an amount
of chemical.  Upon detonation, a radius of 3 meters plus 1d6 meters will
be covered the chemical.  Multiple "part" chemicals such as thermite may
be used.  Damage from the spreader charge is 3M, -3 Power/meter.  300¥
apiece plus chemical costs equal to 10 "doses".

M-530: (Gaseous).  Just a gas release system; an amount of gas in held
inside that will fill a 12 cubic meter area.  See "Neo Anarchists':
Guide to Real Life", pages 87-88 for more on gas systems.  300¥ apiece
plus gas costs equal to 3 "charges" (grenades' worth).


                       Table for easy reference

Triggers              Cost             Availability  Street Index

Pressure              200¥               5/24hrs         1.5
 Release              +20%               6/30hrs          2
Tripwire              300¥               4/24hrs         1.5
 Release              +20%               5/30hrs          2
Laser                 1000¥              6/36hrs         1.5
 Release              +20%               7/42hrs          2
Thermographic, cheap  900¥               4/48hrs         1.2
 Release              +20%               5/54hrs         1.7
Thermographic, expn.  2000¥              6/48hrs          2
 Release              +20%               7/54hrs         2.5
Ultrasonic            3000¥              5/36hrs         1.5
 Release              +20%               6/54hrs          2
Timer                 100¥               4/48hrs          2
Remote                250¥               4/48hrs          2


  Item    Damage      Range    Cost    Availability  Street Index

M-502       6D        -1/6m    750¥     6/14 days        1.5
M-502j      8D        -1/7m    850¥     9/14 days         2
M-503       9D        -1/5m    1050¥    7/14 days         2
M-503j      11D       -1/6m    1190¥    10/14 days       2.5
M-504     9D(av)    -1/7m in   1500¥    8/14 days        2.5
                    -8/1m out
M-504j    12D(av)   -1/8m in   1600¥    10/14 days        3
                    -9/1m out
M-505     13D(av)   -1/6m in   2100¥    10/14 days        3
                    -8/1m out
M-505j    16D(av)   -1/7m in   2300¥    12/14 days       3.5
                    -8/1m out
M-510      8S(f)      -1/3m    600¥      6/9 days        1.5
M-510j    10S(f)      -1/4m    700¥      9/9 days         2
M-511     12S(f)    -1/4m in   1200¥    9/14 days         2
M-511j    15S(f)    -5/1m out  1400¥    12/14 days       2.5
M-520       3M*       -3/1m   300¥ + *  9/14 days        1.5
M-530        *      *         300¥ + *  9/14 days        1.5