The Technology of Deathzap

While playtesting my ‘crunchy’ version of Deathzap, I’ve realised I’ve needed to think more about the weaponry and technology available to my little plastic men. If I’m attempting to model something in game with mechanics, like an exotic alien weapon, I need some idea of what I’m attempting to model.

The lack of powered armour in Deathzap is down to the invention of energy weapons and shields. Powered armour was available during the First Global War on Jendar, but with Gnossian energy weapons flooding the battlefields it was quickly made redundant in the same way the knight in plate armour was made redundant by massed gunpowder weapons (this is also down to the lack of power armoured figures in bags of pound shop army men).

I haven’t fully considered what the ‘energy’ in my weapons is, whether it’s lasers, plasma, electricity, x-rays, some combination, or some energy source we’re not yet aware of?

Armour is still carried by vehicles and needs to be extremely thick to even prevent basic energy blasts, but this is entirely secondary to their shields.

Ballistics are still available, but illegal under the Treaty of Thos. Energy weapons are devastating to the human body, but they initially lack pain and cauterise wounds. Weapons that cause undue suffering due to bleeding and potential infection are seen as barbaric. They are still carried by some Solar Raider Wartribes. Ironically ballistics do have some ability to penetrate shields, this is entirely down to the fact that shields aren’t designed to stop them, and they lack the energy signature that shields naturally resist.

Energy shields can also be penetrated when they ‘flash’ due to a weapon being fired. An individual soldier’s or vehicle’s weapons and shields are synched, so when a weapon is fired the shield turns off or momentarily weakens to allow the shot to pass through before being turned back on. If weapons and shields go out of sync it means certain death for the firer as any shots bounce around inside their own shield. To avoid this occurrence further, semiautomatic weapons became the preference for the standard soldier and repeaters lack the ability to fire full auto, instead firing in short bursts.

Pulse weapons normally in the form of grenades or missiles lack the ability to cause significant damage to any target type, but prove devastating to shields, knocking them out and causing the shield carrier to have to reset their shield generator if it isn’t entirely fried.

Pulse weapons when shields have already been fried are also useful against disabling AI controlled units such as drones, AI supported vehicles, sentry guns and synths.

Teleportation is key to the battlefield, but it’s not always possible due to scramblers making teleportation a death sentence (and making capturing and disabling scramblers a solid scenario idea). It’s simply not possible to teleport troops directly into enemy cities deep behind the lines. However near the frontlines ‘white zones’ exist allowing troops to be deployed in ambushes, or for troops in dangerous positions to be instantly extracted. The ability of any small force to carry out such actions is determined by the number of teleport bays available on their supporting starship. Entirely planet based forces such as Mortan’s Men or the Exiled Tribes have no starships and therefore no easy ability to use teleports in this way. Truck or skimmer mounted teleport bays are available but lack the power to teleport even a few men at a time.

Teleport Guns or Jump Guns also exist, allowing the user to teleport an small but high powered explosive inside of a target instead of attempting to penetrate the target’s shields or armour. While not too effective against infantry, slow moving or stationary targets can be easily destroyed but with the major drawback being the Jump Guns short range.

Destroyers are the standard infantry portable anti-heavy shield and armour weapons. Unlike energy rifles or repeaters, a destroyer shot is a soldi projectile with an energy halo surrounding it. Allowing it to be fired both directly and indirectly similar to the PIAT of ancient Earth’s wars. The different nature of the shot gives destroyers a high chance of penetrating shields and causing maximum damage to targets.

The Heaven’s Peace accord outlaws starship to starship combat due to the danger involved of city sized ships crashing into planets. Even use of smaller and lightly armed ships is outlawed under the accord due to fear of escalation. Old tech planes and jets have been are used rarely and are allowed under the accord as they are incapable of space flight. What is becoming increasingly more common is the use of high speed skimmers, anti-grav boats that are incapable of flight but can manoeuvre over any terrain easily.

Mechs have been around for some time, but due to their impracticality and vulnerability to both infantry and relatively low profile tanks, they are only ever utilised by the more advanced Allegiance of Gnossos, Legion of Kharthion and League of Zandor who are capable of producing semi-useful mechs (Wautomata or Wartomata) easily. The mechs act more symbolically than tactically, as both a sign of technological advancement and due to their imposing presence on the battlefield.

Dinosaurs are native to the planet Jendar and have been found to have some intelligence. The Jendari Collective and House Baronor do make use of dinosaurs in combat, their natural camouflage makes them particularly good in jungle forested environments and their physical strength means they can carry heavier shield generators. They have proven to be useful shock troops, especially the species that are capable of spitting strong acids over short distances.