Quote:
Originally Posted by Spoe
The classic distinction isn't operation, but power of the cartridge. Battle rifles use full power rifle cartridges, like 7.62x51mm, 7.92x57mm, 7.62x54mmR, .303 Brit, .30-06, 6.5x55mm, etc. Assault rifles use intermediate powered cartridges like 5.56x45mm, 5.45x39mm, 7.62x39mm, 7.92x33mm, 5.8x42mm, etc.
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As a writer/designer, that's the distinction I use when such things matter. However, for purposes of hoplological taxonomy within the game, I generally lump battle rifles into the "assault rifle" category. Most game systems tend to loosely define "assault rifle" as "infantry rifle with burst or full auto fire mode," and there's no rigid mechanical distinction to differentiate "true" assault rifles from battle rifles. Traits derived from caliber performance or size do stand out, but I can't think of a system that makes an assault rifle fundamentally different from a battle rifle in terms of how the character makes attacks with it.
- C.