Pirates of the Visutula

[Raellus]

When I ran P.o.V., my players got their hands on a Vasilek automortar. It proved to be the ideal heavy weapon for the tug. It was compact enough that it could be mounted either fore or aft (or placed on the barge)- my group placed it on the foredeck. It's not too big and recoil isn't going to damage the tug's deck. It works in both direct and indirect fire modes. It can be fed from magazines or drop fed like a conventional mortar and it uses relatively common 82mm ammo. With HEDP rounds, it can defeat light armor, and WP rounds are great for creating an instant smokescreen or setting stuff on fire.

IMHO, the module gives the PCs way too much 12.7mm ammo. My group steamed all the way from Krakow to the Baltic and never came close to running out, even though I'd occassionally "lose" rounds or inflate the round count after a firefight. I highly recommend scaling it way back.

Another nice little weapon system for the tug is an AGL like the Soviet AGS-17 Plamya (30mm) or American Mk.-19.

Regarding the Cougar, I would think that towing it would swamp it. You've got a choppy wake from the tug's screws and dragging the APC at high speeds might run its nose down, making the swamping problem worse.