Out of Mothballs: Obsolescent Weaponry on the T2k Battlefield

[Olefin]

Thats one reason a Ferret would be a common older vehicle that could be pressed back into service - the UK made a ton of them, they exported them all over the place and there are a ton of spares - and even ones that were bought by civilians can be put right back into service - just mount a machine gun and you are back in business

[Raellus]

We've probably all seen or included crossbowmen or bowmen in T2k, but is this also true of slingers? I can't remember if it's ever come up here before. I reckon very few PC's, if any, have used slings in combat, but it strikes me as being a weapon one might encounter in the hands of NPCs (civie militia or poorly equipped marauders come to mind).

I've read that in classical warfare, slingers using led shot could kill an armored man at 100 yards with a head shot. They've found skulls with depressed fractures and some with sling shot imbedded or inside the cranium.

One sees slingers at work during uprisings in the Palestinian territories. I don't know how effective they are.

Simple to make and with readily available ammo, I don't see why slings wouldn't make a comeback in the T2kU. The biggest obstacle, IMHO, is training, as a sling is not something one can just point and shoot. Dating back to at least the dawn of civilization, slings would be one of the most anachronistic weapons, probably the most anachronistic projectile weapon, on the 2000 battlefield.

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[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by Raellus

We've probably all seen or included crossbowmen or bowmen in T2k, but is this also true of slingers? I can't remember if it's ever come up here before. I reckon very few PC's, if any, have used slings in combat, but it strikes me as being a weapon one might encounter in the hands of NPCs (civie militia or poorly equipped marauders come to mind).

I've read that in classical warfare, slingers using led shot could kill an armored man at 100 yards with a head shot. They've found skulls with depressed fractures and some with sling shot imbedded or inside the cranium.

One sees slingers at work during uprisings in the Palestinian territories. I don't know how effective they are.

Simple to make and with readily available ammo, I don't see why slings wouldn't make a comeback in the T2kU. The biggest obstacle, IMHO, is training, as a sling is not something one can just point and shoot. Dating back to at least the dawn of civilization, slings would be one of the most anachronistic weapons, probably the most anachronistic projectile weapon, on the 2000 battlefield.

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I did discuss slings and other primitive weapons in .45Cultist's thread ANTIQUE & PRIMITIVE WEAPONS. Vesper's War/The Dark also contributed significantly there.

I'll be popping in more frequently soon guys. Dad's estate is winding down, Gram's estate is settled and my cousin Johnny's memorial is now done and everything concluded. They say bad things come in threes, so let's hope I can catch a break for a while!

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by swaghauler

I did discuss slings and other primitive weapons in .45Cultist's thread ANTIQUE & PRIMITIVE WEAPONS. Vesper's War/The Dark also contributed significantly there.

I'll be popping in more frequently soon guys. Dad's estate is winding down, Gram's estate is settled and my cousin Johnny's memorial is now done and everything concluded. They say bad things come in threes, so let's hope I can catch a break for a while!

Thanks for the redirect, Swag, and please accept my condolences for your personal losses.

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[ChalkLine]

I don't know if anyone has posted this but the Cadillac Gage (now Textron) V-150 and V-200 are perfect for refurbishing into the Twilight War.

Firstly, they have a rugged simplicity that follows the maxim of "the less complexity = the higher reliability".

But more importantly the vehicles were specifically designed to use as many components of the M113 armoured personnel carrier and M939 series 5-ton 6×6 trucks as possible, greatly easing the problems with resupply, deployment and maintenance.

Both vehicles have benefitted from advances over the years and the bane of the early V-100, twisted axles, is a long gone memory. They can have a variety of turrets meaning you can field multiple different mission vehicles on the same chassis, another big boon. A special point is that the best turret for T2K, the Textron One Metre Turret which features either a M209 or an M2HB and a Mk 19, was specifically created with this vehicle in mind. And even when carrying the 90mm low pressure gun they can still carry eight troops.

Of course, you pay for this in thin armour. It's only rated against 7.62mm AP. However the M1117 featured up-armour packages and anyone should be able to do this with applique and/or slat armour. The base armour is too thin for ERA though.

However you may not want to. The base V-150 is only 9,800kg, giving the players a relatively lightweight vehicle handy for getting over bad infrastructure. In my experience players only use their vehicles as fire support and not assault vehicles anyway, so send those grunts in to clear out the heavy weapons.

As an aside it'd make a great rail/road vehicle for railway campaigns.

[.45cultist]

Originally Posted by ChalkLine

I don't know if anyone has posted this but the Cadillac Gage (now Textron) V-150 and V-200 are perfect for refurbishing into the Twilight War.

Firstly, they have a rugged simplicity that follows the maxim of "the less complexity = the higher reliability".

But more importantly the vehicles were specifically designed to use as many components of the M113 armoured personnel carrier and M939 series 5-ton 6×6 trucks as possible, greatly easing the problems with resupply, deployment and maintenance.

Both vehicles have benefitted from advances over the years and the bane of the early V-100, twisted axles, is a long gone memory. They can have a variety of turrets meaning you can field multiple different mission vehicles on the same chassis, another big boon. A special point is that the best turret for T2K, the Textron One Metre Turret which features either a M209 or an M2HB and a Mk 19, was specifically created with this vehicle in mind. And even when carrying the 90mm low pressure gun they can still carry eight troops.

Of course, you pay for this in thin armour. It's only rated against 7.62mm AP. However the M1117 featured up-armour packages and anyone should be able to do this with applique and/or slat armour. The base armour is too thin for ERA though.

However you may not want to. The base V-150 is only 9,800kg, giving the players a relatively lightweight vehicle handy for getting over bad infrastructure. In my experience players only use their vehicles as fire support and not assault vehicles anyway, so send those grunts in to clear out the heavy weapons.

As an aside it'd make a great rail/road vehicle for railway campaigns.

Twenty years ago, the military vehicle collector mag had both a V150 and an M1114 for sale in the classifieds.

[chico20854]

Here's an odd one out of mothballs: In 1972 Libya purchased 8 C-130s. By the time manufacturing was complete the Quadaffi regime's hostility to the US had led to an arms embargo, so the brand new aircraft (with spares aboard), painted desert tan, were placed in storage at the plant in Marietta Georgia. The State Department paid the storage fees and they remain there to this day; IRL when the arms embargo was lifted in 2009 the aircraft were more fit for the scrap heap than a refit. The Libyans, when they got the estimated cost, were no longer interested in the aircraft, and with the revolution in 2011 there was no resolution. (some details at http://www.marietta.com/libyas-c-130-hercules-aircraft)

In a v1 timeline I could see the aircraft, at the outbreak of war, being refurbished and sent into action, despite their terrible condition post-2000. (Supposedly the spares aboard, including complete engines, were pristine in 2007). Possible recipients would include the US, any of its allies that operated the C-130, and China and Iran.