This reference is designed to give furs a better understanding of the technology level for small arms (handguns, shotguns, sniper rifles, assault rifles, etc). This guide does NOT cover machine guns, anti-armor weapons, vehicle-scale weapons, or LITE weapons. This document is not intended to strictly lay out each and every weapon we have on the MUCK, but rather to give an idea of the acceptable/available technology.

Chances are that if something is not specifically stated as being allowed or prohibited, it is prohibited. However, if you feel something has been left out please consult with someone on RP Staff.

Handguns haven't made any remarkable improvement in the past 200 years. While some models do come with electric firing systems, the majority are similar to what exists today. Metalstorm-like firearms are allowable, but would be very rare. Common features on weapons would be built-in laser sights, and digital ammunition readouts (tracked by the position of the follower in the clip, rather than by a “shots fired since last reload” method).

This is another area that has made some improvement, but nothing remarkable. Like handguns, there are some weapons in this category that use electric firing systems, but the majority are still based on the basic shotgun design that exists today.

This includes sniper rifles, assault rifles, and standard rifles. Because of their size and abilities, this is an area that has made marked improvement in the past 200 years. The majority of rifles are electrically-fired, and use caseless rounds. The combination of no moving trigger parts as well as the fact that caseless rounds have no shell to eject simplifies the operation, and increases rate of fire. Rifles still have a mechanism to eject faulty or jammed rounds.

The inclusion of on-board computers allows a number of additional features. For example, because the rifle is entirely electrically-fired, the operator could select a custom rate-of-fire, firing mode (semi-auto, burst, full-auto), and burst size. Another good example is small cameras mounted near the end of the rifle, connected into the rifle's on-board computer which the operator could connect a viewing device to, allowing them to see around a corner without putting themselves in the firing line.

Sniper rifles also have on-board electronics, though they generally are not as complex as assault rifles. Many glass-optics sniper rifles still exist, though equally common are high-res electronic scopes, which would allow for a number of viewing modes (thermal, night-vision, custom zoom) as well as other features.

More considered to be deterrents or devices to incapacitate an attacker without causing permanent harm, non-lethal weaponry is commonplace. The most common incarnation of this breed of weaponry is pepper spray.

'Taser'-style neuromuscular incapacitating weapons exist in three basic forms, and may combine at least two methods of delivering their payload, similar to a Real World Taser M26 (wired projectile AND contact electrodes):

• Melee-range, where the user has to physically touch the electrodes to the target.
• Wired projectile, which shoots a pair of barbed electrodes on wires from a single-use cartridge. The energy source and control circuitry are in the weapon itself. These weapons can have anywhere from one to three cartridges ready to deploy, but will only fire one cartridge at a time. Range is usually around 15 meters.
• XREP (eXtended Range Electro-Muscular Projectile) rounds that hold the battery, electrodes and control circuitry in a self-contained, pop-out fin-stabilized projectile fired from a compatible conventional weapons system (usually a shotgun). XREP rounds fired from a shotgun usually have a range of 30 meters.

OOC Note: You may be tempted to shrug off the effects of Taser-style weapons and continue roleplaying the scene as if the only thing that happened to you was being poked by a pair of barbed needles. I invite you to search YouTube for videos of US Marine Corps personnel being tased (for a single five-second jolt), and from there, advance the technology a couple hundred years. Tasers work. Even on cyborgs (in fact, maybe even BETTER on cyborgs, depending on where impact occurs). If you doubt this, page a member of RP staff for an opinion. - Hagalaz

Examples of things that are NOT allowable as small arms:

• Man-portable laser/plasma weapons (pistol/rifle/squad assault weapon/etc…).
• Disproportionately large caliber, multiple-shot weapons (you would have trouble operating a .65 caliber handgun).
• “Smart” ammunition (able to track a target, etc… Think 'Runaway').
• Perhaps the biggest no-no is a man-portable minigun (which technically doesn't fall under small arms, but it is important enough to mention).

In short, if you are thinking about designing a laser rifle, or a minigun, or a laser minigun, DON'T.

Devik Sez: I'm not even kidding on this minigun thing. I promise you I've heard every single argument that can be made on this point; it's not even remotely possible, let alone practical.