Psi-Wars Blasters V: Rook & Law Industrial Cooperative

The Rook and Law industrial cooperative was put together by rim colonists trying to handle the rigors of survival beyond the bounds of civilization.  They combined their knowledge and industrial capacity under a single cooperative, and as a result, Rook & Law produces some of the most reliable, accurate, rugged and useful blasters for loners wandering the wild wastes of remote planets.

Rook & Law replaces Grahm Industries.  I found some old notes and the original name and I liked it.  Grahm was a reference to a magical sword, but sounds a bit too much like "Gram" for my tastes, hence the change.

The themes of Rook & Law are cheap for the quality you get (they get a 10% discount), rugged (high malf values), accurate, slow in firing and short-ranged.  They also benefit from superior knowledge (they can be fast-fired or "fanned" to improve their ROF beyond 1). They tend to heavily inspired by wild west counterparts.  Their naming conventions are "model" and then three digit number and a nickname.

Rook & Law Weaponry

Rook & Law Model 049 “Walker” Heavy Blaster Pistol: This very old, but very reliable design, packs a considerable punch for a blaster pistol. Colonist on the edge of civilization who face dangerous wildlife or alien pirates often pack it. A skilled gunslinger can overcome its limitations of slow rate of fire.

Dmg 4d+2 (5) burn, Acc 4, Range 60/180, Wt 3.5/C, RoF 1, Shots 60(3), ST 7, Bulk -3, Rcl 2, Cost $4,000; Verify Malf; May be Fanned or Fast Fired to increase RoF beyond 1.

Rook & Law model 844 “Huntsmen” Blaster Rifle: An old-but-reliable hunting blaster design, it has a reputation for excellent accuracy and extreme reliability. Model 844 are often passed down, parent to child, especially in lonely colony worlds where they may serve as the first line of defense and a family’s means of getting meat. Rebel forces often use it to great effect as well.

Dmg 6d+2 (5) burn, Acc 7+3, Range 130/400, Wt 10/C, RoF 1, Shots 20(3), ST 7†, Bulk -5, Rcl 2, Cost $12,000; Verify Malf;

Rook & Law model 683 “Outlander” Plasma Carbine: While not as precise as most Rook & Law weapons, the explosive power of this simple plasma weapon makes it a popular choice for inexpert colonists, and one can expect to find a model 683 under most shady bars in the Rim. It uses a manual “pump action” to cycle the plasma charge; experts with the weapon can learn to speed the cycling process, increasing the ROF.

Dmg 6d×2 (2) burn ex, Acc 5, Range 100/300, Wt 7.1/C, RoF 1, Shots 20(3), ST 7†, Bulk -4, Rcl 3, Cost $9,000; Verify Malf; May be Fanned or Fast Fired to increase RoF beyond 1.

Rook & Law Model 878 “Dragoon” Semi-portable Gatling Blaster: When the Model 874 “Equalizer” Gatling proved popular but heavy, Rook & Law made another rare foray into explicitly military technology. The “Dragoon” has the same gatling design, making it extraordinarily resilient and impossible to overheat, allowing for very long periods of sustained fire, but it comes at the cost of greater weight. The Model 878 is carried from a sling around the neck, with an inverted grip to allow it to be fired from the firer’s hip.

Dmg 7d (5) burn, Acc 6, Range 90/270, Wt 25/Dp, RoF 12, Shots 160(5), ST 11†, Bulk -8, Rcl 2, Cost $25,000; Verify Malf;.

Rook & Law Model 874 “Equalizer” Heavy Gatling Blaster: Designed as a fortification weapon, a cannon that settlers could mount on walls to defend themselves from rampaging wildlife (or natives), the weapon provided formidable, and rebels often tow them to battlefields, where they use them to set up semi-permanent “machine gun nests.” The Empire increasingly frowns on the militarization of Rook & Law, so it has quietly toned down its production levels of the Equalizer, but it remains a popular arm to smuggle to rim worlds.

Dmg 9d (5) burn, Acc 9, Range 250/750, Wt 85/Ep, RoF 15, Shots 750(5), ST 22M, Bulk -10, Rcl 2, Cost $90,000; Verify Malf;