GURPS_4e_-_High_Tech_-_Pulp_Guns__Vol._2.pdf

P ULP G UNS , V OLUME 2

Written by HANS-CHRISTIAN VORTISCH

Edited by PHIL MASTERS

An e23 Sourcebook for GURPS ®

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

Stock #37-1632

Version 1.0 – July, 2008

C ONTENTS

I NTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . 3

GURPS High-Tech

and This Book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Publication History . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Photo Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . 3

Military Surplus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Cannon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

The Electric Machine Gun . . . . . . . 27

Grenade Launchers . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Grenade Launcher Ammo . . . . . . . 29

Hand Grenades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Flamethrowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

The Flamethrower-SMG . . . . . . . . . 31

A MMUNITION T ABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

H IT THE B OOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Movies and Television . . . . . . . . . . 33

I NDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

P ULP -E RA O RDNANCE . . . . 4

W EAPON D ESCRIPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Rifles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Assembling a Take-Down Gun . . . . 5

Exotic Rifle and MG Ammo . . . . . 12

Machine Guns and Autocannon. . 15

About GURPS

Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of

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do our best to fix our errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all

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website – see below.

Internet. Visit us on the World Wide Web at

www.sjgames.com for errata, updates, Q&A, and much

more. To discuss GURPS with SJ Games staff and fellow

gamers, come to our forums at forums.sjgames.com . The

GURPS High Tech: Pulp Guns, Volume 2 web page is

www.sjgames.com/gurps/ books/pulpguns2 .

Bibliographies. Many of our books have extensive bibli-

ographies, and we’re putting them online – with links to let

you buy the books that interest you! Go to the book’s web

page and look for the “Bibliography” link.

Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the

GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that

begin with B refer to that book, not this one.

GURPS System Design

❚

STEVE JACKSON

Managing Editor

❚

PHIL REED

Marketing Director

❚

PAUL CHAPMAN

GURPS Line Editor

❚

SEAN PUNCH

WILL SCHOONOVER

Production Artist

❚

Director of Sales

❚

ROSS JEPSON

Indexer

❚

NIKOLA VRTIS

❚

NIKOLA VRTIS

ANDY VETROMILE

GURPS FAQ Maintainer

❚

PHIL REED and

JUSTIN DE WITT

❚

MONICA STEPHENS

and WILL SCHOONOVER

❚

MOLOKH

Additional Material: Michael Hurst and andi jones

Special thanks to the Hellions

Playtesters: Rogers Cadenhead, Peter Dell’Orto, Dave Evans, Shawn Fisher, Phil Masters, Christopher Rice, Shawn Stevenson,

Roger Burton West, and Jeff Wilson

GURPS , Warehouse 23, and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. Pyramid , High Tech: Pulp Guns , e23, and the

names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license.

Photo acknowledgments can be found at the end of the introduction.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this material via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal,

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C ONTENTS

Art Director

Errata Coordinator

Page Design

Prepress Checkers

I NTRODUCTION

As explained in High-Tech: Pulp Guns, Volume

1, the “pulp era” is used here as a term for the period

between WWI and WWII, the Roaring Twenties and

Thrilling Thirties. This was the age of fiction about

larger-than-life detectives, investigators, gangsters,

vigilantes, and explorers. “Pulp guns” are the

firearms that were available and used at the time,

both historically and in literature and movies.

High-Tech: Pulp Guns, Volume 1 is a catalog

primarily covering small arms in civilian use. The

handguns, shotguns and submachine guns

described there were available to and used by citi-

zens, police, and gangsters. High-Tech: Pulp Guns,

Volume 2 has a more military bent, detailing

infantry rifles, machine guns, cannon, grenades, and

even flamethrowers! However, not only were many of

those weapons also available commercially, the book likewise

covers many hunting and gallery rifles, flare pistols, and simi-

lar civilian arms.

So the contents of this book are ideal for outfitting detec-

tives, police officers, and gangsters; for adventurers, explorers,

and big-game hunters; for evil fiends and brutal henchmen; for

soldiers and revolutionaries; but also for ordinary people. This

book is especially suited as a companion to

GURPS Cliffhangers, but is also appropriate for

GURPS Cops, GURPS Covert Ops, GURPS

Espionage, GURPS Horror, GURPS Lands Out

of Time, GURPS Mysteries, or GURPS Supers

campaigns set in that timeframe. Furthermore, it

can be used for military adventures, particularly

in combination with GURPS WWII and all of its

supplements.

A BOUT THE

A UTHOR

Hans-Christian “Grey Tiger”

Vortisch, M.A., began writing for

GURPS as a freelancer in 2001.

He was author or co-author of

GURPS Covert Ops, GURPS

High-Tech, Fourth Edition,

GURPS Modern Firepower,

GURPS Special Ops, Third

Edition, GURPS WWII: Motor

Pool, and several e23 publica-

tions on martial topics. He wrote

additional material for numerous

other GURPS books; authored,

translated, edited, or contributed to several German Call of

Cthulhu products; and published many articles in American,

British, and German gaming magazines. Hans has been an

avid gamer since 1983. His non-gaming interests include sci-

ence fiction, history, cinema, and punk rock. He lives in

Swingin’ Berlin.

Photo Acknowledgments

P. 2, 34: From the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs

Division, WWI Posters, LC-USZC4-7580.

P. 3: Art by Vincent Lynel. From the Library of Congress, Prints &

Photographs Division, WWI Posters, LC-USZC4-9883.

P. 4: Photo courtesy of Tony Rumore.

P. 6, 13: Photo courtesy of Bob Adams, Albuquerque, NM, phone

(505) 255-6868, www.adamsguns.com.

P. 7: From the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division,

Frank and Frances Carpenter Collection, LC-USZ62-130857.

P. 8: From the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division,

George Grantham Bain Collection, LC-DIG-ggbain-02173.

P. 11, 30: Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army.

P. 17: From the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division,

National Photo Company Collection, LC-DIG-npcc-20337.

P. 18: From the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division,

George Grantham Bain Collection, LC-DIG-ggbain-26816.

P. 20: From the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division,

George Grantham Bain Collection, LC-DIG-ggbain-22198.

P. 22: From the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division,

George Grantham Bain Collection, LC-DIG-ggbain-37776.

P. 23: Polish Ministry of National Defence copyright,

www.wP.mil.pl.

P. 25: From the National Park Service, WAPA Gallery, National

Archive 80-G-239015.

P. 32: This media file is in the public domain in the United States.

P. 33: From the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division,

WWI Posters, LC-USZC4-9736.

GURPS H IGH -T ECH

AND T HIS B OOK

Some of the firearms in this book already

appear in GURPS High-Tech, but their details

are repeated here for completeness, with much

additional period information. All the others are

new to GURPS Fourth Edition , but are presented

so as to be compatible with the rules published in

High-Tech.

P UBLICATION H ISTORY

Several entries herein are based on descrip-

tions from GURPS High-Tech, Fourth Edition

(2007), written by Shawn Fisher and Hans-

Christian Vortisch, as well as earlier editions

written by Michael Hurst. A few more were devel-

oped from material in the Pyramid articles

“Secret Weapons” (2001), “The Long Arm of the

Law” (2001), and “Frank Hamer, Texas Ranger”

(2005), also by Hans-Christian Vortisch.

I NTRODUCTION

O RDNANCE

And here they came! Seth let rip with the BAR on full auto, the

shots echoing like rolling thunder through the cavern. Four dark

shadows dropped near the rectangular opening that led further

down into the mountain. “I’m out,” Seth yelled. He depressed the

magazine release, let the empty magazine fall from the smoking

rifle, and pulled the last fresh one from the left breast pocket of

his sharply tailored Dunrite bulletproof vest.

Meanwhile, Eszter had started laying down cover fire with her

Winchester .351 self-loader. With the slim Maxim silencer, the

rhythmic clack-clack, pause, clack-clack, pause, would have

been difficult to hear even without his ears ringing like crazy. By

contrast, it was impossible to ignore the banshee howls that now

emerged from the bowels of the earth.

Seth wanted to cover his ears, but one hand cradled the hefty

rifle and the other held the magazine with the black-cased hol-

low-point incendiaries. He rocked the box into the well, let fly the

operating handle, and swung the BAR up again. It was now or

never . . .

W EAPON D ESCRIPTIONS

Weapon descriptions here follow the pattern laid out in

High-Tech, p. 79. They appear in order of historical appear-

ance and availability in the text and the tables.

Note that all costs are given in generic GURPS $ (see Tech

Level and Starting Wealth, p. B27). To convert these to histori-

cal U.S. dollars, use a rough divisor of 11 for the 1920s and 14

for the 1930s.

Example: The Remington Model 8 is listed with Cost $800 in

the Rifles Table, p. 14. In the 1930s, the “historical” price would

be 800 / 14 = 57 U.S. dollars; Remington’s actual list price was

58 U.S. dollars in 1930 and 60 U.S. dollars in 1936.

Many weapons list cost modifiers for decorated specimens

(see Styling on p. 10 of High-Tech ). These always refer to stan-

dard factory options. Theoretically, any gun could be individu-

ally styled even more extravagantly; for decorations like this,

the sky is the limit. Multiply cost by 20 for a +4 reaction bonus,

by 50 for a +5, and so on.

Example: The Remington 8 rifle (p. 8) could be ordered with

standardized scroll and animal scene engraving, finely check-

ered English walnut stocks, and an individual gold name plate

(the Model 8F Premier Grade ) for six times the cost, $800 ¥ 6 =

$4,800. This is more than five but not 10 times the normal cost,

and gives a +2 reaction bonus. Instead of ordering the factory

options, the rifle could be given a more individualized treat-

ment; shelling out $8,000 gives a +3 reaction bonus.

R IFLES

Many Alaskan hunters use the .35 Remington [Model 8] auto

for the big bear, as they like that fast, machine gun-like action of

the automatic, and what the rifle lacks in actual killing power

they make up by repeated hits.

– Elmer Keith, Big Game Rifles (1936)

During the pulp era, rifles and carbines of various patterns

were the standard weapons of all militaries. Civilian models

were in wide use for hunting and target shooting. There were

numerous designs, ranging from simple single-shot weapons

to many different manual and self-loading repeaters and even

full automatic rifles. Note that, during the pulp era, even anti-

tank rifles effectively had LC2!

Lebel Mle 1886, 8 ¥ 50mmR Lebel

(France, 1886-1919)

The Fusil d’Infanterie Lebel Modèle 1886 (“Lebel infantry rifle

model 1886”), made by French arsenals to Nicolas Lebel’s

design, was the first smokeless-powder, medium-caliber mili-

tary rifle. Some four million were produced. The Lebel was

widely distributed – the French Foreign Legion ( GURPS

Cliffhangers, p. 45) and colonial army used it in their conquests

in Asia and Africa. It was also exported to southern and eastern

Europe during WWI and the 1920s. In the pulp era, it was used

by nations such as Greece ( M1886 ), Romania ( md. 1886 ), and

Yugoslavia ( M86 ), in addition to France, if usually with reserve

troops only. Thousands were supplied to the Republicans dur-

ing the Spanish Civil War. There were many variants, often used

side-by-side (see below). From 1936, the French military grad-

ually replaced all Lebels in front-line service.

P ULP -E RA O RDNANCE

P ULP -E RA

The original Mle 1886 was a bolt-action weapon with a

tubular underbarrel magazine. It held a round in the chamber

and another in the cartridge carrier between magazine and

chamber, for a total of 10 when fully loaded. During the pulp

era, an AP round was available (Dmg 4d+2(2) pi-). French sol-

diers were issued 15 paper packs holding eight rounds each, to

be carried in the three pouches of their leather load-bearing

equipment ( High-Tech, p. 54). The great length of this design

– even before attaching the 1.1-lb. socket bayonet (Reach 1, 2*)

– is obvious in Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy, set in 1923,

where the French Legionnaires are still issued it. Fitted with a

1.2-lb. 3¥ scope (+1 Acc, rugged, expensive, $500), the original

Mle 1886 served as a sniper rifle from 1916 to WWII.

Redesigned by a commission headed by Adolph Berthier,

the Lebel-Berthier Modèle 1907/15 (1915-1918) used a three-

round charger clip: Wt. 8.5/0.2, Shots 3(3). Infantrymen were

issued 28 clips with this. It can be seen in the WWI drama The

Road to Glory. The improved Lebel-Berthier Modèle 1916 (1916-

1919) increased the clip capacity: Wt. 8.6/0.3, Shots 5(3). The

Mle 1916 was the most common rifle with the French military

during the pulp era. The French Foreign Legion used it with a

leather bandoleer ( High-Tech, p. 54) holding five clips and a

bayonet. The later Lebel variants were also used elsewhere –

for example, large numbers saw service during the Spanish

Civil War.

Mannlicher-Carcano Mod 91, 6.5 ¥ 52mm

Mannlicher-Carcano (Italy, 1892-1937)

The Fucile di Fanteria Modello 1891 (“infantry rifle model

1891”) was the bolt-action rifle that served the Italian military

in WWI and later conflicts like the Abyssinian War and even

WWII ( GURPS WWII: Grim Legions, p. 27). It employed a

modified Mauser action and a 6-round Mannlicher en bloc clip

( High-Tech, p. 245). Italian soldiers were issued 16 clips and

carried them in leather load-bearing gear ( High-Tech, p. 54).

More than 4 million rifles were made. The Mod 91 was typi-

cally provided with a 1-lb. sword bayonet (Reach 1, 2*).

There were several shorter versions, which were all pre-

ferred by troops during the pulp era. The original Moschetto di

Cavalleria Mod 91 (1893-1924) was a cavalry carbine; Dmg 5d

pi, Acc 4, Range 850/2,900, Wt. 7.3/0.3, Bulk -5, Cost $800. It

featured an integral bayonet that folded under the 17.8” barrel.

The almost identical Moschetto per Truppe Speciali (TS) Mod 91

(1897-1924) was issued to drivers, artillery crews, and other

specialists; same stats. Still another, newer carbine was the

Moschetto Mod 91/24 (1924-1938), which lacked the integral

bayonet; Dmg 5d pi, Acc 4, Range 850/2,900, Wt. 6.8/0.3, Bulk

-5, Cost $750.

Winchester Model 92, .44-40 Winchester

(USA, 1892-1941)

Originally called the Model 1892, this John Browning design

was the typical Winchester lever-action carbine of the final

“Wild West” years, but was still made and in widespread use

during the pulp era in both the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Some were even used by military forces in China and South

America during that time. Explorer Robert Peary took this

Winchester model with him on his Polar Expedition in 1909.

Some 21,000 were issued by the Royal Navy during WWI.

The Model 92 was offered in a number of calibers, includ-

ing .32-20 Winchester (Dmg 2d+1 pi-) and .38-40 Winchester

(Dmg 3d-2 pi+) – a police officer’s .32-20 killed gangster

Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd in 1934. For an extra $100 and an

additional 0.25 lb., it was available as a take-down rifle that

broke down into two parts (Holdout -3). It was also made in

carbine length, with a shorter 20” barrel and magazine; Dmg

3d-1 pi+, Range 270/3,000, Wt. 6.3/0.5, Shots 12+1(2i), Bulk -4,

Cost $400. More than a million Model 92s were made, the

majority in rifle length and .44-40 caliber.

The .44-40 carbine was copied in Spain as the FAO Mod

1923 Tigre (1923-1936); Cost $350. This was the standard long

arm of the Spanish police until after WWII, and was also

exported. In South America, it was adopted by the Argentinean

police, among others.

Winchester Model 94, .30-30 Winchester

(USA, 1895-2006)

The Browning-designed Model 94 (called the Model 1894

until 1919) was a lever-action rifle with tube magazine, like

earlier Winchesters, but chambered for a more modern car-

tridge. It was an extremely popular hunting weapon, but no

major power adopted the Model 94 as a standard military rifle.

It did see wide use in such conflicts as the Mexican Revolution

of 1910 – it is estimated that half of Pancho Villa’s guerrillas

were armed with this weapon. During WWI, it was used by

various combatants; French mountain troops had some early

in the war, as did boarding parties of the Royal Navy. In the

inter-war years, many police departments acquired it, espe-

cially in the U.S. South and Southwest. It was also issued by

the Massachusetts State Police, and would be the longarm

taken along by troopers investigating “The Dunwich Horror”

in 1928. It was the standard rifle of most American prison sys-

tems, and the gun most likely to be found in closets or trucks

across North (and South) America. During the pulp era, any

small-town grocery or hardware store in the U.S. was liable to

have a few boxes of .30-30 ammo. By 1927, one million had

been made.

Although the majority were made for the famous .30-30

Winchester cartridge, it was also offered in .25-35 Winchester

(Dmg 5d-1 pi), .32 Winchester Special (Dmg 6d pi), and .38-55

Winchester (Dmg 5d pi). A take-down model was made

(increasing cost by $100 and weight by 0.25 lb.); this broke

down into two parts (Holdout -3). A 0.75-lb. Maxim baffle

sound suppressor (-2 to Hearing, plus another -1 for being a

lever-action weapon, -1 Bulk, $500) was offered in 1921-1925.

In the 1930s, improved-visibility sights ( High-Tech, p. 156)

were available.

The Model 94 Carbine (1895-2006) had a shorter 20” barrel;

Dmg 5d+1 pi, Range 700/3,000, Wt. 6.6/0.3, Shots 7+1(2i), Bulk

-4, Cost $400.

Assembling a

Take-Down Gun

Many of the rifles described here can be broken

down into two or more parts for storage or conceal-

ment, or come in special “take-down” variants

designed for this. In all such cases, reassembly

requires 20 seconds and an IQ-based Guns (Rifle) or

Armoury (Small Arms) roll.

P ULP -E RA O RDNANCE

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