Laser

Forever a favourite for their long range and damage values - the laser is the weapon of choice for specialists, snipers and posers. However, the laser is also one of the weapons that is not for those who like to customise their vehicles and ammunition. Until now - science doesn't stand still for anyone, and if you don't like that, get off the planet!

The Needle Laser focuses all of its energy into a tight beam which is aimed at the target. The end result is a very small but deep hole in the targets armour.

In game terms, the laser does AP damage. The modification is not available for lightweight combat lasers. Needle laser options may not be combined with other laser options.

Weapon	Range	Accuracy	Damage	Shots	Cost	Weight
Combat Needle Laser	20	+2	+3 AP	1/turn	$18,000	100
Heavy Needle Laser	30	+2	+6 AP	1/turn	$28,000	200

Lasers are valued for their damage and size, and the fact that they have an unlimited ammunition source, provided the vehicle still has power. However, a lot of Ops feel that where the laser is let down is that due to the recharge rate, the rate of fire is very low.

The auto laser is a modification that can be made to the weapon that reduces the recharge time and allows the weapon to fire more rapidly. This is not without a downside though, and that is that the system works by not charging the capacitors properly, so the actual shot fired is at a much reduced power level. Also, it is recommended that the capacitors be properly discharged after engagements as over time the capacitors will start to get a 'memory' and will only be useful in the auto shot mode.

In game terms, this gives the laser two settings, full power and auto mode. Changing settings is a shoot action, but the two types of setting may not be combined within a single turn, so changing half way through a turn will result in the laser not being usable for the rest of that turn. In full power mode, the laser functions as normal. In auto mode, the laser fires as a normal non-laser weapon, so it may fire in every phase in a turn, however each shot fires at the following reduced rate.

		*Auto Setting*
Laser Type	Laser Cost	Damage	Accuracy
Lightweight Combat Laser	$11,000	+0	+1
Combat Laser	$11,000	+1	+1
Heavy Laser	$22,000	+3	+1

A pulse laser splits the beam of a laser and turns it into a string of pulses. While this reduces damage somewhat, it does increase the accuracy of the weapon as these pulses can be walked to a target like normal projectile weapon.

In game terms, use the following characteristics for lasers. Note that this is not a switch able option, and pulse lasers can only fire in the pulse mode.

Weapon	Range	Accuracy	Damage	Shots	Cost	Weight
Lightweight Combat Laser	20	+3	+1	1/turn	$10,000	70
Combat Laser	20	+3	+2	1/turn	$10,000	100
Heavy Laser	30	+3	+4	1/turn	$18,000	200

There is such a thing as an Auto Pulse Laser, combining the traits of both types of option. It has two modes - full power being the standard pulse laser option, and the auto pulse mode which effectively fires a continuous beam of light at the target. Use the statistics listed below for the auto pulse mode. Otherwise the weapon uses the same rules as both options above.

		*Auto Pulse Setting*
Laser Type	Laser Cost	Damage	Accuracy
Lightweight Combat Laser	$11,000	+0	+3
Combat Laser	$11,000	+1	+3
Heavy Laser	$22,000	+2	+3

by Allicia York

Laser options can be very expensive, especially when you're on a budget, so what are you supposed to do when you need to fire your laser more than once every few seconds? The answer: Install a laser capacitor! As we all know, the biggest issue with lasers is their recharge time. With a capacitor you can store unused energy and hot-feed it into a laser when you do need it, giving you more shots for your buck! Install one today.

A laser capacitor allows laser weapons to get round the 1 shot per turn rate that they have. They do this by storing unused shots in the capacitor and then allowing this energy to be used at a later date. If a laser isn't thought to be used, then it can be fired as normal (taking a normal firing action, but instead of a physical shot, the energy is actually being pumped into the capacitor. On future turns, the laser can be fired as normal, and in addition, if energy is available, this can be used to allow the laser to fire more shots in the turn. A laser cannot be fired as an actual weapon on the same turn that it is used to store energy into a capacitor.
There are three types of capacitor allowing a varying numbers of shots to be stored, and a capacitor may direct its charge to any laser equipped on the vehicle. A vehicle may mount one capacitor per laser installed, and a capacitor may only ever deliver energy to one laser at a single time, thus if two lasers were mounted on a vehicle, only could fire from the capacitor in a single phase.

	Cost	Weight	Shots Stored
Small capacitor	$5,000	10	1
Medium Capacitor	$7,500	25	2
Large Capacitor	$10000	40	3