Designed with sales to the Empire in mind, the SoroSuub EZ-Snap 48sR is a very high quality rifle, with an exceptional level of inherent accuracy. Using a ground breaking ion sheath for increased bolt cohesion, the 48sR has superior range and power on target than most blasters. This ion sheath has had the unexpected bonus of marginally improving the performance against energy shielded targets. It uses an active targeting system, limiting it's usefulness against many targets, it is intended to be used by marksmen in support of an ongoing battle. When used as a "covert" weapon, this feature can be a give away to the target, as any simple light amplifying system could notice this. It is also not very power efficient, with the specialized powercelss being emptied after six shots, and the blaster gas reserve being exhausted after thirty to thirty-five. Designed to break down into three pieces, the EZ-Snap comes with an armored case that has foam cut-outs for an additional three powercells and a cleaning kit.

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

The A280 is reputed to be the best armor-piercing rifle available anywhere in the galaxy. At medium range, it has been known to cut a fully-armored Imperial stormtrooper nearly in half. Still, when used during the Imperial assault on Hoth, the A280 failed to put more than a fist-sized dent in the armor of the Imperial walkers.
 
 

Another example of Prax handiness, this is a special modified blaster rifle. Because of the special manual pumping system damage and range are greatly increased. The result is a long range rifle for the "one shot, one kill" method. It is perfect for those situations where there are too many minions or any hostages around. A separate bi-pod can be attached to increase accuracy. Special sights are also available that can make the target look much closer and so increase accuracy at long range.
 
 

Diving into the blaster market with their XT-1 blaster pistol, Kashan needed to find a foot-hold in the heavy weapons market. The B-12 blaster rifle was the result. It is more powerful than the famed BlasTech A280 and is the standard issue blaster rifle of the small Kashan Army. It's a modular design, with several variants (such as the B-12/c carbine) and is easily maintained and modified. A common modification is the addition of a second power pack, which can be purchased in a kit from Kashan for 100 credits and will allow two power packs to be loaded at once, doubling the ammunition.

Ryan Matheny (darkweji@gte.net)
http://www.neurogamer.com/dlos/
 
 

Also manufactured by SoroSuub (under the names Stormtrooper One for Imperial Sales and Freedom One for New Republic sales) and Merr-Sonn (under the name ISR-1 [Imperial Standard Rifle #1]). Neither of these companies sell them on the civilian market. The BlasTech E11 .25cm Bore Rifle raised a storm of controversy when it was first released. The brain child of G.W. Patchett was, at the time, the first true rifle in a carbine sized frame, and has remained the standard by which others are judged. Baptized in flame during the closing days of the Clone Wars, it is one of the most popular rifles of all time, with over 70 billion having been produced.

The basic E-11 can be found almost anywhere. It is the standard issue weapon of the Imperial Stormtrooper Corp, and one of the most common issue rifles in the Imperial military and the Corporate Sector's ESPOs. They are also in high demand (although heavily regulated) for civilian and corporate sales, along with a brisk trade in them on the underground market.

It has proven to be a highly versatile design, spawning a wide number of variations. To make up for the high demand for these weapons, BlasTech has authorized SoroSuub and Merr-Sonn to manufacture them under licence (for about 10% of the profit). These three manufacturers are found mixed indiscriminately across the Empire in Imperial stocks. In addition to these, several specialized designs have been spawned.

The basic E11 is 43.8cm long (with stock folded), and weighs 2.6 kilograms. The powercell housing opens on the left side of the action housing, above the trigger, giving the E11 a very low profile (useful when shooting prone or from a barracade), with a standerd powercell providing 100 shots. The blaster gas chamber contains sufficent supplies for thirty powercells. All moving and/or metal parts are fitted with a corrosion-proof, vaccume-rated, dry lubricant. The top of the reciever has a universal, quick detach sight rail, which comes from the factory mounted with a light, ring recticle, 2x optical scope. The basic, three piece folding stock rides along the left side, under the powercell. When ordering from the factory, one may specify that they wish a fixed stock or a one-piece, right-folding stock at no extra cost.

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

The E-11/C, or Compact, was originally produced as a slightly more compact than the basic E-11. Being only about 3cm shorter, and noticeably less accurate, it has never really caught on within the Empire, and can be found in small numbers with mercenary outfits and constabularies. Because of the reduction in the length of the barrel, the main strut of the stock has also been shortened, making it less comfortable for even average sized shooters to use.

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

The selective fire member of the E11 family, with the primary differences being a pair of additional positions on the trigger group. Early test results showed that the standard barrel was too light to deal with the extra heat produced by extended automatic fire, so a heavy barrel assembly with a extra cooling systems was designed. (This barrel was later used on the E11/H.) While it is not as widely used as other exotic members of the family, the E-11/F is still in production and in use with the Empire, CSA and others, both as an individual and support weapon. It has spawned the heavier ES-23, which is more suitable for the heavy fire support role.

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

The E11/H is variant of the venerable BlasTech E11. Intended to provide greater anti-vehicle protection to the basic squad, it has been adopted for use by the Imperial Army in areas were dangerous predators have taken a liking to human flesh. It uses the same frame as the E11, but the 3mm bore barrel is about three centimeters longer, and about five millimeters thicker. It is as powerful as the much larger A280, but to keep the boosted systems small enough, bolt cohesion had to be sacrificed, giving the E11/H a 50 meter range deficit in comparison to the standard E11.

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

The E11/L variant of the E11 is a sacrifice of impulse throughput for beam cohesion. Made to compete with such weapons as the Merr-Sonn G8 and the DDC Lightsport, the E11/L is in use with some of the Sharp shooter units of the Imperial Army, and is in limited use with forces assigned to wide, open areas of terrain. The barrel is the similar in thickness to the stanard barrel, but is slighly longer.

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

The E11/M is variant of the venerable BlasTech E11. The rifles start life as production E11s, but show a certain degree of accuracy over and above what is normally expected during test firing. These are later test-fired from a machine rest to prove that the accuracy was actually due to the rifle, not the shooter. From here, they are fitted with the long barrel and fixed stock found the H11 (the weaker, sporting version of the E11). They are similar in almost every way to the standard E11, they just are a little more accurate. These are being fielded by the Empire as platoon level special weapon, in an attempt to minimize the danger of Rebel marksbeings. In reality, this idea is quite misguided and rather useless, but is still quite a good rifle.

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

The prefered weapon of the Master Hunter Boba Fett, the EE-6 is an older model of rifle, but a very powerful one. Avialable with either a folding or fixed stock, it is relatively short when compared with other weapons of this power class, such as our DLT-19. The folding stock version is only about 7% larger than our E11 rifle, which is noted for it's almost carbine-like qualities. The fixed stock is more popular, as it has a "badder", sawed off look to it. Not to mention that it is the version that Hunter Fett is almost always pictured with (that guy does more free advertising for the arms companies than anyone else in the past century).

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

Combining the technology pioneered in the A280, EE-6 and Sharpshooter V rifles, the EKX-10 is the first rifle of the next generation. Designed to hit harder than almost any other rifle in it's range class, and have higher ammunition capacity than it's closest competitiors, the EXK-10 is being evaluated for service with select branches of the Stormtrooper Legions, including the Cold Assualt legions.

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

Andrew Young (kayoung@pressenter.com)
 
 

The Merr-Sonn G8 blaster rifle trades strength for range. The added range of the G8 has made it popular among some sharp shooters and infantry.
 
 

The H11 was produced to meet the requests by numerous veterans-turned- settlers for a sporting version of thier E11 service rifle after the Clone Wars. To stay within the growing number of regulations concerning the private ownership of energy weapons, there were numerous internal changes. Not enough to require different maintenance procedures, just enough so the that the more powerful military-issue components couldn't be used. The a long, 1.5mm bore barrel and an integral, thumbhole-type stock added, bring the overall length up to 90cm. The stock is hollow, and has a small storage area, which is often used to house a spare powercell, a cleaning kit and a few survival essentials. Even with those changes, BlasTech has not skimped on the time proven E11 ruggedness. It has not only been a hot seller among those who used to wear uniforms, many Imperial-backed and -formed planetary militias use the H11 as thier basic rifle, and it has been popular with younger folks on the frontier, who value it for the "military" look combined with the sensible options it provides.

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

If neccessity is the mother of invention, then ArcTec is the father. For years, ArCTec has answered the call of many planetary militias to develop weapons to fit individual needs due to situations created by external forces, internal forces, or even the forces of nature! Take for example the submarine inhabitants of Gloophod Prime, for whom ArCTec developed the Scampy 600 series - blaster artillery weapons capable of wet and dry firings into wet or dry environs. Listed below are some of the most recent developments coming from ArCTec's primary manufacturing facility...

The ArCTec LRB series was developed for use by the Talenn Initiative Alliance during the Talenn Civil War. With the Talenn dictatorship utilizing saturation weaponry from airborn vehicles, the TIA nearly bankrupted themselves to have ArCTec develop efficient and accurate long-range weaponry. The initial 300 series proved to be useful in taking down single targets from safe distances, but utilized a poor targetting system. The 400 series didn't show an extended range, but was fitted with an upgraded targetting system allowing for accurate targetting to a maximum distance of 2.5 kilometers away, over a kilometer further than the 400 series could fire. The 500 series, shown here, has taken advantage of the advanced targetting system and is capable of striking targets up to 2500 meters away.
 
 

The SoroSuub "H. Tracker" 16 is a commonly fielded weapon among Alliance forces and is equal to the Stormtrooper One blaster rifle in most aspects.
 
 

The companion longarm of the new M-434 DeathHammer pistol, the DeathSledge is actually meant to be a basic grunt rifle. At this time, however, it is seeing service mostly as a sharpshooter and marksman's rifle. It has the longer range normally associated with less powerful weapons, the throughput of the famous A280 and is tougher than a pour stone brick, topped with an excellent, passive light enhancing scope. The only real drawbacks are the price (and this is due to the cutting edge technology incorporated in the weapon) and the energy consumption rate. This last is unavoidable at this time, but later variants of the design expect to improve in this area as the technology involved improves. Personally, I think the price is well worth it. The only rifle on the market that comes close to the M-435 in all areas is the BlasTech EKX-10. Definantly a rarified circle.
Kevin Dole
 
 

Craig Marx (dr.madman@mailexcite.com)
 
 

The P11 is a true sharpshooter's weapon, but based off the E11 infantry rifle. This extends only as far as the rough appearance and the general maintenance procedure. It is nearly 50% longer than the E11/M, and much more accurate. Using specially made "match" powercells from BlasTech, it has a maximum range a full third greater than the E11, without loosing on-target energy or capacity. For emergencies, standard powercells amy be used, but they are not as efficient as the match-grades, nor are they powerful enough to give you the range you are used to. It is interesting to note that the performance change is not replicated in other weapons just because of using these specialized powercells.

It uses a heavy, fixed stock that can be adjusted for a perfect fit to the shooter. Similar adjustability exists in the redesigned pistol grip, that has a significant swell at the base of it, to lessen hand fatigue during long periods "on target". There is a gap of three millimeters between the barrel and forearm, so that the barrel's harmonics are not disrupted. In fact, there is only one place that the barrel is touched by anything, and that is where it fits into the receiver. The entire trigger group and interior workings have been precision fitted to each other, with tolerances of plus/minus 0.0001 millimeters being the norm in some locations. It is topped with the excellent scope from the Sharpshooter V, and may be used with a heavy tripod that supports the full weight of the weapon.

The P11 is in special issue with elite units of the Empire, the Sector Rangers and some local police agencies, such as CorSec. This accuracy has made it one of the choice weapons for dealing with hostage takers and barricaded scum. Too delicate for standard field use, it comes with a heavy durasteel case (Body: 6D character scale, about 25 kilogram filled) for transportation. This holds the P11, the tripod and a half dozen match-grade powercells. It is heavily padded, with the entire package having a 90% survivability rating if dropped from an altitude of 100m onto bedrock on a standard gravity world.

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

The PXI-2 isn't one of Merr-Sonn's most popular blaster rifles, and is not used by the Alliance nor the Empire in large numbers. The PXI-2 was marketed more toward police forces, such as the Sector Rangers and the Corporate Sector Authority.

The BlasTech A280 has a reputation of being able to nearly cut a fully armored soldier in half, but the PXI-2 has a reputation of actually cutting a fully armored soldier in half. Due this ferocity, the PXI-2 is generally only deployed to a single soldier in a squad to supplement the others.

Despite its excellent performance record, the PXI-2 is a not all that common on the open market and it is generally a rarity to encounter someone who actually wields the weapon. This is mainly due to its size. Unlike many other blaster rifles that have retractable or folding stocks, the PXI-2 has a fixed stock, making it clumsy in close quarters combat situations.

Ryan Matheny (darkweji@gte.net)
http://www.neurogamer.com/dlos/
 
 

The S11 is intended for police and civilian needs. Designed from the modified inner workings of the H11, the S11 is incapable of being readily converted to a lethal weapon. It retains the folding stock and short barrel of the E11, but they use the same mounting systems as the H11, making it more suitable in the eyes of the Empire for non-military possession. However, to prevent "odd things from happening", the 1.8mm bore barrel will not change with any other member of the E11 family. Originally intended for riot control and suspect apprehension, it has also been used by the Empire as a training rifle, and by civilians as a defensive weapon, especially in open areas, such as cattle country.

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

A joint venture of Stysor Arms and the Westin Corporation, the SW-APE was designed to be a portable alternative to heavier squad support weapons such as repeating blasters. Effectively reinventing the blaster rifle, Stysor redesigned the blaster chamber's prismatic crystal housing and galvern pattern to boost the static pulse output from the weapon's actuating module. Westin contributed a microprocessor engineered to refocus and cool the crystal filter to prevent overloads in the static pulse field. The resulting rifle had greater power and superior range to standard rifles. Due to a complex design and need for high quality crystals in the blaster housing, the SW-APE proved to be prohibitively expensive and the Old Republic cancelled the contract before mass production could begin.

However, several prototypes found there way into the black market where a few canny gunsmiths reverse engineered the weapon and began constructing their own, using the closely guarded secrets of its design. Nicknamed "Southwest Ape", the SW-APE became popular with mercenaries and assassins who could afford the expense of the rifle's construction. Although the SW-APE is not currently mass produced, SoroSuub is said to have begun incorporating many of the APE's advancements into their latest designs, notably the custom built blaster carbines of elite Imperial Stormcommando units.
 
 

The Merr-Sonn SX-451 is one of the premier heavy sniper rifles on the market today, it is closer to a piece of light artillery than it is to a personal weapon. The mission of the SX-451 is to destroy materiel, vehicles and crew served weapons from a distance, usually outside of the enemy's perimeter. It is also being used by law enforcement authorities to neutralize armed criminals who have taken cover behind cover capable of stopping a lesser shot, to destroy explosive devices where they lay and to disable a felon's escape vehicle. Having the range and power of the famous E-WEB heavy repeating blaster, the SX-451 is not a small weapon, nearly two meters long and 15 kilograms in weight, making unsuitable for all but a few, specialized, select missions.

For transportability, the rifle breaks down into four pieces (barrel and scope, bipod, action, and stock), and packs into a case or a specially built packframe. Reassembly take about a minute, with no special tools, just a credit chip, screwdriver or similar item. The scope is built under license from BlasTech, as it utilizes the thermal, UV and passive light enhancement composite image systems found in the Sharpshooter V, while improving on the haze and smoke filters. Unfortunately, due to the power, the capacitors in the trigger group must be quite powerful, but compact for portability. The trade off with this is a 20 second recharge time on the firing mechanism. But all things considered, you really don't need to hit a target twice for it to stay still.

Kevin Dole (cyberraven@SOFTHOME.NET)
http://www.Geocities.com/Area51/Dimension/4151/welcome.html
 
 

Craig Marx (dr.madman@mailexcite)
 
 

The Thunder 600-Heavy Blaster Package is personal arsenal of weaponry. Far too large for any normal person, this weapon requires a moderate Lifting roll every round to hold the weapon up. Huge races (ie. wookies), as well as individuals in strength enhancing powersuits, have no problems holding up such a large weapon package.

Andrew Young (kayoung@pressenter.com)
 
 

TX is a fairly small weapons manufacturing company based in the outer rim area. So far their only weapon to make a place for itself on the market is the T-415, a high powered sniper rifle. The T-415 matches an E-Web in firepower. It's almost 2 meters in length and comes with a built-in bipod and scope. The downside of the T-415 is it's fireing rate and ammo capacity. The T-415 is only capable of fireing 1 shot per round, otherwise the gun would overheat and explode, It draws an incredible ammount of power from the powerpack to get the range and damage it does, and can only get 5 shots worth of power from a standard blaster rifle powerpack. Any character fireing the T-415 has to be lieing prone useing the Bi-pod or roll a difficult strength roll to stay on his feet due to the incredible kick of the weapon. Useing the scope to aim for one round adds 1D+2 to the firers roll to hit.
 
 

A fairly common weapon from the days of the Old Republic, these weapons are somewhat outdated. Still, the X-5 is an accurate piece to long ranges, and packs a fairly decent punch.

Alter S. Reiss (asreiss@ymail.yu.edu)
http://geocities.datacellar.net/Area51/2129/
 
 

This is what happens when profiteers try to make a precsion rifle. The only saving graces of this thing are the scope and the cost. Actually, mostly the cost. It is very light, the stock is too short for anyone other than a Sullusten or Jawa, has no provision for mounting a bipod, has poor ergonomics and pitiful range. The scope is of a generation of electrical image enhancement that predates the first skirmishes of the Clone Wars. The SoroSuub X-45 is often sold as a sporting weapon (along with slip-on, aftermarket stock extensions), and sees usage only among the most desperate private military units. It is such a pitiful weapon, even the majority of the Rebel Alliance considers it to be almost as bad as no weapon at all.
Kevin Dole