Subspace Shotgun (SSG)

The Subspace Shotgun (SSG) is a two piece, heavy direct-fire weapon used by a yet unknown race or empire. It consists of a matter accelerator and a subspace bubble generator. It operates by accelerating a single one-gram unit of solid matter to 99.95% of the speed of light within a linear vacuum chamber. During acceleration, stresses fragment the matter pellet into thousands of particles. At the muzzle of the accelerator, these particles are transferred to a subspace bubble that travels toward the target at warp 10.

As the subspace bubble travels, particle dispersion combined with progressive bubble shrinkage eventually cause particles to escape. This results in the symmetrically decreasing damage with range, as shown on the SSG damage chart.

Upon reaching the target, the subspace bubble is disrupted by contact with the shield or hull of the target allowing the remaining particles to release their energy against the target.

Power Requirements:The SSG requires 2 points of warp power to form the subspace bubble, and 4 points of power from any source to accelerate one unit of matter.

Stacking:
The SSG has no overload function in that extra energy causes extra damage, but destabilizes the shot limiting the range of the weapon. Instead, additional units of matter may be added to the a celerator through stacking. For every additional 4 points of power, limited only by the available power of the firing unit, one additional unit of matter is added to the shot. The subspace bubble can move any number of matter units towards the target. Total damage is equal to the number of fired units of matter multiplied by the damage listed on the SSG damage chart for the range at which the target is struck. There is no upper limit to the number of units of matter that can be stacked beyond the firing unit's available power, its shock rating, and the willingness of the player to risk a breakdown of the firing ship. Example:At range 11 hexes, allocating 2 points of warp power plus 12 additional energy points (three stacked units) for a total of 14 energy points results in 24 points of damage on a hit.

Shock:
Whenever a ship fires a stacked shot, the ship received one SEP for every unit of matter beyond the first one. There is no SEP die roll. If two SSGs are stack fired, both firings add to the ship's SEP total. 
Example:
6 (2+4) total energy points is a standard load and will cause no shock.22 (2+20) total energy points (four "additional" units of matter) will automatically cause 4 SEPs to be added to the ships running total.

Terrain Interactions:The SSG's subspace bubble is disrupted by matter-based terrain. Interactions depend on terrain type.

Dust and Atmosphere:
The SSG may be fired into the first hex of dust or atmospher¡e, but may not be fired through or out of such terrain. A target located in the first hex entered by the shot may be hit normally before the shot is disrupted. Note (P16.3).

Asteroids:
The SSG may be fired into or out of asteroid hexes. The SSG shot may strike a target in the first entered asteroid hex without restriction. A shot may theoretically pass through multiple asteroid hexes if all required (P3.2) die rolls are successful.

Webs:
The SSG follows the standard DF weapon rule for webs, it may be fired into or out of, but not through.

Range Zero:
In all terrain types, the SSG may be fired at range 0 without restriction.

Other matter-based terrains follow the same interaction patterns as above, as appropriate.

ESG Interaction:
The SSG is affected by ESGs in the same manner as
Hellbores. The SSG deposits its full warhead strength on the ESG field at the true range to the ESG field. If the ESG cannot absorb the full strength, remaining damage is applied to the corresponding shield of the ESG ship, whether or not that ship was the intended target.If the firing path passes through an ESG field, the SSG automatically hits the ESG. The SSG shot may pass along the edge of an ESG field without striking it.

Mounting and Availability:
Size Class 4 ships may mount one SSG. Size Class 3 and 2 ships may mount two SSGs or none, but cannot mount just one. No unit smaller than Size Class 4 may mount an SSG. SSGs cannot be mounted in pods for use by tugs.

The SSG was first deployed on bases. The firing arc of an SSG on a base is the combined mauler arcs including the alternate arcs centered on the hex line pointing out from the base. The SSGs on bases are mounted on swivels giving them the 60° combined firing arcs of the mauler with both of the alternate arcs. Bases smaller than SBs will have gaps that attacking ships can exploit. SSGs on bases are sufficiently braced and equipped with shock absorbers that there is no SEP tally for stacked firings.

Physical Characteristics and Damage:
The SSG is physically large and requires the ship to be aimed at the target. It always points forward and uses the same firing arcs as maulers, including alternate firing arcs. If a unit mounts more than one SSG, each fires independently. They may be fired in narrow salvos. They may not use non-violent combat. They require a lock-on to fire.  

SSGs are hit on torpedo hits and require three damage points to destroy. A damaged SSG may fire normally; a destroyed SSG must be fully repaired before it can fire again. Repairs may be applied to a damaged SSG before it is destroyed.

Holding Energy and Cooldown:
Energy allocated to the subspace bubble generator may be held for 1 point of allocated warp power.The energy in the accelerator may be held for 1/2 of the total accumulated power from an unfired shot. Holding energy must be allocated. Additional accelerator power may be allocated and/or come from reserve power.  

Accumulators:
An upgrade to the SSGs at some later date than their initial deployment date, probably part of X-tech, is a Power Accumulator. Each SSG has its own accumulator; energy from one SSG's accumulator may not be used to fire another SSG. Unused energy directed to an SSG that is not fired is automatically added to the accumulator at the end of the turn. An SSG is not required to use the energy in its accumulator when it is fired. An accumulator may hold an unlimited amount of accelerator energy, but 1/4 of the energy in the accumulator is lost at the beginning of each turn that it has accumulated energy in it, round all fractions up. If any of the energy in an accumulator is used to fire its SSG, all of the energy must be used. This does not obligate the firing ship to match the accumulated energy with a corresponding amount of matter. There is no holding energy cost to this. The presence of an accumulator does not change the number of hits to destroy the SSG, and it does not change the cost of repairs. The accumulator is destroyed with the SSG, losing any accumulated energy.

A fired stacked shot requires one full turn for the accelerator cooldown before the SSG can be fired again. Energy may be added to the SSG during its cooldown; it just cannot be fired. The subspace bubble generator may be charged immediately.An SSG may not be fired within 8 impulses of its previous firing. If this delay crosses into the next turn, energy allocation proceeds normally.
 
Advanced: Energy may be allocated to the accelerator above the standard 4 units, but below the 8 units for a stacked shot. If the SSG is fired in this manner, the shot is a standard load with no shock points. The excess power is lost. The total power may be held for 1/2 the amount of power allocated, or the shot can be stacked with reserve power. This incomplete charging can also be done with multiple stacks. Example: 10 units of allocated power to the accelerator can be fired as 2 stacked shots or have 2 points of reserve power added for a three stack shot.

Designer Notes:
The SSG weapon was developed before the ships using it were. Therefore, the ship classes that may be equipped with SSGs are purpose-built to withstand limited recoil forces and have predictable SEPs. They are the base ships of their classes. This reflects purpose-built hull reinforcements, unlike existing SFB shock-rated ships which are variants of ships that were not built to be over-gunned or to mount Maulers.
  
SSG Damage Chart:
Range Hit Damage
0–5....11...10
6–9....10....9
10–12...9....8
13–14...8....7
15........7....6
16........6....5
17–18...5....4
19–21...4....3
22–25...3....2
26–30...2....1

I was trying for a DF weapon that has crunch power out to medium to long range, but with restrictions and consequences for its use. I believe that the relatively few number of SSGs on a ship combined with the poor firing arcs, the shock of stacked shots, and the poorer maneuverability of the ships due to their turning radii and alternate mauler arc rules will make up for the SSG's hard hitting power at a distance. I also believe that the number of firing opportunities will be fewer than that of their contemporaries. The SSG will be effective against bases at medium ranges due to the bases being immobile. 

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Monday, March 16, 2026 - 02:32 pm: Edit

It is not clear from your proposal what the arming cycle is. It mentions a cooldown, but doesn't actually lay out what the cool down is or how long the cool down lasts. I did not see how many turns it requires to arm the weapon. I.e., does it fire like a fusion (arm and fire same turn, 1 turn cool down) or some other arming cycle.

Overall, I would oppose unlimited energy. That doesn't make sense even from a technobabble perspective.

From a game perspective, I would find unlimited stacking to be a game breaker. One ship could fire a megablast that breaks it down, but annihilates the enemy, while the other ships move in for the final kill.

Furthermore, the weapon is actually quite long ranged. At range 15 (medium ranged engagements) you have an average to hit chance and, with stacking, can do massive damage that no other empire can do.

If you really wanted to simulate a shotgun, then to hit and damage should be high at close range, but both are low at medium to long range. I would also limit the stacking allowed based on range to prevent megadamage at ranges that no other empire can match.

In real life, a 12-guage shotgun has an effective range of about 50 yards with 00 buckshot (you gun nuts out there, don't quibble - I'm going for a quick and dirty rough approximation here). However, a good .308 sniper firing the right kind of ammo can manage 1000 yards (again, very rough and dirty, don't quibble). If you wanted to create a "shotgun" effect, your range table should reflect something like this (where the .308 sniper would be the photon torpedo in terms of damage at range, or may be a PPD). Your weapon is more like a PPD already in terms of range.

Also, the shock accumulation is really not that much of a deterrent to a massive blow that can't be countered other than through EW (which this weapon is resistant to since it relies on two dice).

Finally, your proposed shock rule is nearly meaningless. Under D23.0, every ship has its own shock rating. So, it's impossible to speculate from your description of the rule as to what kind of durability a unit has when firing stacked rounds. You'd need to propose shock ratings for classes of units (bases being highest presumably, with ships being lower according to decreasing size class).

Now, if a unit had a low shock rating, then your stacking rules would impose a meaningful restriction. However, you'd still have the problem of a ship stacking 200 levels of stacking, destroying a dreadnought at range 30, and then accepting the relatively minimal return damage of a broken down unit.


All that being said, I find the weapon to be intriguing from an intellectual conceptual perspective. However, in terms of implementation this weapon needs a lot of work IMO.

You need to keep in mind whether your proposed technology plays well with the other empires. As it is, it does not.

Compare your weapon to the fusion beam, which is the current gold standard of short-range, high damage direct fire weapon. Compare your weapon to the plasma - which requires seeking and has many restrictions (including a 3 turn arming cycle) - but which allows high crunch at a reasonably long range.

Shock is a limitation, but it is NOT the end-all-be-all limiter, especially in a fleet action where you'd be perfectly willing to sacrifice a few of your own cruisers to blow away enemy capital ships at a range they simply can't counter. To be a real limitation, shock ratings should be relatively low. Furthermore, strict stacking limits should be imposed, and I would do so based on size-class (e.g., even a starbase is limited to stack 5, for example).

My 52 quatloos. Keep working on it and submit an edited proposal is what I would say!

-T

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Monday, March 16, 2026 - 04:19 pm: Edit

Ted, I appreciate the feedback .

The cool down period is 1 turn if stacked. I could be convinced to change that to 1 turn per each stacked unit of mass, but that gives sufficient time to repair SEPs.

The part about SSGs on bases states no SEPs for bases.

I'm not sure how well you took the mauler arcs into consideration. It's somewhat easier to avoid a firing arc due to (E8.27), and (C3.8).

I'm not juxtaposing the SSG to real world shotguns.

Intriguing and different was my goal. I don't want more of the same with slightly different firing tables.

The Fusion beam is short range with at least a 120 degree firing arc. The 3 turn plasma arming cycle allows for higher speeds and also has wide arcs. The SSG being armed for quick stacked fire slows the ship significantly and directed turn modes (C3.8) can betray the intended target.

I'll wait for more feedback before I keep editing .

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 - 09:07 am: Edit

Glad it helped some!

I missed that about mauler arcs. That is a truly major limitation.

However, the unlimited stacking I believe remains problematic even with mauler arcs. That makes the SSG way *way* more powerful than a mauler. If you want to increase the probability of acceptance by ADB then I'd put limits on the number of stacks permitted (possibly by size class).

Understood on SBs having unlimited SEPs. However, you'll still need to propose suggested SEP limits on ships by size class (2, 3, 4). IMO if you want to increase the probability of acceptance, I would make those shock limits low so that players are discouraged from stacking.

You may wish to permit only SC2 and SC3 units (and BATS, SB, and SF) to mount SSGs. The mauler, for example, cannot be on a SC4 unit.

You may also wish to limit the total number of SSGs permitted in a fleet. Like the PPD fleet limits, that will help keep their numbers down in a fleet, which balances the powerful and accurate nature of the weapon.

You may also wish to change the SEP accumulation from a fixed number to a die roll plus that additional amount based on stack value. Players should be forced, IMO, to deal with the random element and live with the possibility that some firing along the way is going to run the risk of breakdown. Right now, it's not random - meaning that players can predict absolutely when shock will happen and plan accordingly. Better for the game to have that element of risk.

Finally, don't forget plasmas have LOTS of ways to deter them.

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Tuesday, March 17, 2026 - 06:22 pm: Edit

With Mauler arcs and shock. Most admirals would not want a fleet of ships that would end up damaging themselves and need constant repair. I do not think the bean counters would like that either.

As a support ship like Maulers and drone bombardment ships. Such a weapon could be useful.

Worse if it can fire every other turn are faster it becomes way too strong.

I always like the idea of replacing the fighter boxes on a hydran ship with BTTY. Then adding a few more even. (like 2 per fighter?) Gives a more powerful Mauler with a much better firring arc. No need to arm them at all. Just pull off the BTTY.

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - 12:15 am: Edit

Ted, I can see limiting the SSG to SC 2 and 3 ships to limit the number in a fleet. I could even see going further by not having them on war hulls, only real cruisers and larger. This could be reinforced by making the ships' BPV accordingly higher. I still want their hulls purpose built to get the predictable shock effect.

I rejected the SEPs being a combining of the number of stacks plus a die roll. Good rolls could make a shot with 5 stacks add to 6, while bad rolls could make a single stack add to 7. For similar reasons, and more, I rejected just making the SEPs subject to the die roll.

I deliberately did not suggest SEP ratings for ships so that they could be adjusted during play testing for balance. My choices would be arbitrary in any case.

I could see doubling the SEPs received for stacked shots. That 5 stack mentioned above would cause 10 SEPs.

The shock rules still put a random element into when a breakdown may happen (D23.22).

Maulers have the benefit of using their batteries for any purpose such as shield reinforcement. SSG armed ships have standard amounts of batteries.

I also envisioned the turn modes of SSG armed ships being poor, especially when combined with (C3.8).

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - 12:01 pm: Edit

For comparison's sake, it might be worth reviewing the Helgardian particle shotgun (EN106.0), as outlined in the playtest SFB Module E2 (and as errata-ed in this file).

Unique to the Helgardian fleet over in the M33 (or Triangulum) Galaxy, this is a direct-fire heavy weapon with a two-turn arming cycle. It launches a number of particle "shots" at hyper-warp speed towards a single target at once.

The number of particle "shots" fired by this weapon varies depending on the degree of arming involved: as many as three for a standard load; as many as six for an overload; and a single one as an underload. Each individual "shot" scores four damage points if it hits its target.

In terms of energy cost, the PS is 3+3 for a standard load; 3+5 for an overload; and 2+2 for an underload.

So far as determining how many "shots" translate into "hits", there is a combat table (EN106.14) which outlines the various to-hit ranges; notably, if firing as an underload, one still has to score a result of two or more hits on this chart, even though only one hit is in fact scored. (So if you think the underload option is perhaps less than a good deal in normal circumstances... you might well be correct!)

The current crop of playtest Helgardian ships tend to place them in 120-degree firing arcs.

There are no innate shock effects associated with this weapon, though there might be some engineering limits involved, at least in terms of how many can be installed onto their "Middle Years" starship hulls. For example: the Vanguard cruiser (RN100.1), which was intended for exploration rather than battle, had only two FA PS mounts; the Protector heavy cruiser (RN100.2), a combat variant of the Vanguard base hull, still only has three PS mounts installed.

There's more to be said about the context in which these weapons are operated by the (playtest) Helgardian navy; if it helps, there is a pre-existing thread where all things Triangulum have been discussed to date.

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - 04:59 pm: Edit

Gary, it sound similar and different. I no longer have the Triangulum rulebook. Like I said before, I don't want to create a weapon that is just a rewrite with a new damage table. If anything, I would try to contrast the SSG with the Helgardian particle shotgun.

I appreciate the information, though. I just don't want to follow the example too closely.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Thursday, March 19, 2026 - 04:39 pm: Edit

If it helps, there is an electronic copy of Module E2 listed on Warehouse 23, just in case you wanted a paper-less copy of the relevant rules and SSDs to consider.

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Actually, there are a few other points of comparison which might be worth mentioning.

The first is from another playtest Triangulum empire: the Imperium, as previewed in Captain's Log #23 (which is also on W23).

Imperial ships (and their as-yet-unprinted bases) use a direct-fire heavy weapon known as a hypermass autocannon (EN109.0). Each HAC is installed into a turret; the weapon itself has a 120-degree firing arc in whichever facing the turret is set to at the time of firing. Notably, the HAC "boxes" on the SSD represent separate firing chambers of the same weapon; while they are armed and fired separately, no more than one chamber can be fired from in the same impulse. Each individual chamber can fire either a single shot or a burst mode shot; the single shot is less accurate (and rolls on a single die to hit) but scores more damage, whereas burst mode is more accurate (rolling on 2D6) but produces fewer damage points.

The second is from Module E3, in the form of the Borak Star League.

The Borak use their turrets to mount megaphasers, which - as with the proposed weapon above - use mauler firing arcs. Although there are a handful of Borak hull types which have a "fixed" prow-mounted megaphaser mount installed. The ability of these ships to draw from their phaser capacitor pool to fire these phaser-Ms is both a blessing and a curse; all well and good when the capacitors are full, but more of an issue for their power-challenged hulls when it's time for a refill.

A third example is from the Omega Octant's Worb Technocracy.

When they got a hold of Ymatrian antiproton weapons, they were able to leverage the larger-than-average size of their heavy hulls to install a pair of antiproton beams and a single antiproton lance onto a single turret. Unlike Imperium or Borak ships, however, Worb hulls are quite ungainly in Turn Mode terms, so actually managing to line an enemy ship into the "hex row of death" needed to leverage the spinal lance can be tricky. (Particularly when said enemy is a Drex warship with an active supercomputer.) However, even for the Worb, their smaller ships do not have large enough turrets to make the most of this imported technology.

And a fourth instance: the afore-side-mentioned Drex Unity.

Drex warships make use of both light and heavy hypercannon varieties. Heavy hypercannons are largely restricted to the hex row the mount in question is set to, whereas light hypercannons are largely limited to 60-degree firing arcs (except on PFs, which use mauler arcs for their HCLs). Plus, there are a couple of limited munition types which can be used by these weapons; these can be of particular use against the likes of the Andromedans...

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With the above in mind, I might suggest that whichever empire ends up making use of this proposed weapon be one that leans into the use of turrets, and/or reconsiders the kind of Size Class restrictions that are in play.

For example: could there be a lighter "subspace carbine" for use on Size Class 4 ships, leaving the proposed subspace shotgun for use on Size Class 3 and larger hulls only?

One could perhaps give the carbine a slightly wider firing arc, akin to the Drex hypercannon setup. Or, consider the example of the Worb, in terms of how large a ship (or its turret) has to be, in terms of how each type of weapon can be installed.

Doing this might then make it possible to avoid the need to make use of shock effects, unless the empire in question has a Ymatrian-esque degree of heedlessness when sitting down to design their starships!