Firearms of the E.B.S.I.S. Pt I

While Palladium Books 'Compendium of Contemporary Weapons' has lots of good information, the stats on the damage that the different rounds do has so many ambiguities it makes my eyes bleed (ie the same round doing drastically different damage from functionally nearly identical platforms.).  This is my attempt to clarify and standardize some of these issues. There are only two listed for SC/Invid era so I may develop some home brewed ones in time.

Firearms of the E.B.S.I.S.:

Macross Era:

Following the 'Rain of Death', most manufacturing in Eastern Europe and Western Asia were reduced to 1960-1980's era capabilities.  With little to build off of, the reborn Soviet state reserved what Hi-Tech capabilities they had to orbital space capabilities (ie piracy) and mecha R&D.  Their conventional forces returned to the Stalin era methodology of "Quantity has a quality all of its own".  Easily/cheaply produced, reliable, and rugged are the trademarks of Soviet military.

While stocks of some more modern firearms are occasionally unearthed in the many ruins across the devastated landscape (such as German H&K rifles & submachineguns and AK-100 series), these are the exceptions and not the rule, usually being issued to infiltration and undercover operatives or supplied to Hi-tech bandits that have proven reliability and results.


9mm Makarov Self-Loading (PM).(Russian: Пистолет Макарова, Pistolet Makarova, literally Makarov's Pistol)  Standard sidearm of E.B.S.I.S. forces.

Cartridge: 9mm x 18 (9mm Makarov), Damage: 2D6, P.V.: 4, Feed: 8 round
box mag., Weight: 663 grams, Barrel Length: 91mm (160mm),
Muzzle Velocity: 315 m/s, Approx. Effective Range: 50 m
(164 ft).

VZ61 Skorpion Machine Pistol: One of the only non-Russian designs adopted.  Often issued to officers, Spetznaz, and mechanized/armor crews.

Cartridge: .32 ACP (7.65mm), Damage: lD8, P.V.: 3, Feed:
10 or 20 round box mag., Weight: 1.59 kg, Barrel Length:
112mm (513mm, butt extended — 269mm butt retracted), Muzzle
Velocity: 317 m/s or 274 m/s with silencer, Approx. Effective
Range: 50 m (164 ft).

AKS-74U: (укороченный; Ukorochenniy, or "shortened")Packing more of a punch than the Skorpion, this derivative of the AK-74 is also commonly used by Spetznaz, airborne forces and mechanized/armor crews.

Cartridge: 5.45mm x 39 Soviet, Damage: 4D6, P.V.: 5,
Feed: 30 round box mag., Weight: 2.7 kg, Barrel Length:
200mm (675mm), Muzzle Velocity: 735 m/s, Rate of Fire:(cyclic)700 rounds/min.,
Approx. Effective Range: 200m .

 AK-47 (all variants): Avtomat Kalashnikova (Russian: Автомат Калашникова образца 1947 года or "Kalashnikov automatic rifle model 1974"): One of the most commonly recognized firearms in history, the AK-47 was and is present in numerous forms on every continent on Earth.  The huge numbers of these that survived the Rain of Death and produced afterwards guarantees Soviet support for this older but ubiquitous design.

Cartridge: 7.62mm x 39, Damage: 4D6, P.V.: 5, Feed: 30
round detachable box mag., Weight: 4.3 kg, Barrel Length:
414mm (869mm), Muzzle Velocity: 710 m/s, Rate of Fire:
(cyclic) 600 rounds/min., Approx. Effective Range: 300 m
(984 ft).

AK-74 (all variants):  Having supplanted the AK-47 in Russian forces prior to the Global Civil War, large stocks of these survived the Rain of Death and continue to be used by E.B.S.I.S. forces.  More common among continental troops and 'official' E.B.S.I.S. bases.

Cartridge: 5.45mmx 39, Damage: 4D6, P.V.: 6, Feed: 30
round plastic box mag., Weight: 3.6 kg, Barrel Length:400mm
(930mm), Muzzle Velocity: 900 m/s, Rate of Fire: (cyclic)
650 rounds/min., Approx. Effective Range: 500 m (1640 ft).

SVD Dragunov Sniper Rifle: (Russian: Снайперская Винтовка системы Драгунова образца 1963 года Snayperskaya Vintovka sistem'y Dragunova obraz'tsa 1963 goda (SVD-63), officially "Sniper Rifle, System of Dragunov, Model of the Year 1963") Standard sniper rifle of the E.B.S.I.S armed forces and their allies.

 Cartridge: 7.62mmx54R, Damage: 5D6, P.V.: 6, Feed: 10
round mag., Weight: 4.3 kg, Barrel Length: 547mm
(1225mm), Muzzle Velocity: 830 m/s, Approx. Effective
Range: 1300 m (4265 ft).

RPK (and RPK-74): (Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova, Russian: Ручной пулемёт Калашникова or "Kalashnikov hand-held machine gun").  A light machine gun/Squad Assault Weapon (LMG/SAW) regularly used by infantry troops.  It uses the same magazines and ammunition as the AK-47 (RPK) or AK-74(RPK-74).




Cartridge: 7.62x39 (RPK), 5.45x39 (RPK-74), Damage: 4D6, P.V: 5/6, Feed: 75 rnd drum (RPK), 45 rnd box mag (RPK-74), Weight: 5.0kg, Barrel Length: 592mm(1029mm), Muzzle Velocity735m/sec, Approx. Eff. Range: 800m

PKM (ПК Модернизированный: "Kalashnikov's Machine-gun Modernized") (and variants): Standard General Purpose Machinegun of the Soviet forces.  Often used as a turret mounted support weapon.




Cartridge: 7.62x54R, Damage: 5D6, Feed: 100rnd belt, Weight: 7.5kg, Barrel Length: 645mm(1192mm), Muzzle Velocity:825m/s, Approx Eff. Range: 1000m.

Southern Cross/Masters Era:

Effectively staying out of the SC/Masters war, the E.B.S.I.S. still had little luck with energy weapons, their only unique firearm being the NM-30 pulse rifle developed late in the war.  All of the Macross era firearms are still very common.

Koskov-47:  A direct copy of the UEEF's FAL-2, it became a favorite of Soviet forces and the South American black market. It was standard issue until the arrival of the Invid.

Weight: 2.7kg, Damage 2D6/blast, RoF: Aimed, Burst, Wild. Can empty mag. in 1 melee, Eff. Range: 366m, Payload: 40 blasts/E-clip

NM-30 Pulse Rifle: Developed shortly after the defeat of the Masters, this was not quite the success hoped for an independently developed energy weapon but was still produced as an export to allies. 

Weight, 3.6kg. Damage: 2D6MD. RoF: Aimed, Burst, Wild. Can empty mag. in 1 melee, Eff. Range: 366m, Payload: 30 blasts/E-clip


Heavy Machineguns, Explosives, and armored vehicles will be covered in a separate post.