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The Spider-Skull Walker has two C-100R Rail guns- is the damage listed for both guns shooting at the same time or is that the damage for one gun? Can the pilot and co-pilot shoot each independently?
Normally when two guns are shot together (i.e. the CR-4T Laser Turrets also on the Skull Walker) is specifically says "per dual blast" and lists the damage for a single blast.

"Payload : 20,000 rounds per each gun, that's 250 bursts each. " It lists their ammo separately and doesn't give a separate damage rate for a single gun - so my assumption would be 2d4x10 is ONE gun.

Can they be fired independently? Yes, the bigger question is can they be fired together? My opinion is no, due to the following: "The rail guns are in a
fixed forward position. The only way to aim them in another direction is to adjust the skull-head main body." So I suppose you *could* IF the target was big enough to get hit by two guns firing forward about 15 foot apart.

In terms of who fires which weapon I would assume the co-pilot or pilot could fire either gun, assuming something crosses the path of the gun.

My biggest question is what missile system? "Black Market Cost: 36 million credits and up for a new, undamaged,
fully powered walker complete with full missile systems. Rare. " Rare is right.

I'd think that those two rail guns are mounted akin to a WW2 fighter's wing-mount machine guns/cannon.....they can be angled such that their fire converges at a set point ahead of the aircraft....and likewise the SSW's rail guns can be similarly set in advance to converge at a set distance.
Though an advanced version would allow the crew to vary the convergence point while the 'bot is in motion, at the crew's discretion/preference, rather than wait to have it done at base by a tech-crew.

Damage is listed for a burst of 80 rounds. The stats list 20000 rounds, ammo for 250 bursts, in each gun. If 40 rounds were fired from each gun as part of a burst, the stat should have said ammo for 500 bursts in each gun. Therefore, it can be assumed that the damage comes from a burst from one of the guns.

As hup7 mentioned, the guns are in a fixed position and it may be necessary for the body to rotate slightly between shots in order to hit the same target. Particularly at close range or when firing on a smaller target. Unlike ww2 fighters that typically engaged 700-1200 ft apart, these rail guns are effective up to 6000 ft and therefore the point where fire would converge could vary significantly.

This "spider-skull walker shimmy" would make sense if a single person were assigned to the two guns as a single weapons platform, who also had control over the orientation of the skull-head body.

Interestingly, RMB has some detail not in RUE:
"The pilot can operate all weapon systems at a rate equal to the combined number of hand to hand attacks per melee (usually 4 to 6). Note: The pair of rail guns, front lasers, and rear lasers can each be operated by a different person (3 plus pilot). This means that each gunner gets four attacks each with their respective weapon."

This would support the notion a single person operates both rail guns. If the pilot is not controlling the rail guns, the assigned gunner would need to coordinate with the pilot to maintain orientation.

I could swear that there was an FAQ or errata for RMB that covered this but I can't find it anywhere.

This came up with my original Rifts group when just RMB was out. At first we went through the same process as Grazzik and coming to the same conclusion. However, after a few books came out it was clear that those duel rail guns were overpowered, in damage and rounds per burst, so we adjusted them down to 40 rounds for 1D4X10 MD each. When the CS War Campaign and CS Navy books came out we got to see new spider skull walkers that had twin rail guns that did 1D4X10 MD each for 40 rounds each so we figured we had it right.

Interestingly, GMG pg 221 lists damage as 2d4x10 (burst) and 4d4x10 (dual burst)!!!!

So, I guess they can fire concurrently...

Given a burst is 80 rounds, which is roughly twice what a regular man portable rail gun would fire, I don't see the C100R as overpowered. In fact, it would explain the SSW's staying power as an iconic war machine for the CS. Heck, the C44R fires 80 round bursts and does 2d6x10 at the expense of range (WB11 pg 157).

Grazzik wrote:Interestingly, GMG pg 221 lists damage as 2d4x10 (burst) and 4d4x10 (dual burst)!!!!

So, I guess they can fire concurrently...

Given a burst is 80 rounds, which is roughly twice what a regular man portable rail gun would fire, I don't see the C100R as overpowered. In fact, it would explain the SSW's staying power as an iconic war machine for the CS. Heck, the C44R fires 80 round bursts and does 2d6x10 at the expense of range (WB11 pg 157).

Nice catch

I never even thought of looking there so good to know for the future.

Warshield73 wrote:

Grazzik wrote:Interestingly, GMG pg 221 lists damage as 2d4x10 (burst) and 4d4x10 (dual burst)!!!!

So, I guess they can fire concurrently...

Given a burst is 80 rounds, which is roughly twice what a regular man portable rail gun would fire, I don't see the C100R as overpowered. In fact, it would explain the SSW's staying power as an iconic war machine for the CS. Heck, the C44R fires 80 round bursts and does 2d6x10 at the expense of range (WB11 pg 157).

Nice catch

I never even thought of looking there so good to know for the future.

Thanks for finding that Grazzik! I wonder if that is a clarification added by Bill Coffin in the GMG, because it wasn't reprinted in UE.

Personally I don't think 4d4x10 is particularly overpowered, considering the traditional CR-003 is over twice the size of the CR-004 Scout Spider-Skull Walker, and the CR-005 Scorpion's rail guns can do 3d4x10 and it is also much smaller than the CR-003. Although restricting it to only be able to do a dual burst to large targets wider than 13 feet (as is the case with the IAR-5 Hellfire which also has twin fixed forward rail guns) would be reasonable.

i've generally figured the guns have at least limited traverse seperate from the head itself, allowing them to converge on a single target. i'd not limit it by size, but by range.. though we'd probably be talking something like "can't get both onto human sized targets closer than 12 feet" or similar. something that won;t really matter much on a battlefield (and if enemies do get that close with out escorting infantry catching them*, the spider skull does have those lasers turrets for last ditch defense.)


*because the CS is not going to be dumb enough to forget that mechanized units require infantry screens. even if certain nations IRL keep forgetting)