On Creating Imaginary Weapons: Science Fiction/Fantasy

[barlennan]

When designing a weapon, perhaps you should think not about what it is, but what effect it has on the characters and the reader: What is the emotional impact of the weapon? What does it symbolise for the wielder and for the victim?

In mainstream fiction, the gun represents many things, but it is more often the tool to compel or persuade than it is to kill - the "gun to the head" moment. It is also seen (rightly or wrongly) as a "clean" weapon, a quick death (think of all those old westerns, where a cowboy grabs his bloodless shirtfront and fades away in seconds). Wielding a gun does not brand you a hero nor a villain and shootings are unremarkable events in a lot of fiction.

Compare that to how IUDs and landmines have been portrayed in various media in the last ten years; they are fearful because the results are disfiguring as much as deadly. Wounded veterans that lose legs are more shocking than those with unseen bullet wounds. Booby traps are also seen (rightly) as cowardly and indiscriminate.

On the more technological end of things, nuclear weapons in themselves are little more than a great big bomb. Again, it is the indiscriminate nature, the powerlessness, the fallout and the agony of burning or dying of radiation sickness that everyone fears.

The most fearful SF movie death I can think of is poor old Poole in2001, floating off alone into the void of space: an instantaneous demise from dramatically powerful laser weapons seems humane by comparison. A truly heartless villain might solve the problem you represent simply by brushing you painfully aside, leaving you to die uncomfortably on your own time.

I'd be tempted to give the reader the horror of a death they can relate to: A fall, a bite, suffocation, immobility, a rash, a sickening headache, powerlessly watching yourself bleed. These are small things that need no fancy weapons, but will really manipulate the emotions and give your conflicts a sense of jeopardy.

 

[Mirannan]

One thing I've been turning over in my head, and not found a use for:

One of the problems with being an assassin or other sort of murderer in real life (and most of fiction, too) is that forensic science can be applied to bullets (and also to used cartridge cases, if the shooter is careless enough to leave them around) in the for of microscopy, for example. (Probably also chemical analysis of the bullets, in some cases.) Now - what happens in the case of frangible rounds (that explode into ceramic needles when inside the target, for example) or energy weapons? I can't imagine that a laser rifle would leave a distinctive enough signature on the target to be useful. You might be able to tell the make and so on, but not the specific weapon.

IMHO if energy weapons become fairly routine then unsolved murders would become more common.

 

[barlennan]

IUDs

Er, I mean IEDs.

 

[BetaWolf]

IMHO if energy weapons become fairly routine then unsolved murders would become more common.

Non-scientist curious comment: Could the frequency of the energy weapons leave a trace of some kind particular to a particular weapon (similar to current ballistics), within a reasonable tolerance. E.g., "We knew this was the murder weapon because the victim was disintegrated by a weapon operating at 1.0053907 MHz."

My other comment on this thread is the usefulness of captured and/or traded technology. Martians attack Earth. The enemy of my enemy is my friend so the Venusians provide covert material aid to the beleaguered Earthlings. Phase rifles, plasma grenades, powered armor.

 

[Mirannan]

BetaWolf - Frankly, I doubt it. The effect of laser and plasma weapons on most targets would probably be localised heating, burning and such things as steam explosions and thermal shock. One way around this would be for plasma ammunition to (by law) have carefully-calculated impurities added to it, thus allowing chemical analysis and identifying the manufacturer at least - but this would be pretty easy to defeat.

 

[BetaWolf]

Ah, well, worth a shot. A strong government would probably put restrictions in place, but enforcement would be the issue, indeed.

 

[the Jester]

A) How logical should be the most outrageous weapons?

How outrageous is the story? How advanced are the various peoples' technologies, magic, psi or whathaveyou?

B) Should the author know about the weapons and give a satisfying explanation to its working?

What does the story need? If it's science fiction, the answer is more likely to be "Yes" than if it's fantasy, but it can either way in either genre. If it's an alien invasion story with a vastly superior enemy told through a human's eyes, it's probably fine if we never understand the enemy's weapons, just see their devastation. On the other hand, in a fantasy story where the way sorcery works is important to the resolution of the plot, it might be crucial to sneak in details and clues about the working of said sorcery everywhere you can, like when you discuss how the magical staff of fire does its thing.

Basically, it depends.

C) Should the weapons stay in the original side?
[Like the technology that is being used today}

What serves the story? What is reasonable and realistic for the in-story world? If the superior side is so superior that the inferiors can't hurt them- the invading aliens don't lose a single troop in their invasion- then the other side probably won't get much off of them. On the other hand, possession of even a single superior weapon is likely to help the inferior side to improve its own firepower.

D) For fantasy, you don't go beyond swords and maces. So what is the boudary in creating weapons for Sci-fi and fantasy?

I think this has already been addressed up thread, but for fantasy, you certainly can go beyond swords and maces. There is no boundary. You can tell a fantasy story set in space with magic blasters and interplanetary teleportation.

 

[EffectivePawn]

I thought of a weapon that can be used in near future scenarios, or far off in the future with space faring factions having galactic wars. This weapon would be a bit heavier, but no more so than a SAW or RPK. Most of the weight would be the ammunition and the components that make it effective. Of course, depending on the tech during the scenario, these components could be really small and lightweight.

Plasma, lasers, photons- these are very expensive and the ability to harness these munitions in a small arms weapon is unrealistic. However, a powerful weapon can be devised using modern technology.

The weapon will be about the size of an Ak-47 with a 25 round clip and adjustable stock. A built-in grenade launcher underneath the barrel.

What will make this weapon different are the attachments and munitions. Firstly, the bullets will be filled with iron oxide and aluminum. These materials, when combined, produce a substance known as thermite, which burns extremely hot and can melt steel. The bullet does not have to make impact on the target, for it will be airburst. A rangefinder built into the sights of the gun will trigger the combination of the two materials, which will explode into thermite, splashing upon the target and melting away armor and burning flesh. The round itself will be primed electronically, removing a lot of moving parts, decreasing weight and size. This will remove the need for lubricants. The magazine will use magnetic propulsion to move the bullets up into the chamber and to expel the spent shell. This means a gas tube is not needed to load and fire the next round, allowing the weapon to work in space, low gravity environments, earth-like atmospheres, and on planets with no atmosphere.

An ammuntion ticker will display how many rounds are left in the loaded magazine by measuring the weight of the magazine and giving an accurate reading that is displayed on a small monitor protruding out of the side of the weapon.

An adjustable sight will be positioned on the top of the weapon, able to go through various degrees of zoom. From an open red dot sight, to a 4x zoom Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight. The sight will also be able to determine if the soldier within the sight is friend or foe, by scanning the electrcal signal of the warrior's equipment (each faction will have a unique electrical frequency) and preventing friendly fire. The sight will also give accurate aiming for the grenade launcher, removing the need for a second pair of sights.

The grenade launcher will fire a canister round that contains a gel laced with nano-robots. The range finder can cause this munition to air burst as well or be passive and allow the round to explode on impact, user preference. The gel splashes upon the target and the nano-robots eat away at metallic materials and circuitry. The canister will also be electronically primed.

The heavy use of electronics allows the opposing side to use EMPs to disrupt weapons, preventing the weapon from being overpowered. Vehicles and structures can be made of heat-resistant materials, meaning the small amount of thermite can only cause damage to foot soldiers for their armor would be thinner and lighter. This means the nano-robots would be used for metal structures and vehicles and groups of soldiers. EMP devices can be worn by the enemy to disable the nano-robots. (an EMP field big enough to disrupt the nanites would require a large vehicle meaning for soldiers to have protection from nanites, they would have to be in close proximity of the vehicle with said EMP device.)

This tech can be used in near-future sci-fi stories or in interstellar combat scenarios between space-faring factions.

 

[Tyburn]

As my work is parody, I use lazers. Light Amplified by Zionic Enhanced Radiation. A regular laser beam pulses into a crystal of pure Handwavium, which magnifies the power output to a massive degree. Anyone shot with a lazer weapon set on 'full discharge' can expect to be vapourised in a cloud of steam. Anyone standing next to someone shot with a lazer weapon set on 'full discharge' can expect third-degree steam burns.

It's called Zionic because the effect was first discovered by Jewish meterologists who were using Handwavium-based lasers to meaure cloud density. They were more than a little surprised when they blasted several satellites out of orbit on their first test firing.