A superior weapon is something that provides an advantage in the present combat. That something may include technological and functional advantage, as well as situational, e.g.:
- At a long range, Rifles will have an advantage over Pistols (or Hands).
- In a cramped tunnel, a Pistol might have an advantage over a Sniper Rifle.
- Automatic weapons generally have an advantage over single-shot or semi-automatic weapons.
- In the middle of a grapple, a Knife may well be better than a Shotgun.
In general, using the
Dramatic Combat Options,
a Superior Weapon will give you a +1.
The modifier is only applicable where one combatant's weapon is
superior (to all opponents in the exchange). Two people with Uzis are evenly matched, so neither is superior, and neither (or, if you must, both, acting as a wash) gets the bonus.
(Bear in mind that increases in the combat ability have at least as much impact as technology. A Great gunfighter with a Pistol is evenly matched with a Good gunfighter with an Uzi -- as any Bond movie will demonstrate.)
Where you are attacking someone weaponless, or who cannot hit you with their weapon, or who is doing an action that does not bring you into danger (as in
Defensive Fighting? with a non-combat skill), you should certainly get a
Superior Weapons advantage, since it means you can focus that much more on hitting them.
[1]
The weapon ratings below are from the
Simple Combat Options table (FUG 41). We're not directly applying them here, but they're something to consider in comparing "superiority," all things being equal.
| Looking at the Spycraft weapons tables, it's not clear to me that rifles necessarily hit any harder than pistols -- at close range. |
| Weapon Rating | Weapons |
| 0 | Unarmed |
| 1 | Knife, Small Club, Martial Arts, Holdout Pistol |
| 2 | Sword, Mace, Club, Pistol |
| 3 | Greatsword, Polearm, Rifle |
| 4 | "Ludicrously oversized 2-handed weapons," Heavy Firearm |
See also
Concealing Weapons.
[
I think there's room for Lumpley's Gun Rules here. :) -- Doyce]
What about in a
One-on-Many Combat or
Many-on-Many Combat situation? What if Good Guy G1 has a pistol, Bad Guy B1 has a pistol, and Bad Guy B2 has a knife?
- You could argue that G1 and B1 have even weapons, but B2 has an inferior weapon, so G1 and B1 should get a +1 on their roll (always give it as a roll add, not as a penalty).
- You could argue that since G1 and B1 have to deal with each other ("Hey, I'm trying to shoot someone who's not shooting back -- but his buddy sure is!"), the superiority of G1 over B2 is meaningless, so both "sides" have matching weapons, no advantage to anyone's roll.
The primary suggestion is "Make a decision and be consistent about it."
[2] "Don't overanalyze things" is another good suggestion. Do what's going to be easiest and most fitting for the desired dramatic tone. Remember the
Golden Rule Of FATE.
Consider, for example, the team is carrying pistols, going up against a bunch of mooks with clubs -- led by a guy who has a machine gun. Assuming one massive exchange, does the side with the MG have a superior weapon advantage? Do you give the MG guy a +2, the pistol-wielders a +1, and the mooks no plusses? Is it worth plotting things out to that detail?
| For our campaign -- hell, I don't know what I want. My inclination, writing this, is to go with option #1. |
Combat Rules,
Combat Modifiers
