Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle

Description
The NAIS developed the Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle (or SB Gauss) in an attempt to bring the functionality of an LB-X Autocannon to the Gauss Rifle. Though the cluster-like ammunition made it easier to hit a target and was particularly effective in the anti-aircraft role, unlike the LB-X family, the Silver Bullet couldn't fire standard Gauss Rifle ammunition. The Silver Bullet also couldn't benefit from a Targeting Computer. These drawbacks, coupled with the weapon's high cost and relative fragility of the ammunition feeds, made the weapon very unpopular with MechWarriors. The Federated Commonwealth canceled the project in 3051.

Somehow the Free Worlds League received information about the Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle, as it appeared on the Emperor "Mercury Elite" used by Lieutenant Colonel Anne-Marie McKormack as she led the Dark Shadows battalion against the Word of Blake on Atreus. By 3078, the weapon was being manufactured in the Draconis Combine, and was mounted on their experimental Wolf Trap.

Like the standard Gauss Rifle, if the Silver Bullet is damaged it will explode and inflict damage to the carrying unit. If the Silver Bullet ammunition is hit by weapons fire it doesn't explode, but is rendered useless.

Models
The Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle is manufactured on the following planets:

Game Rules

 * The weapon functions like an "LB-15X" in game play, using the 15 column of the missile hits table to determine how many single-point cluster munitions hit.


 * This weapon is the updated version from the Tactical Operations book. This weapon was in turn based on the version found in the Unbound adventure pack. The Unbound Silver Bullet was a variant of Gauss Rifles that fired an explosive set of submunitions. Damage was resolved in the same manner as an LRM-15 attack, being grouped into 5 point clusters. A critical hit to the Unbound Silver Bullet's ammunition causes 15 points of damage for every shot left unfired in the bin. A critical hit to the rifle itself will ALSO cause the weapon to explode like normal Gauss Rifles.

Related Weapons

 * LB-X Autocannon: A Cluster-fire Autocannon, which the Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle was inspired by in terms of function and rules.
 * Gauss Rifles are the fundamental technology upon which the Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle was built. They also come in Light, Heavy, Anti-infantry and even Naval versions.