We recently took a look at blaster pistols available in Fantasy Flight’s Star Wars RPG system. In this week’s edition of Black Market, we’ll take a look at rifles. While the compact size and easy access of blaster pistols may appeal to smuggler and fringer types, the larger size and heavier fire power of rifles brings a certain intimidation factor. The E-11 Blaster Rifle carried by Stormtroopers is one of the most recognizable and iconic weapons in the Star Wars universe.
(Note this article will specifically look at weapons that fall in the “Blaster Rifle” category and use the Ranged(Heavy) skill. A future article may look at weapons that fall into the carbine, slug thrower, and Gunnery categories.)
While blaster pistols don’t vary much in encumbrance value (usually between 1 and 3) and range (typically medium), rifles come in a wider selection of shapes, sizes, and ability. This increased variety means we’ll be considering more of the features than we did for pistols and taking a slightly different approach to the analysis.
Encumbrance/Cumbersome Quality
While blaster pistols are compact enough for easy carrying and handling, blaster rifles are not always as convenient. Encumbrance ratings on rifles range from three (similar to a large pistol) up to seven, which could be problematic for characters that don’t have the ability to carry a large amount of encumbrance.
Several models not only have a high encumbrance, but also have the Cumbersome quality. This means the size and shape of the weapon is especially difficult to handle and this could limit which weapons they would consider choosing. An automatic Difficulty increase on every attack is something that is likely to be unattractive to most players. Considering the Ranged (Heavy) skill itself is based upon Agility, characters specializing in ranged attacks are likely to have some additional XP invested in raising that characteristic. Investing further to raise Brawn as well in order to wield some of these heavy duty weapons is something that could be worth considering during character creation.
Range Variety and Analysis
Blaster rifles typically have a longer range than pistols, with the standard distance being Long range. There are a few models that have longer (Extreme) or shorter (Medium) distance, and that must be taken into consideration when choosing a weapon.
| Model | Dmg | Crit | Range | Encum | HP | Price | Rarity | Source | Special |
| E-11s Sniper Rifle | 10 | 3 | Extreme | 6 | 3 | 3500 | 7 (R) | ETU | Accurate 1, Cumbersome 3, Pierce 2, Slow Firing 1 |
| Weequay Blaster Lance | 8 | 3 | Extreme | 5 | 2 | 850 | 6 | LONH | Accurate 1, Cumbersome 2 |
Two models are equipped to fire from Extreme range. Attacking from such a distance will mean an increased Difficulty on the attack, but does have the benefit of likely being out of range for any retaliation. These weapons also seem well suited for characters playing a sniper role or groups looking to carry out assassinations without being detected.
The E-11s does more damage than the Weequay Blaster, has one more hard point (three versus two), and also has a Pierce 2 ability. However, its main drawback is that it is slow firing, which means that you can only get one shot off with the E-11s for every two shots with the Weequay Blaster. The E-11s also has a much higher cost (four times the cost of the Weequay), is rarer, has a higher Cumbersome rating, and is restricted. For a sniper who has the time and luxury of setting up their shot and taking their time between shots, the higher damage and pierce quality of the E-11s may be more attractive. For those on a budget and looking to fire more frequently for less damage, the Weequay Blaster may be a better choice.
| Model | Dmg | Crit | Range | Encum | HP | Price | Rarity | Source | Special |
| Herloss HBt-4 Hunting Blaster | 10 | 3 | Medium | 5 | 2 | 900 | 6 | FC | Cumbersome 2, Stun Setting |
| Bowcaster | 10 | 3 | Medium | 5 | 2 | 1250 | 7 | EotE | Cumbersome 3, Knockdown |
| Corondexx VES-700 Pulse Rifle | 8 | 3 | Medium | 4 | 3 | 950 | 6 | FC | Blast 6, Stun Setting |
On the flip side, three specific models have Medium range – shorter than your typical blaster rifle. The Herloss HBt-4 Hunting Blaster Rifle and Bowcaster (made popular by Chewbacca) do the most damage of the group, and have average critical rating, encumbrance, rarity, and price. However, they each have only two hard points and a Cumbersome quality. The Bowcaster does also have a Knockdown quality, which can come in handy in certain situations. The Corondexx VES-700 Pulse Rifle is about the same in terms of critical rating, encumbrance, rarity, and cost, but does less damage, has an additional hard point (for a total of three), and has a Blast 6 quality, which makes this weapon effective against groups of bunched up enemies or while fighting in tight spaces.
Of these Medium ranged blaster rifles, the Corondexx stands out, as it’s the only weapon of its type that has the Blast quality. The other two Medium weapons don’t appear to be anything special, as they both have comparable models with very similar stats, yet will reach Long range instead of just Medium. The main difference between those is that the Medium range models will be less expensive.
| Model | Dmg | Crit | Range | Encum | HP | Price | Rarity | Source | Special |
| Light Repeating Blaster | 11 | 3 | Long | 7 | 4 | 2250 | 7 (R) | EotE | Auto-Fire, Cumbersome 4, Pierce 1 |
| LBR-9 Stun Rifle | 10 | – | Long | 6 | 4 | 2800 | 4 | ETU | Disorient 2, Stun Damage |
| Disruptor Rifle | 10 | 2 | Long | 5 | 4 | 5000 | 6 (R) | EotE | Cumbersome 2, Vicious 5 |
| DH-X Heavy Blaster Rifle | 10 | 3 | Long | 7 | 4 | 1900 | 6 | DC | Cumbersome 3, Pierce 2 |
| Heavy Blaster Rifle | 10 | 3 | Long | 6 | 4 | 1500 | 6 | EotE | Auto-Fire, Cumbersome 3 |
| Blaster Rifle | 9 | 3 | Long | 4 | 4 | 900 | 5 | EotE | Stun Setting |
| SKZ Sporting Blaster | 8 | 4 | Long | 3 | 4 | 600 | 4 | SOF | Stun Setting |
| Sonic Rifle | 8 | 6 | Long | 4 | 3 | 1200 | 6 | FH | Concussive 1, Slow-Firing 1, Stun Damage |
Of the remaining models that reach the typical Long range, special qualities and cost will be the main things that set them apart. Two that don’t do much to separate themselves are the basic Blaster Rifle and the SKZ Sporting Blaster Rifle. The main advantage of these two are their cost – under 1000 credits each – as they do average damage and neither has any special features. While these might be suitable as a weapon a new adventurer begins with, they’ll likely be looking to upgrade as soon as they can.
Among the remaining rifles, two possess the notoriously powerful Auto-fire quality – the Light Repeating Blaster Rifle and the Heavy Blaster Rifle. The Light Repeating model does one more damage, also has a Pierce 1 quality, and has a higher Cumbersome rating of 4 (as opposed to 3 for the Heavy Blaster Rifle). However, it is also restricted, harder to find, and is more expensive. Both models have four hard points, the maximum possible for a rifle.
The other weapon that stands out is the Disruptor Rifle. Its Critical Rating of 2 is the lowest among rifles and its Vicious 5 quality means that not only will it be critting often, those critical injuries will be nasty. (And the rules as written in the Core Rulebook indicate that “any Critical Hit results in a ‘Crippled’ effect (a Severity 3 Critical Injury and equivalent to a roll in the 96-100 range) unless the crit roll would result in a more grievous injury. Ouch.) A target that is hit multiple times by this weapon is in serious danger of suffering a fatal critical injury. The extremely deadly nature of this weapon means it is restricted and has a hefty price tag of 5000 credits – by far the most expensive weapon of its class.
For those trying to stay on the right side of the law (and avoid frequent uncomfortable trips through customs), the Heavy Blaster Rifle offers Auto-Fire, high damage, the maximum number of hard points, and won’t break your back. The DH-X Heavy Blaster Rifle does not have Auto-Fire, but does come with Pierce 2, which gives it potentially the highest single-hit damage of the group.
The remaining Long range blaster rifles are very similar in damage, critical rating, encumbrance, hard points, price, and rarity. Personal preference could be the deciding factor in choosing among these, as some of the special qualities include Disorient, Pierce, and Concussive.
Conclusion
Choosing a blaster rifle is not as easy as choosing a blaster pistol, as there are several additional factors to consider. Characters with average or low Brawn will have to carefully consider the Cumbersome quality found on many models. Range is also a consideration, as different rifles can attack from a maximum span between Medium to Extreme. Damage and special qualities remain an important factor as well, as personal preference and the role of the characters come into play. Lastly, the cost of the weapons and restricted status may impact the decision as well. In the end, it will be up to the player to decide which features in a weapon are most important to their character. Edge of the Empire certainly offers a wide variety of options for players to choose from.
Steve "Jaspor" Orr
