Weapons technology is always moving on, so in some ways this is an update to Bag Full of Guns: This is my Rifle (published 2006 - this work came out two years later in 2008), and it should prove of interest to any character who has a vacant space in his gun cabinet.

It starts by offering a few new weapon qualities - like camouflaged (it's painted to blend in with a chosen terrain), modular (you can swap out parts of the system without recourse to an armourer's shop) and minimum range (think of a rocket-propelled grendade - they travel a preset distance before they arm, much safer for the firer) and a few others. And so on to the weapons themselves, beginning with a sub-machine gun and a huge sniper rifle designed for use against light vehicles and strengthened positions. An assortment of other sniper rifles follows, then on to assault rifles, a bolt-action rifle, semi-automatic shotguns and heavy machine guns. Plenty of firepower to hand when you need it.

Next comes some new ammunition types and weapon upgrades, followed by a couple of new body armours and a few useful gadgets. Now the Boomerang Acoustic Shooter Detection System, which helps you pinpoint that rascal who's taking potshots at you, was apparently developed in 2004 - although I recall something similar (if a bit more low-tech) being used in Northern Ireland in 1978! Nothing new under the sun, it seems. Finally there's a high tech personal battle management system called Land Warrior (in the US version, several other nations have devised similar systems) that puts a lot of information at the soldier's fingertips whilst still leaving him free to fight.

Each item gets a paragraph or two about what it offers (and how well) as well as an entry in the tables at the back with all the game mechanics you need to incorporate it into play. No pictures, alas, but as most are 'real world' developments you can find them online if you want to know what they look like and even read the manufacturer's advertising blurb for them!

You can never have too much firepower, and there are some interesting weapons here, as well as other equipment that is useful in combat.

Return to Bag Full of Guns: This is my Gun page.

Reviewed: 27 January 2015