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On-board artillery pieces are guns with a large structure and possibly an enclosed armored interior for the crew like a vehicle may have. However the published SWMB rules for on-board artillery predate the vehicle rules in the Companion so those guns take damage a little differently. For example the anti-infantry turret is given a Body STR of 4 and 24 Body Points. It takes between 12 and 24 separate hits to destroy it because it uses the same basic Damage Table that infantry targets do, and the rules say that 'Each wound removes one of the battery's Body Points; each incapacitated result removes two.' That may be a realistic toughness when the enemy is only firing the small arms listed in the basic SWMB rules, but the turret is unrealistically resistant to damage from heavier vehicle guns, always absorbing a minimum of 12 separate hits even from an AT-AT's main guns.
The simplest solution to this imbalance is to treat the on-board artillery pieces like stationary vehicles using the vehicle rules, so hits from heavy weapons will cause more damage than small arms fire to the artillery. Use the Vehicle Damage Table from the Companion, and use the Critical Hit Table results as written except for:
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If my variant rules for on-board artillery are used, the stats of the artillery also should be modified to follow the precedents of the vehicle rules.
Golon Arms Twin DF.9/B Medium Anti-Infantry Battery
The twin anti-infantry gun's stats should be changed from Body STR 4, Body Points 24 to:
I also propose this variant rule: Instead of always using the 2.5" radius template, the player can choose to use following fire against a single vehicle larger than a speeder bike. The dual repeating blasters fire a large number of shots per turn and should have a chance to hit a large target more than once per turn, in lieu of hitting multiple small targets.
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Light Anti-Vehicle Cannon / Atgar 1.4 FD P-Tower
This anti-vehicle laser dish is listed as Body Strength = 1 and Body Points = 8. Its BPs also should be raised to the standard STR x 10, and I think the STR of 1 is way too fragile. The guns that were disabled after one hit at Hoth were taking direct shots from AT-AT main guns (2 linked guns each with Damage STR = 18). I would increase the dish's STR to at least that of a military speeder bike:
Note that these modified versions have significantly lower SGP costs than the versions published in the SWMB rules. The lower costs are necessary when using my variant damage rules because the guns are more vulverable to enemy heavy fire, and also because of the inherent disadvantages that unmaneuverable units have on the skirmish scale battlefield. Playtesting these rules using the original SGP costs showed that an equal SGP value of enemy vehicles with following fire weapons could tear through a small line of these guns in just a few turns.
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Golan Arms DF.9
The turret gun seen at the Battle of Hoth probably was the Golan Arms DF.9 Medium Anti-Infantry Battery. This is considered the most commonly used Rebel gun and is also standard issue for Imperials (sources Rebel Alliance Sourcebook, Imperial Sourcebook):
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Twin DF.9
This is a small tower with a turret and two repeating blasters that is very similar to the basic DF.9 design. It is primarily used by the Empire and its allies but some may fall into Rebel hands (sources Rebel Alliance Sourcebook, Imperial Sourcebook):
The Twin DF.9 should have the option of using following fire instead of the template against a single vehicle target larger than a speeder, because its blast template represents a large number of repeating blaster hits in a tight cluster.
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DF.9/B
This is mentioned in the Imperial Sourcebook but not fully described. It is "a fixed-installation version" with "a heavily armored 4-meter tower" and a fully closed turret. It requires only 2 crewmen to operate. One possible interpretation would be to use the Twin DF.9 stats and raise the Body Strength to BS 9 / BP 90 (+ 10 SGPs) or BS 10 / BP 100 (+ 20 SGPs). The sourcebook also mentions that this gun has been improved by having a 360 degree turret instead of a 180 fire arc, but I have interpreted all these guns as having 360 turrets in SWMB to balance their vulnerability to the enemy's fast, maneuverable speeders.
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Twin SP.9
This is a self-propelled gun with an open-top turret. The method of propulsion is not specified but I presume it has repulsorlifts in its base (sources Rebel Alliance Sourcebook, Imperial Sourcebook):
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C/AF.9
An older model than all the others, still used by backwater militias and Imperial Army units (source Imperial Sourcebook):
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Atgar 1.4 FD P-Tower
This is the dish-shaped gun seen at the Battle of Hoth. Unlike the modified stats above based on the SWMB version of this gun, this is a conversion directly from the RPG stats (sources Rebel Sourcebook Alliance, Imperial Sourcebook):
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As a simple alternative to the artillery pieces converted from the RPG, players might consider using one of the vehicle guns from the Companion as a stationary artillery piece. Use the published SGP cost of the gun, plus 10 per point of Body STR, plus 5 per cover rating (full cover = 50), plus the cost of crew just as with vehicles. All guns should have a minimum crew of at least 2, a gunner and a 'loader' who helps run the various systems. Unlike the original SWMB artillery pieces these weapons probably should have a point blank range below their short range. Guns on raised towers could be given a minimum firing range equal to 2x their height to simulate the limits of their declination. Shots at targets within that minimum range could be either prohibited or allowed at a base difficulty of 12 (per the rule in Imperial Entanglements p. 9).
For example, a BS 5 / BP 50 enclosed turret would cost 100 SGP. A Mk 3e/S Medium Blaster Cannon (Dam STR 10, FC 2, Short Range 25-100, with following fire) costs 67 SGP according to the Companion, so in a BS 5 turret it would cost a total of 167 SGPs plus crew. That seems fairly balanced with the cost of the published vehicles and their weapons.
This alternative would allow players to experiment with different weapons, with or without various amounts of armor. Many miniatures and toys are available to represent the guns, from small towed field guns to heavy permanent towers.
An expanded variety of artillery pieces is ideal for planned scenarios involving the defense of well-prepared fortifications. If they are allowed in a 'bring and battle' tournament style game it might be preferable to limit the STR of the guns chosen and the amount of armor allowed. Weapons with Damage STR 12 or less and Body STR 10 or less might be appropriate limits, or players could set limits equal to the strength of the largest vehicles allowed. Depending on the scenario players could require that certain heavier guns be fielded without an armored turret (limit BS to 4 with no 'full cover' enclosed interior) or in simple solid bunkers with only a 90 degree forward arc of fire. In the absence of a GM, players should work out all the details of such optional house rules in advance of the game.
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