On Thu, May 05, 2016 at 01:23:09AM +0000, Phil Pugliese (via tml list) wrote:
> But that leads to another thought: What if the standard shipboard
> "sidearm" is a pistol crossbow?
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
>
> How about a  pistol 'gaussbow' that fires (launches?)  the same thing?
>
> or maybe uses compressed gas?

I figure that the "fragile ships" thing is a red herring -- or even an
AF plot device in its own right.

Starship crew members aren't going to blow a hole in the hull with any
reasonable personal sidearm, because Traveller ship hulls are required
to be extremely tough -- even the civilian ones.  You may damage some
internal ship systems, but the most critical ones will have backups,
some armouring, and be well out of the usual way anyway.

If the worst does happen, well ... once you're in the position where
you're drawing lethal weapons, you've already accepted that people are
likely to die.  You're going to want effective weapons to increase the
chance that it's the enemy.  Blades or gaussbows are likely to be
bulky, heavy, and not as effective in most situations as other choices
for a standard weapon.

- Tim