User talk:LRichardson/Essays/Gun, Automatic, Utility, Model 20 (GAU-20)

Amaroq here. I had been perusing the Non-Canon and Apocryphal sections of Sarna for a while now, and I fell in love with your essays almost immediately.

I do, however, feel I need to contribute something to this one; the GAU-20 is a bit underpowered given its size, and while it has a much longer range than an AC-20 (coupled with the lack of a minimum range), I feel like it still doesn't really offer much of an upgrade over the AC-20 to be worth needing to make Cluster Rolls. May I perhaps suggest making it a GAU-30 instead, and/or reducing the size of the GAU-20 to fit in place of smaller weapons like the AC-12/AC-15, or a Gauss Rifle? Just because it's bolt-in compatible doesn't necessarily mean it has to be the same weight.

Similarly, an alternate GAU-5 variant that occupies the same space and weight as a Medium Rifle or Large Laser (both being 5 Megagrams/Metric Tons in mass, and occupying 2 Critical Slots) would be useful for, well, obsolete units that used to use Medium Rifles and Large Lasers (in the latter case, trading the 500 kilogram amplifier and 8000 kilograms of heat sinks for 8.5 Megagrams of Ammunition).

A GAU-3 would also be good as an alternative to Medium Rifles, with a +3 bonus on Cluster Rolls and a -1 To-Hit Modifier to compensate for its low damage potential, (along with a free ton of ammunition occupying the same critical slot as the weapon), being a handy swap-in for units equipped with Light Rifles, which weigh 3 tons and occupy a single Critical Slot, but are completely useless against mechs.

I love your articles, man. I hope you write more. I'm currently working on supplementary material for IndustrialMechs, like special (and super cheap) industrial grade components.

Amaroq Dricaldari (talk) 12:19, 14 March 2018 (EDT)