This is mostly the case. There's always going to be a market for cheap, simple weapons.

Meta-wise, we're all gun nuts to some degree or another. Writing Xander Cage running around with a Mossberg is infinitely more appealing to me than writing him with a phaser rifle, nevermind character considerations. :)

	Chad Collier Smirking Kilrathi The Captain of the Gravy Train

Gun nuts, sword afficionados, motor heads...more than just guns nuts, I'd say, although maybe it's just Gryphon.

One other thing about chemical propellant weapons can be shock value...sure, there are times you want them quiet, but a whole garrison line opening up in unison is rather intimidating, audibly and visually. Phasers are too quiet and visually kinda dull, unless they disintegrate something.

UF Janice also noted MY biggest objection to continuous beam weapons in S4M7 - you have to hold them onto target. That, and, like the contrail from Tucker's sniper rifle, continuous beam weapons pinpoint your position to a T, so there are obviously some tactical disadvantages to them as well as the cost issues noted below.

-D-

Oh, no, it's certainly not. I was just limiting my response to the specific example of 'chemical slugthrowers' that was being discussed. Helps keep things on topic. ;)

	Chad Collier Smirking Kilrathi The Captain of the Gravy Train

I was thinking swords on the topics of tech and weapons in reference to lightsabers, actually. And I put motorheads because I felt I needed a third commonality, although I could have mentioned mechs just as easily. But that's all fiddly crap.

Now that I'm thinking about tech levels though, do any modern forces other than the WDF and Salusia employ ships with Class Omega weapons? One-of-a-kind superships like Tsunami notwithstanding, I can't seem to recall any recent ships with the big guns, other than the flagship given to Gryphon by Asrial, Invincible, and that falls under the aforementioned category of Salusian forces.

I know that the most obvious reason, of course, is again probably for the increase in dramatic tension and whatnot, as the ability to wipe out small fleets in one blast reduces the overall threat to your forces; Story-wise, all these weapons are fairly well tested (one would have to be a fool to fire a flakey Class Omega, considering the energies involved), so is this simply due to the engineering and space requirements for this weapon class?

-D-