Reply With QuoteAdvanced ablative armor, most guns cannot penetrate instead just taking out pieces of it so you are force to use something else to try and penetrate or just use heavy weapons which also provides a roll for guns still.
(If this is in the wrong spot I apologize)
Because the idea of Hand-to-Hand combat in the far future is just so cool and like many on this site I am writr and so I started thinking of ways I would justify Close Combat between military forces in a sci-fi setting and I searched the net and found a few ideas, but they all had fatal flaws
1. Slow-Fields like the ones in Dune.
Fatal flaws:
How do they stop lasers if they're clear?
Lasers and force-fields cause nuclear explosions? WTH?
How come you have to move super-slow to get through one? It doesn't make sense, a person can just dodge around their attacker and never have to parry and a human being is a considerably slower than an bullet or an arrow. So really the characters should have been able to move at full speed and still have a force-field that stopped enemy projectile weapons.
Why fight with swords? I know they have personal force-fields, but why not just take a rifle, stick the first two or three inches of the barrel through and past the field's protection and then pull the trigger?
2. Guns can be hacked.
Fatal flaw:
Guns work on mechanical principles, last I heard it's kinda hard to hack a system of mechanicl parts.
3. Explosive Decompression
Fatal flaws:
Then why do these spaceships carry around frikkin laser beams to carve each other up with if they're worried about explosive decompression?
It's not like Star Wars where the ships slug it out Napoleonic style, Winchell Chung of Atomic Rockets pretty much explodes (no pun intended) that whole idea and pointed out that any starship designer with half a brain would compartmentalize the vessel, plus they'll probably have armor.
Why would you come alongside and board any enemy warship? As the range of weapons increased, boarding actions went the way of the Pike Square. How many times did Battleships close and send their crews over the side with cutlasses in WWI and WWII?
And whenever spec-ops team board a ship to free hostages or something you don't see them bring swords and maces along.
Plus there are now rounds that will punch through human flesh, but not through sheetrock.
4. Swords don't run out of bullets
Fatal Flaws:
Yeah, that worked really well for all those spear-wielding tribesmen that charged the British Machine Guns and Riflemen.
I can find some cover and shoot someone a long ways off with a gun before they ever reach me with their magic sword. Even better if I have a Squad with machine guns and grenade launchers.
I can carry a lot more bullets than you can swords
5. Warrior Culture
Fatal flaws:
That might work sometimes until you run into, oh, a culture that has no problem with shooting people from a long ways away.
What about the pragmatic types who decide the find cover and a lot ammo and shoot their enemies from a long ways away?
6. Teleportation/Cloaking Devices
Fatal flaws:
Why not carry a suppressed pistol? Right now (Not to mention sub-sonic ammo) there are suppressors that are good enough that the only sound you can hear is the action cycling and presumably they'll only improve as time goes by.
Why not teleport in, toss a grenade and teleport out and repeat as necesary?
. . . Yes, as a matter of fact, I did put way too much thought into this, thank you for asking.
So with that in mind what reasons would ya'll have for justifying close combat between military forces (so we're not talking about 1x1 or duels here) in a sci-fi setting.
Friendly neighborhood nasty, horrible, oppressive, intolerant, anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti-birth control, conservative Christian.
And I'm okay with shooting animals and eating their meat, too. I also hate cats.
Advanced ablative armor, most guns cannot penetrate instead just taking out pieces of it so you are force to use something else to try and penetrate or just use heavy weapons which also provides a roll for guns still.
“Enemies of the Imperium, hear me. You have come here to die. The Immortal Emperor is with us and we are invincible. His soldiers will strike you down. His war machines will crush you under their treads. His mighty guns will bring the very sky crashing down upon you. You cannot win. The Emperor has given us his greatest weapon to wield. So make yourselves ready. We are the Imperial Guard, and your doom is upon you. "
If we're talking science fiction that's both quite realistic and futuristic, then melee-based close combat is not going to make much sense between conventional forces.
If it's too fast, get a computer to shoot it for you.
If it's too far, get a rocket to propel the ammunition further.
If it's too armored, overheat it with microwaves.
If it's immune to microwaves, use x-rays.
If it's immune to x-rays, use explosives.
If the explosives didn't work, get more explosives.
If we are being realistic than much of that is not man-portable really or safe for unarmored infantry to use.Originally Posted by Ommanipadmehum
“Enemies of the Imperium, hear me. You have come here to die. The Immortal Emperor is with us and we are invincible. His soldiers will strike you down. His war machines will crush you under their treads. His mighty guns will bring the very sky crashing down upon you. You cannot win. The Emperor has given us his greatest weapon to wield. So make yourselves ready. We are the Imperial Guard, and your doom is upon you. "
If all else fails, nuke it.
You had to move super-slow to get through them because the force fields stopped anything over X velocity. As for why fight with swords?
Because it's a lot easier to get a blade through a shield than a gun.
As for Lasers + Shields = Nuclear explosions, I do believe that was complete handwavium to explain why they weren't omnipresent on the battlefield thus invalidating hand to hand.
How is it harder to stick the first few centimeters of the gun barrel past the protection of the shield and pull the trigger?
(Not trying to sound confrontational, I'm just curious)
Friendly neighborhood nasty, horrible, oppressive, intolerant, anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti-birth control, conservative Christian.
And I'm okay with shooting animals and eating their meat, too. I also hate cats.
Best solution to energy field: EMP. Bam.
Because the bullet would still be on the other side of the field. BLAM you've just blown your gun up in your hands.
Hmm, could you put a grenade in there?
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