Blaster Weapon Fundamentals
The following document is a captured intercept of blaster technology from an old Rebellion reference manual. As most Imperial documents have long since been weighed down with jargon and technical terminology that only befuddles new recruits, we have opted for this simpler document.
Blasters have long been the dominant form of weaponry in our galaxy. While blaster technology is continually advanced and refined, the basic function of the weapon remains unchanged from the first primitive weapons. The BlasTech DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol is currently one of the more popular personal weapons. The function of the DL-44's internal components is repeated in every blaster, from the simplest hold-out blaster up to the massive turbolasers on Imperial Star Destroyers.
Every blaster carries a small supply of excitable gasses which are held in the Gas Chamber. Different gasses provide different power levels and different colored bolts. On the DL-44, pulling the trigger opens the Heter-Valve energy converter valve. A small amount of gas flows into the XCiter gas conversion enabler and is excited by the energy released from the power pack. The excited gasses are moved to the Actuating Blaster Module and then released as a beam of intense energy and light. The energy from the released gas is focused, or galvenned, when it passes down the barrel of the gun. The light is an unimportant by-product of the operation because the energy is what gives a blaster bolt its punch.
Blasters can take a lot of hard falls, their power packs are easy to recharge or replace, and they are easy to use. The only real problem for blasters is acquiring adequate amounts of blaster gas. Although a very small amount of gas goes a long way, eventually it runs out.
Most Rebel field groups carry a large canister of gas with them to replenish gas supplies for their blasters. When I say large, I recommend nothing bigger than the size of a canteen. If you need more gas for an extended operation, bring several containers. Merr-Sonn has a fine gas container that can keep six active Rebels supplied with excitable gasses for two weeks.
In a pinch, I've taken the lubricant container of a demolished droid and used it as a gas canister. Make sure to rinse it with some Berko-8 first. You'll need a to change the valve nozzle for M820, M835, and 976a lubricant containers, but the nozzles of other containers I've encountered fit snugly onto the blaster's gas chamber nozzle for a proper transfer of gasses.
Orveth, sig, prothium, eleton, tolium, and skevon are the six most common gasses used for blasters, and normally cost 50 credits for per large canister. Other gasses, such as spin-sealed Tibanna gas from Cloud City, are just as powerful but harder to find.
Source[edit]
This first appeared in Cracken's Rebel Field Guide by Christoper Kubasik, published by West End Games in 1991.
