In Part 2 of this series, we took a look at the guns that appear on Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, whose timeline I named “Wolfenstein-2” for ease of reference. The timeline from the 2001 game, whose guns I talked about [here][2], was Wolfenstein-1.

Here, we will take a look at the weapons that appear in Wolfenstein: The New Order, a game that was published before The Old Blood (2014) but whose stories starts right when The Old Blood ends. We’ll also make some mentions to the last game in the trilogy, The New Colossus (from 2017) but the weapons that make their debut in that game will be presented in a future post.

The New Order Plot Overview (Contains Spoilers)

Though this game was launched a year earlier, its story starts off right after The Old Blood ends, in 1946. After B. J. Blaskowicz returns to the Allies with the location of General Deathshead’s secret hideout, they mount a massive attack on that island fortress. This is a higher-budget version of the final chapters of the 2001 game, which ended with Deathshead’s defeat, but things don’t that well here.

The attack is a disaster. Deathshead kills most of B.J.’s unit and leaves the rest of them to die in a deathtrap. The survivors manage to escape just as the room they’re in explodes, but the explosion buries a large piece of shrapnel in Blazko’s brain. He washes ashore somewhere in Poland, catatonic, and since no one knows who he is, gets sent to an asylum. He spends the next 14 years there slowly recovering, with nearly no motor function, slipping in and out of comas.

A Nazi attack on the asylum in 1960 gives him the impulse he needs to complete his recovery, and the first actual level of the game is escaping that situation with a nurse named Anna, the other survivor of the place. They reach Anna’s grandparents, where Blazko learns that the Nazis won the war in 1948, and that as far as everyone knows the last members of the resistance had been captured and sent to an “inescapable” prison in Berlin.

The rest of the game is about freeing these prisoners, rebuilding the resistance, and striking back at Deathshead through a series of daring heists. These start with the rescue of good-guy super-scientist Seth Roth1, and proceed with the the capture of a giant enemy submarine, the recovery of its nuclear launch codes from a Nazi base on the Moon, and finally an attack on Deathshead’s fortress.

Blazko manages to kill Deathshead during the second attack on his fortress, though the asshole manages to detonate a grenade as he dies. The game ends as B. J., too wounded to evacuate, gives his allies the all-clear to launch the nuke that will destroy this fortress for good.

The Guns

The vast majority of the guns here are, again, captured Nazi hardware. And those, in turn, are “new and improved” versions of the guns we saw in The Old Blood.

Their actual mechanics and list of available weapons changes a bit between this game and its sequel in ways that can be better explained by changes in artistic and gameplay direction than by in-setting developments. The weapons presented here are based partially on a melding of their two versions, and partially on what I’d think would be more interesting for a GURPS Action game.

This post focuses on the weapons that make their first appearance in The New Order. The next one will present the ones that first appear in The New Colossus, using the same adaptation strategy.

I’m omitting price information as usual. In a Wolfenstein-inspired game, PCs will be picking these up from the corpses of their enemies. In other games, the GM can figure out a price based on the prices of similar real-world weapons.

Pistols

Pistol Model 1960

A direct descendant of the 1946 model, this one has a more futuristic look, a double-stacked 20-round magazine, and the ability to fire 3-round bursts. It still takes the same cinematic silencer. As before, it adds -1 to Bulk, makes the gun cinematically silent, and also makes it only able to fire in semi-auto mode (RoF 3).

If using standard GURPS skills, you need Guns (Pistol) to fire in semi-auto mode, and Guns (SMG) to fire bursts. If using the optional skills from Pyramid #3/65, you need Guns (Pistol), with the Burst-Fire technique for firing bursts.

TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl
8 Pistol 1960 2d+2 pi 2 160/1800 1.4kg/0.5kg 9 20+1(3) 10 -2 2

Long Arms

In the standard system, use the Guns skill that corresponds to their description (SMG, Shotgun, Rifle).

If you’re using the alternate skills from Pyramid #3/65, they all use Guns (Long Arm), of course. The Burst-Fire technique helps fire weapons at a RoF greater than 3 without penalty.

American Submachine Gun

This is pretty much a historical Thompson M1A1, described in p. HT122. The Allies mostly didn’t have access to superscience in this timeline and were limited to historical equipment.

Allied soldiers are armed with this during the 1946 assault on Deathshead’s compound, and the game expects you to use them for the handful of minutes between the start of gameplay and the moment when you first grab an enemy weapon.

Assault Rifle Model 1960

An evolution of the 1946 model, it’s lighter and uses a double-stacked 45 round magazine, but still fires the same round. The biggest change here is an underbarrel accessory rail that can take a mini-rocket launcher, which appears as an upgrade midway through the game. This is detailed in the Launchers section.

Marksman Rifle 1960

This semi-automatic rifle is about the same length as the AR, but fires a heftier round (likely 7.92x57mm) from a 10-round magazine. It has an integral scope. It’s a relatively rare find both in the hands of enemies and as loot. Clearly the Nazis are bigger fans of the spray-and-pray approach to marksmanship.

An extended 30-round magazine is available: Shots 30+1(3), Weight becomes 6.2kg/1.05kg. The gun can also fire APHC rounds: Dam 6d+2(2) pi-.

Shockhammer Model 1960

Another descendant of the gun from The Old Blood, this one uses a “snail drum” magazine and a single barrel to achieve better performance than its predecessor. The most commonly available shells for the weapon are standard buckshot, and “shrapnel”.

Shrapnel shells fire red-hot fragments that ricochet off walls in a very video-gamey way, allowing the player to hit enemies behind cover or around corners by bouncing the shrapnel off the wall behind them. The shotgun can only fire in semi-auto mode while using these shells.

For the GURPS version below, I’m treating shrapnel as Multi-Flechette shells (High-Tech p. 174) with an incendiary effect. Damage becomes 1d+1 pi- inc; Range becomes 100/1200; RoF becomes 3x20. GMs who wish to replicate the ricochet effect can reduce the penalty for firing at targets behind cover when there are suitable surfaces nearby.

At the GM’s discretion, any special shells listed in High Tech and Ultra-Tech might also be available for this shotgun.

Long Arms Table

TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl
7 Thompson M1A1 2d+1 pi+ 3 170/1900 6.1kg/0.8kg 11 30+1(3) 10† -5 2
7 MP-61 4d pi- 4 170/1900 3.1kg/0.4kg 13 45+1(3) 8† -4* 2
8 Assault Rifle 5d pi 5 500/3100 5.5kg/1kg 12 45+1(3) 9† -5 2
8 Marksman Rifle 6d+2 pi 5 850/3750 5.5kg/0.35kg 3 10+1(3) 10† -5 2
8 Shockhammer 1d+1 pi 3 40/800 7.1kg/1.05kg 6x9 20(5) 11† -5 1/7

Energy Weapons

There is a surprising amount of energy weapons in both games. All of these use Beam Weapons (Rifle) unless noted otherwise.

Laser weapons in this setting draw power from internal batteries that can’t be removed without disassembling the weapon. The usual method of reloading them is by using one of the highly dangerous industrial power outlets that seem to be everywhere in Nazi-dominated cities and facilities.

In The New Order, these use short-ranged wireless power transfer. In The New Colossus, they use a thick cable with a plug that resembles a gas station pump. I suggest picking an aesthethic and sticking to it.

Wireless Charging: The wielder must stay within 2 meters of the outlet during the process, which causes lightning to arc between the outlet and the weapon’s power receptors. Doing anything with the weapon other than holding it steady will interrupt the recharge.

Wired Charging: The wielder must plug the cable into the weapon (1 Ready Action), and then stay within 1 meter of the outlet. The weapon cannot be used while charging. Once charging is done, it takes another Ready maneuver to unplug it.

Recharge time is listed for each weapon, and has more to do with the weapon’s ability to absorb incoming power than with the outlet’s ability to provide it! The later seems to be effectively limitless, at least on a personal scale. Yes, these things are extremely unsafe. What happens if you stab someone with the wired plug or intercept them with the arc of the wireless charger is left as an exercise for the GM.

In some places you can also find portable batteries that can be used to top up a weapon through a similar process. The GM will say how many shots from a weapon an individual battery can recharge.

Lunar Laser Rifle

On the Moonbase level of The New Order, everyone carries a laser weapon with the same external appearance as the Marksman Rifle. It lacks a scope, and can fire in full-auto mode. Its performance seems to be about on par with the assault rifle, though it is a lot better at dealing with heavily-armored enemies. Industrial outlets recharge it at 3 shots per second.

Despite being a laser weapon based on the Marksman Rifle, Nazi soldiers don’t usually use Aim maneuvers with it, so they are no more accurate than usual when wielding it.

It doesn’t exist in The New Colossus, not even on Venus. Maybe it was a pet project of Deathshead’s for the moon base, and got phased out when he died.

Marksman Rifle (Combined)

When you return to Earth after the Moonbase level, B.J.’s Marksman Rifle becomes a combination gadget of sorts, with the scope on a hinged mount. With the mount closed and the scope in place, it fires bullets as before. With the scope folded away, it behaves like the Moonbase laser rifle.

This design is probably more of a video game quality of life decision than something feasible in setting, but if you want to include it in your campaigns you can treat it as a Combination Gadget per the rules on Ultra-Tech p. 16.

Under those rules, Weight becomes 8kg/0.35kg (or 8.7/1.05 with the extended mag). Switching modes requires a Ready maneuver, and the weapon uses the Damage, Acc, Range, RoF, Shots and ST of whatever version is the currently active one. Keep track of both ammo counts separately!

Laserkraftwerk

This is an experimental laser weapon that B. J. “liberates” from a lab early in The New Order. It’s about carbine-sized, and fires shots that are more powerful than those of the lunar laser rifle.

The LKW also has an alternate “laser cutter” module that’s useful for quietly severing chains and cutting through chain-link fences and thin metal walls. This does 2d(2) burn and can run continuously for half an hour on a full battery, if it matters.

Over the course of the game, the player can find several upgrades for the LKW, including a scope, a double-capacity battery, and new internal parts that allow it to fire more often or to fire a more powerful “charged” shot that’s better at dealing with large and heavily armored opponents.

In the Weapon Table below, you get stats both for the baseline version and the fully-upgraded one.

Industrial outlets recharge the weapon at a rate of 1 shot per second with the standard battery, or 2 shots per second with the expanded one. The final upgrade in The New Order is an “ancient supertech” portable reactor that recharges the weapon at a rate of 1 shot per 2 seconds whenever it’s not being fired, regardless of its battery size.

Energy Weapon Table

TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl
8+2^ Marskman Rifle (Laser) 5d(2) burn 12 500/1500 5.5kg 5 28* 7† -5 1
8+2^ LKW (baseline) 6d(2) burn 12 700/2100 4.5kg 3 10* 7† -4 1
8+2^ LKW (fully upgraded) 6d(2) burn sur 12+2 700/2100 5.5kg 5 20* 7† -4 1
  charged shot 6dx3(3) burn sur       1 **      

*: See description for recharge time.

**: Drains power equivalent to 5 shots from the battery.

Grenades and Launchers

Enemy soldiers are enthusiastic about using hand grenades in the The New Order, and only a little less so in The New Colossus. Launcher weapons are much rarer.

In The New Order, enemies use the same Hand Grenade from the previous post in the 1946 prologue. By 1960 they’ve switched to using Tesla grenades exclusively.

Tesla Grenade

This looks like a modernized version of the Stick Hand Grenade used back in 1946. Its explosive power is equivalent, but also releases an electromagnetic pulse that can “stun” robotic and cybernetic enemies in a 4-meter radius from the epicenter of the explosion. They must make a HT-8(2) roll or be knocked out of action for seconds equal to their margin of failure. That (2) means that any electromagnetic shielding that would provide a bonus to this roll only works at half effectiveness.

This also applies to battery-powered weapons of any kind, which usually have HT 12.

Underbarrel Rocket Launcher

An accessory compatible with the 1960 Assault Rifle, this launcher fires 40mm anti-armor rockets from a removable cylinder with a 4-round capacity. It’s issued to soldiers that are expected to go against heavily-armored opposition, and who are usually heavily-armored themselves.

The launcher can only be used if it’s attached to another weapon. By default that’s the assault rifle, which has the rails to receive it, but players might decide to get creative with their jury-rigging. It adds its weight to the overall weight of the other weapon and worsens its Bulk by -1.

In the standard skill system, this uses the Guns (LAW) skill. In the alternate one, it’s Guns (Long Arm) aided by the Payload Warhead technique.

Hand Grenade Table

TL Weapon Damage Weight Fuse Bulk
8+1 Tesla Grenade 7d cr ex 0.7kg 4-5 -3
  linked HT-8(2) aff      

Rocket Launcher Table

TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl
8+1 Underbarrel Rocket Launcher 5dx2(10) cr ex 2 1900 2kg/1kg 1 4(5) 9† – 2
  linked 2d cr ex [1d-1]                

Heavy Weapons

Laser Machine Gun

The old Venom machine gun from the war has been replaced with this energy weapon in the Sixties. Like its predecessor, the Laser MG is found in fixed mounts, in the hands of cybernetic supersoldiers, and mounted on the many models of giant robot stomping around. It can fire for quite a bit before running dry. This can look like either a sequence of rapid pulses or a continuous beam, but either version uses the same stats. Enemies don’t like to aim with it either, improving the players’ chances of survival when facing it. It’s heavy and bulky enough to be only a “sometimes” gun for the player, used when found and quickly discarded when empty.

Industrial outlets reload it at a rate of 20 shots per second. When attached to a fixed mount, the weapon’s Acc improves to 18, and it’s recharged as if connected to an outlet when not firing. Attaching or detaching it takes 2 Ready maneuvers. The weapon uses the Gunner (Beams) skill even when detached.

Heavy Weapon Table

TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl
8+2^ Laser MG 6d(2) burn 12 700/2100 25kg 10 200* 15M -8 1

*: See description for recharge time.

  1. Seth belongs to the Da’at Yichud, an ancient society of engineers that had been building superscience devices as a form of worship since before the rest of humanity had organized religion. Deathshead’s inventions are all copied from one of their vaults, which he found in the 40s. I’ve seen the concept described as kinda problematic despite the designers’ best intentions. ↩