Alien event card; ork with a Devastator.

[tallyho]

This is what i found on the net.
"What I was able to come up with was the use of the word Devestator in the
little fluff story running on the bottom of most of the Space Crusade
rulebook pages.  On page 12, the Space Marine named Kanner is instructed to
bring up the Plasma Gun.  On page 13, the Space Marine named Tenard is told
to get ready with the Missile Launcher.  On page 18, Kanner is ordered to
bring the Devestator"

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.games.board/browse_thread/thread/27bb1daa6eaa3635/09d4807872896a2b?lnk=st&q=devastator+space+crusade&rnum=1#09d4807872896a2b

Just thinking loud.

[MortiS-the-Lost]

Tallyho! Welcome aboard!

Please take some time to head on over to The Introductions Page and tell us a little about yourself so we can all welcome you

tallyho wrote

This is what i found on the net.
"What I was able to come up with was the use of the word Devestator in the
little fluff story running on the bottom of most of the Space Crusade
rulebook pages.  On page 12, the Space Marine named Kanner is instructed to
bring up the Plasma Gun.  On page 13, the Space Marine named Tenard is told
to get ready with the Missile Launcher.  On page 18, Kanner is ordered to
bring the Devestator"

Interesting, this question has come up a few times at my gaming table as you might imagine.

Although the term is not used in the same way anywhere else in the Space Crusade rules we normally interpret Devastator to mean Heavy Weapon (as in the 40k term Devastator Squad) - so we take the card to mean that the Alien Player may use the 'Ork Mekainiak' card to have the Ork in question fire a Heavy Weapon of their choice.

I've got to admit I hadn't thought to look to the Favour text for an answer before though so this has got me thinking

So it seems to me (based on the idea that a marine would remain assigned to
the same heavy weapon) that the Devastator is the Plasma Gun, used as
described on page 12 of the Space Crusade rulebook.

now it is interesting to think that Devastator might mean Plasma Gun

First of all it's been commented on by many people that the Space Crusade Plasma Gun looks like a Flamer rather than a Plasma Gun (stick with me here there is a point to this). Now in a pre-view of Space Crusade in White Dwarf's (I'll check the number later) 'Eavy Metal which showed the metal prototypes for the plastic Space Crusade Miniatures has the weapon labelled as a Flamer (also note the Assault Cannon is labelled as an Auto-Cannon, but I'll get back to that another time)

So it stands to reason that at some point during the game's design and writing (after the prototype models had been made) it was decided that the Plasma Gun would for whatever reason would replace the Flamer. This may have been because the writers decided there needed to be a wider variety of weapon effects (note that in WD134 the Heavy Flamer in the Terminator Squad optional rules has a very similar effect to the Missile Launcher). I think it's fair to speculate that perhaps Devastator was used as a 'working name' for the weapon while the rules were re-written and the event card (and also I guess the 2nd reference in the flavour text) was over looked when the weapon's name was finally changed to Plasma Gun

Further evidence that the use of the word Devastator on the 'Ork Mekainiak' card might refer Plasma Gun can also be seen in WD134 in the optional rules for using an Ork Mob in place of a Marine Squad. One of the Ork Equipment cards is called Kustom Weapon and has an effect some what like that of the 'Ork Mekainiak' card.

note that the Ork in question is referred to as a Mekainiak (and also the shortened term Mek) and his weapon has the same effect as a Heavy Plasma Gun

So in conclusion I think we may have enough evidence to safely say: Devastator = Plasma Gun in this case

[Conorius]

I am sure this is a write Error the Assault Canonn (German: Sturmkanone) s called Auto-Cannon ( German: Maschienenkanone) and the Plasa Gun (German: Plasmawerfer) is called Flamer (German: Flammenwerfer),
in the Space Crusade Game we can see the Flamer (German: Flammenwerfer) in action !!!

The Space Crusade Squad is a "Crack Squad" like the 2nd ED. 40k "Chaos Squad".

with:
 1 Commander
 3 Special or Heavy Weapons
 1 or more Bolter

Battle-Field-Role:
As Life Guard of a Lieutenat or a Captain is a HQ Squad.
Commanded by a Sergeant
 - with 3 Heavy Weapons is it use as Devastator Squad.
 - under 3 Heavy Weapons is a Tatical Squad.