just for shits and giggles, I pulled out my 1e book and took a look at the guns and how flechette ammo used to work, WAAAY back in the beginning:
The Slivergun had a damage code of 2M3 AFTER factoring in flechette ammo.... (this is important!)
The Predator is tied for the max damage in a pistol at a base code of 4m2 (that would be regular ammo)
now, lets look at what flechette used to do: HALVE ballistic armor, DOUBLE impact armor use the higher modified value to resist. -1 power level, +1 staging.
So the Slivergun stays at a 2M3 damage code. BUT the Predator ends up at 4L3 damage code, a full damage rank below the slivergun!
now why does this matter? well lets look at the common armors:
Armored clothing B:3 I:0
Armored Jacket: B:5 I:3
Armored Vest B:2 I:0
Lined Coat B:4 I:2
Vest with plates B:4 I:3
Armor counted as AUTO successes on the damage resistance test, and everyone only had basically 10 health. 2 damage was a light wound (L code) 4 damage was a moderate wound (M code), 6 damage was a serious wound. (S code), and the dreaded DEADLY DAMAGE was 10 damage (D code).
Now lets talk combat a bit:
for a weapon back then the number before the power code was the "Damage rating". and the number after the damage code was staging rating.. how many successes you need to stage the damage up AND the power code up.
Burst fire gave a damage modifier of: +2 damage rating, +1 power code.
depending on equipment, skills, "pools", attributes, and modifiers, players could be rolling for a single attack with as many as 30 dice VERY easily. And with a target number as low as 2... (so they needed to roll a 1 to miss!)
So I don't like Fred.... I decide to walk up behind Fred, pull out my Slivergun, take careful aim at that left butt cheek.. and let off a burst!
Slivergun: 2m3
Burst raises that to: 4s3
I roll my 30 dice VS a target number of 3..... and get 15 successes!!!
Damage stages to: 9D3
Fred is wearing an Armored Jacket (B:5 I3). But because I am using a Slivergun, the ballistic part is halved, and the I pact doubles. So Fred's new Armor ratings are B:3I:6 and he resists with 6 armor (Flechette is resisted by the higher of the 2 modified values)
Is Fred Dead?
Well, he gets 6 auto successes... and gets to roll his body VS a target number of... 9. (so he rolls his dice, picks up the 6s and rolls those again...) chances are not good of gettting more then 1.
SO Fred has 7 Successes.... which is enough to stage the damage back down by 2 power ratings... (from deadly to Serious, to Moderate)
Fred now has a moderate wound, and many, many, many tiny metal shards in his ass...
Starting to see why Flechette and the Slivergun where so good.. and illegal?