Huge cannon, which fires slow-moving plasma-charged projectiles. Rounds are highly effective versus armor, and obliterate any hull structure left underneath.
A feared weapon platform, rarely deployed due to the complexity involved in manufacturing a built-up barrel that can safely fire enormous high-explosive shaped charge rounds. When such a shell impacts a target, the Neumann effect causes the warhead to propel a jet of molten metal into the target's armor, vaporizing a small area, causing hull breaches, depressurization and extensive internal damage from the spall.
–In-Game Description
The Hellbore Cannon is a large ballistic weapon firing high explosive shells. It has the second lowest OP cost of any heavy weapon in the game, beaten only by the Pilum LRM Catapult, and is generally unmatched in the anti-armor role against large targets. At the same time, the slow turret turn rate, rate of fire and projectile velocity leave it ineffective against smaller targets.
Trivia[]
This weapon's name is likely a reference to the 1992 game Star Control II, in that game the Hellbore Cannon is the strongest weapon that a player can mount to their customizable flagship. Alternately, it could be a reference to the Bolo series of science fiction novels by Keith Laumer, where the term first originated. The term also appears in the Starfleet Battles and Starfleet Commands games, in the Space Empires games, and in the Orion's Arm science fiction universe.
