One of my potential players for an online campaign is put off by there being no difference at all in weapons in terms of inherent damage.
Damage is determined by the PC's skill with that weapon and the roll he makes. If you're highly skilled, it's assumed you've trained with that weapon and you know where to hit someone, how to hit someone, to do the most damage you can with that weapon. You can hit the vital points, maximizing the injury. It doesn't depend on whether you have a knife, a Glock, or a shotgun. The better
you are, the better you'll do.
Let's say you have a three guys, all with the Pistol skill and armed with a standard sidearm. All have a base DEX 40%, but one is a Specialist (+15%); one is an Expert (+30%); and one is a Master (+55%).
They all shoot at the same target, and they all roll a 50. Defender rolls a 5.
The Specialist with his 55% hits, but only barely with a 5% difference. On Defense column 5, he scores a Light result (grazed him), and the defender takes 2-20 points and 2 wounds.
The Expert with his 70% also hits with a 20% difference. On Defense column 5, he scores a Moderate result (bullet went through a limb), and the defender takes 4-40 points and 3 wounds.
And the Master with his 95% hits with a crushing 45% difference. On Defense column 5, he also scores a Moderate result, and the defender takes 4-40 points and 3 wounds. But the defender is also knocked back 5 feet and potentially losing anything in his hands.
And the guy who's never shot a Pistol in his life? He uses Unskilled Melee. Let's say, for easy math, that his USM is base 40%. He gets no bonuses. He rolled the same 50. And he missed.
So I don't care if that pistol is a flintlock pistol, a Saturday Night Special, a .45, or whatever. A short-range bullet is a short-range bullet. Doesn't matter what caliber it is if it went into your heart, eh? But YOUR SKILL with that pistol determines what you do with it.
Put this way: Most RPGs have a hit/miss system. If you need a 15 to hit and you rolled a 15, 17, or 19, you hit. Your roll has no bearing on the degree of success. Pass/fail. So the guy with a 2d6 weapon will do the same damage regardless of his To Hit die roll. With the Pacesetter system, that initial To Hit roll has EVERYTHING to do with the damage you inflict. It determines how WELL you hit. Making your roll by 40 gives you a MUCH better result than making it by 5. And the damage you do directly equates to that.
So there you have it. Give this to your online player. If he's still "put off", maybe he'd be happier with Twilight 2000 or something. They have several weapons manuals chock full of stats he may like.