These stories first appeared in Hunt's Book of Weapons, an in-game collection of found documents curated by an unknown researcher. They are replicated here in their original format. This means that many of the stories are not presented chronologically, or in one grouping, and it is left to the reader to put together the puzzle pieces and determine to what extent they contain fact, fiction, or fable.

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Concertina Trip Mines

CONCERTINA TRIP MINE. (See also, TACTICAL DEVICES) The concertina trip mine is a more malicious and powerful development of the non-lethal version of the device patented by Samuel McCollin in 1879. Featuring an explosive spool of concertina wire, on being tripped the device expands rapidly, snaring the victim, or obstructing a choke point. Rather than a deterrent, its function is far more offensive. A trespasser, once having tripped the wire, is forced to find a way out before the trap's setter finds them, for surely their intentions would be deadly. Similarly to the tamer alert trip mine, the concertina trip mine did not see mass production, but was passed from individual to individual as a schematic design that could be built at home.

Concertina Bomb

CONCERTINA BOMB. (See also, EXPERIMENTAL WEAPONS, EXPLOSIVES) In the closing days of the Civil War, Samuel McCollin first conceptualized what would become the concertina bomb during the Siege of Petersburg. Traumatized by his experiences of trench warfare, he began working on designs for explosive devices which would render them obsolete. By the end of the Civil War, most of his designs had proved failures. But in 1873, while attending an agricultural fair in DeKalb, Illinois, McCollin came across a barbed-wire "bomb" design. While its intended application was far removed from warfare, McCollin was revitalized by the concept. He returned to the original device's design, experimenting with tightly coiled spools of "concertina" razor wire spooled around an explosive charge. When detonated, the wire unravels in all directions and produces a thicket of untraversable barbed wire.

McCollin secured a patent for the device in 1879 and did trials with it with the assistance of the U.S. Army in 1880. Unfortunately, the proposal was rejected, as it was deemed too cruel and expensive; those snared suffered unnecessarily and the mechanism was too complex for mass production. The rejection sent McCollin into a downward spiral, though what became of him afterwards is unknown. Crude homemade reproductions have since been found, so it seems the design remained in distribution.

Flash Bomb

FLASH BOMB. (See also EXPLOSIVES, TRAPS) Known variously as a flash grenade, flashbang, thunderflash, and sound bomb over the years, the flash bomb is not meant to be used as a traditional defensive explosive, but rather as a distraction or blinding trap for tactical maneuvers. The earliest flash bomb in evidence contained a deposit of mercury placed inside glass casing and lined with wire. When detonated and thrown, it resulted in a bright flash of white light. Though not intended for combat, the flash bomb can cause permanent damage to the retinas, and in the case that the casing does not function properly, shrapnel injuries and burns.

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