I show the numbers all the way to K-8 because they underline the point I made earlier; once you get past K-5 the increase in damage for the bigger guns is smaller than the extra whack you will get for installing a K2, for the same weight. Pound for pound, the K3 is the best value for money. It simply makes more sense to stud the ship with K3s than to use smaller numbers of anything larger or larger numbers of anything smaller.
How does this compare to beam weapons?
Here's their ballistic table which includes adjustment for rerolls
As with the graser, it's probably better to compare mass than cost. So one K-1 costs the same mass as two B-1s. Two B-1s do an average of 1.6 hits within 12 inches, quite a bit more than a single K1. On the other other hand, the K-1 keeps on hitting out to 30 inches
A three arc K2 (the number above is for a two arc) weighs as much as 2 B-2s. Out to 12 inches, two B-2s do 3.2 hits, again better than a K-2; out to 24 they do 1.6, still better than a K-2. And then the K2 has six inches where it still does damage and the B-2 can't touch it.
A single arc K3 weighs only one ton more than a single arc B-3 and out performs it almost all the way out to max range
A single arc K4 weighs exactly the same as a single arc B-4 and outperforms it in much the same way as a K3 outperforms the B-3.
The K5 leaves a B-5 in the dust and weighs less.
The moral of the story is that if you want to outshoot a K-gun equipped ship, you need to get in close and put your faith in a lot of light beams. This is a better tactic anyhow, because the closer you get, the harder the Kravak has to turn to get you back into arc, and the more the multiple arcs of your light weapons will work in your favour. The alternative is to place your faith in standing off out of range and hope to chip him to death with very big guns. I'm trying to imagine the kind of ship which could do that, without much success.
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