| From: | Paul Gettle <RunnerPaul@*****.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: The Sorrid History of the Cybergun [was: One handed shotguns] |
| Date: | Fri, 17 Jul 1998 21:44:47 -0400 |
At 08:33 AM 7/17/98 -0400, Bryan wrote:
> Maybe its an oversight on my part, but I thought you
HAD
>to have a cyberarm to get a cybergun at all.
Alright, it's time for another one of my "History of Shadowrun"
lessons, in which I go through the rulebooks of times gone by, and
explain how drastically the rules have changed, and some of the why
and wherefore about it. (I believe the last time I did this, it was
for damage vs. vehicles, right?)
In the original Big Blue Book (the first edition of the Shadowrun core
rules, for those who have never seen a Big Book that wasn't Black),
the descriptive narative for cyberlimbs reads, "They also come with a
small storage compartment. Small devices, including pistols, may be
built into that space." On the cyberware chart in the back of the
equipment chapter, under the heading "Limbs" there is a listing for
"Built-In Device" with a nil essence cost, and a price of 4X Normal
Cost. Presumably, this means that a small device installed into a
cyberlimb costs 4 times as much as it usually would.
Cyberguns were offically introduced in the SSC, way back in '89. They
had essence cost, and a weight that became a permanent encumberance
penalty. In the descriptive narative, it is specifically stated that
they were "designed for installation in cyberarm." However, the piece
of line art associated with the catalog entry for Cyberguns looks like
an X-ray of a meat arm with some sort of gun implanted in it. I can
tell you, from direct experience, that this lead to several people
buying cyberguns for their character's meat arms, despite them being
described for use in cyberarms. (After all, why would it cost extra
essence, when other built-in devices don't?)
When the Big Black Book came out, FASA included a chapter in the back,
called Sourcebook Updates. From what I can tell, FASA must have been
questioned about cybergun essence costs. They realized that here were
guns "designed for installation in cyberarm," and therefore, they
should fall under the same category of "Built-In Device." As a result,
in the Sourcebook Updates chapter, they issued this rule, and I
directly quote: "Cyberguns no longer have an Essence Cost. Merry
Christmas."
I bullshit you not, they actually said "Merry Christmas." I assume
that the second edition of the SCC was edited to reflect this new
change, but can not confirm that, as I never bothered to buy SSC 2ed.
Anyway, this lead to all sorts of assorted weirdness, as many people
had been putting cyberguns in meat arms, all because the item's
artwork strongly implied it could be done. Many GMs had allowed this
too, since the items did have an essence cost. However, with FASA's
"Merry Christmas" ruling, the situation was no longer clear. In my
personal experience, the local House Rule was: "Meat arm? It costs
Essence. Metal Arm? Merry Christmas." Of course, most of the local SR
players had access to first edition SSCs, or could look up the essence
cost in the chart in the back of Shadowtech. For gaming groups that
only had the second edition SSC, and no Shadowtech book, I imagine
that the houserule was "I don't care what the art looks like, the text
says cyberarms only!"
Finally, when Cybertechnology was released, FASA accepted the fact
that people had been putting these things into meat arms, though I
strongly suspect that their orignal intent for that piece of ware was
cyberarm-only, and they never realized the impact that the misleading
artwork would have. (I've noticed that they've taken greater care in
screening their artwork in more recent sourcebooks; in FoF for
example, if the text describes a gun as not being able to accept
barrel mount accessories, then the artwork strongly reflects this.)
The rule, as it stands now, is that you can put a cybergun in a meat
arm, but it will cost you essence. A cybergun in a cyberarm does not.
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--
-- Paul Gettle (RunnerPaul@*****.com)
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You dare defy my whims?!?
I am the game master; you are my pawns!
I created the world you see before you!
I control your fate!"
-- Dexter, Dexter's Laboratory.
