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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Dale Talbert <LuvsAmanda@***.COM>
Subject: VPR2
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 01:51:25 -0400
Has anyone gotten the chance to read the latest shadowrun novel Shadowboxer?
Theres this royal japanese guard in there that has this quick-draw mechanism
called a VPR2. It's really weird (and scary) as to how fast he can draw his
manhunter with this thing attached. Anyone want to comment on how this thing
works? Is it like a cybersnake that attaches to your weapon for quick-draws
or what? Lets hear what you guys have to say about this thing.
-Dale
Message no. 2
From: Mark Steedman <M.J.Steedman@***.RGU.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: VPR2
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 13:27:16 GMT
Dale Talbert writes

> Has anyone gotten the chance to read the latest shadowrun novel Shadowboxer?
Yes, pretty interesting. A few more than interesting things in it.

This is not likely to make much sense unless you have read the book.

> Theres this royal japanese guard in there that has this quick-draw mechanism
> called a VPR2. It's really weird (and scary) as to how fast he can draw his
> manhunter with this thing attached. Anyone want to comment on how this thing
> works? Is it like a cybersnake that attaches to your weapon for quick-draws
> or what? Lets hear what you guys have to say about this thing.

There really isn't very much to go on. I got the impression it was a
piece of equipment, probably with a neural interface (through a
datajack?).
A box with a 'cybersnake' in it worn at the belt and hooked up to a
dedicated datajack would seem the most reasonable explanation, it
seemed to trigger on command and had some 100% effective means of
determining the location of the guys hand.

Anyone got any comments on
'coldframes' : reasonable idea.

That 'dome' material! wow, one of the most advanced looking things i
have seen in SR. Is it magical?, some 'memory' material or what,
maybe it's even 'alive' from genetic engineering?

Mark
Message no. 3
From: Brett Borger <bxb121@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: VPR2
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 08:38:48 -0400
>Has anyone gotten the chance to read the latest shadowrun novel Shadowboxer?
>Theres this royal japanese guard in there that has this quick-draw mechanism
>called a VPR2. It's really weird (and scary) as to how fast he can draw his
>manhunter with this thing attached. Anyone want to comment on how this thing
>works? Is it like a cybersnake that attaches to your weapon for quick-draws
>or what? Lets hear what you guys have to say about this thing.

I thought it was a totally pointless, munchie thing to include. And then
add that this supposed top secret weapon is recognized by practically
EVERYONE. Sigh.

-=SwiftOne=-

KaGe a while back had one item I thought was actually believable. A
holster, spring loaded, that would pop the gun out in response to a signal
from a bracelet(which signaled when you twitched your wrist muscles a
certain way. It was made clear that, with practice, you could move you hand
a bit and have the gun fly into it. Without practice, the gun just flies on
past you....

-
Message no. 4
From: "Steven A. Tinner" <bluewizard@*****.COM>
Subject: Re: VPR2
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 13:02:28 -0400
> >Has anyone gotten the chance to read the latest shadowrun novel
Shadowboxer?
> >Theres this royal japanese guard in there that has this quick-draw
mechanism
> >called a VPR2. It's really weird (and scary) as to how fast he can draw
his
> >manhunter with this thing attached. Anyone want to comment on how this
thing
> >works? Is it like a cybersnake that attaches to your weapon for
quick-draws
> >or what? Lets hear what you guys have to say about this thing.

I got the impression that there was a small micro filament wire that the
gun actually rode up to your hand.
Something also made me think that there were magnets involved too, but I
can't find that reference now.

It was kind of odd that EVERYONE in the book recognized this "hush-hush"
Japanacorp tech toy.

Steven A. Tinner
bluewizard@*****.com
http://www.ncweb.com/users/bluewizard
"Holy Tomahto Bisque! Look at those lumps!"
Message no. 5
From: Loki <daddyjim@**********.COM>
Subject: Re: VPR2
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 12:23:26 -0700
---Dale Talbert wrote:
>
> Has anyone gotten the chance to read the latest shadowrun novel
Shadowboxer?
> Theres this royal japanese guard in there that has this quick-draw
mechanism
> called a VPR2. It's really weird (and scary) as to how fast he can
draw his
> manhunter with this thing attached. Anyone want to comment on how
this thing
> works? Is it like a cybersnake that attaches to your weapon for
quick-draws
> or what? Lets hear what you guys have to say about this thing.

Haven't gotten or read the novel yet. Though one of my players will
probably be donating it to my library for karma soon. ;o)

However, a quickdraw for a weapon in an appropriate holster is already
just a free action (with Reaction test at T#4), how much quicker does
it need to be? Unless the VPR2 negates having to roll the test, I
don't see the practicality.

===
@>--,--'--- Loki

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
- A. C. Clarke

Poisoned Elves: www.primenet.com/~gamemstr/
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Message no. 6
From: "Paul J. Adam" <shadowrn@********.DEMON.CO.UK>
Subject: Re: VPR2
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 22:02:48 +0100
In message <11A8DE957A6@**.opp.psu.edu>, Brett Borger <bxb121@***.EDU>
writes
>>Has anyone gotten the chance to read the latest shadowrun novel Shadowboxer?
>>Theres this royal japanese guard in there that has this quick-draw mechanism
>>called a VPR2. It's really weird (and scary) as to how fast he can draw his
>>manhunter with this thing attached. Anyone want to comment on how this thing
>>works? Is it like a cybersnake that attaches to your weapon for quick-draws
>>or what? Lets hear what you guys have to say about this thing.
>
>I thought it was a totally pointless, munchie thing to include. And then
>add that this supposed top secret weapon is recognized by practically
>EVERYONE. Sigh.

Anyone ever read Harry Harrison's "Deathworld" books? Sounds exactly
like the Pyrran power holster to me.

>-=SwiftOne=-
>
>KaGe a while back had one item I thought was actually believable. A
>holster, spring loaded, that would pop the gun out in response to a signal
>from a bracelet(which signaled when you twitched your wrist muscles a
>certain way. It was made clear that, with practice, you could move you hand
>a bit and have the gun fly into it. Without practice, the gun just flies on
>past you....

Yeah, this is exactly it. Shape your hand to hold the gun and BAM, it's
there.
--
There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable and
praiseworthy...

Paul J. Adam paul@********.demon.co.uk
Message no. 7
From: Dale Talbert <LuvsAmanda@***.COM>
Subject: Re: VPR2
Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 01:56:01 -0400
In a message dated 97-05-16 15:37:26 EDT, daddyjim@**********.COM (Loki)
writes:

<< However, a quickdraw for a weapon in an appropriate holster is already
just a free action (with Reaction test at T#4), how much quicker does
it need to be? Unless the VPR2 negates having to roll the test, I
don't see the practicality. >>

You'd have to read the book to understand this thing. With this thing, you
don't even have to draw the weapon. It just leaps/springs/shoots into the
owners hand. It is really weird.
Message no. 8
From: Tim P Cooper <z-i-m@****.COM>
Subject: Re: VPR2
Date: Sat, 17 May 1997 17:53:32 EDT
On Sat, 17 May 1997 01:56:01 -0400 Dale Talbert <LuvsAmanda@***.COM>
writes:
>In a message dated 97-05-16 15:37:26 EDT, daddyjim@**********.COM
>(Loki)
>writes:
>
><< However, a quickdraw for a weapon in an appropriate holster is
already
> just a free action (with Reaction test at T#4), how much quicker does
> it need to be? Unless the VPR2 negates having to roll the test, I
> don't see the practicality. >>
>
>You'd have to read the book to understand this thing. With this thing,
you
>don't even have to draw the weapon. It just leaps/springs/shoots into
the
>owners hand. It is really weird.

Like someone else posted a short while ago, it sounds almost exactly like
the "Power Holster" from that KaGe issue -- twitch your hand and the gun
is spring-launched out of the holster and into your hand. Incidently the
power holster required this little bracelet thingy for the
muscle-sensing-signal, so it might lead to someone deciding to put a
little implant in instead of an external device.

Also, rules wise, the Power Holster didn't negate the Quickdraw test, but
gave a -1 T# for it...

~Tim
Message no. 9
From: Brett Borger <bxb121@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: VPR2
Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 09:41:25 -0400
>>You'd have to read the book to understand this thing. With this thing,
>you
>>don't even have to draw the weapon. It just leaps/springs/shoots into
>the
>>owners hand. It is really weird.
>
>Like someone else posted a short while ago, it sounds almost exactly like
>the "Power Holster" from that KaGe issue -- twitch your hand and the gun
>is spring-launched out of the holster and into your hand. Incidently the
>power holster required this little bracelet thingy for the
>muscle-sensing-signal, so it might lead to someone deciding to put a
>little implant in instead of an external device.

The Weird thing about the VPR2 was that it seemed the gun kept leaping from
one hand to the other.....I can see no point in this, but it definitely
seemed that way....can someone back me up?

-=SwiftOne=-
Message no. 10
From: Mark Imbriaco <mark@******.NET>
Subject: Re: VPR2
Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 11:15:23 -0400
On Mon, 19 May 1997, Brett Borger wrote:

|>Like someone else posted a short while ago, it sounds almost exactly like
|>the "Power Holster" from that KaGe issue -- twitch your hand and the gun
|>is spring-launched out of the holster and into your hand. Incidently the
|>power holster required this little bracelet thingy for the
|>muscle-sensing-signal, so it might lead to someone deciding to put a
|>little implant in instead of an external device.
|
|The Weird thing about the VPR2 was that it seemed the gun kept leaping from
|one hand to the other.....I can see no point in this, but it definitely
|seemed that way....can someone back me up?

That's exactly what it did. It was a Power Holster that allowed
him to draw/holster the weapon and also switch which hand it was
in by holstering/drawing with the other hand _very_ rapidly.

-Mark
Message no. 11
From: Brett Borger <bxb121@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: VPR2
Date: Mon, 19 May 1997 17:52:16 -0400
>|The Weird thing about the VPR2 was that it seemed the gun kept leaping from
>|one hand to the other.....I can see no point in this, but it definitely
>|seemed that way....can someone back me up?
>
> That's exactly what it did. It was a Power Holster that allowed
> him to draw/holster the weapon and also switch which hand it was
> in by holstering/drawing with the other hand _very_ rapidly.

BUT WHY? I can see no point in swapping which hand the gun is in, but the
text has the gun slapping back and forth from hand to hand in mid combat....

I guess there is a point to change reach, but I can't see the gun being
faster than moving your wrist or arm.

-=SwiftOne=-

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about VPR2, you may also be interested in:

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