They could actually try playing the rules and them either rewrite or omit the stupid ones. I'm told that some companies actually edit and play-test their rules and do crazy things like have people who have actually fired an automatic weapon review the rules for automatic weapons. I know it's a revolutionary Idea, but there you go... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

This is blasphemy! This is madness!

Indeed... You are right... But a simple Question here... Have you ever fired an Automatic Weapon? Assault Rifle, Light/Medium/Heavy Machine Gun? I have... And Guess what... the Shadowrun System is not a real life simulation of how they work in the real world... Took me a while to reconcile that with myself, because I have been into Weapons (of all types) for over 40 years... But you know what... Shadowrun is not real life... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

I have played games that mimic real life closely... and you know what... their rules tend to really suck (Even though they actually had someone who has the experience evaluating and modifying their rules) for fun game play... Some people prefer that type of game, I prefer a less simulationist approach myself... Shadowrun is not a Simulationist Game in my opinion...

You (The Generic You) can complain about the rules until you turn blue, but making them more realistic will not make the game more fun (at least in my opinion)... all it will do is make it more realistic... Most people that I game with have enough of the real world as it is (They live it every day, day in and day out), and roleplaying games allow them to have a bit of non-reality for a time... My Motto is to Never let the real world come between you and your fun... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

Keep the Faith...

Uhm, drones are controlled over the matrix...

He means commlink <-> Matrix (via sat) <-> drone, instead of commlink <-> drone directly. And yes, that's certainly how satellites work, but just make sure your drones have sat-links. Although, it's hard to imagine situations where this is really needed except stay-at-home rigging. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I don't necessarily want the game more "realistic", I want the rules to be less stupid and ignorant.

But that is a User Opinion, not Fact... What some consider Stupid and Ignorant, opthers really, really like... It is a matter of taste... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

Keep the Faith

On demand air support (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ork.gif)


But as to the "small drones could fit in your pocket" argument, that's not really so. I think maybe the confused author was envisioning a Cyberdeck when he wrote comlink. +4 concealability is the same as an SMG. The small drones as described are about the size of a cat or a dog. Besides, according to the (now errata'ed lol) section of Arsenal dealing with Drones and recoil, you can fit a Light Machine Gun on a Small Drone. Do you take that to mean that you can now fit an LMG in your pocket?

I meant to point out that you're almost always going through the Matrix anyway, just not via satellite; so, if you're out of normal Matrix range, you've probably got your drones near-ish, or they're too far to help. But, yes, if you have jet fighters available… maybe useful.

You don't need jets for viscous air support options. The Ares Heimdall has an effective range of 18km and can cover that ground in as many seconds. Not quite "snap your fingers, blow up a tank" power, but that's still outside the range of a rating 6 signal by a good stretch. So, you get a GTS Tower and load it up with a sat link and 10 Heimdalls and you've got a nasty mobile weapons platform capable of destruction on demand, and you can keep it well out of range of any nosy Radar stations.

The Multi-Launch Drone Rack and the Ares Heimdall - making it happen, for you.

Hmmm... Should I?......




"Madness......."

Well, the Heimdall is a jet, right? Or a rocket. Hella fast, is what I meant. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Indeed it is... Hella Fast that is... And I love them...

Keep the Faith

don't forget most satlinks are dish units, not a satphone type.

So it's a directional rating vs an onmidirectional signal. (kinda like jammers)

Plus sat links have drawbacks, latency is a problem... a big one for matrix actions.

Only if you are not using LEO Satellites... LEO Satellite communications are considered instantaneous by the rules. Higher Orbiting Satellites do indeed create latency, which is a huge problem as a Hacker, but any good hacker has ways around that particular problem (The easiest of which is not using such satellites in his communications paradigm).

Keep the Faith

LEO sats have a limited connection time and require tracking dishes due to that. I will have to check but it's like 30min before connection is lost at most.

So you got 30min of coverage before the hacker poofs mid run.

So the only constant connection sats are far earth orbit geo sats.

unwired, the book that introduced sat latency, seems to assume that a sat enabled device comes with a tracking dish by default. Or at least do not care about coverage time of the sats in question.

another option would be to get a blimp up there with a retrans unit. Whats the name of the drone blimp again?

Nothing says that you cannot automate your Satellite Link a bit... after all, you are only going to need it if you are beyond the Limits of a Signal 6 (10 Kilometers isn't it?) connection, which is not very often in an urban environment... You would generally not use a Satellite Link for Intra City Communications.

Keep the Faith

Maybe that's what the SR writers thought. In the real world they do things like call handoff, so you'd think that in 60 years them might be still able to do that.

http://www.iridium.com/products/Iridium-9505A-US.aspx (old phone)
http://www.iridium.com/DownloadAttachment....ttachmentID=574 (current phone)

Well, yeah, there is that too... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

Keep the Faith

I'm fine with the various limitations of satellites. It provides more meat to play with, instead of simply saying 'you get 100% Matrix nearly everywhere, and literally everywhere if you spend 500¥'. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Not to mention in RL incliment weather can render them useless... so it's never a 100% signal.

Even the LEO sats can have troubles with interference

This is true... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

Keep the Faith