Arsenal sniper rifle durablity? Options

[TeaTime]

The majority of sniper rifles need a bit more TLC and calibration in SR4A, with the exception of the durable Walther MA-2100. Do any of the sniper rifles in Arsenal make the durability requirement?

(the Ares Desert Strike looks like a contender, but I wanted to see if I could get a ruling)

[Bugfoxmaster]

Are you planning on having someone cut the barrel off a sniper rifle or something? Or a Street Sam jumping up and cutting the gun in half? I assure you, that's not nearly as good an idea as it sounds...

[BishopMcQ]

Slap Melee Hardening on the rifle and you have a durable rifle. With that, I would remove the additional penalties associated for melee combat. Otherwise, unless mentioned in the description, I don't believe any of the rifles in Arsenal are exempt from the Edge Test.

Edit: Alternatively, I'd allow a modified Melee Hardening modification to give the same benefits that the Walther has, with the same drawback.

Bug--I think TeaTime is referring to:

At the end of every Turn in which the rifle is
used in a running firefight (as opposed to a sniping situation), roll an
Edge Test. For every Edge Test failed, the weapon incurs a –1 dice
pool modifier until it is recalibrated with an Armorer + Logic (8, 1
Minute) Extended Test. The modifier is doubled if the weapon is used
in combat as a melee weapon or to defend from a melee attack.

[Kerenshara]

Considering that I am waist-deep in my own home-brewed weapon-creation rules system (does anybody ELSE realize just how non-functional the 3rd Ed Cannon Companion rules were for that?), I gave this particular set of rules some detailed thought. I would say (simply, for now) that unless you purchase "melee hardening", your sniper rifle faces all the problems listed in the rules (except the Walther which presumably has the modification from the factory). On the other hand, even if you have done that, I can see no circumstances where that weapon is usable as a club and then immediately able to take a cold-bore shot at maximum range. Now, if you paid for the feature TWICE... that's one ROBUST sniper system.

As to the Desert Strike, I think you're probably right. If it's anything like the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare that it seems to resemble very closely, that's a relatively tough weapon, though I still wouldn't say it's usable as a club without screwing things up pretty badly.

[TeaTime]

Exactly, Bishop. Not worried about HtH.
I was hoping some of the Arsenal sniper rifles would be exempt from the new "running firefight" Edge/Sniper Rifle rule. Looks like Walther MA-2100 is the way to go for that kind of flexibility.

[Rasumichin]

Exactly, Bishop. Not worried about HtH.
I was hoping some of the Arsenal sniper rifles would be exempt from the new "running firefight" Edge/Sniper Rifle rule. Looks like Walther MA-2100 is the way to go for that kind of flexibility.

None of the rifles mention the Edge test quoted above, so i'd say that that other sniper rifle in the BBB is the -negative- exception to the rule.
Especially for the Desert Strike, it would make no sense if it was particularly prone to take damage from rough handling, as the description states the exact opposite.

[BishopMcQ]

Rasumichin--If the test was listed in the description of a specific rifle, I would agree with you. However, the quoted text is describing all Sniper Rifles as a classification. It was a change from SR4 to SR4A, which is why it was not listed in the Arsenal text.

[InfinityzeN]

With that change then, they need to come out with some new Errata for Arsenal telling us if any of those rifles are exempt from the rule or not.

[Kerenshara]

With that change then, they need to come out with some new Errata for Arsenal telling us if any of those rifles are exempt from the rule or not.

Emphasis mine.

...and Street Magic and Runner's Companion and Augmentation and Unwired and...