Heavy items and armour transportation. Options

[Hagga]

For example: Military armour. I've been treating it as an undersuit with ports for plates that mesh it into a whole, and can be transported in a large, thin suitcase. Or weapons, unless nanoforged or particularly modern, can be broken down easily into component parts that still raise massive "I'm here to cause trouble" flags with all but the stupidest guards.

What do you do?

[Yerameyahu]

I wouldn't think you could break down mil armor at all, nor any weapon not specifically designed with Easy Breakdown.

[Nordom]

I wouldn't think you could break down mil armor at all, nor any weapon not specifically designed with Easy Breakdown.

I agree about military armor, but I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to break down most weapons without Easy Breakdown. Easy Breakdown just makes it... easy. Depending on how you like to read it, it could also potentially make at least some of the components difficult to recognize as being part of a weapon. (" [...] parts of a pistol might serve as pieces of jewellery, etc.")

It might take 3 minutes or so instead of 3 complex actions, but I don't think there's any reason to assume that most weapons cannot be at least partially disassembled. I mean, future Shadowrun weapons probably still have to be cleaned and lubricated from time to time, right?

I'd think that pretty much anyone with firearms experience would have a good chance to recognize a normal, broken-down firearm, or possibly even recognize individual parts as belonging to a firearm.

[Loch]

Milspec armor is power armor, like in Crysis or that awful GI Joe movie. That's not a briefcase anymore, that's a crate.

[Yerameyahu]

Except for Iron Man 2, but… yeah. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I agree, Nordom, and I shouldn't have been so hyperbolic. Weapons without the mod probably do come apart, whatever good that does you. (Another case of 'no RAW for that' is what I intended to convey.)

[KarmaInferno]

Some weapons are made to be taken apart, cos they need to be cleaned and serviced.

Others, not so much. A bolt-action sporting or sniper rifle only has a couple of parts that need regular servicing. Those come off easily. Everything else, pretty much designed to stay together.




-k

[Hagga]

Milspec armor is power armor, like in Crysis or that awful GI Joe movie. That's not a briefcase anymore, that's a crate.

To qualify: By briefcase, I meant 'Case approximately (height of wearer) in length and as thick as the thickest armour plate plus a few inches for padding'.

[Loch]

And how does the helmet fit in this magic luggage? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

[Hagga]

And how does the helmet fit in this magic luggage? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

Witchcraft and sorcery. I've been making them carry it separately.

[kzt]

I agree, Nordom, and I shouldn't have been so hyperbolic. Weapons without the mod probably do come apart, whatever good that does you.

Yup. Eventually. Lets take an AK-47 or 74 etc. You can remove the barrel. You should use a 20 ton press to remove the barrel, but a sledge hammer, some punches and 10-20 minutes of pounding should get the barrel retaining pin and barrel out. Of course you do need the press to put the barrel back in. ...

[TheOOB]

To qualify: By briefcase, I meant 'Case approximately (height of wearer) in length and as thick as the thickest armour plate plus a few inches for padding'.

If we're talking about Milspec armor you also have the ceramic breastplate and whatnot, milspec armor is not just basaltic padding, that's the combat armor from the BBB.

[Bodak]

milspec armor is not just basaltic padding

Basaltic padding?

[TheOOB]

Sorry, ballistic padding...sometimes I trust spell check a little too much.

[Blog]

Probably something in the range of the Mobile Master series http://pelican.com/case_category_mobile_mi...Mobile%20Master
and lets not forget the Armory line http://pelican.com/case_category_mobile_mi...Mobile%20Armory

Those kind of what your looking for as far as a IRL counterpart?

Some parts of the armor could be down to plates and pieces, but in most cases armor protection comes from it being a solid piece that way the kinetic energy can be distributed better. At least my understanding at the forces at work dissipate better in solids then through gaps.

[Yerameyahu]

Hehe, I love the definition of 'briefcase' here.

I'm willing to admit that you can take mil-spec armor apart. You might even be able to reassemble it afterward. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) I hope you have a facility and some free time.

[Nordom]

And how does the helmet fit in this magic luggage? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

It's plausible that a helmet could be constructed in two halves or multiple sections, which when disconnected from each other have a slimmer profile. I have a difficult time envisioning this being a feature on any helmets other than troll helmets, though. (Because no one else has horns.)

[Draco18s]

I wouldn't think you could break down mil armor at all, nor any weapon not specifically designed with Easy Breakdown.

You can break any weapon down into its component parts if you work at it enough. Easy Breakdown just means it takes less than 5 minutes.

[Loch]

The whole point of a helmet (of armor in general, even) is to provide a solid encasement for the body to protect it from blows. Having joints and seams compromises the structural integrity of the helmet, making it less protective. If you're willing to front the cash for Milspec armor in the first place, why would you get Milspec armor that was purposely less effective?

[Nordom]

The whole point of a helmet (of armor in general, even) is to provide a solid encasement for the body to protect it from blows. Having joints and seams compromises the structural integrity of the helmet, making it less protective. If you're willing to front the cash for Milspec armor in the first place, why would you get Milspec armor that was purposely less effective?

I'm no engineer, but I'm pretty sure it would be possible to make an effective helmet that would have the capability I described, especially given that the helmet is made using future Shadowrun materials technology. Folding bicycle helmets exist today. Think about a locked-open folding pocket knife. Perhaps the helmet would be have to built slightly beefier / bulkier to make up for any weaknesses.

How else do you propose one would make a helmet for horned trolls, anyway?

[Yerameyahu]

I think trolls shouldn't have helmets. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

Anyway, this certainly sounds like a major assumption, and something that should instead be a special feature.

[MK Ultra]

Trolls are BORN with helmets! Whatever good that does in trolls, as there are no vital organs in the head (just trolling)

EDIT:

To ad something to the discussion. I agree, that most weapons will be possible to disassamble into smaller (still rather big and not at all unconspiccious - except for stuff like the Puzzler spy gun) parts. Though it might take 5-10 Rounds or even more. (tones of clips like this ...)

I think security armor can be packed resonably, similar to what the op describes. From the illustrations and description, hardened military armor is more like medival full plate, though. you can mabe pack it a bit, but no more then half. The exception would of course be softwave (is that the name, I mean the low encumberance armor option from WAR). If you want an easy breakdown armor & helmet, just introduce the easy breakdown weapons option for armor to resemble that (making it break down to smaller pieces instead of just faster).

[Modular Man]

My take on this is to just stuff the gear in the trunk of an autonomously operating car that will arrive on demand.
I'd also say that composing armour that can be broken down easily will weaken its structural integrity - you design it to break apart, after all. Engineers do that, too, to ensure that in any case, if the thing breaks, it breaks at a point that will be least dangerous/important/expensive. A little like your car, as it's more or less designed to break down around you in an accident.
So, you'd have to compensate for that in the armour. This will likely make it bulkier, maybe even less effective.
Military armour might be too tough, but I'm thinking of an aerial supply drone for my rigger - it then will just drop stuff on demand, because flying drones may not be checked for weapons as much as that angry-looking troll at the security post on the ground.

[kzt]

The whole point of a helmet (of armor in general, even) is to provide a solid encasement for the body to protect it from blows. Having joints and seams compromises the structural integrity of the helmet, making it less protective. If you're willing to front the cash for Milspec armor in the first place, why would you get Milspec armor that was purposely less effective?

But it's not. See the Crye Precision Airframe Helmet. It's not designed to be field dissembled, but it is modular.

[TheOOB]

I think milspec armor is defiantly multiple pieces, but you can't really break it down, because it's not built for transportation, it's build for combat effectiveness, and seems and latches and whatnot reduce protection. If the feature would make the armor less effective as armor, milspec doesn't have it. Milspec armor needs to be stored in a locker.

[Modular Man]

Well, I didn't see that coming. Still think that a whole armour would prove difficult.

Plus: Have the group mage cast "Levitate" on that locker.