I am a fairly new SR 4 GM and I have a player asking me something that I don't know. he has a racing bike and want a mounted weapon on it. Are mounted weapons concealable? retractable? or do they "unmount" when needing to ride the bike around the city.

Also how are they mounted. Do the mounts have pivot points or just fire forward?

Thanks in advance

given that the mounts (p 341, top left) does not talk about them being retractable, and pre-SR4 vehicle books have had specific retractable mounts, simply no.

and most likely they fire forward as yet again the old books had special mounts for other uses.

everything you have said is a possible outcome. As there aren't any books presently on the subject I would suggest that you use common sense and charge some money accordingly to the player.

For example, you could use the rules for cyberweapons and consider that a metahuman cyberarm body is 3, then multiply the cost depending on the vehicle's body for a motorbike mounted weapon. That would give you some concealed weapon options, probably you should expand the weapon selection to things like missile launchers or LMGs, as there would be much more capacity on a bike than a cyberarm. Also, consider that uncompensated recoil should affect driving.

Definitely a SHADOWrunner's vehicle weapon should be concealed or at least "unmountable". Make decisions, or let the player tell you what he wants. Be careful to warn the player about the consequences of carrying a weapon on the motorbike to his downtown shopping. Find a reasonable solution.

The runner will shoot using the Gunnery skill, as for the pivot, forward fire it's just flavor.

Ok, this is what leaped out of my head, Good luck

Cheers,

Max