QUOTE (Smokeskin @ Apr 20 2010, 09:14 PM)

I'm on of those people who never pick SnS. And every time, I hate the game for having so stupid stats for them (if the GM doesn't house rule it).
If I played some stupid gangbanger, having crap ammo for my gun and thinking it was cool would be fitting. But I like to play professionals, who pick the efficient way to fight.
The problem is I also want something interesting, and SnS doesn't fit that for me. It is so bad I just can't stomach it. Most GMs seem to be of the same opinion, because NPC pros rarely use SnS.
Someone please explain to me why pros, players and NPCs alike, are using inferior ammo? The "EX-EX is cooler" flies for gangers and wannabees, but for soldiers, cops, shadowrunners, who are out there putting their life on the line - no way.
The only people out there NOT suffering from a bad case of Stormwind Fallacy are in a) campaigns where SnS is used almost exclusively or b) campaigns where the GM houseruled SnS.
Here are some reasons:
Why does the military not use S&S?
-Physical traume take longer to heal and ties up more resources. A soldier suffering from physical trauma is more burden to the opponent than a soldier that's just knocked out for a few hours.
-Regular ammo is cheaper. Especially when it comes to the military, that can mean millions, if not billions of Nuyen in cost difference. The military needs to pay attention to their budget as well.
-Military armor with nonconductivity is incredibly effective against S&S.
-The blood spray of physical bullet wounds, have a much more direct psychological effect on bystanders. Regular bullets are a lot more effective as a weapon against enemy morale, than S&S would be.
Why do Cops not use S&S?
-Just like the military, Cops need to keep an eye on the budget. S&S is more expensive than regular ammo or gel rounds.
-In cases where a taser is needed, a Taser is available.
-Tasers are not considered weapons by most observers and thus do not increase the tendency towards aggressive behaviour due to visibility. This is especially important in risk environments, like sport events, rallys or peaceful protests.
Why do (some) Shadowrunners not use S&S?
-Personal preferences may vary.
-They want to cultivate an aura of death and destruction to help in their intimidation rolls.
-APDS is on sale this week.
-"Buy two, get one free" week for regular ammo at your local Guns'R'Us
-Holes in walls get the point across better than explaining why the S&S just rebounded from the wall but would be potentially bad for the target you are trying to intimidate
-They do less damage in Sniper Rifles.
-They are fighting storm elementals all the time
-They are fighting in a City that has a lot of annual precipitation
-Their momma always said "big holes are better than burn marks" and "electrocution is for sissies"
Especially on the runner category all the arguments are purely emotional ones, because there is no way to find a "true" answer to the question why not all professional runners use S&S. On the military and Cop cateogries there would still be a lot more reasons, but the ones I provided should serve as a viable guideline to get my point across.
You can argue rules and math and proclaim S&S to be the ultimate choice (and ruleswise you might even be right most of the time), but oce you transcend beyond the mere rules and include psychological ractions, roleplay and common sense S&S loses more and more ground. It's still a good choice. For some situations even the best choice. But there are plenty of reasons why not everyone uses S&S exclusively.