Personally, I blame sourcebook creep. Back in The Day, your average runner was in synthleather, packing a Predator or maybe an Ingram SmartGun if they happened to be a street sam into rate of fire. But as each new set of books comes out, the prevalence of military-grade hardware with low, low prices and availability gets stronger, and escalation gets crazy.
Makes it hard as a GM who doesn't want to have to pull out professional mercenaries as security teams all the time, because the average security mooks or gangers are constantly outgunned.
Makes it hard as a GM who doesn't want to have to pull out professional mercenaries as security teams all the time, because the average security mooks or gangers are constantly outgunned.
I dunno. The original Merc had an Ingram LMG, and no background fluff to explain what a mercenary actually was in the world of Shadowrun.
Players and GMs just have to set the tone and understand what is and isn't acceptable in their games. Just because a toy was outlined in Fields of Fire didn't mean the GM had to allow it. The GMs for our games set rules about which sourcebooks could and couldn't be used all the time. And common sense (or a couple brushes with Johnny Law to explain what common sense should be) sets what is and isn't acceptable to just walk around with. An assualt rifle is very difficult to conceal, even under a long coat. People are going to notice you walking all stiff with three to four feet of inflexible rifle "hiding" at your side.
There's really been no huge advancement in the firearms of the game. Assault rifles are still assault rifles. And the players can only have what the GM allows.
If the GM is allowing these gigantic firefights with every kind of weapon imaginable, that's either bad storytelling/imagination from the GM, or Pink Mohawk.