Maybe it was having re-watched Desperado simmering in my sub-conscious, and thinking about it 'always raining in Seattle', along with a dose of Avengers (the British show, not Marvel) and looking at the gun cane, but why were there not rules for disguising weapons, or at least carrying them less than openly, from the very beginning? I'll accept in 1E things seem pretty discombobulated (meaning disorganized) and a bit more pink mohawk as seen by lots of NPCs having assault cannons and openly mounted assault rifles on their motorcycles.

SR2 seems a lot better organized and concealability was becoming a thing. By SR3 we had the gun cane and by the end of its run we had some rules for it in SoTA64.

I've gone back to playing SR2 and when thinking of things which I led the post with, I was thinking a sword cane (I just watched the Adventures of Tin Tin, or one of them with a character using a sword cane.) They've been around for a hundred plus years and make complete sense for SR. Then I was thinking Seattle rain and Avengers and thought a sword umbrella makes perfect sense. Then went a bit further and thought what would one do with the rest of the umbrella (and Kingsmen) why not have it be usable as a shield? Then thinking of designing the thing, why not have the umbrella handle/sword be able to detach and used sheathed as a club/shield combo?

It all seemed so obvious I wonder why there are no rules for it. I guess I'll have to look into creating some, maybe looking at the cost of the puzzler and gun cane compared to their straightforward/obvious counterparts to come up with some costs and availability.

For something like the Desperado guitar/case, I'm thinking just allow a guitar/case be modified.


*tagged it SR3 because there is no SR2 tag and it is as close as there is

You sort of give the reply yourself; the setting was, at first, more accomodating of a pink mohawk style of play, so concealment wasn't a big thing. The surprise factor of suddenly wielding a weapon no one knew you had is obviously a nice advantage, so go for it. I wouldn't worry too much about the rules and the cost and the balance and availability etc. Just define the umbrella sword a variant of the combat dagger and roll with it. And have Lone Star frisk a character every once in a while, just to remind them that they are not playing Desert Combat.

Yeah, just look at the SR1 sample characters. SR1 (and SR2, which didn't change much but rules) were built on the assumptions that shadowrun teams were street punks, neo-anarchists, gangers, and other people of the underclasses who generally ran in circles where being openly armed is somewhere between 'not a big deal' and 'a damn good idea'.

ShadowBeat had rules for Running Rock Stars.

It doesn't get much more Pink Mohawk than that.

Recently ran Mercurial for a modern group, via alchera. Sure, you'll have to check your assault cannon at the door to the club. They'll stick it next to the other 3 and give you a coat check ticket. Pistols, SMGs, and other "small" arms are fine!

And apparently, you only have to check the cannon because there were a lot of important people at the club that night. Early SR has more in common with Kung Fury than Blade Runner, methinks

Which, with the deadliness of combat in SR, is pretty much meaningless. Unless you're trying to kill a troll in swat armor, all they're preventing is a single shooter from taking the person out, at best.

That's true. Perhaps I'm placing too much emphasis on the Aesthetic.

Though, in that scenario, Maria did have an awful lot of cyberware. She could take a couple of pistol shots before going down

Never underestimate the concealability awarded by the ubiquitous leather trenchcoat.



-Tir

I love this idea.