I'm brand new to shadowrun, and I'm a rigger. I'm trying to get an idea of how to make my role as "fun" as possible. What has worked for you? Any ideas will help.

1) Some people will tell you there's a difference between a Drone Rigger and a Vehicle Rigger. Don't listen to these people. Doing both greatly increases your versatility at minimal additional cost.

2) Get some small, silent drones like the spiderdrones or the Vector Kimji (stats immediately following, built using R3 Revised rules). They're good for when it's not socially acceptable or sufficiently subtle to send larger drones.

Vector Kimji

Chassis: Micro UAV (Markup .25)

Power Plant: Electric Fuel Cell

DPV: 301

Final Cost: ¥7,525

Hand. 4, Speed 50, Accel 4, Body 0, Armor 0, Sig 12, Auto 0, Pilot 1, Sensor 1, Cargo 0, Load 0, Fuel EC (9 PF), Econ .25 Km/PF

3) Your sensor range is a major asset. Use it.

4) A second datajack can be a godsend. Also, invest in a transducer (internal or external). You'll probably end up coordinating the team, as you've usually got the best view of everything.

5) Get encryption, at least Rating 3. If you've got the cred, spring for Rating 5. Don't bother with anything more until you start torquing the military.

~J

From a bit earlier this month, on (Roughly) the same topic.

http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?showtopic=6881

go to [initial character] and read my post on riggers it'll explain it all.

Or, get a second deck, and a third jack. One runs the more costly drones with Encryption, and the second runs the disposable ones.

Horribly, this option is actually cheaper than losing custom UAV's or getting a chip for everything. Jumping from chair to chair is complex though.

IIRC, the text on the RC deck intercom attachment says that it can have a radio hooked up.

Datajacks are wonderful. Remember, almost ANYTHING in the book can be DNI equiped for some cash. Smartguns can fire just by you thinking about it if they are linked, you have the processor, and a cable is attached to it and your jack

I thought smartguns didn't have to be cabled, but were made to respond to DNI commands through the palm contacts of the smartgun link?

It makes zero sense to me as to why anyone would put cables from guns to heads in a combat situation. Just more crap to get snagged.

on the subject of high-conceal drones, you might consider making them look like animals. there are already examples of this in SSG, though the drones there are designed to look like animals because they're supposed to be used for pets. my drone rigger converted the same concept, and built a trio of kitty drones that act as her eyes and ears in places where other drones might not be able to get in.

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IMFU Kitty, modified
Chassis: Sm. Walker; Power Plant: Battery

Body 1
Armor 0
Handling 3
Speed 2
Accel -
Signature 8
Autonav / Pilot 0 / 1
Sensor 1
Load 4
CF 0
Fuel 40PF
Econ 0.5km/PF
Cost 8,350
Upkeep 83.5

Weapon Systems: Electric System (10S)

Features: Remote Control Interface / Rigger Adaption, SunCell, Improved Security System 3 (Electric System), Amphibious Operation, Hidden Speakers
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granted, they're not phenomenal; there's no room for higher-end sensors. but they're not meant to be super-duper spy drones. that's what the Quaero is for. the Quaero, like all good spy drones, is a mini-blimp. mini-blimps are your friend, when it comes to spy drones.

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MCT Quaero
Chassis: Mini-Blimp; Power Plant: Battery

Body 2
Armor 4 (Personal)
Handling 3
Speed 46
Accel 2
Signature 13
Autonav / Pilot 4 / 4
Sensor 5
Load 7
CF 2
Fuel 15PF
Econ 5km/PF
Cost 40,810
Upkeep 408.1

Weapon Systems: --

Features: Remote Control Interface / Rigger Adaption; BattleTac FDDM / IVIS; Autosoft Interpretation System; SunCell Power; ECCM 4; ECD 2; RF Tracker rat 10
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i've also got a Quaero-X that uses ruthenium, total TN of 19 to spot.

Why would you put personnal armour on a drone? No one is sitting inside..?

personal armor still reduces damage to the drone. it just doesn't count as vehicle armor. at least, i believe that's how that works, though i've been wrong before. ...once.

The Vector Kimji looks like a small, fuzzy critter with a single eye and propeller ears (anyone who has seen or read Battle Angel will know what I'm talking about). Not that that's going to put anyone who sees it at ease, mind you (though it is pretty cute), but it covers the whole looking-alive thing

~J

Personal armor is one choicel when you want to armor a drone, but it can't handle the load, although it isn't a very good solution. My rigger character generally prefers to customize the drone's engine for more load if it can't handle the weight of the vehicle armor he wants to add.

Normal Vehicle armor is much better since any attack that doesn't do at least 2X the armor rating as base damage it does nothing.

5 points of normal armor would reduce an Ares Predator base damage to 4M before staging it up due to attacker's sucesses, while that same Predator bullet would just bounce off 5 points of vehicle armor totally. Even 1 point of vehicle armor would drop the damge to 3L.

Since drones typically have low body ratings, you want to make sure that they have enough armor to repel all small arms fire if possible.

true. however, the kitty drones aren't really designed to handle being shot at, anyway; if someone decides they're a threat, all the kitty drone will be able to do is rub against the attacker's leg and purr. and, well, shock the living bejesus out of them.

what is fun to do is, stack on as much vehicle armor as the drone can handle--and then slap a load of personal armor on, on top of that. nigh-invulnerability for no handling loss = good.

Is it base Power ot total Power against vehicle armor?

Base power of the weapon.

So it's Base Power for Vehicle and Hardened Armor and Total Power for Barriers and Immunity to Normal Weapons?