It's pretty straightforward, and although I'm sure it's been done, it has been a while. What's going on with this piece of equipment? It seems grossly broken when the damage and cost/avail are compared to other systems. Do any of you bother to change it? Ignore it? Like it as is?

I always thought it should be avail 18 (both launcher and missile), 12000¥ for the launcher and about 2000-3000¥ for the missile.

Horribly broken, as far as I can tell. Still, I'll take two. Or twelve. Or a hundred.
Hey, we didn't need that Arcology cluttering up the skyline anyway.

~J

HA! HA! I'm sorry, I meant 'No'!

But then again, although we ignore availability in our games, we prohibit the purchase of any Heavy Weapons. We also prevent the purchase of APDS/AV type ammo at Char Gen. The most Heavy Weapon like weapon we'll ever see as a player's character is a Sniper Rifle.

Sphynx

our last run the team had 12 dragons. sigh they effectively put every armed vehicle down before they could do anything. but since they are so readily availible why doesn't the corp location have them too? bye bye firetruck...

When damage codes get that big, theres rarely difference from LAW to MAW to GD-ATGM. Yea its available, yes its huge, but yea its gonna cause some problems to haul around and use. Claymore mines can be as bad or worse, I mean theyre way more concealable. Eventually the players will realize its not practical to default to every run, and at worst have a few stashed in the closet for those runs that actaully require it. And if your players dont, Im sorry...

It's not a bad weapon, but with 0 concealability, it IS a hard thing to drag around ('except maybe fer an over-grown mutant troll who uses it as a PISTOL... [smirk])

QUOTE (sir fwank)
our last run the team had 12 dragons. sigh they effectively put every armed vehicle down before they could do anything. but since they are so readily availible why doesn't the corp location have them too? bye bye firetruck...

2? i took ten at char gen.

i was about 1 click away when the entire crew of the fire truck jumped from their seats and primed their recticles. it was great, course i was looking through a the scope of a barret at the time...

but i agree on the practicality issues. they are incredibly useful. that being said noone in their right mind can just walk down the street with one. the only reason i brought so many was the fire truck itself. how hard would it be to hide great dragons on an equipment stripped firetruck? it was plausable...

See, the thing that he's trying to get at (and I hope I can clarify this Daishi)
is Ignoring the usefulness of said launchers, comparing them to the others in the same damage code/type (ie: launchers vs launchers) Does the numbers seem a little skewed to you.

For example:
Damage:
Great dragon: 20D AV
Ballista MK III: 14D AV

Avail:
Great Dragon: 8/48 hours
Ballista KM III: 18/28 days

I'm seeing that its a little broken yes?
More damage, lower cost, lower avail... hmmm... This is what Daishi's trying to get at, not the reasons why you'd take two (or more) because I could happily say in a standard avail 8 campaign, I carry as many great dragons as I could, and viola, instant chunky salsa. Vehicles? Bye bye! People? Even more bye bye!

He's looking for the reasons why you would/wouldnt fix this apparent brokenness.

Hopefully I nailed that one on the head, if not prod me Eh?

I thought the Ballista was a man-portable mortar system? Which the soldier wore on his back and was able to engage targets while remaining relatively mobile.

Which makes it more expensive and complicated all around (I would think).

-Siege

The real brokenness is in the Great Dragon's comparison to generic rockets/missles and their launchers.

Generic Missle:
Intelligence: 4
Damage: 16D (AV)
Avail: 12/14 days
Cost: 5000
SI: 3

Great Dragon ATGM:
Intelligence: 4
Damage: 20D (AV)
Avail: 8/48 hrs
Cost: 1000
SI: 2

Easier and faster to get, more damage, and cheaper by nearly an order of magnitude


And then there's the launchers themselves
Aztech Lasher (Generic):
Avail: 12/2 wks
Cost: 4000
SI: 3

Spike (Generic single-use):
Avail: 10/1 wk
Cost: 800
SI: 2

Great Dragon:
Avail: 8/48 hrs
Cost: 1200
SI: 2


??????

I just wish they'd bring back those 6cm(?) unguided rockets you could ripple-fire, and buy in packs of 10, 15, or 30.