Backpack Grenade Dispensers

[Leon The Lion]

Just a little something I cooked up. I don't recall ever seeing a piece of equipment like this, either official or fan-made, so I thought I'd share.

Backpack Grenade Dispenser
Description: A flat, broad backpack unit containing a droid-automated grenade dispenser.
Grenades are loaded into separate cells, arranged into a mobile, looped ammo belt. The cells' contents are coded into a connected miniaturized controller unit, worn on the wrist like a big watch. The desired grenade is selected by the wrist unit keyboard or voice command. It is ejected into an easily reached receptacle placed in the device's lower corner – right or left, physically configured when the device is loaded. There, the grenade is securely held until the user plucks it out. If necessary, an unused grenade may also be returned into the receptacle and/or loaded back into its cell. Reaching back and taking the grenade out quickly without looking takes some practice, but is not really difficult, and can be accomplished in one action with no more chance of fumbling the grenade than taking it from any other carrying arrangement.
On user's order, the device may also prime and/or drop the grenade on its own.
The unit fits all standard grenade shapes, except solid-handled "potato masher" types.
The cells may also hold other items, provided they are grenade-shaped or placed in grenade-shaped containers.
The unit is flat enough for another, normal backpack to be worn over it.
Scale: Character
Capacity: 20;
Structure: 3D
Weight: 2kg empty;
Cost: 350 CR
Availability: 3, F


Backpack Grenade Launcher
Description: A development of the above device, mating the dispenser to a back-mounted, breach-loading, repulsor-powered grenade launcher.
The selected shell is loaded into the launcher. The weapon may be controlled "hands-free", with wrist unit or voice command alone. It may also be pulled over the shoulder and operated like a standard shoulder-fired gun, but in this case it will have to be returned to its stowed position for reloading. In both modes it is targeted by a head-set HUD unit.
Scale: Character
Skill: Shooting: Missiles (Grenade Launcher) or Artillery (Mortar)
Range: 3-20m / 70m / 210m
Capacity: 20;
Structure: 3D;
Weight: 4kg empty;
Cost: 1.550 CR
Availability: 3, X
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- Tom Lehrer

[jmanski]

Very interesting.... me likey.
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Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[garhkal]

Though i would hate to be wearing it if the grenade(s) get hit and fratricide.
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Leon The Lion]

It's very unlikely to ever happen, unless you ware loading Thermal Detonators, or some rather primitive grenades, in which case you'd be asking for it. But if it did, then yes, would be very unpleasant for the user.
_________________
Plagiarize! Let no one else's work evade your eyes,
Remember why the good Lord made your eyes! So don't shade your eyes,
But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize... Only be sure to call it, please, "research".
- Tom Lehrer

[garhkal]

What of hitting the backpack with an Incendiary grenade... something designed to make other "Boomy" items go up/
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Leon The Lion]

Much better chances of going up then, but I still wouldn't assume it's automatic. The incendiary first has to get through the backpack and to the individual grenades inside, and they are not packed in as tightly as in a simple storage box. Certainly smaller chances of a catastrophic explosion than if the user carried the grenades packed into a normal backpack, or on a tactical harness. Still, not a pleasant situation to be in, yeah. But the same can be said in general about any combat with heavy use of explosives.
_________________
Plagiarize! Let no one else's work evade your eyes,
Remember why the good Lord made your eyes! So don't shade your eyes,
But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize... Only be sure to call it, please, "research".
- Tom Lehrer

[jmanski]

[Jedi Skyler]

One thing I've always noticed about garhkal is that he's always cognizant of making sure a game isn't unbalanced. A backpack like this could be considered unbalancing if it's not used in some kind of military unit scenario; he'd be looking for all the ways in which to negate that device, or at least at how likely it would be for others to notice and identify it, thereby giving them legitimate reason to target the backpack.

Also, a lot of GMs will allow a player to give their character a buttload of gear, only to take it away from them fairly early on in the game. Don't know if garhkal is like that; I've never been in a game he was running.

[Leon The Lion]

[jmanski]

Yeah, Garhk is always a good voice for balance. We all seem to have out own ways through which we see an idea; I think that's what makes for such good discussion on this board.
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Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[garhkal]

[Leon The Lion]

[garhkal]

Some groups (non convention) yes... Some groups would love stocking up on it.
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Leon The Lion]

[garhkal]

I have spent the better part of the past 13 years gaming at conventions with one group (Sparks force 7) doing a long ongoing SW D6 campaign. In that time i have also ran home campaigns in some places...
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!