The Grenade Thread

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

I also rather like how grenades work in Aliens, where the grenades in the underslung 30mm launchers double as hand grenades. Per the Colonial Marine Technical Manual, the grenades all have a flip-top cap on one end that can be manually opened and twisted to activate a 5-second timer (this can be seen in action in the films), but can also be treated as a contact detonator ("Care must be taken not to strike or depress the nose cap, otherwise the grenade will go off immediately.")

Of course, the manual also describes this as an ad hoc hand grenade, so it's probably better to treat these grenades as launcher ammo primarily, with the secondary option of using as a hand grenade.

Also, the CMTM mentions a potentially useful variant: the Bounding Fragmentation round. Basically its a frag round with a small additional charge that, on impact, launches the grenade ~2 meters into the air where it "airbursts for additional effect against troops in the open or in foxholes without overhead cover."
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

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[garhkal]

Perhaps contact grenades in SW< have those same "Do not pull cap off, as falls will detonate them" covers??
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[Naaman]

[CRMcNeill]

[Naaman]

I guess I just don't think of it a "minutiae."

There are some things that I would say are "common sense" when it comes to thinking about something like how a smoke grenade would work in a game if it is expected to be some kind of simulation of how a smoke grenade is actually used (that is, "would be useful").

It's kind of like "suppressing fire" or other things we see on TV that, until we've tried to apply them in a real or (fully) imagined scenario, we don't really think about the circumstances which spawned consideration for using smoke.

Once the smoke is deployed, it's effectiveness has more to do with the thrower's understanding of an opponent's perspective and mindset than of his ability to accurately throw a grenade.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, in the case of smoke, it seems to me that tactics is the primary skill to be used; the grenade roll would be an incidental requirement to see whether it lands on target.
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[CRMcNeill]

The official rules suggest otherwise, though, especially the RoE Accuracy Damage rules. The implication there is that, on some level, whichever Ranged Weapon the character is using also includes a degree of understanding the weaknesses (and weak points) of the target, and where to aim for the greatest effect. I agree that "tactics" should factor into the usage of weapons and other skills in combat, but the RAW suggests that, to some degree, the tactics of using a weapon or device is already somewhat incorporated into the skill itself.

Now, I'm perfectly fine with finding ways to incorporate Knowledge skills into practical applications, but taking it to the point where you have to double up a Tactics roll with every other action you take really is a step too far.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Naaman]

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

So, as far as gas-based grenades are concerned, wind speed an direction is going to be hugely important. At the moment, I'm thinking a two-stage system to determine this, with the Grenade Scatter Diagram from 2R&E used to determine wind direction, then a second chart to determine wind speed. Wind speed, in turn will determine what sort of shape the gas cloud takes, something along the lines of:

No Wind = Forms a cloud 20 meters in diameter.
Light Wind Forms a 20 meter cloud that extends in 5 meters in length per round of duration.
Moderate Wind = Forms a trail 10 meters wide x 10 meters long, plus 10 meters in length for every round of duration.
Heavy Wing = Forms a trail 5 meters wide x 20 meters long, plus 20 meters in length for every round of duration.

There would need to be a similar chart for using gas grenades indoors to reflect the movement of air by the facility's HVAC system, or wind blowing in from outside (often, high security facilities will be designed for overpressure, in order to keep harmful gases from leaking in).
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Whill]

It may seem that way, but wind direction and speed aren't actually random. There are many places on Earth where there are trends, and those locations can vary greatly from each other. Time of year and time of day can make a difference too. I'm sure many other planets are like this too. It would at least make more sense for a GM to make a custom chart for each location to reflect the trends.
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Star Wars D6 Damage

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

Actually, here's a simpler chart from an early edition of Warhammer 40K's Grenade Rules (modified to SWD6 terminology, as needed):

Roll 1D
1 = Cloud remains until the end of the current round, then disperses with no further effect.
2-4 = Cloud remains where it is.
5 = Cloud diameter shrinks by 10 meters.
6 = Cloud moves 1D meters in a random direction (determined by Grenade Scatter Diagram).

I'm thinking the results could be juggled so that the movement / dispersion results are further down (EDIT: as in, linked to lower D results), so that the GM could apply a modifier to the roll based on the planet's prevailing weather patterns. Something like so:

Roll 1D
1 = Cloud remains until the end of the current round, then disperses with no further effect.
2 = Cloud diameter shrinks by 10 meters.
3 = Cloud moves 1D meters in a random direction (determined by Grenade Scatter Diagram).
4-6 = Cloud remains where it is.

So, on a windy planet, the D6 roll might have a -1 or -2 modifier, which increases the likelihood that the cloud will move or disperse, while on a calmer world, or somewhere indoors, it would have a +1 or +2, representing the more confined and controlled environment keeping the cloud concentrated.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Dredwulf60]

[Whill]