[ericthered]

I don't think of it as neglected: its one of the weapons that sticks out strongly in my mind from Ultra-tech. Its ST rating makes it tricky to use, but the warhead size and the range turn it into a very versatile weapon.

Ultimately, I think its mostly a threat that stays in the closet or gets used to display how large and powerful a given foe is. Most Ultra-tech guns are lethal long before you get to the payload riffle, but the payload riffle slams home the point that ultra-tech armor is needs to be really good to be effective.

The comparison to the grenade launcher is a good one, but I can see one big exception: the riffle lets you use your guns(riffle) skill, which is probably higher than Guns (grenade launcher)