Quote:
Originally Posted by fredtheobviouspseudonym
Suffice it to say that NO veteran troop would want to haul one of these things around. (I suppose your veterans didn't have much choice . . . )
|
Well, I emphasised the risk inherent in the arming mechanism, but mentioned that these SOE grenades were small and easy to hide even in a pocket.
As the adventure was billed as a one-shot and the stakes were the fates of the world, most of the PCs were prepared to accept the risk of being blown up by their own grenades if it meant they could carry more of them, hide them better and, of course, use them as contact weapons.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fredtheobviouspseudonym
The activation mechanism is not the standard lever -- it's a spring-loaded disk not much bigger than a nickel you have to hold compressed to the body of the grenade Very Carefully.
If your sweaty palm slips, the disk will spring loose and arm the grenade.
|
In GURPS, these grenades have Malf. 16 (and on a critical failure, they will explode in your hand). Do you think Malf. 16 is too high?
Or should one just reduce Malf. for blood or other fluids on hands or the grenades?
Maybe Malf. is also one step worse if the grenade is Readied from a bag or pocket instead of purpuse-designed load-bearing equipment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fredtheobviouspseudonym
Notice the common element?
There's a reason the US military didn't adopt it -- and why no later grenades had this type of arming mechanism.
|
To be fair, a lot of things that are regarded as too risky to be worth it in the real world might be reasonable to risk for RPG adventurers trying to save the world.
And from a min-maxing point of view, grenades that explode in the same turn that they are thrown and can easily attain contact explosions for maximum damage are such a brilliant weapon that it quite makes up for a minor chance of having them go off in your hand...