I want to pre-face my reply by saying that, contrary to popular belief, GURPS is not real life, and while certain IRL concepts apply to GURPS, not all of them do, for example:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rupert
That's a really bad idea. Firstly, if you're firing your weapon in any useful manner, you're exposed to incoming fire and if you get hit that grenade's not going anywhere, and as it's armed it's not your friend any more. Secondly, it's very easy to lose track of time while shooting, especially when caught up in a fire-fight, so you're making it very easy to lose track and have the grenade go off before you throw it, or while it's in the air.
|
'Very easy to lose track of time' may be in the heat of battle, for a combatant himself, but player most often will have a clear head and will consciously count down/note the 4-5 round timer, waiting for his chance to toss, hence it is a non-issue.
Meanwhile, operating a handgun or your rifle one handed while the grenade is cooking off is safe as long as you play it safe. The issues you outline get worse tenfold if the enemy storms your position and you're just hanging out with a grenade and can't do anything. Putting at least a few bullets into them, or going for AoA double so you can both toss and shoot, is an option.
Bottom line, holding a gun does not impede your grenade throwing capabilities, so you can just hold onto it for insurance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rupert
My experience is that getting a grenade in exactly the right spot is tricky, and if it's spotted people can almost always get a yard or two's distance, making the concussion damage far smaller than the base damage suggests it'd be. Grenades are great in TL5-7 games, where body armour is uncommon, but in TL8+ games their utility drops off rapidly against properly equipped soldiers (and at TL4- the grenades are junk, if they're available at all).
|
Throwing items in GURPS is easy, you get a +4 to hit a specific hex (DX if you dont have throwing), and they don't go anywhere from that hex. You can aim your throws, all out attack, whatever!
Next, the main killing agent of the grenade is the shrapnel. The example of me killing a guy with a grenade is just that - an example of using it to do direct damage.
I just ran a TL8 simulation vs another player, and grenade shrapnel won me the game by hitting the man's neck, leg and arm. Funny story, no body armor in High Tech protects neck.
And finally, it is a non-issue that the enemy tries to get away from the grenade. IN FACT, you want him to! Usually the enemy is behind cover, popping in and out to dish out punishment. Tossing a grenade behind his cover means he has to leave it to avoid damage, which buys you a few moments to maneuver, or exposes the enemy to counter-attack.
P.S.: Worth remembering that explosive damage is resolved against (Torso DR+WORST DR)/2. So it's effectively (2) as no TL8 gear can cover all hit locations with DR. M67 deals 9d crushing for average 31 damage. Assault Vest with plates only has 14 DR against that, so explosion under the feet is still lethal.
Max grenade roll is 54 damage, 18 if it's 1 yard away, so there's still a chance to do dirty to the guy you're blowing up.