[kyoto kid]

...then there's my little Jack of All Trades brat, Leela who started with Automatics, (AK-97) and Exotic :Gyrojet, after which she "branched out" to Unarmed Combat (shock gloves) Heavy Weapons (grenade launchers, MGs, and rocket launchers), Exotic: Flamethrowers, Exotic: Monowhip, Gunnery, and Pistols (no skill higher than 5 but with a 10 Agility).

Yeah a "one girl army corps" (crikey, the CZ's a rough playground).

Also helps to have a Black Market Pipeline weapons dealer.

[Michael Chandra]

I remember the one game where the ork gun-adept hit an enemy mobster and did 0 damage. That was the point where, with the help of shared view through glasses, the sniper only had to shoot through 2 walls with Blind Fire penalty with his Remington. THAT shot stung. Barely. Assault Cannon would have been more fun there, because if there's any weapon where I'd go 'okay first you blow out the wall, THEN you have a fresh hole to shoot through', it'd be an AC. Though I'd probably rule here that it would tear significant holes in the cheap walls without being too obstructed by it.

Anyway, yeah, I love beetles.

[RickDeckard]

Badass factor goes a long way.

[Ghost Rigger]

The most potent assault cannon currently in the game is the Panther XXL, with 17P AP -6.

The most potent machine gun currently in the game is an update of the 50-caliber MA Deuce, packing a whopping 18P AP -6, and that's before you give it any special ammunition.

Makes you wonder what kind of heat the military grade assault cannons are packing, doesn't it?

[Ajax]

Makes you wonder what kind of heat the military grade assault cannons are packing, doesn't it?

We haven’t gotten a lot of 5th Edition books dealing with militaries, active war zones, and such. SR2 and SR3 had some teases here and there, but it was SR4’s War, Mil-Spec Tech, and Mil-Spec Tech 2 that went into the most detail.

The Ares Heavy Railgun seems like a good “baseline” for the sort of thing you’d see as the primary weapon on a main battle tank or a very heavily armored infantry fighting vehicle: Damage 10P, AP -6 (but halving all but smart armor before applying AP), SA/BF, and Assault Cannon range table (with the extreme range extended out to 5,000 meters). You’d have to adjust the numbers to make them fit into SR5, but the general idea is “Panther Cannon But Way Better.”

Vehicle-mounted lasers remain a “not quite ready for prime time” weapon technology, which they’ve been since way back in SR1... I think the general idea is that lasers are
More of a MacGuffin that exists as something Mr. Johnson and Tanaka-san can send the ‘runners after. They have stats because, inevitably, someone is going to want to use it in the shootout that results. But they aren’t really meant to be played with.

Then again, SR4 gave use rules for a plethora of anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles, and other weapons that although not technically WMDs sure as hell feel like they are in a game meant to focus on low-life thieves-for-hire.

Personally, I’d just assume the stats for almost any military vehcile’s “primary” weapon is just: Okay, you’re dead. Do not pass GO. Do not collect 200¥. Roll up a new character.

[Marcus]

There is always case for superior fire power. Anyone remember when the thunderstruck was starting legal?
Do I think it's an optimal weapon for most SR games? No. But bring one and expect to get shot. There a some logic to it.

[Reaver]

There is always case for superior fire power. Anyone remember when the thunderstruck was starting legal?
Do I think it's an optimal weapon for most SR games? No. But bring one and expect to get shot. There a some logic to it.

I remember when the Panther Assault cannon was $500!!

[Ajax]

$500!? When the heck was that, even back in SR1's Street Samurai Catalog the Panther Cannon had a list price of ¥7,200 and the generic Assault Cannon in the Core Rulebook cost ¥6,500*... I don't ever recall seeing one for $500.


* Oddly, the only differences between the two weapons was that the Panther weighed two pounds less and carried to more rounds in the "clip."

[Reaver]

$500!? When the heck was that, even back in SR1's Street Samurai Catalog the Panther Cannon had a list price of ¥7,200 and the generic Assault Cannon in the Core Rulebook cost ¥6,500*... I don't ever recall seeing one for $500.


* Oddly, the only differences between the two weapons was that the Panther weighed two pounds less and carried to more rounds in the "clip."

First printing of the softcover 2e rules.
It had a typo in it that left off the '6' of the $6500 price tag... making it just $500.

It was corrected in future printings.... but back before the internet, how would you know, let alone check??

Needless to say, there was a LOT of runners trying to pack one as their sole weapon back in the day.