[Ted Fast]

That's generally not the best focus, especially as a GM - the hostiles most runners deal with aren't gonna be armed with state of the art tech, after all.  Corpsec, for example, is going to be armed with whatever does the job the cheapest - this doesn't mean their gear sucks, but it's not going to be fantastic custom modded stuff, either.  NPC's that do have that sort of thing are going to be something else that's in a whole different order of dangerous.

I see your point RHat but when I browse through Arsenal and Gun h(e)aven it mostly for fun.I wouldn't drop a Ares Warhammer with 4 full auto cannons on my players unless they had done something Earth-shatteringly stupid.

Thanks for the advice BTW, I'll keep the costs of guns in mind if I ever build any runs of my own.

[Anarkitty]

Personally, for a character that specializes in extremely long-ranged combat, a good sniper rifle is without a doubt the best tool for the job.  Even if they have to run and gun, the -1 isn't too bad of a penalty, and if the rifle is modded enough it will be just as deadly at 5 meters as it is at 1000.
I used to give my dedicated sniper a shotgun as a backup weapon, but I found on the rare case she needed to work at close ranges the sniper rifle was still better.  There are very few things it isn't at least adequate for, except concealed carry.

And the mental image of a gnome carrying a Barrett on a run-and-gun scenario is just too awesome.

I'm genuinely interested, why do you prefer sniper rifles over assault cannons for long rage combat?
Seems to me like ACs have the upper hand in range, damage and AP-ability. Is the 14F availability of the ammo why  you don't prefer ACs?

The difficulty of reliably getting ammo is a small part of it, but it is also a matter of the sheer size of an Autocannon (which means even if you mod it to break down it takes a whole lot more space), it is a Heavy Weapon, it can't use varied ammo types (I love using Gel Rounds for intimidation), it can't be silenced or suppressed, it is SS rather than SA, and the damage code and AP isn't that much higher, especially compared to a Barrett 121.  Also, if you have low BOD and STR and your GM actually enforces encumbrance, you may not even be able to carry that AC without taking penalties.

In fact, a Barrett 121 firing Explosive rounds has the same damage and AP as a Panther or Vigorous cannon, and while it may cost more for the gun itself, you get a built-in silencer, internal smartgun and folding bipod (total value 4300¥ if installed on the Vigorous), and each bullet is 1/9 the cost.  Plus the Rifle can fire twice per IP. Reaver went into more detail about this in an earlier post.

Finally it is an aesthetic choice as much as anything, which is my first priority when crating a RPG character in any system.  I did once create a Troll sniper who used a modified AC as a sniper rifle, but honestly what I found is that there is nothing that an AC can do that a properly modified SR can't do better, with the possible exception of taking out heavy vehicles. 

[Michael Chandra]

Antitank rounds: 9/-10. If that won't tear through the engine block, nothing will.

[TsuiPen]

Thinking about this close combat rule regarding sniper rifles: Does it also apply when it is carried in a weapon mount of a flying drone?

[RHat]

Thinking about this close combat rule regarding sniper rifles: Does it also apply when it is carried in a weapon mount of a flying drone?

It applies any time it is used in something other than a proper sniping position, so to me the answer seems like a yes.

[ZeConster]

If it's maneuvering during the firefight, most likely - the flying equivalent of "a sniping situation" is probably "hovering in place", though, so I figure it can still fire while airborne without problems as long as it doesn't have to dodge attacks or do anything beyond rotating to aim.
Not sure what to use for the Edge test if the drone's operating autonomously, though: System, perhaps?

[TsuiPen]

hm. Then the drone creates a plenty of those situations while on the way to a sniping position. At least it does not dis- and reassamble the rifle on transit.

[RHat]

If it's maneuvering during the firefight, most likely - the flying equivalent of "a sniping situation" is probably "hovering in place", though, so I figure it can still fire while airborne without problems as long as it doesn't have to dodge attacks or do anything beyond rotating to aim.
Not sure what to use for the Edge test if the drone's operating autonomously, though: System, perhaps?

VTOL hovering is not as stable as a sniping situation.  And I'd assume it's still the player's Edge - it's a representation of the character being lucky.

[Mäx]

I thought the Desert Strike would follow that rule too, but I was wrong. You'd think a sniper system made for harsh conditions would be durable to jostling as well.

The rule in question is newer then Desert Strike, so it can't follow it as it didn't exist back then, personally i would house rule that it does(well i would just house rule the whole rule away more likely, but if not that then atleast this)

And guys it's quite unfair to claim snipers as superior based on them being SA, when there are a bunch of SA assault cannons too.

[Michael Chandra]

hm. Then the drone creates a plenty of those situations while on the way to a sniping position. At least it does not dis- and reassamble the rifle on transit.

Only when firing. You don't damage the rifle by running around, you damage it by using it while running around.

[ZeConster]

If it's maneuvering during the firefight, most likely - the flying equivalent of "a sniping situation" is probably "hovering in place", though, so I figure it can still fire while airborne without problems as long as it doesn't have to dodge attacks or do anything beyond rotating to aim.
Not sure what to use for the Edge test if the drone's operating autonomously, though: System, perhaps?

VTOL hovering is not as stable as a sniping situation.And I'd assume it's still the player's Edge - it's a representation of the character being lucky.

I see hovering in one place as closer to a standing sniper than to a moving firefight, but I guess it's up to the GM whether they want to be nitpicky.
Also, I think you misunderstood me on the Edge test - I'm talking about a drone that's operating autonomously, which means there's no player controlling it (beyond a "shoot THIS mother****er" instruction). Whose Edge would you use, then? The person that gave the instructions? The drone's designer? The person who installed the Targeting software?

[TsuiPen]

If it's maneuvering during the firefight, most likely - the flying equivalent of "a sniping situation" is probably "hovering in place", though, so I figure it can still fire while airborne without problems as long as it doesn't have to dodge attacks or do anything beyond rotating to aim.
Not sure what to use for the Edge test if the drone's operating autonomously, though: System, perhaps?

VTOL hovering is not as stable as a sniping situation.And I'd assume it's still the player's Edge - it's a representation of the character being lucky.

I see hovering in one place as closer to a standing sniper than to a moving firefight, but I guess it's up to the GM whether they want to be nitpicky.
Also, I think you misunderstood me on the Edge test - I'm talking about a drone that's operating autonomously, which means there's no player controlling it (beyond a "shoot THIS mother****er" instruction). Whose Edge would you use, then? The person that gave the instructions? The drone's designer? The person who installed the Targeting software?

I'd say the person it belongs to. And I wouldn't roll for NPCs.

[Reaver]

I thought the Desert Strike would follow that rule too, but I was wrong. You'd think a sniper system made for harsh conditions would be durable to jostling as well.

The rule in question is newer then Desert Strike, so it can't follow it as it didn't exist back then, personally i would house rule that it does(well i would just house rule the whole rule away more likely, but if not that then atleast this)

And guys it's quite unfair to claim snipers as superior based on them being SA, when there are a bunch of SA assault cannons too.

actually, Max, I copied all the assault cannons from sr4a and Arsenal into this post (the 2 books 90% of people have) and ALL the assault cannons listed in those books were single shot. The SOLE exception was the thunderstuck.

[Mäx]

actually, Max, I copied all the assault cannons from sr4a and Arsenal into this post (the 2 books 90% of people have) and ALL the assault cannons listed in those books were single shot. The SOLE exception was the thunderstuck.

Gun Heaven pdf:s add 3 more assault cannons 2 of witch are SA.
And its funny that you intentionally leave out thundertruck from comparison because it beats all sniper rifles six ways to Sunday.

[Mirikon]

It is also loud, bulky, requires a bulky backpack to go with it, and asks everyone and their brother to hit you with the hardest things they got. Meanwhile, a sniper rifle can be silenced, can load different ammo types according to what threats you're facing, is easier to move around, is lighter, and doesn't draw down the heavy artillery like using a fragging cannon does. You'll note that in at least one of those SA assault cannon entries, they mentioned that having the thing might have helped them in the short run, but it made the unfortunate person carrying it into one big target.