(Dunno why, but TMs really call me. Someday, maybe, I'll dig into other archetypes.)
The pain of the TM is that you have to sacrifice so many other skills to be one. It's the reason you tend to JUST hack and rig. The problem is two fold. First, it can be frustrating being left out of the 'fun'. Second, even when it's not a good GM is going to push you out of your comfort zone. What I'd like to do is discuss toys, tools, and perhaps tricks the TM (and perhaps rigger) can have in anticipation. I'll mention a short handful, but would love to see other's.
I've mentioned my drone-pistol in other threads. Take a weapon with a smartgun, stick a pilot on it, and ta-daaa it's a drone that can be fired with gunnery+command. There are two problems with this. The first, RAW, is that it's got to be fired from AR/meatspace. That means meat initiative and IP AND complex action. That means, given the typical need to ready weapon first, it's the second combat turn and one shot per combat turn. The second problem comes when I put on my GM hat. "You're aiming it how? From your arm? And you think this is going to magically get your weapon aligned? uh-huh. Well, I've got a few negatives to toss in here..."
New preference: a steampunk dragon drone (Attitude). For the GM itch, no weapon that can't be brought to -4 concealability (and it has to be brought there to avoid "issues"). The fact it's on a 3 meter tether does not matter for this situation. Pull the flamethrower, replace it with (my preference) a Defiant EX that's got chameleon coat (my requirement), and you've got a 1550¥ Taser-armed drone that you can take most places without a lot of notice or bother. Bring two (call them Jhereg if you wish), and use "single command to multiple devices" to bring down just about anything short of a high-force spirit. If money's tight use a holdout (the Fichetti Needler, for example) instead. Regardless, oomphing the sensors and adding sensor software is just a bonus.
So, what's yours?
