[sylanna]

What exactly does airburst link do? Does it only reduce scatter?

[Unahim]

What exactly does airburst link do? Does it only reduce scatter?

Yes, despite the description saying that it makes it explode close to the target, which seems to have no actual in-game rules or mechanics connected to it.

[sylanna]

"An airburst link reduces the scatter distance for a launched grenade by two meters per net hit instead of by one meter per hit (Determine Scatter, p. 182) when you use the wireless link trigger."

I assume the "net hit" thingy there is just a typo, but even if it is, you can reduce scatter by 4 meters at best...winning 2 meters for 600 nuyen...and your launcher and the grenade have to be wirelessly enabled (I think, it is always a bad idea to enable your launcher), which is a bad trade in my opinion...do I miss something?

And now after reading the launcher rules again: "Resolving a launched grenade, rocket, or missile attack is a two-step process. The first step determines where the projectile ends up in relation to the target (see Determine Scatter, p. 182). The second step resolves the effect of the projectile’s explosion (see Blast Effects, p. 182)." followed by "When you fire a grenade, rocket, or missile you use a Fire Weapon Simple Action and roll a Heavy Weapons + Agility [Accuracy] (3) Test modified[...]"
Did I just miss the additional information in the first quote or is there none? Why didn't the writer stick to the normal grenade rule wording. Adding the additional launcher rules afterwards would have been much less confusing. Those two sentences just being there bugs me...

Is the difference in grenade and grenade launcher wireless link rules intended or did the writer just forget something? Every other trigger section was copied&pasted.

"Wireless: You can use the wireless link trigger for your grenades, even if you don’t have DNI[...]" Doesn't this basically say, that there really are guys, that stick a cable in their grenades and detonate them?

Thank you in advance. And thank you for having taken the time to answer my past questions.

[Unahim]

No, DNI does not mean you have a wired link to an object. It means that you have a device wired up directly to your brain that can transmit orders to devices by simple thought. Examples include a Datajack, internal commlink, internal Deck, and so on.

The wireless detonation option for grenades is pretty much the best one, so airburst link really isn't that much of a disadvantage. If your Decker is doing his job, hacking anything important should be a risky and tiresome procedure for the enemy hackers anyway. I don't see your problem with those sentences either; first you roll hvy wepaons + agi, if you get 3 hits the gren lands where you aimed, if less than three you get scatter. Then you calculate damage from the point it exploded at. Exactly like throwing. (only the skill used to fire the grenade, the distance it can be fired and the scatter distance is different, really)

[sylanna]

The sentences: That is my point. "Exactly like throwing". Why not use the same wording for this? Everything that strays from the wording of a similar rule section raises the suspicion, that there is another intention behind it.

DNI: But the grenade needs to be wirelessly enabled to receive the DNI's wireless signal...I mean, no wireless communication between devices that aren't linked to the matrix. The only other way detonating a grenade with DNI is the direct connection with a cable.
So saying that you can trigger a grenade that is wirelessly enabled by other means than DNI, implies that either you don't need it to be wirelessly enabled to detonate it with DNI (which doesn't work by most peoples understanding of DNI) or that detonating grenades via cable link is a often used method to detonate grenades.

Airburst link: Having a weapon like a grenade launcher online is far more dangerous than just having the grenades and trodes online. And you don't get any real benefit by having your launcher online (I don't see the benefit over DNI..DNI is faster and safer). Getting your trodes hacked is much more desirable than getting your launcher hacked.

[Unahim]

Eh, the grenades won't arm themselves unless they fly 5 meters, so as long as your gren launcher can't shoot its grenades further than 5 meters while in your beg, it's completely safe.

Also, one possible explanation for the DNI is that the DNI can still contact a wireless grenade that has wireless on, but is being drowned out by Noise. The grenade's signal is then too weak to give the wireless bonus to non-DNI users, but perhaps the DNI can still interact with it.

It's more likely that the grenade rules are simply a mess, though.

[Michael Chandra]

Honestly I think the whole idea is that you don't have a connection with grenades unless their wireless is on or you're in fact connecting them with a cable. This means nothing for most grenades since they don't care about your DNI, and wireless grenades need to have their wireless on in the first place, so honestly who cares.

Of course it means that you could start the timer on a timed grenade while you're elsewhere if its wireless is on. Which is cute.

[sylanna]

The arming range is not a wireless feature. Launcher grenades work with a rotation arming mechanism. Communication between grenade and launcher is not necessary. If that were different, launchers would be the only weapons that need to be online in order to be used at all.

I also think that they are a mess. Somehow need to make the best out of it.

[Unahim]

"Having a DNI", is a binary procedure: you either have it (through one of the methods mentionedo n page 222) or you don't. It's not on a device-by-device basis, and a DNI is completely different from having a direct connection, which is why DNI's are not mentioned in the hacking rules concerning such things, for instance. And s osince the grenades don't say "DNI -to- the grenade." I can only conclude, by RAW, that the cable is unnecessary. Whether that makes sense or not.. ?

We're talking SR5 grenades, nothing does.

[sylanna]

How do you explain to your players, that the impact triggered grenade they just shot is scattering back in their direction?

[Michael Chandra]

They messed up the throw.

[sylanna]

If a launched grenade scatters into the 5m radius, it can't explode. Without the grenade bouncing of of something, you can't explain, why it should be armed. Would you just let the grenade land and lie around?

[ZeConster]

If a launched grenade scatters into the 5m radius, it can't explode. Without the grenade bouncing of of something, you can't explain, why it should be armed. Would you just let the grenade land and lie around?

I wasn't aware we had to come up with detailed explanations for the official rules.

[Xenon]

RE Grenades Launcher wireless bonus:
This simply mean that there is a manual button on your grenade launcher that you can press for a simple action to detonate mini-grenades that have a wireless trigger.

So if you don't have DNI (which you can use to wireless detonate your mini grenade for a free action) or if someone bricked your data jack or if you ran out of free actions this action phase you can use a simple action to detonate the grenade by pressing the button on your grenade launcher.

This require the grenade launcher to be wireless ON (of course, since the button will not transmit the command to your wireless grenade if the grenade launcher have wireless OFF).

There is often a quite logical explanation to most wireless bonuses...

How do you explain to your players, that the impact triggered grenade they just shot is scattering back in their direction?

"Scatter" does not have to be the same thing as "bouncing".
They simply hit the ceiling, wall, floor, a piece of furniture or a tree branch or whatever between the target and themselves and the grenade detonated.

Motion sensor grenades use standard ranged rules (target get to use reaction+intuition to avoid it). As long as they get one net hit or more the grenade will hit their target (and not scatter at all).

What exactly does airburst link do? Does it only reduce scatter?

The purpose of the Airburst link is to detonate wireless grenades for you.
Both your grenade launcher and your mini grenades need to have Wireless ON.
(I think your grenade launcher also need to be a smartgun...)

This save you a free action (if you have DNI linked wireless to your grenade) or a simple action (if you use grenade launcher linked wireless to your grenade). This is also the only way you can practically use a semi-automatic burst to fire and detonate 3 wireless triggered mini-grenades in one action phase...

(air-burst = detonating the explosive mid-air close to your target - opposed to ground-burst which is often a timed grenade that bounce and roll and detonate while laying on the floor after a set period of time. Air-burst is a technology that exist real life).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_burst

[Michael Chandra]

Of course the rules don't explicitly state so, so maybe someone simply didn't check the dictionary when coming up with the name. Definitely needs some clearer explicit statement if they do let you make them go boom.