[Odsh]

Restrain: The attacker may simply opt to keep holding the defender. Use the attacker’s unarmed Attack Rating, and roll Close Combat + Strength vs. Close Combat + Strength. The –4 dice pool penalty applies to the defender.
Damage the opponent: The attacker may attempt to inflict damage on the defender with a Close Combat + Strength vs. Strength + Reaction. The attacker’s unarmed Attack Rating is used, and the defender suffers the –4 dice pool penalty for being restrained. If the attack is successful, the attacker does their unarmed combat damage
(Strength/2, rounded up) plus net hits.
Tackle the opponent: The attacker may decide to bring the opponent to the ground. This is a Close Combat + Strength vs. Body + Strength test. The attacker uses their unarmed Attack Rating, and the defender does not suffer the dice pool penalty for being restrained. If the attack succeeds, the defender is brought to the ground, becoming Prone, and suffers Stun damage equal to their attacker’s Body + net hits, resisted by Body.

If you don't perform any of these actions on your turn, does the opponent automatically break free?
I assume that a failed Restrain action means the opponent breaks free?
What happens if you opt for Damage the opponent or Tackle the opponent instead of Restrain and fail, does the opponent break free too?
Or do you need to perform a separate Restrain action each turn, in addition to Damage the opponent or Tackle the opponent, to keep him restrained (assuming that you have enough actions for that)?

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

You ask really good questions, Odsh.  I'm not looking forward to when you start scratching your head over the gas attack rules

Restrain: The attacker may simply opt to keep holding the defender. Use the attacker’s unarmed Attack Rating, and roll Close Combat + Strength vs. Close Combat + Strength. The –4 dice pool penalty applies to the defender.
Damage the opponent: The attacker may attempt to inflict damage on the defender with a Close Combat + Strength vs. Strength + Reaction. The attacker’s unarmed Attack Rating is used, and the defender suffers the –4 dice pool penalty for being restrained. If the attack is successful, the attacker does their unarmed combat damage
(Strength/2, rounded up) plus net hits.
Tackle the opponent: The attacker may decide to bring the opponent to the ground. This is a Close Combat + Strength vs. Body + Strength test. The attacker uses their unarmed Attack Rating, and the defender does not suffer the dice pool penalty for being restrained. If the attack succeeds, the defender is brought to the ground, becoming Prone, and suffers Stun damage equal to their attacker’s Body + net hits, resisted by Body.

The grapple rules establish that
1) those actions are all options available to the grappler
2) they all are major actions
3) The state of "being grappled" imposes certain rules.  It's in effect a status without having a formal status applied. (maybe should have been? I don't know.)

If you don't perform any of these actions on your turn, does the opponent automatically break free?

My understanding is yes. If you choose to not exercise any of the options to keep the opponent grappled, the opponent isn't so much "breaking free" as being deliberately let go.

I assume that a failed Restrain action means the opponent breaks free?

If you try to maintain and fail, then logically you failed to maintain.  Just as if you try to shoot someone and fail, logically you missed.

What happens if you opt for Damage the opponent or Tackle the opponent instead of Restrain and fail, does the opponent break free too?

Or do you need to perform a separate Restrain action each turn, in addition to Damage the opponent or Tackle the opponent, to keep him restrained (assuming that you have enough actions for that)?

This is tricky. You can either read the three options as being completely discrete where you can do 1, 2, or all 3 to your victim in one turn, or you can read "Damage" and "Tackle" as implicitly including perpetuating the grapple. I think it's reasonable to say Damage and Tackle DO perpetuate the grapple. Not only because everything costs a Major Action (so doing 2 would be impossible for most)... the language for Restrain implies this is the option for when you're NOT trying to hurt your opponent or put them on the ground.

Since, in my view, Damage the Opponent and Tackle the Opponent already includes preserving the "State of being Grappled", it follows that failure here means not only do you fail to hurt/tackle, you also fail to maintain the grapple. 

[Odsh]

Thanks for your answers, as always.

Since, in my view, Damage the Opponent and Tackle the Opponent already includes preserving the "State of being Grappled", it follows that failure here means not only do you fail to hurt/tackle, you also fail to maintain the grapple.

I agree this seems to be the best way to balance out these actions.

[Xenon]

In previous edition it was clear that it was resolved like this:

• Attacker perform grapple. This set a threshold
• Defender trying to break free against the threshold
• Attacker spend a complex action but have a choice to just keep the grapple (with no risk of target breaking free during the attackers action phase) or attempt to improve the grapple (increase the threshold) even further (but with the added risk of the grip slipping or even break during the attackers action phase) - or inflict stun damage while keeping the grip or knocking the defender down while keeping the grip
• Defender trying to break free against (a potentially even bigger) threshold

While not very clear (because they cut so many words here) I believe that that the intent in SR6 still seem to be that you resolve it in the same way as in previous edition.



Step 1

Attacker take a Combat + Agility test. Attacker take an opposed Strength + net hits from the previous test vs. opponent’s Strength test. Net hits from this test set the threshold to break free of the grapple. Make note of it.



Step 2.

Defender take a Close Combat + Strength test vs Threshold set in step 1. If successful he breaks free. If not, then he will still be restrained. Defender that knows the Defiant Dance Martial Arts Technique can instead take an Athletics + Agility test vs the Threshold. A defender with the Jiao Di Martial Arts Technique instead have the option to deal damage to the grappler. This is resolved as a Close Combat + Strength vs. Strength + Reaction test where net hits add to the damage done.



Step 3.

Even though it is not explicitly listed Attacker can simple just spend a Major action to keep the restrain. No test needed. Threshold to break free is unchanged.

Attacker can take a Close Combat + Strength vs. Close Combat + Strength - 4 test to improve the grapple. Even though it doesn't explicitly say so the outcome of this test will have an effect on the original threshold (increasing it if successful or reducing it if not successful). If the threshold reach 0 the defender will be set free on the Attackers turn.

Attacker can take a Close Combat + Strength vs. Strength + Reaction - 4 test to deal damage to the defender and even though it doesn't explicitly say so attacker will still keep the grip while doing this. No matter if the attack is successful or failed the original threshold to break free will remain unchanged. With the Ti Khao Martial Arts Technique this action inflict +1 DV and with the Joint Lock Martial Arts Technique this action will inflict the Disabled Status to an Arm or Leg and every 2 net hits increase the level by 1.

Attacker can take a Close Combat + Strength vs. Body + Strength test to knock the defender to the ground and even though it doesn't explicitly say so the attacker will not gain the prone status and will still keep the grip while doing this. If successful this cause stun damage and the defender will gain the prone status. No matter if the attack is successful or failed the original threshold to break free will remain unchanged. If the defender was knocked down and knows the Sacrifice Throw Martial Arts Technique the defender may spend a minor action to attempt to knock down the attacker using the same rules (potentially causing both damage and prone status to the attacker).


Step 4.

Defender take a Close Combat + Strength test vs Threshold from step 1 (that might now have been modified in step 3). If successful he breaks free. If not, then he will still be restrained. Defender that knows the Defiant Dance Martial Arts Technique can instead take an Athletics + Agility test vs the Threshold. A defender with the Jiao Di Martial Arts Technique instead have the option to deal damage to the grappler.

[Odsh]

Any suggestion on how to handle someone trying to grapple a humanoid drone?
Specifically, what do you use for the Strength attribute?
If the drone is acting on its own, use Pilot for Strength?
What is the drone's Strength when controlled by a rigger in AR/VR/jumped in? I guess it doesn't change the Strength of the drone, so we use Pilot too?
What do you use for Close Combat? When controlled by a rigger, do you use Engineering, as you do for shooting with mounted weapons?

EDIT: Xenon assuming this is how it's supposed to work in 6e is too big a leap to me, there just are too many details missing (that whole threshold thingy).

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Any suggestion on how to handle someone trying to grapple a humanoid drone?

Hooray for vehicle rules!   (and thank ghost the Rigger book is coming...)

Specifically, what do you use for the Strength attribute?

Generally, Body is a good stand-in for vehicle/drone Strength when invoked. Of course, if the drone's limbs work like cyberarms (as anthro drones' did in 5e, and maybe again in 6e once rigger book hits) you'd use the actual Strength.

If the drone is acting on its own, use Pilot for Strength?

Where metahumans and critters have 8 stats, drones have Body, Pilot, and Sensor..  And to make it complicated, they don't neatly overlap as Physical and Mental contexts.  It's tough.   I don't recommend substituting an attribute for an invoked skill. In the case of close combat, I'd say instead of either pilot or sensor you should be looking at a relevant autosoft instead.  Either Close Combat itself (if you permit that as an Autosoft) or probably Evasion as another good choice.  If the drone is DOING the grapple: Evasion wouldn't work as well.. either Close Combat (again if you're permitting that, or Targeting: Unarmed if not) or maybe Maneuver... but Maneuver is a flimsy choice.

What is the drone's Strength when controlled by a rigger in AR/VR/jumped in? I guess it doesn't change the Strength of the drone, so we use Pilot too?

Whatever you use (again I recommend Body) it wouldn't change by what method it's being controlled.

What do you use for Close Combat? When controlled by a rigger, do you use Engineering, as you do for shooting with mounted weapons?

When controlled via Jumped In or Remote Control, you use the controlling character's skills.  When making a drone fire a weapon, you roll Engineering (Gunnery).  However, I can see one potential exception:  when 1) you're jumped in and 2) the drone has articulated arms/hands AND 3) those arms/hands are wielding a weapon, you'd use the relevant close combat/firearms/exotic rather than engineering.    Unless you have all 3 of those factors, you have to us Engineering (Gunnery).   For example, if you have an anthropomorphic drone that's basically the Predator... you can use Close Combat on its claws* if you're jumped in, but that shoulder cannon is clearly a weapon mount and that's always Engineering (Gunnery).

* Just as the jumped in rigger's strength is irrelevant to the drone's strength when trying to claw someone, so is the rigger's Agility/Logic.  I'd suggest and recommend substituting Sensor for Agility (instead of Logic) when making a close combat attack with a drone, because Sensor is established elsewhere as the attribute involved in drone attacks.

...
Step 3.

Even though it is not explicitly listed Attacker can simple just spend a Major action to keep the restrain. No test needed. Threshold to break free is unchanged.

Attacker can take a Close Combat + Strength vs. Close Combat + Strength - 4 test to improve the grapple. Even though it doesn't explicitly say so the outcome of this test will have an effect on the original threshold (increasing it if successful or reducing it if not successful). If the threshold reach 0 the defender will be set free on the Attackers turn.

I think there are clear changes to how grapple works this edition.  Particularly so, here.  There is no allowance for "improving the grapple".  And Restrain, a major Action, IS explicitly given as the action you take to keep your opponent grappled (while not hurting or tackling him).


And, slipped!

EDIT: Xenon assuming this is how it's supposed to work in 6e is too big a leap to me, there just are too many details missing (that whole threshold thingy).

EDIT: It looks to me that all rolls during a grapple are opposed, hence "improving the threshold" is a non-sequitur and therefore omitted.

[Xenon]

The break free action seem to be a simple Close Combat + Strength test.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Break free's writeup DOES have a hole, in that it neither says you roll against a threshold (simple test) or an opposed test against the grappler.

However:

1) no threshold was ever established, so it takes some gymnastics to work a threshold in. Not to say gymnastics are inherently bad, AND some liberty is going to have to be taken anyway due to the rule never specifying what you roll against.

2) every other action in the grappling rules is opposed (i.e. no thresholds).  Including, and I daresay importantly so, Restrain.  Break Free is logically the inverse of Restrain, so the inverse of Close Combat + Strength vs Close Combat + Strength is.... Close Combat + Strength vs Close Combat + Strength   I find it more plausible that they simply forgot to mention the opposing dice pool, but it's (imo) easy enough to infer because every single other test, save in the grapple rules, save the initial one that invokes Agility for the attacker, is opposed STR+Close Combat STR+Close Combat.  I acknowledge that is ALSO taking a bit of a liberty with the rule, but imo it's less of one than 1).  And the smaller leap is the better ruling, imo.

3) furthermore: Break Free is still comparing AR to DR, which is in my opinion further evidence that the action is intended to be an opposed test in the same manner as the other actions that explicitly are opposed tests.

[Xenon]

By a strict reading of RAW the break-away test is a simple unopposed test without any listed threshold which mean it will be successful on a single hit (but I don't think either of us think this is how the rule is intended to be resolved).

Beyond that it stand to reason that your initial grapple set the threshold that the defender need to reach when breaking free. Other tests in SR6 are resolved in this manner and this was how it was resolved in previous edition as well. But I agree that there is very little to support this reasoning as the rules are written (but there is also not anything that directly contradict this reading).

The alternative reading is that the break-away action is actually an opposed test even though it doesn't explicitly say so. This in turn mean hits from your initial grapple doesn't really matter. Which in turn mean that hits from the followup grapple action also doesn't matter. Which in turn mean that this action is actually there just to keep the grapple for another combat turn. Which mean that if you fail this test then the defender will automatically break free during the attackers action. Which also mean that if you inflict damage or knock down instead of restraining you will automatically also no longer keep the grapple.

This reading is more aligned with the little RAW there is to go on, but at the same time it make less sense (as professional wrestling is a lot about getting that initial grip and then gradually improve upon it, much like a Pythonidae, until the defender finally have no option than to completely surrender).


Edit:

2) every other action in the grappling rules is opposed (i.e. no thresholds).  Including, and I daresay importantly so, Restrain. 

Actually not sure I count this as an argument against that it should be resolved like it was resolved in SR5 as all other tests except the break free action were opposed in SR5 as well.

SR5 p. 195 Subuding
To break out of the lock, the defender must take a Complex Action and succeed in an Unarmed Combat + Strength [Physical] Test with a threshold equal to the net hits scored on the attacker’s original grappling test.

Personally I think it is less of a leap to assume that the mechanic is unchanged than that they deliberately changed it but forgot to mention how it should be resolved. Especially when the rules as I explained it above make more sense (from a realistic point of view) than the alternative.

Anyway. Not much RAW to go on here so all we can argue is intention and likelihood I guess.

Unless we have some clarification I will keep resolving it like this while you keep resolving it like that and we will both be happy :-)

[Odsh]

Which also mean that if you inflict damage or knock down instead of restraining you will automatically also no longer keep the grapple.

This was precisely my first question. In fact, it's absolutely not clear when you lose the grapple. The only obvious case is when you don't succeed on the Restrain action.

What Stainless Steel Devil Rat proposes is that any of the actions Restrain, Damage the opponent and Tackle the opponent can be used to maintain a grapple - as long as they succeed.

[Xenon]

What Stainless Steel Devil Rat proposes is that any of the actions Restrain, Damage the opponent and Tackle the opponent can be used to maintain a grapple - as long as they succeed.

Assuming this is how it's supposed to work in 6e I think should be an equal big a leap to you ;-)

(that whole breaking away on failed damage thingy, breaking away on failed knockdown thingy and opposed test on break-away thingly; all which would be a deliberate changes from how it worked in SR5 - but without any text at all to back it up).

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Yes. I don't see any reason you'd lose the grapple if you choose to damage or tackle and fail to spend a 2nd major to retain the grapple.

By my understanding, damage and tackle both implicitly retain the grapple as an incidental effect, when they are successful.

[Xenon]

The only obvious case is when you don't succeed on the Restrain action.

This part is not 'obvious' at all when you take into account how it was resolved in SR5:

SR5 p. 195 Subduing
If the defender scores more hits, however, reduce the attacker’s net hits by the defender’s net hits to show how the attacker’s grip is slipping.


edit:

By my understanding, damage and tackle both implicitly retain the grapple as an incidental effect, when they are successful.

It actually don't make sense that the defender have a chance to break the grapple on the attackers turn.

Unless the attacker choose to gamble for a better grip.

By my understanding breaking the grapple is what the defender is trying to do during his or her turn.

[Xenon]

In previous edition it was clear that it was resolved like this:

• Attacker perform grapple. This set a threshold
• Defender trying to break free against the threshold
• Attacker spend a complex action but have a choice to just keep the gip (with no risk of target breaking free during the attackers action phase) or attempt to improve the grip (increase the threshold) even further (but with the added risk of the grip slipping or even break during the attackers action phase) - or attempt to inflict stun damage (while keeping the grip) or attempt to knock the defender down (while keeping the grip)
• Defender trying to break free against (a potentially even bigger) threshold

For SR6 we have so far at least 3 different ideas on how to resolve it:

• Attacker perform grapple. This set a threshold
• Defender trying to break free against the threshold
• Attacker spend a major action but have a choice to just keep the grip or attempt to improve the grip or attempt to inflict stun damage (while keeping the grip) or attempt to knock the defender down (while keeping the grip)
• Defender trying to break free against (a potentially even bigger) threshold

• Attacker perform grapple.
• Defender trying to break free. This is opposed by the attacker
• Attacker spend a major action and have a choice to attempt to keep the grip for one more combat turn (defender will break free on a failed attempt) or instead of keeping the grip attempt to inflict stun damage or instead of keeping the grip attempt to knock the defender down.
• Defender trying to break free. This is opposed by the attacker

• Attacker perform grapple.
• Defender trying to break free. This is opposed by the attacker
• Attacker spend a major action and have a choice to attempt to keep the grip or attempt keep the grip while inflicting damage or attempt to keep the grip while knocking the defender down. Defender will automatically break free on a failed attempt with any of the three actions.
• Defender trying to break free. This is opposed by the attacker

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

It actually don't make sense that the defender have a chance to break the grapple on the attackers turn.

Unless the attacker choose to gamble for a better grip.

By my understanding breaking the grapple is what the defender is trying to do during his or her turn.

I guess this is the rub, then.  Especially a fundamental disagreement on the passage I bolded.

In 6e, it's demonstrable (this isn't opinion, this isn't up for debate) that if the grappler wants to, quote, "simply opt to keep holding the defender" that is a Restrain action.  It costs a major action during the grappler's turn.  And the grappler can fail this test. Consequences of failure isn't said explicitly, and if you say implicitly that means "the escape threshold that was never mentioned doesn't get any bigger" I'm gonna hard disagree and insist the more "obvious" implicit consequence of failing a test to sustain a hold means you fail to sustain a hold.

Often times you have to look at 5e to discern what 6e is trying to do, but with respect this isn't one of those times.  The rules for grappling are (with the exception of what does the Break Free action roll against) clear AND a break from how 5e did it. 

The flowchart for 6e goes as follows:

(Grappler's turn)
1) Must first succeed on a Close Combat + Agility vs standard defense test. (Grapple rules, 2nd clause of 2nd sentence, pg 111). 
2) Then instead of the defender making a soak test, the attacker makes another custom test: STR + net hits vs STR. (Grapple rules, 3rd sentence).  Success on this custom test has a binary result: either the target is grappled, or the target is not grappled.  There is no mention of  net hits on this test having any importance at all, much less tracking them to establish a threshold for future tests by the victim. (Grapple rules, 4th sentence).

(victim's turn)
Assuming the target has been grappled, the target now suffers the effects of BEING grappled (sentences 5 thru 7).
3) the victim can take any actions allowable by the grappled state, including the special one, Break Free, called out below the special actions allowed to a character who holds a grapple.
4) if the victim tries to break free, you first evaluate the AR vs the Defender's, and the victim rolls STR+Close combat.  Exactly what against is not called out, and we disagree about whether it's more "sensibly" a threshold that was never established or STR+Close Combat, as almost everything else in 6e grappling uses (see below).  Failure on this test, or failing to even attempt this test, results in not breaking free from the grapple.

(Grappler's successive turn)
Assuming the defender hasn't broken free, the grappler has 4 choices:
1) attempt to simply maintain the status quo.  This is represented by the Retain action (STR+Close combat vs STR+Close Combat)
2) attempt to harm the defender. This is represented by the Damage the Opponent action, and is adjudicated differently than a regular attack.  Of note, the test itself is STR+Close Combat vs STR+Close combat (not including some penalties being applied to the defender due to being afflicted by the grappled state)
3) attempt to throw the defender to the ground. This is represented by the Tackle the Opponent action, and is also adjudicated differently than a regular attack incorporating a called shot to knockdown.  This action ALSO is resolved via STR + Close Combat vs STR + Close Combat (again, not including grappled penalties for the defender)
4) do something other than keeping the grapple going. Obviously, this should end the grapple immediately.

I can only see 2 ambiguities in the 6e grapple rules:

A) do Damage the Opponent and Tackle the Opponent also include maintaining the grapple?  For the reasons I gave in earlier posts upthread, I believe the best answer is yes.  Certainly superior to " you have to spend 2 major actions to hold AND hurt or throwdown."
B) What does Break Free roll against?  Again, since thresholds are never established, tracked, or built upon... and everything else goes off STR+Close Combat vs STR+Close Combat, I see little reason to not presume the defending half of this opposed test was inadvertently omitted... certainly a better view than presuming the inadvertent omission was forgetting to establish the existence of a threshold as well as a mechanic to build upon it, as you envision.