Grapnel Launcher. How good is it?

[Sordit]

Hey there,

we just started our first campaign and after the first match our Goliath-Guy bought 3 grapnel launchers.
The moving-possibilities are brutal, especially vertical.

He used it to Round2 move his Heavy Stubber-Guy to a high, normally not climable, overlooking position able to spray the battlefield.

So everyone now buys the cheap, common grapnel launcher and wargear is not limited, isn't it? So I will see, that in the next cycle 50% of all gangers will have that thing and the wild spiderman race will start. Did you have a similar situation?

I remember in the original Necromunda Grapnel was rare and with the d66-System for rare items it was even harder to obtain.

 

[Iseizu]

The 3D movement is nice, but it is 25 credits a pop. And there are other ways of climbing things, that don't use double actions.

 

[Sordit]

The 3D movement is nice, but it is 25 credits a pop. And there are other ways of climbing things, that don't use double actions.

But if you have a tower with say 6" height and you got 5" move, you could not climb it even with both move actions in one turn -> which makes it impossible in our group, cause how do you represent the ganger hanging to the wall?

AND with a height of 6" you could be standing 10" away and still reach the top of the tower!

That is like 2 moves-actions with 5" move and you not even climbed it yet. So calculate another 6", if you got a ladder or even 12" if not.

And the next scenario is like swing yourself to to opposite walkway on a higher floor without running around.

Even if you want to go down you can use that thing without the risk of falling.
Remember 10" away from a 6" tower...

 

[Iseizu]

If your main concern is getting to the top of a 6" tower, the clamber skill comes to mind. If it is a small tower, blasts would be a good way of clearing it, especially frags as they could knock the other guy off. If it is a big tower with cover, the infiltrate skill also comes to mind. If your opponents are grappling multiple gangers up the tower, the card Dangerous Footing would be a brutal surprise.

 

[Sordit]

If your main concern is getting to the top of a 6" tower, the clamber skill comes to mind. If it is a small tower, blasts would be a good way of clearing it, especially frags as they could knock the other guy off. If it is a big tower with cover, the infiltrate skill also comes to mind. If your opponents are grappling multiple gangers up the tower, the card Dangerous Footing would be a brutal surprise.

Ok I will keep this in mind. Thank you. Mostly my concern is, that everyone will have a couple of Grapnel in some rounds cause of the movement advantage. Not only climbing but use a double action to cross a gap of 12" without falling risk. But I will see how this will evolve.

Thats why I'm interested if someone was in an similar situation and how it turned out.

Btw. we play completly without tactic cards.

 

[HiveJive81]

You can do some goofy things with it.

Fun Game mode- get terrain with a lot of walkways and elevated positions. 'The Floor is Lava'.

 

[Sordit]

You can do some goofy things with it.

Fun Game mode- get terrain with a lot of walkways and elevated positions. 'The Floor is Lava'.

Actually a nice idea for an event. Only elevated walkways and platforms...fall down and you die....pretty hard punishment...

 

[HiveJive81]

It'd be better for a skirmish. If you REALLY want to make it fun, just make it so the teams have one champion and give them a knockback weapon. Play 'King of the Hill' with one platform elevated above all the others, with other platforms below.

 

[Sordit]

It'd be better for a skirmish. If you REALLY want to make it fun, just make it so the teams have one champion and give them a knockback weapon. Play 'King of the Hill' with one platform elevated above all the others, with other platforms below.

I like as a sort of arena-event in the campaign. Maybe dead doen't mean a lasting injury roll. Only loose in the arena match. ^^

 

[HiveJive81]

I like as a sort of arena-event in the campaign. Maybe dead doen't mean a lasting injury roll. Only loose in the arena match. ^^

You could even say instead of 'lava' it was sewage- the Champion won't die, he'll just be humiliated and stink really bad for a while.

 

[Thorgor]

I'm sure I've seen a scenario somewhere based on this idea with a twist: the floor was lava (well, 'toxic slump' actually) and it was moving up (and sometimes down).

 

[HiveJive81]

I'm sure I've seen a scenario somewhere based on this idea with a twist: the floor was lava (well, 'toxic slump' actually) and it was moving up (and sometimes down).

Poop juice is better, IMHO. It's one of the random events you can roll.

 

[Iseizu]

Got a couple people over here using grapnels, but they haven't been any more a problem than things like run and gun. Its good, but I have yet to see someone break it.

 

[Sordit]

Got a couple people over here using grapnels, but they haven't been any more a problem than things like run and gun. Its good, but I have yet to see someone break it.

That calms me a bit. I will at first just wait how it develops.. I think there are so many good things in the trading post right now, that you can find a counter for most of them.

 

[UncleFester]

For us, it depended on the interpretation of "but you cannot move through terrain" limitation. Once I moved into cover, I found my movement with the Grapnel Launcher was severely limited because I couldn't move forward through the barricades.

 

[Sordit]

For us, it depended on the interpretation of "but you cannot move through terrain" limitation. Once I moved into cover, I found my movement with the Grapnel Launcher was severely limited because I couldn't move forward through the barricades.

Ohhh. THIS is definitly a rule I should look after...

 

[stonetoes]

For us, it depended on the interpretation of "but you cannot move through terrain" limitation. Once I moved into cover, I found my movement with the Grapnel Launcher was severely limited because I couldn't move forward through the barricades.

I've bought a couple of grapnels and this is the difficulty I'm anticipating. I mean would you be able to move through the edge floor of the building your grapnelling up to? Probably, but then you're still left perched on the edge of a perilous drop!

I'm sure I've seen a scenario somewhere based on this idea with a twist: the floor was lava (well, 'toxic slump' actually) and it was moving up (and sometimes down).

I think the original Outlanders book had a treacherous conditions roll where the floor was sump. Hilariously, Ratskin Renegades were immune to treacherous conditions, so they could skim around on the sump sea...

 

[MakaroniFresser]

Once my group moved from 2D to 3D, I quickly found the standard climb to be too limiting for my tastes, and I play the nimble Eschers! Sector Mechanicus terrain can have more ladders, but if it's built at the molded 5" height, you're burning a lot of movement to get up or down. The older Imperial Sector ruin floors are typically at 3" heights, but the ones I play on lack ladders. I've added grapnels, drop rigs, and a champ with Clamber to offset these terrain disadvantages. Having them changes deployment strategy (I can deploy on high points and get down if needed) as well as having a chance to assault a high point (though being covered on approach is more critical I've found). The other guys tend to stay on the level they began at. But overall, I would not say the elevation equipment and skills has made a decisive advantage for me.

 

[Ravenclaw]

So am I understanding grapnel right? They can be used to move on flat ground? Or even to lower elevation without falling?

I mean mechanically that's the rules, but always think of grapnel as rope and hook which wouldn't work on flat and definitely not down, least not without some serious injuries lol

 

[Galtarr]

Don't see why it can't work down. If once shot it basically works as a winch, it can reel in or pay out. How its release mechanism works to enable multiple uses? Is a bigger mystery to me.

As for flat move say on ZM, fire at ceiling to swing over pit/chasm/floor based hazard Indiana Jones whip style seems reasonable. Imagine it reels in for the first 6" and pays out the second 6". Even in open Sector Mechanicus just imagine some roof support or structure above area that the fighter swings on.

Currently considering using one but not sure how beneficial it will be.