Accessory - Dragon Magazine #111.pdf - Index of

Pull the pin and throw
Grenades get more detail for TOP SECRET® play
by Kevin Marzahl
Contrary to popular belief, grenades are
not powerful enough to blow out the side of
a building — an outhouse, perhaps, but
nothing like a well-built office complex.
However, grenades have more uses than
blowing things up, as will be shown later. A
brief history of the hand grenade follows,
with a discussion of the different types of
grenades, how they function, and how to
use them in the TOP SECRET® game
system.
History
Webster’s New World Dictionary defines
a grenade as “a small bomb detonated by a
fuse and thrown by hand or fired from a
rifle.” This certainly applies to the hand
grenades of today, but the first “grenade”
used in history was probably a clay pot
filled with poisonous snakes, burning oils,
or acids, and thrown by hand at an enemy.
Such primitive grenades most likely originated
in the Far East with the barbaric
Mongols. They were also used in Medieval
sieges.
Grenades reappeared during the American
Revolutionary War. Black powder was
used as an explosive in grenade form,
though its use was primarily limited to the
bombing of the riggings and powder magazines
of British ships. Grenades were improved
during the American Civil War, as
powder delay fuses were added.
Not much more happened with grenades
until World War I. Here came an explosion
of grenade designs, stemming from the
peculiarities of trench warfare. However,
most of these grenades did not get far and,
in World War II, warring countries fell back
on the tried and true grenades of World War
I. Most of these were forms of the fragmentation
grenade. For the British, it was the
Mills Bomb; for the Germans, it was the
famous “Potato Masher” stick grenade,
drawing its unusual name from the kitchen
utensil it resembled. World War II also
marked the birth of the white phosphorus,
or WP, grenade, which hurls particles of
burning chemical upon explosion. Since
then grenades have been improved and
specialized. What was once a military tool
has found its way into riot control and even
espionage.
Functioning
The different types of grenades all share
four common characteristics:
3. Knockdown Radius (KDR)
4. Time Delay Fuse (TDF)
Range depends upon the weight and
shape of the grenade, as well as the thrower’s
ability. The ranges for individual grenades
that are listed on the Grenade Table
in Part II are the ranges that the grenades
are best suited for, although all grenades
can be thrown a maximum of 100’. A
character’s chance of hitting on target with
a grenade is inversely proportional to the
range. A character would have a 95%
chance of being on target at a range of 5’,
and only a 5% chance of being on target at
95’ away. If the grenade is thrown within
the range listed on the Grenade Table, add
8% to the character’s chance to hit on target.
The maximum percentage chance to hit
a target cannot exceed 95%.
Effective Casualty Radius (ECR) is the
radius of an area around the point of deto- knows, all one must do to use a grenade is
nation within which exposed personnel pull the pin and throw. But what happens
become casualties. in between these actions and the explosion?
Knockdown Radius (KDR) is the radius First, the pulling of the pin. In the acof
an area around the point of detonation companying diagram, the pin would be
within which the Stopping Power Rules placed through the hole (1). After the pin is
should be applied (see the TOP SECRET pulled, one would normally throw the gre-
Companion, page 41-42, or DRAGON® nade. However, if you pull the pin and
issue #49, page 24). As a general rule, all don’t throw the grenade, the device will not
grenades and 40mm ammunition will inca- go off in your hand. The reason for this is
pacitate an unprotected human target. that the pin is merely holding the safety
Time Delay Fuse (TDF) is the length of lever (2) in place. The lever, or “spoon” as
time between the ignition of the primer and it is sometimes called, is holding the striker
detonation. (3) in place. Once the thrower lets go of the
In addition, all grenades share a common lever, the striker, powered by a small spring,
assembly consisting of three basic parts: moves to hit the primer (4). The primer, in
1. Fuse Assembly — The safety lever, turn, activates the delay element (5). After
safety pin, striker, primer, delay element, the delay element has finished burning, it
and detonator or ignitor. activates the detonator or ignitor (6), which
2. Body — The container that holds the causes the grenade to go off.
fuse assembly and filler.
3. Filler — The substance with which the Grenades and launchers
body is filled: chemicals, high explosives, or What kind of grenades can agents obtain,
gas. and what can they do? The table below lists
the grenades described in this article, their
The manner in which these three parts four characteristics, damage (explained in
function together is quite simple. As anyone detail under the grenade descriptions), and
Type
Fragmentation
White phosphorus
Concussion
Thermite
Smoke
Gas
Range E C R KDR TDR Weight cost
(feet) (feet) (feet) (seconds) Damage (pounds) ($ U.S.)
80 40 5 4-5 special 1 20
70 55 5 4-5 “Z” 2 50
70 20 10 4-5 special 1 15
60 — — 2 special 2.5 35
70 — — 2 — 1 10
70 special 15 2 varies 1 20
1. Range Flare 80 — — 7 — 1 15
2. Effective Casualty Radius (ECR) Stun 60 — special .5 special 2 100
66 JULY 1986