Re: uh - liquid nitrogen grenades???

[Brian McDonald <Brian_mcdonald@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob Johnson wrote:

>
> Incidentally LN2 on the skin should be treated like a burn, I wont tell you
> any of the horror stories I've come across involving it. The problem you
> have with such a thing as grandes is that LN2 boils at ~190C and has a
> liquid to gas expansion ratio of ~100 times. To carry around an appreciable
> amount of the beastie you'd need such a large insulated container that it
> would be unfeasible.
>

for a giggle.  I long ago used to run a traveller game and periodically someone
would try some bizarre thing that worked in another game system.  I had one chap
who lugged along a backpack tank of liquid nitrogen and a small sledge hammer on
a ship raid.  I was curious what the intent was but said ok he could have it.
Well at a semi critical moment the players wanted to pass through a locked iris
hatch which is a pretty formidable object.  There was a brief debate about
trying to open the lock manually fiddling with the door electronics or whether
they should blow it and take their chances on damaging the contents of the
passage on the other side.  At this point the lad with the nitrogen tank
announced it was no problem.  He would spray the LN on the door and whack the
now brittle door with the hammer and it would shatter like glass.  Long live the
liberal arts educated.  It took me 10 minutes to explain why it was impractical
solution to the problem at hand.