Basic Information
The sort of RPG that doesn't get played with friends (or even random people off the internet), rocket propelled grenade is an accurate - but technically incorrect - name for a family of Soviet created recoiless anti tank weapons. The iconic version is probably the RPG-7, which is found in conflicts all over the world in both original and off-label versions, providing cheap but effective solutions to armoured fighting vehicles, low flying aircraft, fortifications and anything else the user doesn't like the look of. Given that its anti-armour rounds haven't been improved since the late 80s, it is fairly ineffective against modern main battle tanks, but anything else is typically fair game from some angle. Most modern updates have been centred on improving its anti-personnel and anti-fortification capabilities. The RPG-7 was introduced in 1961, replacing its predecessor the RPG-2, which itself was fairly obviously descended from the WW2 era panzerfaust. There were also successors in the forms of the RPG-16 and -29, but these are far less common. Arguably the term RPG may also be used casually to describe other similar systems or even LAW style disposable weapons - the more accepted name for this class of re-usable launcher is the IAT (infantry anti-tank), which they share with "bazooka" type weapons.
As noted, "RPG" is accurate, in that the system fires an explosive charge propelled by a rocket motor, but technically incorrect as the actual Russian name is Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomyot - "handheld antitank grenade launcher". Also as noted the RPG-7 fires a significant range of munitions - several varieties of HEAT, thermobaric and high explosive/fragmentation - but lacks utility rounds such as smoke.
Sources
Game and Story Use
- Probably the cheapest form of anti-armour weapon going - your PCs are more likely to run into one of these in a modern setting that anything else in the same class.