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Can someone explain how the energy grenade artifact from Genlab Alpha works? By the description, it sounds like you'll always risk taking damage from it due to the high blast rating. What am I missing?

It's a small nuke, so you definitely risk personal injury every time, as well as Rot.

Everyone within Near takes damage from 15 Blast Power, Weapon Damage 2 and also 1 Rot Point.
Everyone within Short takes damage from 9 Blast Power, Weapon Damage 2 and also 1 Rot Point.
If anyone is within Arm's Length takes 1 damage in addition to the damage taken as if Near.

I know there are no rules for grenades and Arm's Length distance. I guess that this rules was written with mines or set explosives in mind. A houserule I use is that if the thrower gets an extra NUKE he can use that extra NUKE to hit someone in the Near area (so one target counts as he would be within Arm's Length).

Regarding throwing: You can throw it up to Short range. So the most safe option for the thrower would be to throw it to Short and then use your maneuver to take cover (just out of the blast range).

Are you able to take a maneuver before the grenade explodes? I guess I didn't think of doing that. Also, could you use that maneuver to move out of range instead of taking cover?

Well, you have the delay of 3-8 seconds (depending on type of grenade) and at least I allow my players to take a maneuver after they have thrown a grenade to avoid the blast.

Technically yes, you could use a maneuver to move out of range but I (as a GM) thinks that it fits better (more cinematic) to throw yourself to take cover.

Also if you didn't allow the characters to use their maneuver (whether or not you allow them to move or to just take cover) to get out of range, any type of grenade (or throwing a jerry) would be lethal to yourself since all grenades (and also a jerry can) have a blasting range of short.

I believe you could use your maneuver before or after throwing the grenade to take cover - just like you can take cover and still use your action to "Shoot".

However, I don't believe you could get out of range (to Long range). Moving anywhere beyond Short range requires 2 maneuvers (p.70-71, Genlab Alpha, under Advancing & Retreating). The exception being if you had some kind of artifact or mutation/animal power (such as Fleet Footed, p.64, Genlab Alpha) which let you get the equivalent of 2 maneuvers instead of the 1 you normally get. Then that's just wicked.

As far as Arm's Length damage, I believe it's just 1 more automatic damage (p.94, MYZ, last sentence under explosives).

Anyone who has thrown a grenade knows that you take cover before you throw the grenade. If you stand in the open, while throwing a regular hand grenade, you deserve what's coming your way.

Sorry, I think I've confused myself even further now. I understand the taking cover aspect of things, but I don't understand the range increments for this.

The card says it's short range, meaning you can throw it at someone up to short range away. But then it says it lands at near range on a successful throw, or short on a failed. Plus, everyone within short takes a rot point. Can someone walk me through a combat example of a successful throw vs a failed throw? I'm just not picturing this well in my head. Does taking cover protect against the rot point too? It sounds like your be taking that point no matter how far you throw it.

Range is abstract in this game. Near is "A few steps away", Short is "Up to 20-30 yards and Long is "Up to a few hundred yards. In order to have the grenade playable at all, you need to think a little bit abstract.

If you throw a grenade to Short range (from you) it lands normally Near its target. Since you throw the grenade at the target, the grenades momentum is away from you so the grenade would bounce a little bit away from the target or to one side (left or right). Sure of course a grenade can fall "a few steps" short. Since Short is 20-30 yards. I would rule that if the thrower do the normal thing when they throw a grenade, they are not hit by the blast. This "taking cover" is a little bit cinematic, I know, but MYZ is a little bit a cinematic game. So as long as they players throw the grenade, throw a doorway, and then immediately taking cover behind the wall or throwing the grenade and duck behind a low wall or something, they are safe. It looks good and the player needs to be a little creative if they are going to use such dangerous explosives.

But if one of my player would throw a grenade and do nothing else but standing there, I would rule that they are hit by the blast. Mostly because I think it is very stupid, not very creative. This can of course be done with a normal grenade (it has a blast power of 3 to those in short range), not wise, but possible. Molotov is safe, since it only has a blast power of 6 and doesn't do damage to short damage.

A miss on the other hand is a miss and should have consequences. How to handle this .This depends on the situation of course, but you could rule that the grenade land Short from the target and randomly determine in which direction. If the grenade has landed short towards you, that probably means that you have hit a pipe or a bird when you throw the grenade and it bounces back. Such a bad luck. Perhaps you the group should give the grenade to someone with a high Agility and/or Shoot skill.

Or you could make a trap with it. Safer, unless the trap-maker misses when he creates the trap of course. Then it is not so safe for him.

Good points from Fenhorn! Yes, on a failed roll it's up to the GM or chance whether a grenade lands far or short. And yes, I would allow using a maneuver to take cover after throwing a grenade. You can't get from Short to Long range in the same turn as throwing a grenade though, as that requires two maneuvers.