Ammo and the games

[garhkal]

Over on the yahoo group for our ongoing campaign, i brought up the subject that we in the past, here have discussed several times, in relation to the large # of shots per power pack / gas pack for blasters compared to damn near every other weapon..

And someone said "its like most action movies, when do they ever run out of ammo" and while that is true there ARE some where that has been the case, there is also a lot of action movies where ammo IS a concern.. heck in some, the running out of ammo has been well done to increase the drama. Or others which cause of the hero(es) run out of ammo, have to get creative in fighting the baddies..

So who here DOES track ammo? Do you lessen the # of shots per weapon to where you are not getting 200 shots a power pack for some, while only 25 for others?
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Kytross]

I track ammo and keep the capacities the same. Most of my players take heavy blaster pistols, so it's just 25 shots and they need more mags.

Works pretty well for me.

[Zarn]

I don't track it. I expect the players to track it. However, one common complication I use when double ones come up on the Wild Die, is a power pack malfunction. Either the classic ultrasonic whine (which usually means that it's gonna blow), or that the pack is empty, all the Tibanna gas is suddenly vented, or something similar.

[thedemonapostle]

ive never liked the high capacity in game. ive tried to keep track of it in game as a gm, it gets lost easily in the shuffle. i been contemplating just reducing the capacity to real world comparisons and offering extended magazines. something like 1/5th capacity for pistols and 1/3rd for rifles. idk. its all still up in the air...
_________________
Aim low, shoot high
I'm a pirate, need I say more?

d6holocron.com: Thedemonapostle

Thedemonapostle Star Wars Crossovers

[CRMcNeill]

My explanation for high ammo capacity on blasters is also part of their popularity. Each shot converts a tiny amount of blaster gas into a linear plasma discharge, so the volume of a single "round" of ammunition is much lower than for firearms.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Naaman]

I find that limiting ammo capacity increases the excitement of the game. The most popular weapon a while back at our table was the "modified heavy blaster pistol." 6D damage, and a capacity of just 4. This was despite the normal stuff being offered according to RAW (25, 50 or 100 rounds, etc).

[Error]

This is something I'd expect the PC's to keep track of, and only if they want to (for the sake of realism). There are verrrry few instances in the canonical SWU where people stop to reload.

Also, it sort of depends on how you think of/describe blaster dynamics. I just assume power packs are something that PC's would change between sessions.
_________________
The only words of explanation you need for any concept in the entire Star Wars universe are the words Science Fiction and Space Opera.

[MrNexx]

I haven't played in a long time, but I'd be inclined to go with not bothering too much about ammo consumption, unless in a supply-restricted situation. If you're bopping from port to port on your starship, your blasters are unlikely to run out when you need them. If you crash-land on Endor, then how much power supplies you have becomes really important. At 25-50 shots per power pack, it's a lot less of a tactical concern, too.
_________________
"I've Seen Your Daily Routine. You Are Not Busy!"
“We're going to win this war, not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.”
http://rpgcrank.blogspot.com/

[Error]

Related:

What exactly powers a lightsaber? Does Obi-Wan Kenobi have to go to Mos Eisley and haggle with Watto for batteries every six months?

I'm guessing it's something smart like kinetic energy, or energy contained within the crystal, or even just the Force...

I bring this up to illustrate my feelings that "shots per power pack" isn't something I worry about, and not something I expect my PC's to keep track of.

UNLESS of course, they are in a resources-tight situation, as others have said. Then, it can become a plot device. Finding consumables.
_________________
The only words of explanation you need for any concept in the entire Star Wars universe are the words Science Fiction and Space Opera.

[Naaman]

A lightsaber is powered by a power cell (the SW equivalent of a battery).

It is my understanding that a lightsaber can get a LOT of use out of a single power cell, and that having even one spare (negligible weight/encumbrance), pretty much makes a Jedi immune to running out of power in 99.999% of scenarios.

I just got through with a little creative writing exercise wherein a Jedi knight explains that her aging power cell was running low on account of a recent fight against a form 3 user. It was mostly just for "fluff" and the writing implies that the power cell is quite old and has been through hundreds if not thousands of power cycles already. It could also have technology similar to today's hybrid cars which uses the heat from the brakes to recharge the battery, thus prolonging the life even more. There could also be little solar panels on the weapon somewhere (like on watches or calculators, etc) that further extend the life of the power cell.

But, in my opinion, comparing a lightsaber's power consumption with a blaster's is not quite fair: the lightsaber is a melee weapon that is essentially a "space sword." Whereas a blaster is a "space gun." Also, a lightsaber is somewhat arcane technology--it's esoteric. A blaster is just mundane tech available to anyone and everyone.

[garhkal]

[thedemonapostle]

[Error]

[Dredwulf60]

In my game, when shooting blaster weapons, a '1' on the wild die prompts an ammo check.

Each weapon has a die value for ammo capacity. D4 to D12.

The weapons that have fewer shots per power pack have the lower die values.

The weapons with lots of shots have the higher die value.

When the wild die prompts an ammo check, the player rolls the die for ammo capacity. A '1' on this roll indicates a drained power pack.

ie 1D4 has a 1 in 4 chance of running out.
a D8 has a 1 in 8 chance of running out etc.



On the plus side, there's no need to keep track of the number of shots...ever, and still have a measured chance of running out.

Also high capacity blasters can be fired mostly with impunity as the chances of getting a 1 on both the wild die and the larger ammo die is pretty small.

On the downside, you could conceivably have a player run dry...load a new power pack..take 1 shot and suddenly be 'empty' again on a couple terribly unlucky rolls.

When something like that happens we blame it in-game on a faulty charge.

The other downside is that highly trained troops who might normally try to keep track of their ammo religiously will have no clue when/if they are about to run dry.

So as an additional option, we have elite troops make a tactics roll to drop their die class rather than suddenly run out.

ie an ammo die of D8 might suddenly drop to a D6 or D4.

Those who might not want to contaminate their D6 game with strange other shapes could likely work out something with D6s if they really wanted to do something like this.

[garhkal]