Blaster Gas and Power Packs

[Camero]

Hi All
I was wondering if any of you had been able to nail down a decent method for tracking blaster shots and when you have to reload. I know blaster pistols power packs have enough energy for 100 shots but does the gas chamber hold that much gas on a full charge? So you just assume both run out at the same time if charged at the same time? And Heavy blaster pistols boost their damage by igniting extra gas (there by using it up faster) so does their gas run out 4x faster and need to be reloaded more often than the power pack?

I was wanting to develope some kind of card with counters or tick boxes to keep players honest about being in a shoot em up campaign for several sessions and never having to reload their gun. I guess that adds to the hero and movie quality of the game but if any of you have a good trackng system I would love to hear it.
Thanks
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"What a wonderful smell you've discovered"

[Ray]

My group just goes with the "Same Time As Power" deal. We simply state that the Blaster Pack contains both Energy and Blaster Gas. Makes bookkeeping easier.

[garhkal]

[Ray]

This is how my group figured things (Most of the work was done by me, BTW.):

There are various grades of Blaster Gas. Ranging from naturally occuring Spin-Sealed Tibanna to the dirty artificial blaster gasses.

Most of the rules consider that you use "The Good Stuff" (Naturally occuring, decent or good grade Blaster Gas.). If you use the artificial stuff (Which is only slightly less difficult and expensive to make compared to natural mining), you're looking at more maintence time as you have to clean out the weapon from more build-up. If you use the *REALLY* cheap stuff, you're also looking at a range/damage decrease.

I give the example of various grades of Gunpowder that are available. Black Powder (Being the "cheapest") being very dirty for comparitively limited results. Early versions of Smokeless Powder that gives good results, but still fairly "Dirty" when it comes time to clean up. And modern versions of Smokeless Powder (Which still requires clean up, just not as much.).

If you use the REALLY good stuff, then it's like putting in the premium fuel in the car. Slight performance boost, and cleaner running. IIRC, we ruled that there were no stats boosts, but that you spent less time cleaning and on replacement parts, as well as having a blaster that'll last longer.

Very imporant when you have that most special blaster that you just can't be without. "That's right, Girl. Keep me safe at night by staying under my pillow. My hand on your grip. Good nights sleep."

[Gry Sarth]

I agree, there shouldn't really be a stat increase with highest quality blaster gas, only maintenance issues. Weapons damage range is too narrow to allow for a +1 increase with better gas.
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"He's Gry Sarth, of course he has the stats for them."

[Ray]

Maybe a small increase in range. Like 1-5%. MAYBE.

[Boomer]

Our group has the rule that a blaster power pack carries enough gas equal to the energy. 100 shots is 100 shots.
But using stun uses no gas. So you in fact have gas leftover if you use stun, running out of energy before you run out of the gas.

When charging up blasters, just remember to re-use the gas. It's cheap, becuase such small, very small amounts are used and are in abundant supply. There is basically just a strip of gas, a line of Tibanna along the top of every blaster power pack. A gallon tank of the stuff could keep a squad of eights' full blaster compliment going indefinitely.
But the cheapness of gas is in personal blasters, of course.

Generally there is so much gas with so little used that we never count it. It is an afterthought. Having a "gas shortage" for some reason can make an interesting plot hook in a campaign though, since "indefinite supply" does not mean "eternal supply". The players may themselves run out and not have any immediatly on hand.
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My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!

[garhkal]

[Boomer]

Ah, nothing like those backwater planets. Can't get gas for blasters, fluid for repulsorlifts, et cetera.
_________________
My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!

[Ray]

And now you see why Corel & DuVal is infamous for their Projectile Weapons, using "Brass" Cartridges that can be reloaded with any Low Explosive, and the electrical discharge system can be recharged from almost any power source!

Major selling points when it's a long, long, *LONG* way to the nearest BlasTech dealership!

[garhkal]

[Ray]

And always reminds us to have a back-up. Oota always had his Knife! And a Verti-Go Line Thrower.

Crunch had his Force Pike, but could improvise a weapon out of almost anything. His personal favorite was the front bumper of a '72 El Camino. But, honestly, any beatin' stick would do.

Another PC of ours had his Throwing Hatchet.

And of course Fluffy... Well... Fluffy is Fluffy.

[Boomer]

Got a player who uses the 100-round Bi-Polar. Good ol Chabit. He almost exclusively uses stun.
Got a player with a stun-blaster, it cannot take a power pack with blaster gas. But it does take normal item power packs.
There is the player who uses a hammer. It does not like blaster packs.

I pretty much handed the party a plasma mortar. They used it once and than sold it for cash. Crazy people.
Wanna talk about expensive fuel? The plasma mortar required a canister of basic ship fuel. For one shot.
_________________
My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
And I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt,
to finance my 'vette!

[Lane Arroway]

After readinging about clone trooper rifles on wookieepedia, I noticed that while the power pack had 100 shots their was enough gas to fire 500 shots. This meant that after the fifth power pack the tibanna gas cartridge must also be replaced. Using this as a guage I simply say that their is enough gas for five power packs or mags for whatever your using.
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"This job is 90% talking to people and 10% shooting at them."

[griff]

I always had that the blaster power packs contained both energy and gas. And just replacing one power pack.

This was one of my two objections with the Second Edition. The use of a static number of blaster ammo. Everyone who has used an electric screw gun knows the battery is drained faster the longer the trigger is held down. You can drain a battery in a matter of minutes drilling large deep holes, or you can drive screws for a few hours using the battery sparingly. The same thing is true with paint ball guns that use gas. The faster the trigger is pulled the faster the gas runs out. Put were talking PSI with paint ball guns not amount of gas. I like the idea that a blaster ammo lasting longer the less it is used.

Now on to bookkeeping. Try to keep track of ammo is difficult to do under stress example:(i know its not Star Wars, but it still is cool)

"i know what you're thinking, did he fire six shots or only five. To tell you the truth in all the excitement I lost count myself. But seeing this is a .44 magnum the most powerful handgun in the world, and can blow your head clean off, you have to ask yourself one question 'do I feel lucky?'. Well, do ya, punk." - harry

"hay man, I gots ya know." - bank robber reaching for a shotgun.

And that was for a six shot revolver not a 100 shot blaster pistol.

If you want to use a static number for blaster ammo I think the GM should do the bookkeeping unless there is a way that the character has (not the player) to keep track. I know there is a device that tell the character with a vibration when there down to their last shot. But that is only telling them their last shot, not every shot.
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"EXECUTE ORDER 67. Wait a minute, that doesn't sound like order 67..... No, wait. Yes, yes it does. EXECUTE ORDER 68" Palpatine's last moments - robot chicken.