Re: [DL] Recoil for auto & non-auto weapons [PEG]

[Jason Young <jason_d_young@yahoo.com>]

This is just my take on this, I don't know if it's how the official ruling
would go, but here goes. . . .

--- Patrick Downs <knick_nevin@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Maybe this topic has come up before and I never
> noticed.
> In the main rulebook, it says that recoil causes a
> cumulative -2 penalty to every shot per action after
> the first, to a maximum of -6.
> 
> Four questions:
> 
> First, does this apply to double-action pistols?
>  first shot, no penalty; second shot, -2

I would say yes. In fact, I actually like this better than my own house
rule (declare both shots before rolling for either, take a -1 to both).
I'll probably end up changing it, now that I think about it.

Other folks play double-action pistols like automatics with an ROF of 2:
make one attack roll, and get two hits on a raise. And burn, burn, burn
through that ammo. :-)

> Second, does the recoil penalty apply to the off-hand
> if two double-action pistols are used?
>  EXAMPLE: shooter using two double-action guns, one in
> each hand
>  first shot, 1st in L hand, no penalty; 
>  second shot, 2nd in L hand, -2 penalty;
>  third shot, 1st in R hand, -4 penalty; 
>  fourth shot, 2nd in R hand, -6 penalty
> OR
>  first shot, 1st in L hand, no penalty; 
>  second shot, 2nd in L hand, -2 penalty;
>  third shot, 1st in R hand, no penalty; 
>  fourth shot, 2nd in R hand, -2 penalty

I would treat each hand separately, as in your second example. I believe
this cumulative penalty is to simulate the gun riding as shots are fired
rapidly. The fact that you're firing a second weapon is accounted for in
other modifiers, so each gun can "ride" on its own.

That's assuming you use the rule the way you describe for double-action
guns.

> Third, when this applies to automatics, does it apply
> to each time the gun is fired, or to each "shot"?
>  EXAMPLE: shooter using gatling pistol rolls an 11
>  hits with 1 shots because he got a hit (TN 5) and a
> raise
> OR
>  hits with 1 shot because he got a hit (TN 5) but the
> second shot had a -2 penalty (requiring a roll of 12,
> TN 5 +5 for the second shot +2 for recoil)

I am certain that the -2 penalty applies to the second and consecutive
bursts, not to each bullet. At least, I'm pretty certain that's how I'd
play it. I believe the automatic fire examples make it clear that simple
5-point raises are all that's needed for each additional shot to hit.

And I also think that multiple bursts per round are specifically mentioned
in another example. I don't have my book here to confirm that, though.

> Four, does the ROF for gatling pistols mean that the
> shooter can fire a burst of 3 bullets 3 times? or is
> it just listed as "3" because it's supposed to
> simplify the "3 bullets in one burst" rule?

Your second hypothesis is the better one. The ROF refers to how many
bullets can be fired in an action. Each burst is 3 bullets, so an ROF 3 is
1 burst. Each automatic weapon has a ROF which is a multiple of 3 as a
result.

> thanx
> -doc

Hope I helped.

Jason

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