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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Jan-bart van Beek <flake@***.NL>
Subject: What bugs me
Date: Mon, 2 Jan 1995 17:53:23 +0100
The autofire question brought back one of the major conflict our group had.

If you have a plain and simple semi-automatic gun, how quick can you fire it.

Realistically it isn't that hard to empty you entire magazine in about 3
seconds, sure, your aim would be terrible but it is possible. Shadowrun
rules say you can fire 2 rounds in 3 seconds if your a average person,
and some real fast jerk might be able to raise that to an average of 3
rounds.
That's one bullet a second.

Ofcourse I'm a by-the-book-kind-of GM, so there's no way I'm letting my
players fire 10 shots per combat turn, but it is realistic to fire at
those rates. But players are players and they ussually find a way to do it
anyway, right now they're into multi-barrel weapons which have kind of
the same effect.

Anyone got any suggestions or views ?


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**** The Cornflake Killer Strikes again ****
Message no. 2
From: Gurth <gurth@***.NL>
Subject: Re: What bugs me
Date: Wed, 4 Jan 1995 18:56:13 +0100
>If you have a plain and simple semi-automatic gun, how quick can you fire it.

In real life? about 3 to 4 rounds per second.
In Shadowrun? 1 round per Simple Action

>Realistically it isn't that hard to empty you entire magazine in about 3
>seconds, sure, your aim would be terrible but it is possible. Shadowrun
>rules say you can fire 2 rounds in 3 seconds if your a average person,
>and some real fast jerk might be able to raise that to an average of 3
>rounds.
>That's one bullet a second.

That's one _aimed_ bullet a second. I don't really see the problem you have
with the fire rates, actually. The problem I have with ranged combat rules
in roleplaying games in general is that I find that people shoot too much at
specific targets and hit them as well. This may sound a bit strange, but
with modern firearms (assault rifles, SMGs, etc.), you don't take careful
aim at someone and then hold down the trigger to fire some 10 aimed rounds,
but you simply point the weapon in the general direction and squeeze. And
hope at least one bullet comes close enough to the target to actually hit.
Wasn't it some 90% of all combat casualties from small arms come from stray
rounds? Scoring a hit should be an exception rather than the rule, I think.



Gurth@***.nl
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