Covering Fire in Deadlands Reloaded
Jul 27, 2017 22:19:09 GMT -8
Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2017 22:19:09 GMT -8
We've all seen a western or two where the hero needs to get away, so he yells out, "Cover me!" Someone with a wheel gun lays into the enemy, firing to speed rather than effect, ripping up the tree they were hiding behind in the process. This buys our hero the precious seconds he needs to make good his escape (hopefully). So can this scene play out in an rpg? I'm dubious, and here is why: Suppression fire is only for automatic fire.
Now I'm sure there is a system where you can suppressive fire with a semi auto (I think GURPS can do it, but I frankly don't want to play GURPS). For this conversation though, I want to focus on Savage Worlds and Deadlands Reloaded. Savage worlds has rules for suppression fire in Deluxe. You must have a fully automatic weapon (described as having a rate of fire of 2 or more). You make an attack roll against an area (defined as a medium burst template). Instead of applying target penalties to the roll (such as prone or cover), these apply to the spirit check the people inside the burst template must make if that attack is successful. Anyone who fails said spirit test is shaken. Anyone who rolls a 1 on their spirit die is hit by the attack.
Overall this seems like a simple enough solution to suppressive fire. My main question is why they didn't include a version for non-autofire weapons? It would be simple enough to change the burst template size from medium to small to reflect the lesser amount of lead in the air. Nothing else would need to change, five times rate of fire could still equal ammo consumption. Thus with a fully loaded period wheelgun (which carried five rounds despite six chambers because most people were smart enough not to put a live round under the hammer) you could suppress someone (same goes with a Winchester or other repeating rifle). You might want a pair of peacemakers though, unless you wanted to be without ammo at the end of said action. The -2 for full auto could even apply as a kind of rushing penalty.
What do you all think about this as a house rule?
Now I'm sure there is a system where you can suppressive fire with a semi auto (I think GURPS can do it, but I frankly don't want to play GURPS). For this conversation though, I want to focus on Savage Worlds and Deadlands Reloaded. Savage worlds has rules for suppression fire in Deluxe. You must have a fully automatic weapon (described as having a rate of fire of 2 or more). You make an attack roll against an area (defined as a medium burst template). Instead of applying target penalties to the roll (such as prone or cover), these apply to the spirit check the people inside the burst template must make if that attack is successful. Anyone who fails said spirit test is shaken. Anyone who rolls a 1 on their spirit die is hit by the attack.
Overall this seems like a simple enough solution to suppressive fire. My main question is why they didn't include a version for non-autofire weapons? It would be simple enough to change the burst template size from medium to small to reflect the lesser amount of lead in the air. Nothing else would need to change, five times rate of fire could still equal ammo consumption. Thus with a fully loaded period wheelgun (which carried five rounds despite six chambers because most people were smart enough not to put a live round under the hammer) you could suppress someone (same goes with a Winchester or other repeating rifle). You might want a pair of peacemakers though, unless you wanted to be without ammo at the end of said action. The -2 for full auto could even apply as a kind of rushing penalty.
What do you all think about this as a house rule?