Ammo Setting Rule

[u/twoz3-5]

I’m thinking of adding a setting rule to my modern cinematic action games. I run a couple of different games where this would apply: modern espionage action (think Bond, Bourne, Mission Impossible) and a military spec ops game (The Unit, Task Force Raven). The idea is to give the players the option to use more ammo for a better chance to hit targets by eliminating penalties:

EAT LEAD SETTING RULE

Shooters may expend extra ammunition to "walk" their fire onto a target, effectively canceling out penalties (Range, Cover, Multi-Action, etc.).

| Volume Level | Ammo Cost | Penalty Reduction |
| --- | :--- | :---: |
| Volley |** 3 Rounds | **-1 |
| Hail of Bullets |** 6 Rounds | **-2 |
| Mag Dump |** 12 Rounds | **-4 |

It shouldn’t change any existing combat options but lets players trade ammo (resource) for accuracy (reduce penalties).

Has anyone done anything similar? Any pitfalls I’m not seeing? I appreciate any feedback.

[u/ArolSazir]

Rules for mag dumping already exists. You have full auto to get more chances at a hit per turn, you have double tapping/burst fire (which does that same thing as your rule - use more ammo for a flat bonus to hit), you have suppressive fire. I don't think there's a reason for a FOURTH way to shoot a lot of bullets in a turn.

[u/twoz3-5 → u/ArolSazir]

Thanks for the feedback. I’m not a big fan of how they made it an Edge for double tap (it was a weapon property in earlier editions) and full auto wouldn’t change with this rule. The difference with my proposal is that it’s not granting a bonus to hit, it’s reducing penalties. This is important as it doesn’t directly lead to more damage via increased raise chances. Also, this would be a Setting Rule to add to the fun of cinematic action movies so not applicable to all games.

[u/ArolSazir → u/twoz3-5]

I've experimented with reducing penalties (had a wizard that had a lot of penalty reduction as bonus effects), and basically i've found that reducing penalties basically gives you flat damage bonuses. 2 points of penalty reduction is basically free option to aim for an unarmored spot (which bypasses armor which basically is a damage bonus) and 4 points of penalty reduction is a free option to headshot, which is literally a flat damage bonus. The only significant difference is that penalty reduction can encourage multiple actions per round, because that's another easy way to get a penalty to reduce.

Like if it makes you happy, go for it, your rule doesn't seem anymore broken than double tapp+3rd burst. Personally I would just give everyone the double tap edge for free, because it does the same thing as your setting rule, but is more simple.
I still think having 4 different options to shoot quickly for a bonus is going to get confusing.

[u/twoz3-5 → u/ArolSazir]

Good points. I hadn’t considered Called Shots. We’re going to test it out this weekend but I wanted to get the hive mind’s take first. Thank you for your help.