Heading to work, so I gotta make this quick...
ReaperWolf wrote:1) Page 37, 2nd column, 2nd paragraph. RAW, automatic rifles eat up 10 shots doing a burst gaining +30 modifier to the attack but the Target's Declared Action or Situation This Round" modifiers are ignored. Am I reading this correctly? Taking cover has no benefit against burst fire? Or being in a car? Makes burst fire attacks pretty the end-all of the game.
That seems to be the size of it. If someone fires a burst, they gets a +30 modifier, and it appears the targets ignore their declared action mods. But a burst isn't necessarily a game ender. 1. If the firer misses their one roll, they miss
everybody. 2. Regardless of how it pans out, they spent 10 bullets, causing their ammo to deplete quick-fast. 3. The defenders are still rolling the 1d10 for column effect, so a bunch of "1s" means that burst caused a lot of grazes and nicks, but no real damage anyway.
But I agree that a +30 modifier seems "off". No time to really look things up now, but I recall that consecutive shots from a gun accrues increasing negative mods. (See table page 35.) I wonder if the burst-shot mod should have been -30 instead. You get a willy-nilly spread of 10 bullets fired at a bunch of folks, they get NO chance to defend, but the attacker is at a huge disadvantage due to just pointing and squeezing the trigger with no real aiming. In fact, that's how I'd judge at the table if I were running the game. But this is just my opinion on the way the rule is currently written... (But, for the record, the +30 modifier for auto weapons appears in the original from-the-80s Pacesetter games, so that's the rule as written 30+ years ago.)
EDIT TO ADD: Gave it some thought. Here's how I'd table-rule an automatic weapons burst to make it a bit more "fair":
1. The shooter takes a -30% modifier penalty due to the haphazard method of firing. Everything else remains the same. (Defenders don't get any modifiers; roll 1d10 for defense column for each defender.)
2. The shooter gets the +30 modifier bonus. Defenders don't get any modifiers (as written) BUT the defense column is 1d10/2 for each defender instead. So the shooter has a better chance to hitting everyone, but the "spread-out" damage will be halved. (Columns 1-5 for damage rather than 1-10.)
2) Page 38, 2nd column, 1st paragraph. Grenades have a 15% catastrophic damage rating. Am I reading this correctly: 15% catastrophic damage to everybody within 15 ft radius? Meaning a 15% chance anybody within 3 squares in all directions of being hit? That's very low. Misprint? If possible hold my hand and walk me through an example.
Outta time, gotta go. Someone else want to field this?