Using Guns in Combat[]
Guns and other ranged weapons have a quality called Rate of Fire. If this number is, for instance, 3, this would mean at the beginning of every third round the attacker using this weapon could attack immediately. Thus, attacker 1 would go, attacker 2 would go, but before attacker 3 could go, the gunman would fire. Then attacker 4 would go, then attacker 5, but before attacker 6 could go, the gunman would have another chance to fire.
To shoot at an enemy, the attacker must make a successful roll on the appropriate skill. There are defenses against ranged weapons, but they must be prepared in advance. For example, you can cover yourself, wear armor, or run away, but you will not have the time to do this once the attacker confirms his decision to fire. Thrown weapons, on the other hand, can be blocked, caught, or dodged.
Shot Difficulty[]
When a ranged attacker is aiming and firing, purposely attempting to hit his target, he may specify where he is aiming. Most shots will be made for center mass, as it is both the easiest to hit and also a devastating location in which to be hit. If the GM decides the location is too hard to hit or too far away, he can add a Difficulty Rating to the roll. The table below can give some ideas about what kind of penalties to impose on different shots. Thus, if the target was both running erratically and the shooter was aiming for a leg, the Difficulty Rating would be a total of three ranks. If, however, the target was also still within a quarter of the gun's maximum range, the Difficulty Rating would be knocked back to only two ranks. Thus, if the shooter rolled an Excellent and all three of these situations were true at the time, the end result would be a Fair.
| Shot | Difficulty | Shot | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limb | -1 rank | Head | -2 ranks |
| Hand or Foot | -2 ranks | Target's Gun | -3 ranks |
| Eye or Digit | -4 ranks | Quarter Range | +1 rank |
| Half Range | No Bonus or Penalty | Full Range | -1 rank |
| Kneeling or behind half cover | -2 ranks | Prone or behind nearly full cover | -4 ranks |
| Target Point Blank | +4 ranks | Target Not Moving | No bonuses or penalties |
| Target moving | -1 rank | Target Running | -2 ranks |
| Shooter Moving | -1 rank | Shooter or Target Riding in Vehicle | -2 ranks |
| Steadying Shot with tripod / going prone | +1 rank | Scope or Laser Sight | +2 ranks |
| Shooting from the hip | -1 rank | Shooting wildly | -2 ranks |
Shot Location[]
Where the target is hit, if at all, is the most important aspect of the attack. This important aspect is based on the result of the attack roll and the GM's judgment and understanding of the situation. The GM needs to be realistic when deciding this. If the shooter wants to shoot his target in the leg, but his target is behind a waist-high barricade, even an Excellent result won't hit the target. If the shooter is aiming for an arm, and the target has his left side in profile to the shooter, the shooter won't be able to hit the right arm.
The success rate indicates the deviation of the shot. This is only really that important in terms of realism and roleplaying, although the GM may indicate that, due to a low success rate, the initial target location was missed but the target itself was still hit (aiming for the hand but hitting the forearm instead, for example).
Aiming[]
The attacker may take his time to aim, increasing the roll for firing the shot by one rank for every extra turn he waits to fire.
Reloading[]
When a weapon has run out of ammo, it must be reloaded before it can be used again. Reloading takes one full turn. This means if a gunman ran out of bullets on Bill's turn, he woul have to spend until Bill's next turn reloading, at which point he could continue firing as often as he was before.