The FAQ says that even with Lightning Reload III you can only fire as many bullets at once as you have in the clip. Its just that you always have fresh ammo to hand (no matter what the situation) and it takes no shots to reload.

Some of the larger weapons in the supplements say that Lightning Reload does not apply, it seems sensible to extend this to any heavy or speciality weapon (such as a sniper rifle or a Pedator minigun).

Rob

Plus, if the weapon is empty to start with, you might have to spend time loading it before you start firing. Four or more Schticks in LR might help there.

Although three is really all you'll ever need.

Now, depending on the mood of the game I'm running, sometimes that will mean the same as you've described. More often, though, it means that the characters still have to reload (and longer-loading weapons will still require time), but they always have some spare ammo somewhere about their person.

"Ammo clips and magazines also have Concealment ratings. Clips for autoloading pistols have a Concealment rating of 1; clips for machine pistols and magazines for rifles and machine guns have a Concealment rating of 2."

So, as you actually have to account for the Concealment of the clips you're carrying, then presumably, you actually have to account for the ammount of ammo itself (more clips means less Concealment); the ammo capacity of your gun takes on an additional significance and choosing a gun becomes even less of a simple cool-factor pick.

The thing is, what happens if you have three schticks in Lightning Reload, and you never run out of ammo? I figure you'd need to pack extra ammo for the weapons that you still have to use shots to reload, but what about the weapns you technically no longer have to reload (which, by the time you get to the requisite three schticks, covers auto-pistols, rifles, SMGs and machine guns)? Do you have to carry an extra clip just to make sure you're not raping the Concealment rules?

I've never thought about the Concealment issue. I suppose people with unlimited ammo from LR have ammo which is perfectly concealable (for the weapons that qualify). Otherwise you'd have to add a stipulation that the character must be carrying at least one spare clip - and what happens if somehow they aren't? Ugh.

Well, it just seems an un-necessary piece of book-keeping for a game that's meant to simulate action movies; tracking how many bullets you've used slows the crackerjack pace down enough without having to subtract from a figure of total ammo carried as well. It's also a bit of a drag when your group is preparing for a fight and the gun-toting players are holding things up juggling ammo capacity with Concealability.

There's also that wonderful moment of "You're empty." "So are you." And I think it can only be done with a little GM fiat, which ammo tracking would only hinder.

On the other hand, you can run out of ammo in action movies - after all, Neo didn't seem to bother reloading in the lobby assault in The Matrix, he just disposed of the guns when they were empty and drew another set.

Still, I must admit, in the few Feng Shui games I've run (and I've only ever played in it once) I've never actually used the Concealability rules or seriously tracked ammo, so maybe I ought to stop griping until I've tried it and know what I'm griping about.

I'd be tempted to add that "one spare clip" stipulation in, just to prevent utter hosing of the Lightning Reload schtick.

Thanks for your thoughts, CCamfield.

If you have Versatile Ammo, from Thorns of the Lotus, and a bow, you'll never need to reload at all...but that's another story.

John Seavey

My concern is: That unlimited supply is effectively always available on your character's person. How does it factor into Concealability? Does it count as a magically-reloading single spare clip (Concealability 1)?

I read that paragraph again and I start to worry about how my mind works...

lol, Adventure! has a knack thats vaguely similiar, though its actually a player created knack, it isnt too outragoues though, but it follows along the lines of what you said

Heroic Knack - Be Prepared, contributed by Mark Freeman

What, you need an eight-sixteenths allen wrench? Here!

Lord Baden Powell may have only started the Boy Scouts a few years ago, but for whatever reason, you certainly have taken the ‘be prepared’ motto to heart. No matter what the situation, you’re the best-equipped person around.

System: First, the player character needs to have some way to carry all of this stuff- a backpack, utility belt, trench coat, whatever. If the daredevil wishes to pull something from this ‘pocket’, they must roll inspiration, at a difficulty set by the ST. Naturally, the rarer and more obscure the item is, the harder it will be to find; a plain wrench would be merely standard difficulty, where a finely-tuned skeleton key capable of opening a complex lock would be at +4 difficulty. Items produced in this manner must fit inside of whatever ‘carrying case’ that the daredevil chooses- no pulling motorcycles out of trench coats! Furthermore, money (or valuables), super-science inventions, or weapons may not be produced in this manner.

Prerequisites: The daredevil should have at least resources of 1 in order to afford all this random crap. Furthermore, if the daredevil is separated from their ‘bag’, they naturally lose the benefits of this knack (though it’s not difficult to put together another one).