I’m new to A!C 2d20 and, reading the Player’s and GM’s Guide I got the impression that the rules on Ammo and Automatic fire got somehow changed throughout the creation process, leaving unchanged leftovers of old rules in the books.
Please, tell me if I’m wrong, but I’ve noticed the following issues.
ISSUE no.1
Player’s Handbook p. 90
FIVE ROUNDS RAPID talent
The text says “when you make a salvo attack, your FIRST BONUS d20 is free”.
However, checking p. 99, it seems like salvo attacks do NOT give bonus d20, but apply effects!
It seems obvious that this talent is a relic from the rules on automatic weapons from earlier 2d20 versions like Mutant Chronicles.
How do you use it? Maybe just +1 free d20 when doing Salvo attack?
ISSUE no.2
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GM guide p.139 “Ammunition attrition” boxed text seems to suggest that you can still fire with a Ammo 0 weapon until a complication happens.
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Player’s guide p. 102 “Ammo” boxed text suggests that you can never fire with an Ammo 0 weapon.
It seems obvious that these two texts reflect two different views of the rules.
I frankly do not know what’s the best interpretation.
Which one do you use?
ISSUE no. 3
Checking the stats of rifles (Player’s guide p.104) it is obvious that a bolt-action Lee-Enfield rifle (Stress 6, Salvo Vicious) will always be a better weapon than a more advanced, semi-automatic M1 Garand rifle (Stress 5, Salvo Vicious).
It is obvious that weapons were balanced when different rules for automatic weapons were in use.
This has also been admitted by Nathan Dowdell, at the following link:
How do you treat these issues?
I dislike changing texts or making notes on printed manuals (and making all rifles with Damage 5 is senseless to me as it makes senseless to have different rifle names).
I was thinking about a simple fix for the last issue: reestablishing some rules on automatic weapons.
House rule version 1:
Semi-automatic weapons: spend 1 ammo for +1d20 in attack and +1 stress die in damage.
Automatic weapons: spend 1 ammo for +1d20 in attack and +1 stress die in damage OR 3 ammo for 2d20 in attack and +2 stress die in damage.
I was thinking about this last house rule by applying the rules for automatic weapons from Mutant Chronicles and keeping the A!C incremental cost of momentum d20…but maybe I can even do something like this:
House rule version 2:
Semi-automatic weapons: spend 1 ammo (and no more than 1 ammo) for +1d20 in attack.
Automatic weapons: spend ammo to buy d20 for the Attack at usual cost of momentum or threat for bonus d20.
By the way, by applying one of these house rules, not only all rifles become more balanced but the “Five Rounds rapid” makes sense as it gives a free bonus d20 when buying those d20 in a salvo.
Any thought?