Muskets

[Taran]

Would you have them re-load every second exchange as a full round?  Or is there some other mechanic you'd use to represent their slow loading time?

I have a player who's character has a musket as his main weapon.

[Mr. Death]

I seem to remember a musket needing a full minute of reloating--which is forever in a fight, and certainly far longer than one round in combat. And that's without someone trying to knock your teeth in.

Outside of magical help, I'd say a musket is a one-shot weapon in any given fight. I'd advise he put a few skill ranks into Weapon and get himself a bayonet to attach to it. Or take a stunt that lets him use the bayonet-equipped musket with Guns.

[fantazero]

During the Napolenic Wars, the Brits could get 3-4 shots off an Minute.
Rifled Muzzle Loaders took alittle longer. 2 a Minute, but they could shoot much further.

I believe in Sotc and the Dresden files actions like shooting arent just one bullet, but sometimes several (like murphy and pistols) but its just one scene.

Reloading a Musket I guess could take a turn, or you make them reload and then shoot as a supplemental action.

[UmbraLux]

I have a player who's character has a musket as his main weapon.

Not sure how realistic you want to be but, if using a musket against modern weaponry, they're likely to only get one shot per scene.  Modern combat is fast and mobile - a musket is neither. 

Fantazero is correct about the musket's rate of fire - the British infantry's standard was 3 per minute.  Post Minie ball (~1860s or so) rifled muskets were as fast, before then one per minute would have been a very good rate.

[Taran]

The way we've done it is we roughly decide how many bullets are in a clip and then use a suplemental to re-load when the clip is gone.  IF you do any spray attacks with Full Auto-type weapons we decided that you have to re-load afterwards.

So, in comparison, muskets would be much slower.  I like the idea of it taking longer, though.  I also like the idea of a stunt to use Guns for melee for the bayonette.

Should inhuman speed make it faster?

Not sure how realistic you want to be but, if using a musket against modern weaponry, they're likely to only get one shot per scene.  Modern combat is fast and mobile - a musket is neither. 

Fantazero is correct about the musket's rate of fire - the British infantry's standard was 3 per minute.  Post Minie ball (~1860s or so) rifled muskets were as fast, before then one per minute would have been a very good rate.

My game takes place earlyish 1600's.  Muskets ARE modern weaponry!

[UmbraLux]

Should inhuman speed make it faster?

Probably!

My game takes place earlyish 1600's.  Muskets ARE modern weaponry!

Cool!  In that case do you really need to enforce delays?  A musket vs musket battle will have the same exchange length and when you get to melee you need to fix bayonets and charge! 

[Mrmdubois]

That's going to depend on how quickly Melee is engaged vs. the musketeers.  If someone can engage before the reload is complete then yeah, it'll matter.

[Tedronai]

That's going to depend on how quickly Melee is engaged vs. the musketeers.  If someone can engage before the reload is complete then yeah, it'll matter.

Well, it's not like the musketeers who are actually threatened by the melee-er (ie. those in the same zone) are likely to continue attempting to reload as they're butchered one by one.  The action can be abandoned.

[admiralducksauce]

I'd do it by Guns skill, and kind of use the stress track tiers:

Guns 5+: 1 shot every 2 exchanges
Guns 3-4: 1 shot every 3 exchanges
Guns 1-2: 1 shot every 4 exchanges
Guns 0: 1 shot every 5 exchanges

Have a stunt that bumps their fire rate up (to a max of 1 per exchange).

[Taran]

I'd do it by Guns skill, and kind of use the stress track tiers:

Guns 5+: 1 shot every 2 exchanges
Guns 3-4: 1 shot every 3 exchanges
Guns 1-2: 1 shot every 4 exchanges
Guns 0: 1 shot every 5 exchanges

Have a stunt that bumps their fire rate up (to a max of 1 per exchange).

That's an interesting idea.  The speed powers can boost it the same way it boosts dodge, +1, +2 and +3.

Neat!

Edit:   I just had a chat with one of the players(not the one who'll be toting the gun) and we were thinking of making it a supplemental every round.  Then just using compels and what-not for those times when re-loading in combat doesn't seem to make sense.

The other comment he made was that the player could have a few pistols as back-up, so re-loading might not matter too much...

[Mr. Death]

Yeah, pistols as back-up is how pirates usually did it. That said, if you're in any sort of melee, reloading a musket is going to be pretty much impossible. There's like eight steps you have to do in order. There's a reason that even up to the Civil War, after a couple volleys it was 'fix bayonets' and into melee.

If you're going for any kind of realism, then honestly, I'd say a musket user gets his one shot off at the start of combat then has to melee or go to pre-loaded pistols.

[noclue]

This thread almost makes me want a Guns roll to reload with MoS reducing load time.

[admiralducksauce]

This thread almost makes me want a Guns roll to reload with MoS reducing load time.

Oh hey, that's not a bad idea. Require a combined MoS of X to reload, then it takes what it takes. It even supports doing other things as supplementals and affecting the reload, as well as FP expenditure speeding the process when it counts.

I like this idea more than my own. Speed powers can give their normal bonuses to the roll, and Stunts can give bonuses or reduce the total MoS required.

[Mrmdubois]

MoS?

[Addicted2aa]

MoS?

Margin of Success.
At least that's what it looks like.