Out of ammo

[ochoin]

Now that you've sorted out the howitzer business, I'm interested to hear your ideas on ammunition supply for artillery.

Our SYW rules allow for ammunition to run out if the enemy has a unit between the battery & the artillery park (with the ammunition wagons). This has never happened.

Our rules do limit artillery fire by only allowing the active player to shoot in the turn. Musketry happens, in contrast, twice a Game Turn as the non-active player can return fire.

Any ideas can bolt on (without too much book keeping) will be appreciated.

donald

[FreddBloggs]

at brigade or bigger level, that is fine. Unless the scenario requires a shortage of powder or similar.

[grizzlymc]

I agree with Mr Bloggs. On the rare occasions that it happened it was quite notable. The idea that cutting the link to the park is good, but I have never sweated it. My chief of staff handles these matters.

I think the major tabletop issue is that artillery ranges need to be effective, not what is ballistically possible.

[Essex Boy]

My house rules for Rank and File have a dice roll for ammo supply each time a gun fires. There's a 10% chance of the gun running out of the type of ammo fired that turn (i.e. shot or canister). The ammo can be resupplied upon the correct dice roll (possibly assisted by the presence of a Leader figure) but it can temporarily really mess with one's happiness levels.

One in ten may be a little high, but it concentrates the mind on target selection and tends to discourage 'sniping' at long range.

I should add that this restriction doesn't work when playing against Old John. He simply reveals another battery which had previously been 'hidden from view'.

Iain

[goat major]

A rule used in some RPGs for managing depleting resources in a interesting way. You use a set of RPG dice D10, D8, D6, D4

When you do something that stresses the resource (e,g. battery fires). Roll a D10. On a 1 or 2 you drop down to the next dice level. If that happens then next time roll a D8 , on a 1 or 2 drop down another level and so on. When you fail on a D4 you have used up the resource completely.

Its an interesting mechanism and adds some increasing tension about when you'll be depleted without getting into accountancy.

[FreddBloggs]

or use EDNA. d10, on a 10 first time firing out of ammo, second time on a nine or ten, third eight to ten, resets to ten on a resupply.

[RMD]

When we started doing playtests of VERY large games for commercial wargame weekends (using General de Brigade rules), we found that what really slowed the game down was all the long-range piddling shots with with very little chance of success. Consequently we imposed ammo restrictions and that worked a treat, speeding up the game by about 50%.

In General de Brigade rolling a double-one will result in 'low ammo', which ordinarily imposes a negative modifier from then on. Instead of that rule we simply made the player delete half of the remaining ammo for that battery, rounded down.

[MarshalNey]

Wot? Just like the Phaser banks my Mexicans rushed into?

[Peeler]

Wot, those wall mounted short range light howitzers which fired large shells over a long distance?

[MarshalNey]

Wot, those wall mounted short range light howitzers which fired large shells over a long distance?

I got my revenge the next Ayton when I fired my only ever successful musket volley that year. You and Paul were in a melee and my volley took out his men and then carried through to take out a few of yours also......the fact we were on the same side didnt diminish my glee.