Recovering ammunition?

[Nytmare]

In my game, the archer-ey players (in general) track their ammo use only by the number of powers they've used. Unless they're really low on ammo, they just do it when the encounter is over while everyone is healing up.

I'd be tempted to handwave looting ammo just like we handwave recovering ammo, but at least for now, I do a d6 per npc they downed who had the appropriate weapon. The guys playing the characters have enjoyed the resource game so far, so I guess for now it'll stay.

I wouldn't be opposed to a more abstract system, in 3rd edition, we didn't track ammo at all, and you only ran out as a range on the fumble charts we used. I like the Gamma World approach, but I don't know if Nate's version is any better or worse than what we're doing already.

 

[the Jester]

I always figure that arrows that aren't shot into the far distance are recoverable 3 in 6.

 

[Ryujin]

Nobody in my group tracks ammo, and I didn't even know until now that 4e has magical ammo.

Not hard to understand. After all I seem to remember promises that there wouldn't be any magical ammo in 4e, early on.

 

[wayne62682]

Perhaps it's because I've been spoiled by WoW but I hate anything that requires minutiae and bookkeeping in the game; that includes tracking ammo, rations, light sources, spell components, etc. It's all a useless waste of time to me, but my regular DM loves those things (and has ranted on and on and on on the official boards about how stupid the Sunrod is).

I would personally just get away from them entirely, realism be damned. Barring that I'd just ignore them unless it will actually matter (e.g. trapped in the Underdark, journeying through a huge desert) or if it's integral to the plot (e.g. our rations are running low so we need to go find food, and oh look something bad happens while we're doing that)

 

[Morrus]

I'm with the "tracking ammo is not fun" crowd.

 

[Mapache]

Tracking ammo is dull and tedious, and it randomly penalizes characters using ammo-based ranged weapons instead of implement or (magic) thrown weapons. Make ammo into an actual issue, and don't be surprised when your Ranger switches to throwing around a Farbond Fullblade or something equally ludicrous…

 

[Nytmare]

Tracking ammo is dull and tedious, (unless the players enjoy it) and it randomly penalizes characters using ammo-based ranged weapons (unless the players made the characters knowing that they wanted to track ammo) Make ammo into an actual issue, and don't be surprised when your Ranger switches to throwing around a Farbond Fullblade or something equally ludicrous… (unless the players want to keep tracking their ammo cause they mistakenly think that they are having fun)

eye em aitch oh

 

[Colmarr]

It randomly penalizes characters using ammo-based ranged weapons instead of implement or (magic) thrown weapons.

Not that I believe tracking ammo is a balancing factor, but it is worth noting that some ammo-based weapons have ranges far exceeding any implement-based power. There's no power in the game that even comes close to the Greatbow's or Longbow's range.

Given the minor cost of mundane ammunition, I don't really see it as much of a penalty. It might add up to, what, a level 3 item over the course of a 30-level campaign?

 

[Ryujin]

Not that I believe tracking ammo is a balancing factor, but it is worth noting that some ammo-based weapons have ranges far exceeding any implement-based power. There's no power in the game that even comes close to the Greatbow's or Longbow's range.

Given the minor cost of mundane ammunition, I don't really see it as much of a penalty. It might add up to, what, a level 3 item over the course of a 30-level campaign?

Which is why a level 3 item called "infinite quiver" would remove any confusion. Hell, 'Spray of Arrows', all by itself, would use at least 9 arrows.