Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - Bullets: Overpenetration, Tumbling, Traveling

FF_Ninja · 03-31-2016, 04:20 PM

So, in prep for the modern campaign I'm running, I've been pouring over [what I expect to be] one of the more important systems I'll need to be familiar with: gun combat. One particular aspect - round behavior upon impact - has been touched on in various threads and boards, but I feel like there's a disconnect.

So far, just about every thought I've read about rounds has to do with varying damage - I.E. larger caliber rounds doing more "damage" than smaller caliber rounds (which, frankly, I believe is patently false). I've yet to find anyone touch upon the nuances of what a round does after it impacts - other than the general idea which is, "getting shot sucks" (which is patently true).

To further define the issue at hand: small caliber rounds have a tendency to tumble when they impact (resulting in more internal damage) and travel when impacting a bone, as opposed to their larger caliber brethren which generally just over-penetrate. Range is a factor, too: shoot a dude at point-blank with a .308 and it'll tend to make a clean (albeit large) hole front-to-back; the same shot at a more optimal distance would have decelerated a bit already.

I'm envisioning a situation where, say, a Russian agent with a .22LR pistol pops someone dissident the skull (old KGB style), and the round penetrates only the first layer of bone but then proceeds to tumble and travel, turning said dissident's brains into scrambled eggs. A through-and-through shot from a heavier caliber weapon wouldn't do that.

Are there any supplements that deal with these issues? Have any of you run a session where you (or one of your players) felt it important to address the nuances of different caliber ammunition, and at different ranges?

03-31-2016, 04:20 PM	#1
FF_Ninja Join Date: Feb 2016	Bullets: Overpenetration, Tumbling, Traveling So, in prep for the modern campaign I'm running, I've been pouring over [what I expect to be] one of the more important systems I'll need to be familiar with: gun combat. One particular aspect - round behavior upon impact - has been touched on in various threads and boards, but I feel like there's a disconnect. So far, just about every thought I've read about rounds has to do with varying damage - I.E. larger caliber rounds doing more "damage" than smaller caliber rounds (which, frankly, I believe is patently false). I've yet to find anyone touch upon the nuances of what a round does after it impacts - other than the general idea which is, "getting shot sucks" (which is patently true). To further define the issue at hand: small caliber rounds have a tendency to tumble when they impact (resulting in more internal damage) and travel when impacting a bone, as opposed to their larger caliber brethren which generally just over-penetrate. Range is a factor, too: shoot a dude at point-blank with a .308 and it'll tend to make a clean (albeit large) hole front-to-back; the same shot at a more optimal distance would have decelerated a bit already. I'm envisioning a situation where, say, a Russian agent with a .22LR pistol pops someone dissident the skull (old KGB style), and the round penetrates only the first layer of bone but then proceeds to tumble and travel, turning said dissident's brains into scrambled eggs. A through-and-through shot from a heavier caliber weapon wouldn't do that. Are there any supplements that deal with these issues? Have any of you run a session where you (or one of your players) felt it important to address the nuances of different caliber ammunition, and at different ranges?