Q: Im a bit confused about the multiple action rules and the rules for multiple shots in a round. For example, if a character fires 3 shots at a zombie with his semi-auto pistol is this 3 separate actions (no penalty on the first then -2 then -4 on the others) or is it one action but with -1 on the second shot and -2 on the third. How do you guys approach a multiple shots per round situation?

A: The multi-action rules on AFMBE, page 100 are intended for actions other than semi-automatic fire. Running and throwing, swinging from chandeliers while reloading and scanning the room for targets, screaming coherent instructions for defusing the boom while grappling with a zombie -- those are the kind of things that involve multi-action rules.

Semi-automatic fire has it's own set of rules, those found on AFMBE, page 102. Successive pulls of a trigger involve much less activity, and thus suffer a lower cummulative penalty (barring the whole recoil thing). The basic intention is that each trigger pull requires a separate Task roll. You can play it with a single roll and successive penalties, but that may result in some meta-gaming where the player squeezes off more shots if his Task roll is a high one, and less if his roll is lower (and thus shots start missing sooner). That can be countered by strictly enforcing the Intentions phase of the sequence of combat (see AFMBE, page 98 ) , and requiring the number of shots be specified there, but I know some folks don't like that approach.


Far as initiative, it's sort of a case by case basis for me. For the most part though I do roll for initiative for the zombies. Never know when the rotters are gonna get first crack.
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