The Astartes Missile launcher has some kind of auto-load feature. Does that mean it can be fired each round until the missile pack is empty, and then it has to be re-loaded at the listed rate?

Yup. Or you use the listed reload time to reload the loading backpack. If you still have missiles in the backpack, it's one per turn (RoF S/-/-) and you don't worry about reloading; the wargear does it for you.

Kshatriya said:

OK yes, the backpack thing was actually what I was thinking of. Considering that it's a banpack ammo supply, it'd be unusual if that could be reloaded (probably not carrying additional missile packs), but until it ran out then it can be fired every round.

Thanks.

Note that it's not an entire ammo backpack in the same way as a heavy bolter is given with a backpack full of bolts; the item is described "overcom[ing] the single capacity of the launch tube by attaching a special missile rack and auto-loader to a backpack power unit." So it seems like the missile rack is being reloaded (and doing so wouldn't be so hard if you had access to more missiles), not the backpack it might be attached to, which I think is a reference to the power unit on the back of Astartes power armor...makes sense the armor's own fusion reactor would power the launcher's loading arm.

Agreed that the backpack has 12, iirc, missiles and automatically loads the available missiles of choice for your next turn once the one in the turn is fired. Allowing you to fire a missile once every turn without the need to reload until the backpack is empty.

I also agree that if you want to use a rocket thats not in the backpack, or the pack runs out of ammo the reload for the launcher equals the listed reload on its stat block.

But reloading the actual backpack would probably take more than just a single full turn. Considering you are loading them into the backpack one at a time (most likely) and probably following whatever reloading rights you are required to observe while doing so, and your doing it carefully so you don't mess up whatever autoloading mechanism the backpack uses. Although I doubt this should be much of an issue. I don't think many Astartes would stop in the middle of the battle, take of their backpack and begin loading rockets into it when they can simply just slot one into the launcher directly much more quickly.

You're right, and come to think of it I'm not sure there's a reload time listed for ammo backpacks or their functional equivalent (such as missile racks). 3 Full or something like it might be too quick, even though that's an eternity of inaction in combat time. Maybe a reload time in minutes is more appropriate for the full rack, as opposed to just sticking a missile in the tube (the listed reload time, I imagine).

The simplist I can think of is to have each missile loaded into the backpack take the full reload.

As the Soundstrike has a reload of 1Full it would take 12Full actions/turns to reload the backpack. That doesn' include time to take off the backpack (Full), to put it back on (Full), and then wait a turn for it to load the launcher (no action required but still takes a turn), Which would add another 3 turns to the reload process.

Maybe not the most accurate method (might take longer dunno), but its a start anyways.