My initial reaction was that they were consumable. Cheap, expendable, etc.

1. Extra Reloads - has an S at the end. Makes it sound plural.

2. Has encumbrance - lots of consumables have no encumbrance.

This got me thinking that maybe they are sort of semi-consumable. So now I play it as a once per session type thing. Each session, reloads are recharged. There's still reason to have more than 1 if you are really worried about ammo. The encumbrance stat keeps people from carrying a dozen of them to be immune to ammo issues.

It depends on the plural. If, as several have stated, the plural is meant to imply more than one reload, then it would not be consumed. However, if the plural is a reference to say, multiple types of reload, then it may or may not be consumable.

Not to go too deep down the rabbit hole, but given the variance in weapon design, "claibre", and rate of fire, one could assume that "magazines" or "clips" or gas canisters or what have you are not universal in design. An "ammunition reserve" designed for a blaster pistol will probably vary greatly from that for a light repeater. Even a given manufacturers may differ greatly from another of the same "type" eg light blaster, blaster, heavy blaster. It depends on how granular of an experience and how much of a money sink you wish the particular item to be.

I wouldn't say no encumberance, just a minimal one. I believe there is some reference to a 10:1 ratio for consumables for encumberance?

It depends on the plural. If, as several have stated, the plural is meant to imply more than one reload, then it would not be consumed. However, if the plural is a reference to say, multiple types of reload, then it may or may not be consumable.

Not to go too deep down the rabbit hole, but given the variance in weapon design, "claibre", and rate of fire, one could assume that "magazines" or "clips" or gas canisters or what have you are not universal in design. An "ammunition reserve" designed for a blaster pistol will probably vary greatly from that for a light repeater. Even a given manufacturers may differ greatly from another of the same "type" eg light blaster, blaster, heavy blaster. It depends on how granular of an experience and how much of a money sink you wish the particular item to be.

As a long time GM I'll say to you the same thing I ultimately have to tell my players... "You're overthinking it."

Yup , this is a game that seems to abhor that kind of micromanagement

*shrug* the group I'm running assumed they were single use items and purchased them accordingly. I've gotten no complaints, so i see no reason to change it. feel free to do whatever works for you players.

I thought so initially too ... then I noticed encumbrance and that your average human could carry 7 power packs and no more. That made me stop and reconsider. Of course, just making extra reloads into encumbrance 0 items might work just as well. That would also seriously boost the power of the Spare Clip talent.

It depends on the plural. If, as several have stated, the plural is meant to imply more than one reload, then it would not be consumed. However, if the plural is a reference to say, multiple types of reload, then it may or may not be consumable.

Not to go too deep down the rabbit hole, but given the variance in weapon design, "claibre", and rate of fire, one could assume that "magazines" or "clips" or gas canisters or what have you are not universal in design. An "ammunition reserve" designed for a blaster pistol will probably vary greatly from that for a light repeater. Even a given manufacturers may differ greatly from another of the same "type" eg light blaster, blaster, heavy blaster. It depends on how granular of an experience and how much of a money sink you wish the particular item to be.

If all I had was a blaster rifle, why would I buy a variety pack of ammo? lol

Maybe we need to look at the description instead of just the listing. I'm at work without my book, so anyone else want to step in on this?

Maybe we need to look at the description instead of just the listing. I'm at work without my book, so anyone else want to step in on this?

For reference, the description of Extra Reloads/Power Packs on page 181 of the core rulebook:

"Technology runs on power, and while most devices have internal power sources, these either run out or need augmentation. Energy cells are small battery disks that can keep most hand-held devices going for a while longer, while power packs are larger versions suitable for blasters and other high-demand gear. Extra reloads allow characters to ignore an "out of ammo" Despair result with a ranged weapon. By spending a maneuver, they may reload their weapons and get back in the fight." (italicized portion is the text relevant to game rules)

Nowhere in the text does it say that Extra Reloads are consumed upon usage or that they are one-shot items. For contrast, the text for the Ration Pack on page 179:

"As bland and flavorless as the life of an Imperial stormtrooper, ration packs are a common item on smaller ships used to augment or replace actual galley fare. Each can be easily reconstituted into a full meal through built-in heat infusers and limited hydration. Most ships include emergency ration packs in case of disasters such as hard landings or engine failures, and while not all are actually made for the Imperial Army, most follow the same standard mark. Understandably, ration packs are one-use items (italicized portion is the text relevant to game rules).

Stimpacks, in the second sentence of the second paragraph, cites that it's a one-use item. Emergency Repair Patch has a similar phrase in the first sentence of the second paragraph of its description.

At this point, it's beginning to sound like nothing less than Sam or Jay coming right out and saying "Extra Reloads are not one-use items, and thus aren't expended when used" is the only way this could be any more clearly explained than it already is in the book.

Then S for Extra ReloadS may also imply that you have extras for all of your weapons, not just one. You are carrying Extra Reloads for your Blaster Rifle, Blaster Pistol, and your Ion Gun.

I agree that the RAW implies they are re-usable. It should specify though that it means once per ecounter, session, reach a place to reload, etc. Otherwise you are paying 25 credits and 1 Encumbrance to forever have extra ammo for every weapon you may be carrying for as long as you want to keep shooting and using a Maneuver when you rarely get hit by a Despair.

We have discussed this some at our table and we came to this...

Extra Reloads are rechargeable (assumed to be recharged during downtime as long as we have a power source)

Extra Reloads can be used to reload after being told "you have ran out of ammo" one time.

If you are concerned about getting hit multiple times with "you have ran out of ammo" in one session then you need multiples.

My Mercenary Soldier carries 2 Extra Reloads in his LBV (house ruled backpack that can only carry items up to 2 Enc) due to the encumbrance of them. Which I like by the way.

We are happy with it thus far.

Why do people think they're one-use-per-session? It says nothing of the sort in the description. If you purchased Extra Reloads, you can reload your weapon whenever you run out of ammo. It is intentionally that simple for a reason.

I really don't understand why people want it to be limited use. The way it is, it keeps your players from wasting time by saying things like, "I loot the bodies for ammo" or "I go into town to buy ammo" or "I stop for an hour to recharge my power packs" and it saves the GM from saying things like "didn't you use your extra reloads already?". Ammo is not even close to a scarce resource in Star Wars. It's never even an issue for the characters in the movies.

Why do people think they're one-use-per-session? It says nothing of the sort in the description. If you purchased Extra Reloads, you can reload your weapon whenever you run out of ammo. It is intentionally that simple for a reason.

I really don't understand why people want it to be limited use. The way it is, it keeps your players from wasting time by saying things like, "I loot the bodies for ammo" or "I go into town to buy ammo" or "I stop for an hour to recharge my power packs" and it saves the GM from saying things like "didn't you use your extra reloads already?". Ammo is not even close to a scarce resource in Star Wars. It's never even an issue for the characters in the movies.

Though I don't believe it's been said outright, some might be looking at it like this:

If Extra Reloads never runs out and costs so little it's not even worth mentioning, why not simply handle it as "sundry" - miscellaneous items which the Rulebook states every character can have on them, even if they're not written down anywhere just to keep things simple. Running out of ammo could be simply ruled as losing a maneuver during the character's next turn as they locate a clip on their being and reload their weapon.

Personally I think Extra Reloads aren't expended, reason being that their description does not say they are. Barring an error in the description, that feels like the logical interpretation to me. Coming at it from a different angle, since there is an "out of ammo" mechanic in the game and Bounty Hunter and Trader are the only specializations that get the Spare Clip talent, what are other characters supposed to do when they run out of ammo?

Enter Extra Reloads, their equivalent of Spare Clip, paid for in credits and encumbrance rather than XP and requiring a maneuver to use. Mind you that option is also available for the Bounty Hunter and Trader. The way the talent is positioned in their talent trees suggests it's very much an optional choice that they can come back to at a later time, when they might consider freeing 1 encumbrance point and foregoing the requirement for a maneuver worth 10 XP.

Looking at it like this, it would then logically follow that aside from the differences distinctly spelled out, Extra Reloads works like Spare Clip does. It doesn't run out and there are no limitations as to how often you can use it.

In re-reading the rules I have change my opinion slightly. I think it is intended that Extra Reloads allow a character to spend a maneuver to reload each and every time a despair is used to make them run out of ammo.

This does seem very generous for 25 Credits, especially if one set applies to all of a character's weapons. But as has been pointed out, people in Star Wars don't usually run out of ammunition unless it is a plot point.

I'll have to see how it works in play more to decide if I will continue to have it be once per encounter or every time a despair is rolled.

Why do people think they're one-use-per-session? It says nothing of the sort in the description. If you purchased Extra Reloads, you can reload your weapon whenever you run out of ammo. It is intentionally that simple for a reason.

I really don't understand why people want it to be limited use. The way it is, it keeps your players from wasting time by saying things like, "I loot the bodies for ammo" or "I go into town to buy ammo" or "I stop for an hour to recharge my power packs" and it saves the GM from saying things like "didn't you use your extra reloads already?". Ammo is not even close to a scarce resource in Star Wars. It's never even an issue for the characters in the movies.

If I had to guess, it's that in most other RPGs (especially all the prior Star Wars RPGs) a reload is a one-use item, and often used in tandem with weapons having a specific number of shots before they're empty.

So, with that thinking, most folks just assume that the Extra Reloads item is largely the same, particularly since it's so cheap that it's perceived to make the Spare Clip talent border on superfluous, though quite a few seem to have missed the Extra Reload requires a maneuver where the the talent is an automatic effect (essentially, an Incidental effect).

Think of it like this , a quick reload is slipping in a battery disc, there is no way that single disc is the encumbrance of a blaster pistol itself.

At first I was thinking of the Extra Reloads as a one-use item, but over the course of discussion have changed my mind. But for merely 25 credits I just feel they are too cheap to keep as non-expendables. Not to mention getting rid of that dramatic moment of running out of ammo and having to improvise which could create some amazing events. I am thinking that I just might have them as a one-use per Encounter item, saying that the players automatically pick up extra-reloads from fallen foes. And if the players want to pick up a couple Extra Reloads, I won't penalize them with an Encumbrance of 1 for each, I'll let them treat it as an incidental item but limit them to 3-5 as opposed to 10-20 as listed under Encumbrance Values on page 152, second to last paragraph. This will give those players a chance to reload a few times without it feeling like they cheapen the value of the Spare Clip talent.

"If it becomes critical to the story to have more detail, 10 loosely carried incidental items have an encumbrance value of 1. If they are stored in an effective manner (such as bowcaster quarrels in a quiver or crystals in a pouch), then 20 incidental items have an encumbrance value of 1."

This is just how I personally am going to run this item.

One other alternative, if the GM feels that 25 credits is too cheap for what amounts to unlimited ammo, simply bump the cost up to 100 credits. This makes it less likely to be something every PC grabs as part of their starting gear, and can visualized as an ammo bandolier like the one Chewbacca was wearing, or as an ammo belt of the sort favored by Old West gunslingers.

Granted, given how short combat encounters tend to be (longest I've seen was five rounds, and that's only because the PCs had a couple of rounds of really pathetic rolls), the "once per encounter" limit certainly isn't a bad house rule.

After reading the posts in this thread I think I'll have to change my stance on this. Maybe something like they have effectively unlimited use during an encounter or even an adventure, but as soon as the PCs get back to civillization I'll tell them their reloads are spent and they'll have to buy a new batch.

I've read, re-read, and thought about this. I've come to the following conclusion:

~The item is 1 encumbrance, when a pistol that is 1 encumbrance already has a power pack inside of it. A single magazine/power pack should not be 1 encumbrance.

~The item is listed in the gear table as plural. Extra reload s . Other small items that are carried in multiples are listed singularly: Glow rod. Ration pack. Stim pack. This suggests that it is multiple.

~The item is not described as expendable or single use, while other items with limited uses are described as such.

~If you do not have extra reloads and you run out of ammo, your gun is magically reloaded at the end of the encounter anyway. This suggests that everyone has the means to reload their gun, but it is inconvenient enough that you can't do it during a firefight. The game likely assumes that you're constantly scrounging for ammo from fallen foes and/or recharging your power packs during down times. You always have extra ammo , but it isn't convenient.

~The goal of this system is to create the Star Wars/pulp feel, where running out of ammo serves as drama, not a matter for detailed bookkeeping. It is something that, after it happens, your character would make sure it never happened again. Rookie mistake, hotshot.

All of this leads me to believe that what you are buying isn't a magazine, a tibanna gas canister, or a power pack, but a number of them, as well as the means of carrying them conveniently. You're buying an ammo belt, pouch, or bandolier. Chewbacca's only piece of visible equipment was extra reloads . The price holds with this idea - the cost is the same as for a utility belt, and you're constantly refilling it through scrounging/recharging.

As to the Spare Clip talent: It still comes with some nice benefits. It saves you 1 encumbrance, and it removes the need to stop and perform a maneuver in the middle of a firefight (it also saves you 25 credits to spend on jawa juice!) Never having to perform that maneuver, plus 1 bonus encumbrance isn't bad for a 10XP talent (plus the talent can never be confiscated by Stormtroopers.)

So, for my game, buying 'extra reloads' is buying an effectively endless supply of ammo. It costs you one encumbrance, and Despair means losing a maneuver instead of losing a weapon.

How often did Han reload, anyway?

How often did Han reload? Probably often.

How often was it so important to the plot/action that we got to *see* Han reload? Never that I'm aware of.

Blasters don't use bullets like guns (i'm pretty sure everyone is aware of this, I'm just stating it). Power packs can probably go for a long time. But roll a Despair, maybe your power pack took damage or was faulty. So, you put in a new power pack (called "extra reload" for ease of understanding).

IMO, they're one time use items. At the start of the Long Arm of the Hutt, there are two of them for free if the characters look hard enough. And at 25 credits, they're cheap enough to be one time use for something that won't happen THAT often.

As for the encumbrance thing, the reason they are 1, imo, is so the character can not have an unlimited amount (even with incidentals with zero encumbrance, I think the rules state you're limited to 10 of, having 10 reloads is a LOT).

I'm gonna say they are like "A couple use" items. I'm not going to keep track of it, but if one dude has to reload like 3 or 4 times, I'm gonna say that their reloads ran out.

I'm gonna say they are like "A couple use" items. I'm not going to keep track of it, but if one dude has to reload like 3 or 4 times, I'm gonna say that their reloads ran out.

That's how we're handling mepacks. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to be one use items (especially at 400 credits), but would logically have finite number of supplies in there (like gauze), so maybe like 3 uses.

I like the idea that they can be recharged between combats, if say a fusion lantern is available or they are travelling for a period through hyperspace, and would take a few hours to recharge.

So, in my games, if a character has 1 extra reload, he can reload one time in a battle before he has to recharge the power pack. If he suffers another "out of ammo" before he has had a chance to recharge or buy a new power pack, then he will be out of luck. So, carrying a couple might be a good idea just in case the rolls start going badly.

And, if by chance a player suffers an "out of ammo" near the beginning of a fight when they have a freshly charged power pack, well, I guess it shorted out and will need to be replaced perhaps.