You've lost me - or: the clarification thread

[pansophy]

Allright, let's start with my topic of love. Over the last 20 years or so I thought I'got it'., but the new BRP rule book lost me. The topic? "Volley Fire".

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Action

If your character can perform more than one action in a round (some weapons allow for multiple attacks, and combat skill levels in excess of 100% also allow multiple attacks), each attack should be separated by 5 DEX ranks.

OK, I get this. Skill > 100% I get more attacks, also modern weapons can get more attacks, probably by using the "Volley Fire" rule.

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Volley Fire

Volley fire rules apply specifically to thrown/self-propelled weapons. These are almost always launched at the rate of one attack per combat round. However, your character may wish to send as many attacks at an opponent as are possible in the shortest amount of time, either as suppressing fire or to bypass a particularly effective defense.
If your character chooses to throw, fire, or launch weapons as rapidly as possible, use the relevant weapon’s attacks-per-round entry, with the first attack at the normal DEX rank and subsequent attacks happening at 5 DEX rank intervals after. All volley fire attacks are Difficult. If the DEX ranks for any attacks are below 0, your character cannot attack further. Though your character may have enough DEX ranks to attack more than the attacks-per-round, that amount is the limit and all further DEX rank attacks are not used.

For example, if your character with DEX 12 uses volley fire with throwing rocks (which get two attacks-per-round), the first throw will occur on DEX rank 12, and the second will occur on DEX rank 7. Even though there is the potential to attack on DEX rank 2, a thrown rock allows only two attacks-per-round.

Drawbacks to volley fire, however, aside from being Difficult, is that it uses ammunition faster and does not allow the attacker to parry or Dodge while launching volley attacks.

Just as I thought, this Spot rule is my friend.

Let's have a look at the Weapons tables:

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Attk: How many attacks-per-round does the weapon allow?

RF: (Optional) Rate of fire (see Volley Fire, page 155). 1/#CR means that the weapon is so clumsy it can only be used once a number (#) of combat rounds. X/CR means that it can be used X times per combat round when using volley fire.

RF ? OK, this is new, 'Rate of Fire'. Isn't that just a duplication of 'Attacks'? Hmmm, OK, if I'm correct, then both values should the same ... let's look at the 'rock' entry of the Primitive weapons table:

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Rock (thrown) Attk: 2 RF: 1/CR

Yeah, nah. I'm lost. I'm even more lost, if I look at automatic weapons.

@Jason D: do you have any insight you can offer here, please?