Quote:
Originally Posted by Olefin
Now does that mean they have hundreds of rounds sitting in a warehouse in the back of town - no of course not. But a basic ammo load with maybe a few extra's - yes very likely.
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Very likely? I just can't buy that. I'm not saying that no ammo would be available for any obsolete tanks, but I am saying that if an old tank is in the hands of a non-Regular Army unit and a long way from any known compatible ammo storage sites, it's more likely than not that it has either very little ammo available or none.
We are talking about a role playing game though. You can suspend disbelief all you like. If the story is advanced by a local State Guard or militia unit having a WWII era tank still running and a full load of main gun ammo, that's great. That is likely in a few rare cases. But if I was a player in a game where every second State Guard unit across the nation was running a couple of obsolete tanks and the main gun ammo never seemed to run out, my ability to suspend disbelief would be sorely tested.
Looking at it from another angle, what a great idea for a CONUS adventure. The PCs are tasked by a local CIVGOV or MILGOV commander to visit a distant militia or State Guard unit that's running one or more old MBTs that are very short on main gun ammo. The PCs are given limited authority to engage in negotiations with the State Guard commander who has made inquiries regarding sourcing some old main gun ammo, which the PC's commander has some stocks of. The State Guard commander has something that the PC's commander could definitely use so they do have a bargaining position. On the other hand, the PC's commander would very much like to get his hands on one or more old MBTs. A terrific opportunity for some non-combat role playing. If the PCs are smart they could leave everybody involved, including themselves, in a win-win position. Or they could choose a darker path and try to swindle the State Guard commander out of some valuable assets.
At the end of that sort of adventure you can end up with a unit armed with old MBTs and adequate, if not plentiful, main gun ammo and it all makes perfect sense.