Garden Ammunition Brands

Garden is a city with a big gun culture. This should be obvious, since “always carry a gun” is the third thing you learn here. The first being “it's always dark out” and the second being “you're never going back home so suck it up and integrate”. While weapons are homemade, hand crafted, and traded among its residents like scrappy cars the ammunition they use is universal for its type.

Every gun that loads shells can load any manufacturer's shells. Simply put, everyone makes their bullets the same size so whatever bullshit weapon you cook up can reliably use any bullet it finds. Since there is no copyright law in Garden, the most popular types of bullets were just copied until they became ubiquitous. There are four primary types of ammunition used in Garden- here are 1d4 common brands for each. A roll of 4 means you find or have available for purchase a deluxe brand, which actually has a mechanical advantage.

Bullets

Small, smooth ended, extremely common. Mostly used in pistols and SMGs, but can be used in any low firepower weapon. Prized for their cost effectiveness, but lacking in stopping power. Unlike in real life, bullets in Garden tend to have a silvery/tin jacket instead of brass since the metal is recycled from various sources and different dimensions where they may have different metals.

[1] Pissers. The symbol of the desperate, extremely poor, or just really cheap. As the name implies, they are thought of as being weak and unreliable bullets that are also made in combination with piss from a few of the alien races in Garden with especially flammable bodily fluids. Firing one creates a yellow tinted cloud of smoke and a faint foul smell, so they remain unpopular and extremely cheap.

[2] Straightjackets. So named for the white string tied around the box in a very specific way, similar to a straightjacket. Otherwise has no labels. The actual name for these is “Uijaa family's self defense munitions” but nobody really knows that unless you worked in their factory. Somewhat popular with murderers and hit-men due to the obscurity of the brand.

[3] Full Power. Name for a manufacturer who packs their bullets with extra powder just to create an extra loud bang. Has a bit more strength then a standard bullet, but not enough to make a difference in game stats. The real advantage is a distinctive, goddamn loud blast. Popular as a self defense ammunition due to its ability to scare off animals or weak willed thugs.

[4] Bees. Bullets painted with black and yellow stripes, these bullets are rigorously designed to be as accurate and clean-shooting as possible. They grant +1 to accuracy when firing. Trick shooters swear by them, and the manufacturer has been interested in expanded their munitions to a new “Wasp” line- specially made cartridges as accurate as their Bee line of bullets. Needless to say, these would be incredibly popular with rifle and sniper enthusiasts.

Shells

Long, rounded, plastic casing with a flat top. These go into shotgun style weapons and have a spread of buckshot when firing. Do incredible damage up close, and a little less accurate at a distance because we're going by video game rules instead of realism. Weapons that load shells tend to have much smaller ammo capacity then other weapons, and the shells themselves are a bit heavier and more expensive, but valuable for their strength in close quarters combat.

[1] White Dot Shells. Each and every one is hand painted with a white dot on the top of the shell. Mass produced by a specific gang to fund their assassinations and political schemes. All around solid ammunition, no complains by its users.

[2] Charities. These shells are put together by orphans, a portion of each box sold goes towards finding them a good home or education for the kids. People who buy these are often totally elitist and holier-then-thou for their good deed purchases- 1 in 10 chance any given bar bouncer with a shotgun that blows people's head off berates you for not buying charity-ammo like he does.

[3] Fingers of Isk'Kassa. Name for an exotic type of shotgun shell- similar in consistency to a dried out pumice stone. The powder charge in this shell blows the stone into shards to fire in the same manner as regular buckshot. They are made and imported exclusively by the race of pink eyeless rhino people of which the rock is native to their homeworld.

[4] Whistlers. These shells contain specially carved balls that 'roll' in the air in a specific pattern to create a very loud whistling noise. The specific frequency of this noise allows it to disturb the concentration of psychic beings and anomalies- as such this type of ammunition can be used to penetrate through a bullet shield being projected by a psychic, or can easily rip apart a Sidewalk Sam.

Cartridges

Long, skinny casings with a pointed metal tip, used in longer guns or more serious armor piercing weapons. The ammunition of this type is sold at a premium, much higher then a bullet, so automatic rifles that use this type tend to focus more on stopping power and accuracy then spray-and-pray bullet weapons. Cartridges have lower capacity then bullets, but great damage to compensate.

[1] K-Tech Custom Tool Cartridges. Founded by a species from the island-chain world of Kullergia, hence the K in the name. Despite incredibly attention to detail and technology, they're very overpriced. The bullets are incredibly uniform and make for easy loading and rarely are there any duds, but the price is much higher then other cartridge brands without much to show for it.

[2] Game Wardens. Used primarily by the wilderness explorers and settlers outside of the main city. Have a reputation as a rugged, dependable brand. Everyone out there has a story of finding a fallen case of these out in the woods and having them still working fine, saving them from the horrors in the forest so they swear by them. Boxes often placed out near heavily traffic areas by the company to contribute to their mythological status.

[3] Ricky Slims. Really shitty brand of cartridges, leave gray dust inside your gun barrel after even light use. Very cheap. Said to secretly be made by stretching out bullets and filing the tips into points, contributing to their poor quality. The owner of this brand is always looking for young city slickers to help him take care of his many neglected, monster infested properties.

[4] Heartless Rounds. These bullets are sharpened and made into tips with hollow points. When they enter the body, they split and shatter causing immense internal damage. In game rules there is no change to damage, but trying to heal the wound with field first aid is impossible. Requires a doctor to heal wounds caused by these.

Payloads

Short, fat, round ended munitions with an explosive charge. The explosive power of a payload is rather small, but simply having an explosive weapon is of great value to many in this city. Far more expensive and heavy then any other kind of ammo. Known to be extremely dangerous, as gun jams with this type of ammo will cause an explosion.

[1] Showtime Cases. These payloads are made by an absolute madman on Dazzle street- combining colorful fireworks with explosive weaponry. Firing these creature the same whistles and pops as a firework, but send out hot sparks along with the explosive bang to hurt anyone nearby. Could be fired into the air for a make-shift fireworks show, but not recommended.

[2] Auntie Jiyya's Hard-Boiled Eggs. Named firstly for their white paint job, and secondly for a legend of Garden City. Auntie Jiyya was a woman who killed a rampaging 45 ft tall beast by lobbing grenades into its mouth. The makers of these have no relation to the woman and it is said she's a homeless crazy person now, many years after wasting her fortunes and fame.

[3] Rainmakers. Even heavier then a normal payload, this one is said to be filled with some ball bearings and metal shrapnel to improve the deadliness of the blast, but as a side effect has less powder for a weaker explosive. Known mostly for the falling spray of metal after each use which sounds like a heavy pinging rain, hence the name.

[4] Terroll Charges. So named for a highly flammable, sticky substance like napalm shoved into each payload; these weapons are capable of starting fires if detonated near flammable objects or even people with close hits. The maker's secret ingredient are special imported mushrooms in his basement, which he keeps a secret from everyone as to not steal it. Deal additional damage from fire, fire spreads.

Other Ammunition

While almost all guns in Garden use the above standard ammunition for normal use, a few special weapons require unique ammunition and special weapons makers have created their own unique ammunition types.

Electric Gel Capsules. Launched in unison with a bundle of wires to transfer a current. When charged; the capsule pulses for half a second before exploding outwards in an electrical explosion that causes electrical blackouts to devices, stuns living creatures, causes minor antigravity on light objects, and many other strange anomalies. The electrical gel is made from a mix of ichor from giant thrips bugs and some strange substances found in the dangerous underground service tunnels between the city. The company who makes the capsules has to keep lying and searching for new gatherers constantly.

Acid Vials. Sold by a guy who lives in a sewer; vials that can be loaded into weapons that squirt out acid at close ranges. Used just as often to melt away padlocks as fired at enemies. It is possible to safely handle the acid if you soaked your skin in milk for a few minutes before touching the acid. Even a small amount of milk poured into a storage vial can neutralize the corrosive.

Ember Brand Flame Batteries. Created by a few scholars from a world where it was possible to use psychic powers to imprison raw elements in stasis; these beings wound up in Garden and are using their powers to suppor themselves. By trapping fire into a plastic and metal shell similar to a battery pack; the flame can be unleashed in a high energy form by the right weapon. These weapons fire lasers that can cut steel from the intense heat, and easily burn a hole through a man. Only their makers know the secret to reloading the cartridges.