[KMjolnir]

Hello all,
The text for the Semi-Automatic Firing Mode, says the following: "Semi-automatic weapons fire a round every time the trigger is pulled and automatically chamber a fresh round after each shot. Semi-Automatic weapons fire a single round with a Simple Action but cannot combine that with any other attack Action in the same Action Phase. Semi-automatic weapons can take advantage of the Multiple Attacks Free Action if the shooter has two semi-automatic weapons. They also have the option of using a Semi-Automatic Burst (see below)."

My GM is choosing to read the "they also have the option of using a semi-automatic burst" as being a continuation of the previous sentence, and the "They" as being two semi-automatic weapons, rather than (my) interpretation of it as the "they" being any gun with semi-automatic fire.

The semi-automatic burst firing mode (which isn't actually a firing mode, but I digress...) says: "Semi-Automatic Burst mode is three semi-automatic shots taken in quick succession. Semi-Automatic weapons can fire a burst of three rounds with a Complex Action. With more shots going downrange they increase the chance that a bullet will hit. Semi-Automatic bursts can take advantage of the Multiple Attacks Free Action to fire at multiple targets with the same burst." Which doesn't specify if it's one or more weapons.

If there's anyone who could give us an official clarification on this, that'd be great.

[Lorebane24]

Not official, but this has been my reading of it.

A semi-auto burst is functionally the same as a short burst.  Any single weapom with SA mode can fire this way.

The imprtant diferentiation is that BF weapons can do with their bursts what a SA weapon can do with it's two shots, simulating a long burst.

[Stainless Steel Devil Rat]

Well I'm not official but I can give you two defenses to rebut your GM.

The Grammar Nazi rebuttal:  The "They" that your GM is citing as referring two weapons is in a different sentence from the mention of two weapons.  As the subject of a new sentence, the ambiguous pronoun should be referring to the subject of the paragraph, which any high school student can tell you is "Automatic Weapons".

The Rules Lawyer rebuttal: Any good rules lawyer cites precedent.  There's a lack of precedent to support Semi-automatic bursts applying only to two weapons.  For example, the rules for Semi-automatic bursts that follow the disputed rule fail to account for how to handle two weapons.  You expend 3 rounds... it doesn't say which gun has to fire the extra bullet.  At the same time, the plain language involving Semi-Automatic Bursts "clearly" describe single weapons in context.  For example, consider the rules for the alternate Semi-Automatic Burst called "Double-Tap".

A rapid pair of well aimed shots from a Semi-Automatic-capable weapon fired in such a way to increase damage instead of making it harder to avoid.

It's both explicitly saying you can perform this kind of burst with a singular weapon, and implicitly is confirming that you can perform it in place of a single weapon performing a semi-automatic burst.

[KMjolnir]

Thanks for the rapid response guys. GM went back and re-read it after I posted and came back with a: "Okay, having re-read the whole section, I think you're right." So I suppose the whole post became moot, but thanks!

[PiXeL01]

Any SA mode weapon can do the Semi Automatic Burst, which is three rounds fired as a Complex Action. It mechanically functions as a weapon fired in BF on a simple action, so recoil modifier is 3, while defense rolls of the target is -2.
This attack mode can be used to hit multiple targets with a single weapon if they stand close enough to each other, following the usual approach of dividing the attack pool equally between the targets.