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Maybe it is a holdover from Battletech days but part of me keeps toying with the idea of limited ammunition for the projectile weapons like Gatling Blasters and so on. I wondered whether this might add a new dynamic of attrition and trying to hold out until the other side had drained its ammunition.

Obviously this would disadvantage them so the idea would be to reduce the points cost of them to compensate.

We have from the background information some of the in-universe ammunition amounts for example of the Reaver Titan's gatling blaster (from Forgeworld's books): 90 rounds. 6 barrels and 6 shots per salvo means 15 salvos before running out.
The Reaver's Apocalypse Missile Launcher had 40 missiles. Each salvo seems to launch 5 (assuming 1 missile = 1 die) so then that is 8 salvos.
Interestingly enough, the Laser Blaster also had limitations: 30 shots from power pack so 10 salvos.

From a background perspective, the lower tech projectile weapons might have the hassle of a logistics train but they are easier to repair (as shown by the repair rules) and presumably replace compared to harder to manufacture things like Volcano Cannons. Trying to think how to incorporate this into narrative or homebrew campaign rules though. The idea would be then the purely energy armed Titans might be free to range widely and deep but they would find it harder to repair or replace any lost weapons so although they might win tactically in terms of not running out on the battlefield, but lose on the strategic level due to difficult to replace parts or time consuming repairs.

Are there any others that would find such a homebrew rules variant interesting?

Interesting optional rule... potentially adding another layer of tactical depth and awareness.

For the record, I've just finished building and preparing many models, including terrain and am currently running through the rules and adding more complexity each game by adding the strategems, expansions etc etc. I am by no means an expert and still building my knowledge base.

Taking your examples (...and I'm sure these are simply the first few that came to mind), even with limited ammo rules, surely the games won't last long enough to even be impacted?

A Gatling blaster will throw out 15 salvos before running dry. Even with first fire orders every turn, for a maximum of 6 turns, firing the Gatling blaster twice per turn... you can't exhaust all the ammo in that time frame. The Apocalypse Missile Launcher would run out after 4 turns of continuous immobile firing... but would that happen in a game? Laser Blasters, as with Gatling cannons, again would not run dry.

Factor in that only one of the above choices would be able to be taken as a double fire per turn and you basically have a limited ammo rule causing zero effect over the course of a standard game.

However... a limited Ammo rule over the course of a campaign or linked series of missions would make for interesting plays and tactics. "Yeah, my Reaver greatly harrassed the enemy over the last two games stripping shields left, right and centre... but now only has maximum of 2 Gatling shots, no missiles and a Chain fist left for the last mission. Kamikaze it is!".

Short take... Limited use in single games... possibilities for a campaign.

I’d say it’s better suited to a campaign condition, such as suffering a disastrous defeat and at least temporarily losing your supply lines.

I think it'd work better as a balancing mechanic for campaigns.

One problem I've found with campaigns (from Necromunda and Crusade) is run-away winners.

Perhaps if a player keeps on the offensive without stopping to resupply, they'll start to run out of ammunition.
Whereas the losers who have retreated to lick their wounds benefit from a resupply.

Maybe there's the idea that an army travels on its stomach, so there's a definite point at which pressing the advantage can put you out on a limb without sufficient re-supply.

Edit: Ahem, what kirotheavenger said.

I think there are a few special cases like Legio Defensor (Nova G uard) strategem A Day of Retribution that allows firing off of a weapon during the Strategy Phase (without specifically disallowing that weapon from firing again that turn), which in effect allows additional expenditure of ammo. But I take the point that "fresh" Titans would seem to have enough ammunition to last them through a typical game's length.

I guess the limitations would come in the post-battle logistics or campaign angle then, such as outpacing supply lines or having limited repair/reloading time so there are choices to be made about what to do first. Then the more projectile armed Titans might have to be more sparing with their fire in the following battle.

I think it's a cool idea, I feel like it'd be best as an overall turn condition for end game, sort of like random game length. Like you could just call it limited munitions or blocked supply lines and after like turn 4 all weapons have a chance of running out of ammunition/energy. I think you could do something to balance energy weapons with munition based ones like make it a straight 50/50 chance after firing hard munition weapons to run out, same math for plasma/laser weapons but allow them a re-roll if they push their reactor, like they're diverting power for another shot. It would also open up some play with a battlefield asset like plasma generators. There was some fluff in the ryza book where titans were like hard wired into one of the forge cities power so they could syphon more for shields/weapons.