I just ran food fight last night for a few first time players, and I was wondering if I could get an idea of what more experienced GM's do in the case of knockdown tests.

During the course of play the tests just seemed kind of cumbersome to tack on to every attack, and seemed to slow the firefights down too much for my players to enjoy.

My last GM never had us roll knockdown tests, and another I had before only did them in specific situations (Gel rounds, called shot to the legs, explosions, etc.).

What do the rest of you guys do?

Roll them every time. I am a bastard like that.

I only call for them when I feel like it will add something to the situation.

I am wildly inconsistent, but then, so are the rules.

can't you just do in when somone suffers a serious wound or something suitibly dramatic?

I didn't get hung up on knockdown because combat already takes forever, and it's not terribly realistic. you would however require all badguys to go flying through convienently placed windows and glass tables.

I generally don't bother with them unless I think it's really relevant or the gun is especially powerful.

I always roll in melee, because of superior inferior position and getting knocked outof reach of Friends in Melee.

For anged, it doesn't come up that much because of deadly damage.

Pretty simple to do though, 1 roll:
No Damage - 1 succ.
L - 2
M - 3
S - 4
D - no way