| From: | Fade <runefo@***.UIO.NO> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Small scale militaries |
| Date: | Sat, 28 Mar 1998 02:48:21 +0000 |
in which the players are hired to help a teacher (of all things)
start and complete a rebellion against the regime. Not all will be in
it for the money. My players are watching what I write on the list,
so I'll have to be vague. Common military description, though, should
be common knowledge so I see no reason not to discuss it on the list.
This post is a description of how I expect a regime's military to
work, adjusted for a 2050 setting. (Not much adjustment
required). First off, though:
It's set in a smll island group (4-5 inhabited islands) in the south
Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean. Not much tourists. (Previous nuclear
testing grounds would be fine). Any suggestions on which/where? It'd
be nice to use an existing place... working name is Aknot.
Population about 85000, with 30000 in the capital, 15000 in the
shacktown surrounding the capital, and 10000 each island.
Its (only) neighbour is a larger, single island, with about the same
military strength. They both have ambitions on each other.
Other details of note: A single corporation has a lot of influence in
the area (supporting El Presidente monetarily.). There's a lot
of piracy/long range smuggling operating from the area.
Its only income other than corporate or piracy is from fishing, boats
owned by fifteen ruling families.
I figure it doesn't have that high a military budget, but okay
manpower. About 1 in 100 is fighting soldiers, twice that is
attached to or supports the soldiers in some manner, also a similar
amount of internal security (Call'em Securitate or something) and
that again in police.
One in five men are an officer of sorts. The officers get special
treatment, privileges, okay pay. They are kept happy. It's the
officers that make or break the president. (Many would probably be
surprised at the degree in which the military *IS* the government in
'non-western' countries.). In case of a revolution, it is usually
from the military. (Their way of issuing a 'mistrust' against the
current president. Then there's a vote (Which units remain loyal and
which support the president) an accounting (Who survives the ensuing
war) and the president either remains in power (has all the rebels
shot) or doesn't (is shot).). In this case it isn't, at least not at
first.
The military is split in four branches - navy, air, army, intel. A
country this small has barely a navy and airforce, but, being an
island chain, its navy has to be relatively strong. The navy consists
of a number of gunboats and a Stuart class corvette. (Fairly modern
piece of hardware, and a vital campaign piece, most likely). The
airforce has a flight of 6 EFA's, and some helicopters. (Stallions
equipped for EW or troop transport.). The fighter pilots, the navy
admiral and some captains are trained by corporations rather than
domestically, and is actually fairly competent. No riggers.
The equipment is generally very unsophisticated. I do not want any
engagements run as normal combat to bog down in complex details,
so I'm not toying around with smart mines, sentry guns, drones and so
on. In addition, the gear is seldom the best - or even second best -
of its kind - it's not any major nation's first line troops we're
talking about here, but rather a banana republic's goons.
The army has the most men and the least equipment. Of note is the
Iron Company. The islands is very restrictive of its metahuman
population, and the Iron company is the only way the orcs and trolls
can stay out of detention camps. It's on a purely vountary basis
(both yes and no - they are volunteers, but the only other option
sucks). The company consists of trogs only. Like most 'prison'
companies, their loyalty is questionable but their brutality in
combat (and out of it) isn't. Most has a very crude sense of loyalty
to their commander. Other than that there's the Blood Guard,
the president's own guards. They consist entirely of the
aristocrats' sons and daughters (The ruling 'blood', therefore the
name). They may use personal equipment, and are therefore equipped
far better than the norm - combat cyber is not uncommon. They
are also a lot more loyal, at least as long as the families support
the president. Skill is variable. Some are sent to corporate training
facilities, others are not. It incidentally also reduces the risk of
some of the families starting a rebellion - their own offspring would
then be in the first line of fire. (Modeled after the Roman
Praetorian Guard, yes.). Most of the higher officer core has advanced
from the Guard, often political appointees.
Unit composition: Not having gone through military training, I'm
winging the names here. (Basing numbers and unit designations off
Steel Panthers II.;).Correct me when I'm wrong.
There's six army companies: 5 infantry, 1 armored.
In addition there's one marine company, which is considered 'elite',
and the abovementioned Iron company (not company strength, though)
and the Blood Guard.
Each infantry company consists of three infantry sections, one MG
section and one mortar section.
Each infantry section consist of three troops of soldiers, each of
14 men. Of these 14, there's one gunner, and one troop leader. The
rest is 'grunts'. Some sections has a missile gunner.
(3*3*14 + 2*18 +1= 163 fighting men per company.).
Light Infantry section stats and equipment:
Grunt:
Their training is primarily to give them self-confidence enough to go
out there and face an enemy, and think they will win and come back
alive. The theoretical training is limited to who to salute, who to
give orders, and who to take orders from, as well as some firearms.
B: 4, Q: 4, S: 4, C: 3, I: 3, W: 3. Skills: Firearms 3,
Gunnery 1,Unarmed combat 2, Military theory 1, Military etiquette 3,
physical skills 2.
Equipment:
Camo jacket, helmet w. commlink. (Normal, not encrypted.). FN-HAR
rifle, 4 clips of ammo, 5 grenades, survival kit.
Threat/Professionality: 3/2
Gunner
The gunners are corporals - the lowest class of officer. They use
MMG's to provide supressive fire, and usually cooperates with the
troop commander. They carry very heavy gear, and usually has an
'assistant' to carry extra ammo. Strength is a primary requirement.
(Compared to grunts: +1 str & willpower, +2 gunnery, +1/+1
threat/professionality, -1 firearms.).
Gear: +MMG w. tripod, shock pads, + Ares Predator, -FN HAR,
+ 2*100 ammo belt, helmet + thermographic.
(Missile gunners are normal grunts with +2 gunnery carrying two
arbalests in addition to normal gear.).
Troop Leader
Troop Leaders are trained in tactics and leadership. Their combat
skills are not better than the grunts. (Threat rating is,
though.). Roll 1d6 for an officer. On a 6, he's competent. Add +1/+1
to the entire troop's threat and professionality. (Including his
own.). On a 1, he's incompetent. Subtract 1 professionality rating
from the troop. (They'll surrender or mutiny easily.).
+1 willpower, +2 leadership and military theory, +1/+1 threat
compared to grunts. Also carries an encrypted(4) commlink and a
target designator (laser), helmet + thermographic.
Section commander
Two thirds of these are distinguished troop leaders, one third is
blood guards. +1 threat to troop commanders, or use blood guards.
Mortar Section Composition:
This consists of six gunners with mortars, and twelve grunts. Troop
commanders can designate targets. (Usually one mortar per troop
commander. The grunts carry mortar shells instead of grenades.
The gunners has +1 gunnery and -1 firearms compared to regular
gunners. There's one troop commander level officer.
MG Section Composition
This consists of six HMG - equipped gunners with six assistant
gunners and six grunts. This section is usually split up into three
or six separate MG nests/covering positions. There is one section
commander level officer.
Company Commander
Half the company commanders are from the Blood Guard, the other half
is section commanders that has somehow distinguished themselves. They
are not unusually cybered somewhat. The most common cyber is smartgun
link, boosted reflexes and some muscle augmentation, possibly dermal
sheath. There's few enough they'll be designed individually. On
average, they should be as troop commanders, with +1 leadership and
military theory, as well as increased threat and 4 professionality.
Cyber is not to make them better in combat to face an enemy, but to
make them more impressive to their troops, and better able to instill
fear and respect.
Blood Guards:
These are highly variable in skill and cyber, but they are all
more or less loyal. The drawback is they are chosen because of their
family, and not because of a willingness to join the army or
any martial talent. Many that join has trained for it since
childhood, considers it an honor, and has serious backing from their
families in sponsored training and enhancements. But there is just as
many that considers it an honor, and assumes that leadership and
fighting skills is a natural talent for the aristocracy that they
have no need to train to get. Unfortunately for the grunts the latter
kind gets positions of command as often as, or more often, than the
former. The rest muddles through without visions of grandeur or any
dedicated service.
(Exact stats is highly variable, from frighteningly poor to the
firghtening.).
Armored Company:
Very similar to the infantry companies except in number and
equipment.
It consists of 3 armored sections, each of 3 Scorpion light tanks,
for a total of nine tanks plus one command tank. The crews are two
gunners, one troop commander and one grunt (driver). Compared to
regulars, the grunt has +3 tracked vehicles skill.
To simulate the slightly increased training on tank crews, they have
+1 threat rating.
The tanks are, as allready mentioned, Scorpion light tanks. (More or
less identical to the Striker tank, with better amphib gear, slightly
less armor but compensated for by ablative armor.). They use Vigilant
autocannons.
Company placement: Classified.
Marine Company
Very similar to the military light infantry companies, but with
landing barges armed with HMG's and mortars instead of the HMG and
mortar section, there's always a missile gunner, the MG gunners has
smartgoggles in their helmets and use HMG's, and they all have +1
threat. Officers has a 2 in 6 chance of being competent and isn't
incompetent. All helmets has thermographic, the rifles are fitted
with magscope - II, +1 stealth.
The air force has a few EFA variants. (At 'B' in Rigger2,
incidentally, not 'E'.). They are expensive, but very useful, parts
of Aknot's military and able to do both bombing missions and ensure
air superiority, and is also the only rigged vehicles of Aknot.
(Except for the corvette's weapons officer.). This will be a threat
that must be considered carefully by the team, and will keep most
encounters to a hit and run type until they find a way to neutralize
the threat. (And they should want the fighters - and pilots - turned
rather than downed.). Wasp helis should be a secondary threat - with
almost as much firepower, but lots easier to down.
That's about it. There's a host of GMC MPUV's, or 4201's or similar
all around.
There's also some support units, mostly in or around the capital or
presidential palace, air defence in particular.
I've also, intentionally, not mentioned magic. While cyber and
similar is rare, magic is no more rare than anywhere else, or rather
the contrary. Common statistics would put around 8 magically
active in the army, as either shamanic adepts, physads or full
shamans. It could be as high as twice or thrice or more that if a
higher ratio of magically active was attracted to the military
service. (Not unlikely, that would be the best - paying jobs outside
corporate recruitment... the corp would probably try to suck'em into
the corporate fold, once they had such a rare and valuable talent.).
The rebellion.. well.. that's up to the players, more or less, isn't
it? They'll have to decide how to spend their (rather pathetic)
military budget - training, weapons, bribes, mercs, holidays -
anything. It will move slowly from a hit and run, guerilla/sabotage
kind of thing to a stand up fight, or at least that is the plan.
Intentionally, who will be the area's main adversary will depend on
where they are - sometimes it's the jungle itself, sometimes enemy
intel, sometime internal security, or the army, or the navy, or
politics. (There's a number of power factions that might be
interested in one outcome or anohter.). I can see a number of
interesting opportunitites, but, I'm afraid, not quite enough for a
long campaign. Suggestions are very welcome!
(Also from the players. ;)
--
Fade
And the Prince of Lies said:
"To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell:
Better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven."
-John Milton, Paradise Lost
