| From: | abortion_engine abortion_engine@*******.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Fw: Military Sourcebook / Yearbook [was: Year of...?] |
| Date: | Tue, 15 Feb 2000 11:43:15 -0500 |
decided to repost my original post to the Forums here. I figure it fits in
nicely with all the stuff Paul and Ken have been talking about, as well as
the recent discussion.
> This forum is dedicated to suggestions for a possible upcoming year-focus
> topic based on a military theme.
> My gamemaster and I had a conversation a few days ago, outlining a few
> necessary points, which has grown into the post you see here. These are a
> few of the things we feel would be absolutely essential to a useful
> discussion of the issue of military subjects in Shadowrun.
>
> 1. TO&E. Or, in plain English, Total Officer and Enlisted composition, a
> generic term for unit composition and structure. We'd like to see how each
> of the major North American militaries are organized.
>
> How large is the largest army in North America? [Which is the CAS,
according
> to Neo-Anarchists' Guide to North America] Do the Native American Nations
> use the a traditional style rank and operating system?
>
> We think some of this would be a little technical for some players, but
some
> mention of how an army is set up is intrinsic to understanding how it
works.
> The strategies of the CAS would vastly differ from that of, say the Tir,
> because of the size differential, as well as the differing technologies
and
> makeup of the force.
>
> Also, a small dissertation into the rank structure would help some people
> understand this better. After all, how much does the word Major really
mean?
> In the recent Marine Corps, a Major has vast responsibilities when
compared
> to say, the Army, where majors are a dime a dozen.
>
> Also, introduce the idea of combined arms; air, land and sea forces
working
> in conjunction. In an area like Seattle this would definitely fit. A quick
> brief on what is the standard armament for an infantry squad would fit in
> here.
>
> There should certainly be a section on the various special ops forces;
> Marine Force Recon, Navy Seals, the Air Force Nuclear Missile Silo React
and
> Special Police teams, Delta Force, the Sioux Wild Cats, the Salish
Rangers,
> the Tir Ghosts and Paladins. Discussion of their tactics and integration
are
> salient here, as they differ from forces of more standard composition.
Also,
> in the present, there is increased discussion of increased
military/civilian
> authority cross-training and joint ops. How do the individual countries
deal
> with this? This would not be a bad place to mention corporate
para-military
> organizations and how they fit into the equation.
>
> 2. Military armor, weapons and most importantly vehicles / drones. Drones,
> we can't say enough about. A discussion on modern battlefield tactics
would
> fit in nicely here. How are drones integrated and used? Are anthropods,
like
> those discussed in the Corp download and the Rigger Black Book 2 in use
> anywhere?
>
> Specific weapons we'd like to see covered include: Mines, [land and
> otherwise], claymores, flame throwers [especially after Bug City],
mortars,
> anti-vehicle weapons like the Great Dragon, and the heavy stuff like heavy
> artillery. [Have to be careful there; this could really turn into a
> mathematical quagmire.]
>
> As far as vehicles go, we want the Stonewall if nothing else. Main Battle
> Tanks, attack helicopters, light armored vehicles and amphibious assault
> vehicles all fit in here. Aircraft carriers, battleships, destroyers, and
> missile frigates. On a gamemaster level, we wouldn't mind hearing about
who
> has access to what when it comes to the big toys, like nuclear missiles,
> THOR, and other things PC's will never have under any reasonable
> consideration.
>
> What about major facilities? What and where are the big bases? And for
those
> crazies who would ask, how about the supply depots that carry easily
> portable toys?
>
> 3. Magic in the military. Obviously some nations use it more than others.
We
> 'd also bet some individual branches use it with varying frequency. The
> Marine Corps in the CAS would use a hell of lot less magic than, say, the
> Air Force would use [Nuclear Missile Barrier Wards.]. We'd bet that the
> various militaries would have some interesting angles on adept powers and
> spells.
>
> Does the concept of hermetic orders play into the military? In Aztlan,
> definitely yes. Quebec? Who knows.
>
> Has there been any military exploration of the metaplanes?
>
> 4. Cyberware. We'd be willing to bet [insert valuable item here] that
cyber
> went over like the city of gold in the military. The question of legality
> comes in right here. What happens to Vets with chrome after they are
> discharged? What about in circumstances like Dishonorable Discharges and
Bad
> Conduct Discharges?
>
> How about going out into town? How does the local army town feel about
> having a chromed killer shopping at the local mall? In the present, the
Navy
> has one of the world's biggest and best medical systems. The Air Force
also
> is no joke. In the future, this would possibly be the basis for
implantation
> and cybertechnology. Or, do they subcontract this service? [Hard to
imagine
> sending my top black ops to the local big bad mega for major invasive
> surgery, however.]
>
> 6. I guess I should mention this: deckers. We know they are out there. We
> know we should care. We don't. Someone else can handle this portion of
> suggestions.
>
> 7. This is something we've touched on, but haven't really come out an
said;
> TACTICS. How are all these disparate forces integrated? What are the
> prevailing tactics and techniques used by the various branches of the
> various countries' military forces? How do the tactics vary from standard
to
> Special Forces?
>
> Two of the single most important aspects of any military force are its
> tactics and integration. Please, please, don't ignore this facet of the
> military machine.
>
> 7. If there is a campaign/threaded adventure, which there will be, Denver
is
> the obvious choice for the flash point. However, if the initial or lasting
> engagement was restricted to only a few combatants-which wouldn't be
nearly
> as fun-there are a few other obvious options:
>
> a. The Seattle Independence movement. [Another San Francisco?]
> b. Aztlan and Texas.
> c. The Tir and anyone. [We're going to hand those daisy-eaters their
asses,
> sir! Hey, wait, isn't that Lofwyr?]
>
> 8. Miscellaneous. A brief overview of the world's military situation;
> terrorists who hate the military, runners and the military [how does Uncle
> Sam feel when an expensive piece of hardware with lots of training walks
> off, or when some guy like Kane is out there?], and Paracritters, Does
> Anyone Still Care?
>
> Well, that's about all for now. We will certainly post more as more ideas
> come to us. As always, we would like to note that if FASA requires any
> assistance from us, we are more than happy to give any help we can.
> Personal information on both of us is available upon request.
>
