Campaign Experience?

[Iorwerth]

I was just wondering whether anyone had come up with a way of models earning experience in Starship Troopers?

I know there are Go Career traits that can be bought for leaders, but was wondering if anyone had come up with a progressive system, where you earn points based on survival and kills etc?

 

[Voracioustigger]

I think the best system would just be granting access to heroic traits through survival / objectives.

Maybe each squad gets +25pts in traits (TOTAL) for each battle survived, and maybe +25pts for accomplishing some specific objective. Then have a limit to the max points per model. Maybe starting at 10pts, and increasing by 10pts per battle survived.

Of course, bugs would have to have some sort of benefit to offset this. Maybe their squads always regenerate to full unless they are completely wiped out or something.

 

[dyssnowman]

The Klendathu Campaign has something along these lines, but you can only gain traits, not talents or training.

 

[Iorwerth]

Thanks for the replies.

My goal is to create a lite-form rpg using the starship troopers rules rather than the RPG version. As the GM I would play the bugs in battles etc, but the aim is not to have a series of balanced battles, as per normal rules, but rather run through a campaign made up of a series of scenarios - just like the Pluto campaign in the RPG version.

At the moment I think that each player will have be a squad leader rather than an NCO or officer (these will be controlled in battle by the players, but as GM I can veto their orders and replace them with my own, if the story needs it!). The longer each character survives the more hero traits they can buy for themselves. On top of this would be the chance of being promoted to NCO or Lieutenant.

To allow a little more scope for RPG type combat orders I am thinking of making the following changes:
1. A model can go out of command range and still get 1 action per turn. Any unit to qualify must have been given specific orders, rather than just going out of command range due to flinching. Such order could be fairly general e.g. go kill the plasma bug or as specific as make sense.
2. A cpl would have a reduced command range, but gains it from the begining, rather then when promoted to squad leader on death of previous one.

Basically, I want to have a platoon size military RPG, that is quick and easy to play, yet still allowing characters to get better.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

[dyssnowman]

Quick correction. The MI can gain new Qualities in the Klendathu Campaign, but not Talents or Training.

 

[Iain McGhee]

I'd suggest doing as some others have already mentioned and use the Klendathu campaign experience rules, or at least modifying them to your taste. You could also try allowing the MI to split their squad into 2 fireteams with the corporal commanding one (exactly like the US Marines in Battlefield Evolution). Perhaps only models with the "Veteran" trait could be allowed to have the "limited independant" trait you describe, to simulate green troopers (or whatever colour you paint them :wink: )being more restricted than "we eat bugs for breakfast" types.