Mercenary: Expectations?
- Thread starter ssheftall
- Start date
-Daniel-
Emperor Mongoose
I don't want a more complex combat system per say. But rather various optional items I can bolt on as desired.
I am also looking for more variations in weapons. And missing weapons like the SMG for example.
I am also looking for more background on how a real mercenary organization will fit into the world of Traveller.
But most of all, I am looking for new content. Not just the same old hashed stuff redone for this book.
Daniel
I am also looking for more variations in weapons. And missing weapons like the SMG for example.
I am also looking for more background on how a real mercenary organization will fit into the world of Traveller.
But most of all, I am looking for new content. Not just the same old hashed stuff redone for this book.
Daniel
My list of hopefuls.
Some more character gen options (options rather than alternate methods of character gen).
Possibly some more skills, though not entirely necessary if mods for other skills doing weird stuff get listed.
A description of a working merc company
Rules for designing a merc company andits ops, including a rough guide how to fit PCs in as either commanders or a squad.
Leading from the above mission/patron generator like the one in the core book and to expand those in 760Patrons.
An adventure would be nice but not required especially if some of those adventure 'frameworks' (sorry don't know the official Traveller terms for em) are included.
Finally, and probably most importantly because I know it will be common player question - a whacking great list of new vehicles and weapons.
Some more character gen options (options rather than alternate methods of character gen).
Possibly some more skills, though not entirely necessary if mods for other skills doing weird stuff get listed.
A description of a working merc company
Rules for designing a merc company andits ops, including a rough guide how to fit PCs in as either commanders or a squad.
Leading from the above mission/patron generator like the one in the core book and to expand those in 760Patrons.
An adventure would be nice but not required especially if some of those adventure 'frameworks' (sorry don't know the official Traveller terms for em) are included.
Finally, and probably most importantly because I know it will be common player question - a whacking great list of new vehicles and weapons.
Gruffty the Hiver
Banded Mongoose
Guns.
Small ones.
Medium ones.
Big ones.
Frakkin' *HUGE* ones!
Small ones.
Medium ones.
Big ones.
Frakkin' *HUGE* ones!
ssheftall said:
There was an excellent Traveller's Digest magazine that looked at this the other way round. Their approach was that the game system already gives you the practical game mechanical effects of an injury, and from that they determined more precise medical details for the purposes of treatment.
That's quite a nice approach because it means you don't need to deal with the complications of a hit location system, armour by location and wound effects by location up-front. You can keep the combat system streamlined and fast-paced and then develop the detail later.
Simon Hibbs
dafrca said:
Indeed. Including such things as some indication of what, exactly, the Imperial "Laws of War" are, so we can know when Mercs are tempted to "cross the line" ...
We already "know" about the Imperium's attitude towards nukes. There have been implications that there may be similar bans against CBW ... but, afaik, no firm statement with any detail.
We also know that there are, supposedly, no real, serious, attempts at data security anywhere in the Imperium ... if you believe the insanity that was Virus, anyway ... so what's the Imperial attitude to DOS attacks and the like, done as part of a Mercenary package?
What constitutes a "Mercenary" ... and how they qualify to be "priviliged" rather than "unprivileged" combatants (that is, for example, how can they qualify to be treated as POWs rather than murderers if captured bearing arms) ... or Privateers rather than Pirates (and not be murdered out of hand by their captors as was so charmingly suggested by one of the posters on the Piracy thread).
Or why the Ine Givar are "terrorists" in some circumstances yet, possibly, "freedom fighters" in others, legally.
Und so weiter ...
Phil
Author, Space Opera (FGU); RBB #1 (FASA); Road to Armageddon;
Farm, Forge and Steam; Orbis Mundi; Displaced (PGD)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Email: aspqrz@pacific.net.au
Golan2072
Cosmic Mongoose
What I'm looking for in Mercenary:
Vehicle rules (endurance, range, vehicle weapons, fuel use, clearer vehicle movement rules in personnel-level combat).
More vehicles, including pre-gravitic aircraft and watercraft.
Guns. The ones I'm especially interested in are the SMG, machineguns from the LMG and up, flamethrowers, anti-armor grenades/rockets, vehicle weapons and, of course, the VRF Gauss Gun.
Field artillery and ortillery rules.
Rules for combat between vehicles and ships; rules for ship damage from hand-held or vehicular weapons (a man-portable SAM launcher would be nice to have as well).
Rules for running a merc outfit (or a military unit) and not only in combat - I want simplified logistic rules and operating expense rules, as well as recruitment ones.
A sample TO&E of a merc unit, hopefully a Company.
Traveller military ranks, TO&E guidelines and military tech per TL (in in CT-Mercenary).
Rules for PCs commanding a small NPC unit (fire team or squad) in combat.
Guidelines for designing planetary armies and/or rebel groups and/or militias, especially the armies of the backwater lanthanum-republics which PC mercs tend to end up fighting against/serving as cadres in.
Vehicle rules (endurance, range, vehicle weapons, fuel use, clearer vehicle movement rules in personnel-level combat).
More vehicles, including pre-gravitic aircraft and watercraft.
Guns. The ones I'm especially interested in are the SMG, machineguns from the LMG and up, flamethrowers, anti-armor grenades/rockets, vehicle weapons and, of course, the VRF Gauss Gun.
Field artillery and ortillery rules.
Rules for combat between vehicles and ships; rules for ship damage from hand-held or vehicular weapons (a man-portable SAM launcher would be nice to have as well).
Rules for running a merc outfit (or a military unit) and not only in combat - I want simplified logistic rules and operating expense rules, as well as recruitment ones.
A sample TO&E of a merc unit, hopefully a Company.
Traveller military ranks, TO&E guidelines and military tech per TL (in in CT-Mercenary).
Rules for PCs commanding a small NPC unit (fire team or squad) in combat.
Guidelines for designing planetary armies and/or rebel groups and/or militias, especially the armies of the backwater lanthanum-republics which PC mercs tend to end up fighting against/serving as cadres in.
What was in the original book? More in depth character creation and new toys. Was thee much more than that? Mine is hidden away in a box until I can get a lot of new shelving.
What would I like to see?
Mass battle rules of a very brief sort – basically who wins and what happens to my PC. I don't need Striker. Something along the same line as those in Pendragon. A quick resolution matrix might be nice: a squad of TL 14 power armoured troops versus a TL 5 brigade. +2 for a clever stratagem and so on. A tool for GMs rather than anything more concrete.
Military campaign ideas. I always thought these would be hard to do properly and I would like ideas on how it should be done.
New Weapons. Strangely enough not that excited about this (which certainly surprises me). Cover the basics and what else do you need?
More in depth combat? Sorry, not interested. Why heap on unnecessary complexity?
Scenario Seeds (76 patrons style). Always welcome. Good fodder for sidebars for each section.
Full blown scenario. No, waste of space.
Different militaries. Imperial Marines are organised like this, armed with this and so on. Cover the main militaries the PCs are likely to encounter plus low tech ones, large and small. For example TL 6 planetary army and TL baronial retainers.
Defending a planet 101. While PCs will probably not get involved with deep seated meson batteries the sort of sensors and defences used by hick worlds will be of interest (“What do you mean it is an imported TL 13 SAM battery?”). Some overlap with a naval book as well I fear. COACC might fall here as well.
Vehicle Design Rules. Nice but probably not really appropriate. Save them for another book. Some sample vehicles to tie in with the army lists would be appropriate.
What would I like to see?
Mass battle rules of a very brief sort – basically who wins and what happens to my PC. I don't need Striker. Something along the same line as those in Pendragon. A quick resolution matrix might be nice: a squad of TL 14 power armoured troops versus a TL 5 brigade. +2 for a clever stratagem and so on. A tool for GMs rather than anything more concrete.
Military campaign ideas. I always thought these would be hard to do properly and I would like ideas on how it should be done.
New Weapons. Strangely enough not that excited about this (which certainly surprises me). Cover the basics and what else do you need?
More in depth combat? Sorry, not interested. Why heap on unnecessary complexity?
Scenario Seeds (76 patrons style). Always welcome. Good fodder for sidebars for each section.
Full blown scenario. No, waste of space.
Different militaries. Imperial Marines are organised like this, armed with this and so on. Cover the main militaries the PCs are likely to encounter plus low tech ones, large and small. For example TL 6 planetary army and TL baronial retainers.
Defending a planet 101. While PCs will probably not get involved with deep seated meson batteries the sort of sensors and defences used by hick worlds will be of interest (“What do you mean it is an imported TL 13 SAM battery?”). Some overlap with a naval book as well I fear. COACC might fall here as well.
Vehicle Design Rules. Nice but probably not really appropriate. Save them for another book. Some sample vehicles to tie in with the army lists would be appropriate.
klingsor said:
There is a pretty abstract mass combat system that was worked through by my local group here to make ensure it works smoothly and has no glaring ommissions. We had one big battle with all sorts of units at different (pretty high) TLs, one had numbers (more and bigger units), the other the TL. Troop and Leader quality was the same. The high TL guys won, but suffered some pretty serious losses along the way. The low Tech guys died in fairly hefty numbers and eventually ran away...
The chances of another Isandlwana with these are pretty slim...
We ended up changing a fair few things without making the whole thing too complex - which is what playtesting should do.
As far as Char Gen is concerned - characters from this book are not the uber-creations of CT, they slot in well with the ones in the main rules. I mean when the original Book 4 & 5 came out who wanted to play anything other than one of the three careers featured until the other expansions arrived on the scene. This book deals mostly with mercs, not the supermen of the Book 4 Brigade, although there are a couple of regular military additions are in it as well to round off what we already have.
Mongoose Steele said:
ARTILLERY Battle Dress? Able to stop a APFSDS round from a Main battle tank?
MagRail Minigun. A step abouve the VRF Gauss I would imagine. Nasty. Sounds like something that could chew up a Starship in orbit.
All sounds like fun, but please no Pelvicly Mounted plasma guns or War Elephant mounted Particle Acelerators...
