Military Dispositions
- Thread starter Mithras
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Annic Nova
Mongoose
The rebellion Sourcebook for MT had some good info, as well as the Spinward Marches Campaign....(which is my favorite.)
Of course, getting your hands on them may be more difficult.
The SW campaign, worked well with the Fifth Frontier War boardgame and included named units and locations in the Marches.
If you play anywhere else, you can just make it up!!
Of course, getting your hands on them may be more difficult.
The SW campaign, worked well with the Fifth Frontier War boardgame and included named units and locations in the Marches.
If you play anywhere else, you can just make it up!!
If I was running a military campaign I wold go for mercs. PCs could come from a variety of careers (no necessarily military, an army needs doctors, non-combat pilots and tech personel too) and the money would dictate where they base of operations would be each given season.
But if everyone must be Imperal Marines or Army then the easiest scenario is having a nice little planetary war...maybe a system on the frontier is getting uppity and tries to defect the Imperium (big, big no-no) or a balkanized world has degenerated into a nasty global war and needs some Imperial heavy-handedness.
Hey, here's another idea: a high density tainted atmosphere world with low gravity has crap-tons of Lanthanum deposits which just happen to be located under the dwelling place of the natives. A race of TL0 10-foot tall psionic blue humanoids.
Send in the marines and wipe that scum!
But if everyone must be Imperal Marines or Army then the easiest scenario is having a nice little planetary war...maybe a system on the frontier is getting uppity and tries to defect the Imperium (big, big no-no) or a balkanized world has degenerated into a nasty global war and needs some Imperial heavy-handedness.
Hey, here's another idea: a high density tainted atmosphere world with low gravity has crap-tons of Lanthanum deposits which just happen to be located under the dwelling place of the natives. A race of TL0 10-foot tall psionic blue humanoids.
Send in the marines and wipe that scum!
AndrewW
Emperor Mongoose
Vargr said:Hey, here's another idea: a high density tainted atmosphere world with low gravity has crap-tons of Lanthanum deposits which just happen to be located under the dwelling place of the natives. A race of TL0 10-foot tall psionic blue humanoids.
Send in the marines and wipe that scum!
Don't forget to try a diplomatic solution first, you know it just might work and if not the diplomats can always aid the natives against the marines.
Lane Shutt
Mongoose
Given the size of the 3rd Imperium there could be thousands of Imperial "armies" each with numerous corps, brigades, battalions etc. So many in fact it is not necessary to name them all.
It sounds like what you are planing is a Spec Ops type group since you mentioned army and marines. If that is the case they may not even need a unit designation of standard form, just a designation like Team 317 and maybe a "Regional Army Group" designator for their top level command.
A Spec Ops unit could probably squeeze in specialists from other branches as well. Maybe a Navy flight officer who cross trained with Marines. An army officer who transferd to intell (Agent)
It sounds like what you are planing is a Spec Ops type group since you mentioned army and marines. If that is the case they may not even need a unit designation of standard form, just a designation like Team 317 and maybe a "Regional Army Group" designator for their top level command.
A Spec Ops unit could probably squeeze in specialists from other branches as well. Maybe a Navy flight officer who cross trained with Marines. An army officer who transferd to intell (Agent)
GypsyComet
Emperor Mongoose
Mithras said:
Definitive list? That would be huge, lengthy to create, and obsolete the next week.
The Imperial fleets are numbered and spread across the whole of the Imperium. The numbered fleets for each sector don't change designations much (apparently) so the lists in CT's Spinward Marches Campaign and MT's Rebellion Sourcebook and Fighting Ships of the Shattered Imperium should work just fine. Note that FSotSI is an otherwise useless product due to endemic typos in the ship statblocks...
You might get some mileage for Marine unit designations from the GURPS Traveller book Ground Forces. The same book also has the most extensive look at the "Imperial Army".
Despite the potential for such things, the publishers of Traveller never went in for the extensive or exhaustive coverage of the military at the unit level that one finds in, for example, Battletech. The one notable exception from early on is the Duke of Regina's Own Huscarles, covered in an early JTAS. There are also dribs and drabs in the boardgame Fifth Frontier War, and the already mentioned GT: Ground Forces probably has a few as well, if I know the author at all...
In general, the Imperium is just too big for definitives.
If you are looking for something to base the unit on, there is a descrip-Mithras said:From my point of view then, that is all for the better, providing me with lots of latitude in detailing one of the Imperium's marine units.
tion of an Imperial Marines unit in GURPS Traveller Star Mercs.
I would second that Gurps Traveller: Ground Forces would provide a large amount of imformation for you on Imperial Marines and the Imperial Army. One chapter of the book is solely about the Marines, another about the Army. It provides details on organization of several units from Regimental level down to team. There is also a chapter on operations. While the rules are in no way compatible, most of the book is fluff, not rules. The equipment section of course is not compatible with MGT. The only major contradiction with Ground Forces and other products is the debate over whether the Intrepid tank is used by Marines or not (which is the case in Gurps).
Gurps Traveller: Star Mercs is a mercenary book. It only has about 2 pages on the Marines and a page on the Sylean Rangers. Of course it's highly useful if you go with mercs instead of Marines or Army.
As for numbering of units, there are sources to look at if you are located in the Spinward Marches. Elsewhere, I would think you would be safe just making it up: "2nd Platoon, Gamma Company, 2nd Infantry Battalion, of the 243rd Marine Line Regiment".
Gurps: Ground Forces also has some information on commando units such as the Marine version, Sylean Rangers, and the "Gray Masks" which might be an easier campaign for players since their missions would be highly varied and smaller sized units would be the norm.
Gurps Traveller: Star Mercs is a mercenary book. It only has about 2 pages on the Marines and a page on the Sylean Rangers. Of course it's highly useful if you go with mercs instead of Marines or Army.
As for numbering of units, there are sources to look at if you are located in the Spinward Marches. Elsewhere, I would think you would be safe just making it up: "2nd Platoon, Gamma Company, 2nd Infantry Battalion, of the 243rd Marine Line Regiment".
Gurps: Ground Forces also has some information on commando units such as the Marine version, Sylean Rangers, and the "Gray Masks" which might be an easier campaign for players since their missions would be highly varied and smaller sized units would be the norm.
Mithras
Banded Mongoose
Thanks for the mini-review! I just ordered a copy of Ground Forces, it seems to have just what I need. I can't wait to get hold of a copy now ... 
I did notice that Spinward Marches includes a mention of all the naval fleet assets in each subsector, which will also prove useful.
I did notice that Spinward Marches includes a mention of all the naval fleet assets in each subsector, which will also prove useful.
