OOC and MIA

[Tiglath]

No worries at all! I'd had the idea in the back of my mind and your post prompted me to let the cat out of the bag.

[The Bindoner]

Note: The Bartizan (being something akin to a light commercial airfield) will act to generate some revenue when restored to use. I'm prepared to say this will cover folks' basic daily wages at a better than average rate for the small number of staff you currently now have. The initial dividend is sufficient to proportionally pay a bonus to all NPCs enough to make them officially "happy".

Nice, that saves some accounting effort.

“How about this? You get to own the Bartizan - but 4DC is your silent partner with majority shares. We’ll flip Yugure a cut to justify her landing rights but not enough for her to cause trouble or to pressure you. Patch gets a cut too but he’ll immediately sell to me - giving me majority but you the control and with the aslan out of your hair. Landing rights and the military approach vectors are owned by us all with Patch’s access contingent to mine”.

I don't think we're in a position to refuse.

[joertexas]

If you derive a strategy in the broadest terms that will define where you can go in terms of purchases. Maybe the simple choice of quality or quantity is the first step.

Ways you could go are:

purchase one grav Armoured Personnel Carrier (costing most of your money) and carry one squad (8 guys) in it equipped more or less as you are,

buy hard armour and support weapons for a larger number of "leg" infantry and rely on para- military/civilian transport (like the G carrier you already have),

expand with "more of the same" sticking with soft armour and ACRs for the troops, better support weapons and the odd "cherry picked" bit of chrome to give you an edge over folk notionally at the same level (e.g. better sensors or cham surfaced armour to make you "stealthy").

Of course the above choice also influences the type of missions you can bid for. A couple of squads can hardly bid to defend the tyrant's entire city - but, with the right gear, might just be the guys hired to steal his stamp collection or rescue the princess!

Unless we want to get bogged down in a lot of minutiae, we'd probably be better off to keep the core unit small, and hire help as we need it. Hopefully, we won't have so many uninvited people show up the next time, but such is life

So, I'd think that personal gear would be first priority over transport. We can always buy a ride, but we probably can't afford a vehicle for every situation right now. And, it costs a lot more to transport said vehicle that it would us and our gear.

[Tiglath]

So, I'd think that personal gear would be first priority over transport. We can always buy a ride, but we probably can't afford a vehicle for every situation right now. And, it costs a lot more to transport said vehicle that it would us and our gear.

This is perceptive and goes to the central issue: no matter how much money you have to throw at your merc unit - there's never enough!

Skeet's cavalry squadron illustrates the point: four infantry squads in four APCs plus two grav tanks (everything has point defence weapons - because armour is hella expensive and just weighs too much). However, this unit can not stand vs. real line armour (which costs ten times more) - but that's not what it's for! It's for bullying lower tech folks!

Scaled down to your unit's level a point defence equipped (i.e. missile and bazooka proof) thin skinned, high tech grav APC with a (very) respectable main armament would perform well for you as a "jack of all trades" AFV if you pick your battles. Against lower tech AFVs it would kick butt. However, this would require something of a sweetheart deal and eat nearly all your money but you could get hits (anagram) done and charge top dollar for it!

If you go the infantry route and buy more mid tech combat armour (the high tech stuff isn't freely available) you will have quite a few small arms proof infantry who need to look to a few wheezes to keep them away from battlefield threats they can't deal with but will (again) kick butt for you against the right target. The advantage here is the enemy can't shoot at all of your "exposed investment" at once! If they can then it's all gone 'orribly wrong...

[The Bindoner]

Jess, as ex-Cav, doesn't like the idea of a one vehicle squadron.

Better, as joertexas says, to equip the troops well and hire rides as we need them.

[Tiglath]

That's entirely sound reasoning.

I will assume the (lift) infantry option then and dangle options / ways to go in that direction as they occur. Your money goes much further this way.

Please presume you can access the market via the Collace mercs to purchase anything (within reason! ) at book prices (Striker or Mercenary Book 4) if you have them. If not do ask away and I will post as required.

"Stuff to buy" off the top of my head: vision aids (at least for Officers & NCOs), chameleon surface armour (cheap), grav belts, drugs (Traveller says "Yes" to drugs - it was the 70s... Hey, you have suitcases full of these ... and need to think if you want to flog all of them), weapons that give your goons autofire bonuses (there's help coming here), LAW, long range AT cover (missiles), the funky personal medikits (hugely expensive).

I'll try to get some "ball park" prices up tomorrow.

[joertexas]

I'll try to get some "ball park" prices up tomorrow.

I'd like to see at least two people in battledress - it's not that much more armor protection than combat armor, but the other features are much better than unpowered armor.

Medkits would be good, too

[shaidar]

I'm glad we came to the same conclusion about option 1, although I expect my logic was a lot simpler than you guys.

Note: The Bartizan (being something akin to a light commercial airfield) will act to generate some revenue when restored to use. I'm prepared to say this will cover folks' basic daily wages at a better than average rate for the small number of staff you currently now have. The initial dividend is sufficient to proportionally pay a bonus to all NPCs enough to make them officially "happy".

Nice, that saves some accounting effort.

“How about this? You get to own the Bartizan - but 4DC is your silent partner with majority shares. We’ll flip Yugure a cut to justify her landing rights but not enough for her to cause trouble or to pressure you. Patch gets a cut too but he’ll immediately sell to me - giving me majority but you the control and with the aslan out of your hair. Landing rights and the military approach vectors are owned by us all with Patch’s access contingent to mine”.

I don't think we're in a position to refuse.

I agree, there aren't any other options, but it's a decent deal.

"Stuff to buy" off the top of my head: vision aids (at least for Officers & NCOs), chameleon surface armour (cheap), grav belts, drugs (Traveller says "Yes" to drugs - it was the 70s... Hey, you have suitcases full of these ... and need to think if you want to flog all of them), weapons that give your goons autofire bonuses (there's help coming here), LAW, long range AT cover (missiles), the funky personal medikits (hugely expensive).

I agree with you guys with regard to kit, and I like Tiglath's list above.

I also like the idea of battle dress. Who is rated at Battle Dress and grav belt? Frank is at both (only Battle Dress 0 mind you)

We have a grav belt as part of loot, so that will help with costs. We also got 2 sets of combat armour as part of loot, do we want more of them as well?

Loot post: https://www.unseenservant.us/forum/view ... 80#p482761

I also assume we'll have to register as a proper merc unit to be licensed for this stuff, we need to think of a name.

[Tiglath]

List of Stuff to burn your Money on:

Battle Computer 100,000 Cr Weight 15kg (links in with your map box).
Option: buy it “twice” (to include holographic display software and HUD options) and it will give everyone netted in Tactics 0 and +1 to Tactics rolls. So 200,000 Cr.
NB Use the gravitics pack from Berkley’s Auto GL and reduce the weight to 1.5kg

Armour

TL 13 (AV 10) Battledress (NB you need the skill to use it) 200,000 Cr
TL 13 (AV 10) Combat armour (use unskilled) 60,000 Cr

The “extras”:
Thermal Imaging 20,000 Cr
Image Enhancement 30,000 Cr 1kg
Chameleon Surface 1,000 Cr
Psionic Shielding 4000 Cr
TL 14 Radio Range 100km- included
Blaupunkt stereo - gratis

Officer/NCO option: Laser Comms Range 5km 1,200 Cr

Grav Belts 100,000 Cr
Grav vehicle skill for "advanced" manoeuvres high speed, high G, NoE flight etc.

Weapon Tech Toolkit 1000 Cr
Vehicle Tech Toolkit 1500 Cr
Electronics Toolkit 2000 Cr

“Thigh” Medikits 100,000 Cr
These come complete with medical aid drugs and healing agents to manage trauma to the user. These are good for you and keep you alive and sedated until help arrives (but see below).

Unless reset they are tailored to the owner’s body and will auto administer available drugs to heal you and give health updates and warnings etc. However, “enquiring minds” have found that if you override all the safety protocols and fill them with illegal drugs then they will wipe out “unconscious” effects from light wounds and even keep you fighting with serious wounds by injecting Combat Drugs. NB Combat Drugs inflict an effective extra LW when you come down off them so there is an obvious downside to “doubling down” when already seriously wounded (although you do officially look “nails” – albeit briefly).

The above option voids the warranty on your Medikit!

Medic Kit 10kg 1000 Cr
Anti Infection & Trauma Treatment meds dressings, etc. This “medicine cupboard” is enough to keep your medics in supply in the field and allow treatment and natural healing of Light Wounds. (see Medical Fast drug for accelerated healing).

(NB You need a 20,000 Cr Casualty clearing station for more advanced treatments & care of Serious Wound trauma - and a room to put it in).

You also might like some guns …

Choose a standard longarm and squad support weapon for the unit and we can go from there.

Gauss rifle or 9mm ACR is the obvious choice. The gauss weapon has a stealth capacity being nearly silent, better hit bonus (by one) and one better Pen (7 vs. the ACR's 6 with Discarding Sabot ammo). While the ACR has HE as an ammo option.

LAW / Disposable ATGL (Pen 36) 100 Cr 3kg (don't leave home without one).

Squad support options: the pros seems to use auto GL but the ammo weight is restrictive, energy weapons are effective but are automatically spotted when fired, squad auto options are available for "more of the same" as your longarms.

[shaidar]

I'm a guass weapon guy, but I'll bow to others superior knowledge in this.

What can we do for Voss, as he can't use a rifle?

I also like the idea of the battle computer, combat armour with all the bells and whistles, grav belts and the fancy med kits.

[Tiglath]

If you want to expand a little (NB with hard armour cost per guy is now significant) three or four more recruits would give you something like a fighting HQ squad and two or three "line" squads.

Giving everyone a grav belt is expensive but makes you all "lift infantry". An alternative is to just issue it to "scouts & snipers" or one "recon" capable fire team.

[shaidar]

I think a small enlargement of the group is a good idea.

At least we'll save some money from the 2 combats suits we've got from loot, just need some enhancements. If we were really tight with money then Frank could stick with his current armour with some helmet enhancements.

I think we need more grav-belts but we need the armour more, so see what money we have left after.

[The Bindoner]

I'm a guass weapon guy, but I'll bow to others superior knowledge in this.

What can we do for Voss, as he can't use a rifle?

I also like the idea of the battle computer, combat armour with all the bells and whistles, grav belts and the fancy med kits.

Agree. Especially medkits. Jess keeps getting shot. Cavalry I suppose, used to having a hull between her and the enemy ( The best Battledress is one you sit down to drive )

I like a Gauss, but that can come later - Jess already has a decent ACR, just needs ammo.

Full-spec CA with grav-belt for PC's seems basic, plus as many troops as we can afford. Certainly the spearpoint squad.

EDIT:

Aha! I thought Soarag might be SORAG, but that was player knowledge, not character, so I waited to see.

[joertexas]

I'd like to have a roster that lists name, position within the team, major skills (2+), main weapon, armor, and important equipment . We can include other things, like shares held, or anything else that we want to track at a glance. I will maintain it, along with the financial accounting worksheet.

[Tiglath]

This will be useful. If PCs / NPCs are grouped in their fire teams that will also help. As a rule of thumb you want a PC and a major NPC plus two grunts per team - otherwise they need orders and that takes ages! I'll include the Striker morale scores (another column ) which will make this work.

[Tiglath]

I like a Gauss, but that can come later - Jess already has a decent ACR, just needs ammo.

EDIT:

Aha! I thought Soarag might be SORAG, but that was player knowledge, not character, so I waited to see.

The ACR's good - shoot a fuel truck with a gauss rifle and you merely wreck your Hush Puppies, shoot it with HE from your ACR and ka-boom!

As moustache twirling bad guys go SORAG are near the top of the list!

[Tiglath]

Me again!

Please remember (whoever is quatermastering) you also own a "liberated" air/raft "technical" with a "Dushka" 12.7mm HMG on the back.

Plus your semi armoured G Carrier.

A near squadron - if not yet a fleet!

[The Bindoner]

I hadn't forgotten the flying-jeep ( yeah, one vehicle troop already ), but I thought the g-carrier was a loaner from the cathouse. Nice to know we can keep it.

[joertexas]

A note about Prerna:

She's in a bad mental place right now, which is why I wanted to remove her from the decision-making process. I'm adding a couple of OOG things, like the battledress, but otherwise I'm good with whatever y'all decide to do with the team for the current situation.

Once this mess with the murdered troopers and Harry is handled, then she will be able to more fully engage with the team.

[Tiglath]

It was liberated from the Purge - so it's yours!

The aslan don't want it - blech, nasty human tech!

The G carrier is a 10t displacement beastie so it can fit lots of folk in but still has more in common with Cpl Jones' butcher's van than an APC.