OOC and MIA

[The Bindoner]

A long list of contemporary PMC's:

https://brandongaille.com/33-catchy-pri ... any-names/

Sharp End Solutions and Red Sand Solutions are amusingly direct compared to the others.

Regarding the Flight Ops hit, I'd assumed the assassin ejected the guard's mag and pulled the pins on the grenades they wore. That would suggest Telekinesis or a very powerful Slow drug.

[shaidar]

I'd been assuming telekinesis, I hadn't considered a matrix-style slow drug

Nice list of names. Would Sword Worlders get upset if we drew on Norse Myth? There does seem to be much reference to Greek myth in traveller.

Or something simple like "268 mercs"

[Tiglath]

Regarding the Flight Ops hit, I'd assumed the assassin ejected the guard's mag and pulled the pins on the grenades they wore. That would suggest Telekinesis or a very powerful Slow drug.

If you were dealing with SORAG (the folk who like to redefine the asymmetry of asymmetric warfare) the multi choice answer might just be: e) All of the above

I liked "Red Sand Solutions" mind you I was also tickled by "The Slightly Ethical Mercenary Company"

Would Sword Worlders get upset if we drew on Norse Myth?

The answer would have to be no - because this would just give them another reason to pick a fight with you.

[joertexas]

Regarding the Flight Ops hit, I'd assumed the assassin ejected the guard's mag and pulled the pins on the grenades they wore. That would suggest Telekinesis or a very powerful Slow drug.

If you were dealing with SORAG (the folk who like to redefine the asymmetry of asymmetric warfare) the multi choice answer might just be: e) All of the above

I liked "Red Sand Solutions" mind you I was also tickled by "The Slightly Ethical Mercenary Company"

Would Sword Worlders get upset if we drew on Norse Myth?

The answer would have to be no - because this would just give them another reason to pick a fight with you.

The Slightly Ethical Mercenary Company has a nice ring to it.

[shaidar]

We could donate 1% of income to local animal and childrens charities

Find a good accountant and get some kind of tax break from it

[Tiglath]

Great idea: You could "rehome" aslan from war zones on land within the Imperium!

Oh, wait...

[joertexas]

Great idea: You could "rehome" aslan from war zones on land within the Imperium!

Oh, wait...

So, here's a question. When the Aslan do annex land, do they toss everyone else out, or do they tolerate other races in their new territories?

[Tiglath]

FWIW I think they're tolerant (see below).

For campaign info purposes I'll go with that option for the aslan you've met so far.

This is by extension of the logic(?) that as long as they own it male aslan don't care who is actually on the land (but I suppose their wives might! ) The other "plank" of this argument is canonical(ish) in that I believe the Pirates of Drinax supplement has "bad Aslan" down in the Reach who are slavers which makes them the exception to the rule (by inference only I admit).

If memory serves there are also humans within the hierate who have been absorbed into aslan culture and have been fully "assimilated". NB Keep watching the evolution of "Polly the hapless stewardess" under Yugure's personal tutelage!

[The Bindoner]

Tolerated, sure. But as humans have no honour, no status, they can't be full and equal citizens. You can rent a place, work, pay tax. You can't own much beyond portable property though.

I imagine if someone was useful and wealthy/powerful they could make an arrangement, like Western companies working in Saudi or China - you need a local partner who owns at least 51% of the equity and nominally runs it.

And, of course, one could earn status, become an honourary Aslan of sorts. Through deeds, acts of honour, etc....


The "bad Aslan" are the Glorious Empire, and they do literally enslave humans, and treat them badly. Great bad guys, but with a limited range. ( as in area of operations )

[Tiglath]

Oh, I agree as above and yes! The Glorious Empire - thank you!

[The Bindoner]

Oops, left off the "In the Outrim Void game I run" intro, without it I look like an arse, sorry.

I'm working up a new installment of my game, the guys are rolling up Oghma Raiders for a run at my version of Pirates of Drinax ( I'm changing things... ). They are going to clash with the Glorious Empire quite soon - both raiding the same settlement, for the same reason

I ought to say, I didn't intend to run an Oggie Raiders game, they just saw the career I'd written ( for generating NPC crews ) and said "yes, that". Goes to show you never can tell.

[Tiglath]

Oops, left off the "In the Outrim Void game I run" intro, without it I look like an arse, sorry.

Not at all!

I had bought and skim read "Pirates" a while ago and was grateful for the assist on the Glorious Empire.

[Tiglath]

We have a new player joining the game shortly!

Leitz will take the plunge into Collace's murky and intrigue ridden waters directly.

That's assuming he can dive between all the bits of plot the GM's left floating about everywhere!

[shaidar]

Welcome aboard Leitz!

[The Bindoner]

Welcome Leitz. Third time lucky, eh?

[Leitz]

Thanks all! Tiglath is going to do the intro scene in a bit, and I'll put up the character notes and whatnot. We'll see how it goes.

[joertexas]

Thanks all! Tiglath is going to do the intro scene in a bit, and I'll put up the character notes and whatnot. We'll see how it goes.

Welcome aboard

[shaidar]

Here are some more naive questions about ranks:


In a mercenary company are you free to decide your own ranks? I was just wondering because Jess/Prerna/Frank are different ranks but will be joint 'owners'.

What do merc companies do about the different rank structures for the different services they can recruit from (army, navy, air force, PDF, etc)? Do they just keep thing as they are and 'translate' on the fly, or do they choose a a single service rank structure and then when they recruit the recruit gets the equivalent rank?

[Leitz]

In a mercenary company are you free to decide your own ranks? I was just wondering because Jess/Prerna/Frank are different ranks but will be joint 'owners'.

What do merc companies do about the different rank structures for the different services they can recruit from (army, navy, air force, PDF, etc)? Do they just keep thing as they are and 'translate' on the fly, or do they choose a a single service rank structure and then when they recruit the recruit gets the equivalent rank?

Every military unit has a "chain of command", such that a Private reports to a Sergeant who reports to a Captain. However, a Private reports to a *specific* Sergeant, and on up the chain; any other Sergeant cannot usually issue a lawful order unless their current role allows it.

For example, Private Jakob is in Captain Frank's unit, and Sergeant Prerna's Squad. Prerna can give Jakob most any order, but Sergeant Joe from some other squad cannot. If Captain Frank tells Prerna to "send people to Sergeant Joe", then Jakob is under Joe's orders.

In combat, the senior person around often assumes command since contact with HQ can be iffy. At least back in older days, like WWII. Reference "Band of Brothers" for a great example.

Mercenary units form with a rank structure of their own choosing, and a person signs on as a particular Rank, no matter what their previous rank(s) were in other military units. Mercenary units *tend* to put former NCOs in as NCOs, and officers in as officers, but it's not required. It is an agreement between the person and the unit.

Also, Marine units aboard a ship are subject to the Captain of the Ship, I believe, but no one else except their own unit. They have no authority over shipboard activities, either.

[shaidar]

Thanks Leitz, that makes sense.

PS: Frank wasn't ignoring Jakob, he would have waived him on to do his thing, but I didn't see the point in posting as things had moved on.