"Endgame: OOC Planning Discussion"

[Tiglath]

Recruiting rolls with +1 skill, +1 Int

[2d6]=5

[2d6]=10

Looks poor on fighters, decent on techies. Or tank commanders. Whatever roll two was.

As Jess feared recruiting the lowest common denominator when they've just been paid is tough.

She gets three Tech apprentices who have Electronics 0. They can do the job but need supervision.

However, those who plan ahead are impressed and she nets three Tank Commanders (included are Kit's comment/Gaughan's steer):

#1 Upstairs armed with a rifle leading a squad of "Infantillery" (tank crew & gunners) / "Him? Mad enough to fight Lannigan".
Lance Sergeant: A64389, Age 32, Army, three terms. Enlisted in Infantry, transferred to Cavalry after second term. (8-11)
Special Assignments: Specialist School, Cross Training in Cavalry and Artillery, Commando School. Awards and Decorations: Five combat service ribbons, three MCUF's, one purple heart.
Equipment Qualified On: Assault Rifle, Grav Vehicle, Tac Missiles, Tracked Vehicle.
Morale: 14.
Skills: Combat Rifleman-1, Forward Observer-1, Grav Vehicle-1, Mechanical-1, Medical-1, Tac Missiles-1, Tracked Vehicle-1.

#2 Downstairs in the basement ready to jack it in - states he utterly "had it" with Guard command / "Don't know him".
Leading Sergeant: 66664A, Age 33, Army, three terms. Enlisted in Cavalry. (8-11)
Special Assignments: Specialist School. Awards and Decorations: Three combat service ribbons, two MCUF's.
Equipment Qualified On: Assault Rifle, Grav Vehicle, Laser Artillery
Morale: 6.
Skills: Combat Rifleman-1, Grav Vehicle-1, Laser Artillery-1, Mechanical-1.

#3 Walking wounded. Steady during the withdrawal from Star Town / "I think he's secretly an Infantryman - but then he's from Collace".
Sergeant: 684689, Age 30, Army, three terms. Enlisted in Infantry. (10-11)
Special Assignments: Cross Training in Cavalry. Awards and Decorations: One combat service ribbon, one MCUF.
Equipment Qualified On: ACR, Auto Cannon, Laser Rifle, RAM Grenade Launcher.
Morale: 8.
Skills: Auto Cannon-1, Combat Rifleman-1, Grenade Launcher-1, Grav Vehicle-0, Laser Weapons-1, Mechanical-1.

[BackworldTraveller]

Freya
If the team is to use drones and surveillance kit properly, I guess you could look on Collace for their hackers and gamers. You guys could teach a decent sensor tech to be useful under fire. You can't always teach a grunt to be a good sensor tech, remoter drone operator or electronics tech. Those Electrical Apprentices might be a start and I bet they'd do well with a bit of encouragement. If the unit is interested, I'd guess I could help with that kind of stuff. Shuttle Pilot is OK, but might as well be bus-driver.

But, running that type of team isn't cheap. It needs kit and computers. Good kit and computers. Decent hackware is almost as expensive as some of your AFVs. Less than decent hackware just gets you hacked. If you are staying in the specialist business, Viv is good at Humint; Prerna at LRRP; and I can do the computer stuff - but I need sleep and someone has to do that when I do. And we could do with a decent Jammer, a decent set of radio locators, some mikes on geo-spikes, directional mikes, micro-wave mikes, basic surveillance gear for Prerna's group to plant or deploy. (She'd probably like some of those mines marked "This face towards enemy" too)

We could fit some of Jess' vehicles with anti-sniper sound-locators; and an anti-drone auto-shotgun for the small sneak-bots (or incoming mortar rounds). We could do with some shoulder launched anti-drone missiles or lasers for the higher-stuff.

But most of all, we need basic gear and enthusiastic operators to prove the point.

Lt Dubbs and his command computer is all very well, but with just a little kit, our comms die and having that command computer becomes a liability because we can't communicate with it or it is hacked by someone.

[Leitz]

Okay, on the three potential hires, I'd say go for all of them. I'm reminded of a leadership lesson from the USN SEAL BUDS training; the leader makes the team. We have great battle commanders, I don't see any show-stopper issues.

[The Bindoner]

I don't like #2. No recommend, low morale, high Soc but a Sergeant, not a lot of skills for his 12 years service. Still, I suppose he would make a B echelon sergeant, driving the LAD vehicle (Light Aid Detachment the mobile mechanics).

[Leitz]

I don't like #2. No recommend, low morale, high Soc but a Sergeant, not a lot of skills for his 12 years service. Still, I suppose he would make a B echelon sergeant, driving the LAD vehicle (Light Aid Detachment the mobile mechanics).

Understood. The real question is, bad dice rolls or bad character? Not sure that we can tell, just from this. Perhaps we need to set up an interview process?

[BackworldTraveller]

What does the Guard's Sergeants Mess make of the guy?

[The Bindoner]

What does the Guard's Sergeants Mess make of the guy?

#2 Downstairs in the basement ready to jack it in - states he utterly "had it" with Guard command / "Don't know him"

I think that's what puts me against him. Gaughan doesn't know him. Admittedly they're in different arms (infantry/armour), but it's a small force confined mostly to the mansion. Why doesn't Gaughan know him?

Anyway, yes, interviews, definitely.

[Leitz]

What does the Guard's Sergeants Mess make of the guy?

Good point.

[shaidar]

I hope the card game is poker, that's what Frank knows. I'm sure there is another game at play too.

I'm not sure what we've got to gamble with, unless we get access to the companies pay for this mission, but I am loathe to touch that for a poker game..

Very interested to see where this is going.

[BackworldTraveller]

You have to know when to walk away!

[shaidar]

The only money Frank would be willing to bet with his his shares cut of the pay for this job. The rest isn't his to bet.

Particularly as it's all on a roll of a dice, plus skill, plus probably +1 for INT. If poker that's only 2d6+2.

[The Bindoner]

Which might be an opposed roll, against the skill/Int of the other players.

I doubt money is the stakes though. Or at least, if it is, only as a proxy for the things we do to earn it.

[shaidar]

I was thinking exactly the same on both counts.

So it's pretty much down to luck.

[Leitz]

Jakob has mentioned having some cash/credit (not sure how that works here). So, at the Cr 20K mark Frank might can borrow on.

[shaidar]

You have to know when to walk away!

True. I'm not a poker player, although I know the rules.

Frank however is. It was the go to game for the 1188th, so he has it at skill 1.

[BackworldTraveller]

Don't they spend their time playing with the dead-man's hand?

[shaidar]

Well remembered. That's the 1188th company emblem, because of their thing for poker.

[shaidar]

Ooh, just reread Tiglath's description, I wonder who's is the proxy hand.

Curioser and Curioser.

[Tiglath]

...and another empty seat!

[shaidar]

I had noticed that one...you utter tease.