Soldier Girls - An All Female Sci-Fi Military Adventure - Need Replacements

[SlipperySue]

Oh god, I can already imagine what's going to end up. The enemy is no longer going to be hostiles, they'll be wankers. And lunch break is replaced with tea break... And that's just the start.

Never knock the power of the tea break, it helped create the largest Empire the World has ever known.  MMMMMM tea and crumpet (all meanings).

[Chrystal]

Strictly speaking, the tea break was created by the British Empire not the other way around. After all, Britain already had an empire before we conquered India.

However I would be grateful if people could refrain from nationalism and politics? Last year, I was in the middle of setting up a new game when I went camping. A bit of good natured ribbing between two people on opposite sides of the Atlantic threatened to get out of hand, when someone else got involved.
If it hadn't been for the swift intervention of my CoGm, the game may have been closed by staff before it got started.

I'd rather that not happen again please?

[Aragem]

Hey, I'm the one that posted a request for an all female sci-fi theme story. 

Sign me up.  I'm interested in creating a private who is skilled with a sniper rifle.

As for the reasons for war, for some reason, I keep thinking about the war propaganda from Starship Troopers, where everything is all smiles and positivity despite the grave losses on the war front.  "A good bug is a dead bug."

Also, though it sounds like position of the game is to be vague about the reasons for the war, I think it would help give some character background on the reasons for this war.  Is this a war over resources, different ideology, or an attempt to recede from a government or country.

I just had a thought and maybe this is over reaching, but I was thinking it would be interesting (and only if we get enough people interested and steady players) that we could split up the game.  One GM(s) handle players for one side of the war and the another GM(s) handle the opponents.  That way when there is fire exchange on the battlefield, it'll feel more realistic and then there is all the fun about taking prisoners.   

[Chrystal]

Hi Aragem and welcome.

Snipers are one per platoon max and I think we already have one. I am probably going to squash the idea of every trooper having a specialisation because it moves the story away from being a line unit and towards some kind of special ops unit. Which, while it might make a more exciting story to tell, wouldn't work as well as a group game.

I have been deliberately vague about the origin of the war because I don't think it is important. I would rather keep things that way for the moment at least.

Splitting the game is not going to happen. It is a recipe for disaster. Either every one ends up being on the same side any way except a couple of folk who quickly drop out, or the two sides never meet.

Rest assured that I will be fully in charge of the other side and there will be plenty of people shooting at you!

[AndyZ]

I tend to think that we're fighting because of those heretics who believe that there's a rule 9.  I mean, can't they read?

• There is no rule 9.

[Chrystal]

BWAAHAHAHA.  I put that in every group game I run and this is the first time in ages that someone has picked up on it.

It is a private joke that dates back to my time as a programmer in the 1980s. A lot of the documentation was produced by hand, and would have pages that had nothing on except right in the middle, the words "This page intentionally left blank". The irony of this was obviously completely lost on the people who created the document.

Should probably add that the joke started because in the first game I ran that used the rules I only had nine rules and wanted to make it a round number. I have simply seen no reason why there should be a rule 9.

[vin26m]

Snipers are one per platoon max and I think we already have one. I am probably going to squash the idea of every trooper having a specialisation because it moves the story away from being a line unit and towards some kind of special ops unit. Which, while it might make a more exciting story to tell, wouldn't work as well as a group game.

As an alternative to the sniper, there is also the squad designated marksman (SDM).

Snipers operate autonomously, use very specialized weapons, and engage at extreme ranges.  There are relatively few of them.

SDMs work with their squads, use regular weapons with optics, and engage at longer than usual ranges but not extreme ranges.  There could be one per squad, or even one per fire team (typically the fire team's rifleman, as opposed to the fire team's grenadier or automatic rifleman).

Also, for medic-like characters, each squad or fire-team could have a Critical Life Saver (CLS).  The CLS is a soldier with extra training and an aid bag.  They're not combat medics - they just help start the process of first aid until a combat medic shows up.

For demolitions characters, a soldier doesn't have to be an demolitions expert or a combat engineer to use explosives.  I think soldiers know how to use C4 the way they know how to use rifles or grenades.

My point is that for anyone who wants to have a character with a certain specialty that is not realistic in a front-line unit, there are "light" versions of those specialties available in the front-line unit.

[Chrystal]

Actually, Vin, that is a helpful suggestion, thanks. I will also reiterate that the game is sci-fi so there will be weapons available that people may not have thought of.

However, to relate this to a WW2 setting, think "Band of Brothers" rather than "The Bridge At Remargen". The former tells the story of the 101st airborne division through the eyes of some of the men involved. The latter is the story of a reconnaissance platoon for an armoured division shortly after the battle of the bulge. The unit in question is highly specialised and tasked with leading the way.

I will be including elements of different war movies and games in the various missions but for the most part they will be missions appropriate to a line unit.

As a taster, the first mission is going to be "Hold the line".

[AndyZ]

I've been toying with the idea of sniper rifle bullets that are specifically designed to pierce the face plate but aren't all that great at anything else.

[Chrystal]

Interesting idea, Andy. The only snag I can see is that to eliminate the target they would need to be facing the sniper. Unless I allow Judge Dredd type self steering bullets. Which I'm not inclined to do.

But keep working on the idea. It has potential.

[AndyZ]

I still think it'd work decently.  It just creates more of a "Face the other way" mentality in the same way that you had to keep your head down while in the trenches, and a sniper that can stealth behind enemy lines would be able to take out quite a few targets with everyone facing the other way.

Most likely it wouldn't be the only type of ammo available in the rifle, though, given its limited use.  More common would likely be Breacher rounds, which stick to armor, spray a paste from the back with a higher Mohs rating than the armor, and create a cutting charge specifically designed to attempt to punch holes in armor.

[Angel Fire]

I am starting to like the idea of not everyone being specialists at one thing.  As part of being a leader, it is imperative to find out what the squad and firing units strengths and weaknesses are.  She may delegate someone to be a medic or the sniper or some other task.  That person on the squad or firing unit may not be the expert but she would definitely stand out in one area.

I am thinking that since we are already starting in the heat of battle that the leader would already know her team's or squad's strengths and weaknesses in order to get her troops in a position on the battlefield to succeed in their mission.

Does this sounds plausible enough for everyone?

[AndyZ]

Absolutely ^_^ When I write up the character sheet, consider yourself to have access to her file as the leader.

[Angel Fire]

Sweet!  Sounds good to me.  I would be thinking that my leader (not sure if I want her to be a squad leader or firing unit leader yet) has already conducted some evaluations during downtime training before the battle actually begins.

[Chrystal]

I am still considering what details to put on the character sheet. Obviously the basic details - name, rank and serial number. I will probably include a Skills section rather than a specialisation, which will give me and reaper the chance to assign jobs, which I think (and please correct me if I'm wrong) is slightly more how things are done in the military. Sure you can volunteer for something but whether you do it or not is down to the C.O.

Other than that, I am still thinking about it.

[Angel Fire]

You are pretty much on the right track, Crystal.  The jobs are assigned to squad members in the military but usually that is done at the squad level.

For the purposes of this game though, I am fine with you and Reaper assigning the jobs to the members of the squad to start with... since we will start off in the heat of battle anyways. *Smiles*

[Chrystal]

I would imagine that jobs at platoon level would be assigned by the platoon sergeant, company level by the CSM, etc. However I think it best to wait until we see the character sheets before making any plans. After all if there's no squad leader characters, the assignment will be done by NPCs.

[vin26m]

Actually, Vin, that is a helpful suggestion, thanks. I will also reiterate that the game is sci-fi so there will be weapons available that people may not have thought of.

You're welcome!  Happy to help.

I am still considering what details to put on the character sheet. Obviously the basic details - name, rank and serial number. I will probably include a Skills section rather than a specialisation, which will give me and reaper the chance to assign jobs, which I think (and please correct me if I'm wrong) is slightly more how things are done in the military. Sure you can volunteer for something but whether you do it or not is down to the C.O.

Other than that, I am still thinking about it.

If I were running a game with an infantry platoon in modern times (not future sci-fi times like this game), I'd use something like this:


Images (photos only, no artwork, with at least one close up face shot and at least one body shot)

Name:

Nicknames:

Age:

Hair/Eyes: (not always apparent in a photo, yet it can be very specific, so I like having it here)

Height/Weight/Build: (actual stats or just descriptions like tall/buff or short/slim)

Character Model: (name - I like to find other photos of the character model of other characters and maybe use them in my posts)

Rank: (choose one:)
non-officers - Private, Private First Class, Specialist (equal pay to Corporal, but lower rank and less of a leader )
non-commissioned officers - Corporal (equal pay to Specialist, but higher rank and more of leader), Sergeant (leads a Fire Team), Staff Sergeant (leads a squad), Sergeant First Class (helps lead a platoon)
commissioned officers - Second Lieutenant (leads a platoon)

Primary Duty:  (choose one: Rifleman, Automatic Rifleman, Grenadier, Machine Gunner, Anti-armor Gunner, Team Leader, Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant, Platoon Leader, Platoon Medic, Fire Support Specialist, Radiotelephone Operator)

Secondary duty: (choose one: could be something like Critical Life Saver (CLS) or Squad Designated Marksman (SDM), etc., or nothing)

Other military skills:

Other non-military skills:

Primary Weapon: (goes with Primary Duty, choose one: M249 squad automatic weapon (SAW) for automatic riflemen, M4/M203 rifle with grenade launcher for grenadiers, M240B machine gun for machine gunners, FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile for anti-armor gunners, M4 rifle for everyone else)

Preferred Secondary Weapons:  (choose as many as you want: grenades, plastic explosives, claymore mines, knives, unarmed, anything from the primary weapons list)

Background: (nothing long - where you're from, what your childhood was like, why you joined the army, what you do in the army)

Personality: (pick 5 adjectives)

Sexual preference: (choose one: Straight, Bisexual, Lesbian)

Kinks: (list stuff that really gets the soldier going)

Player On's and Off's: (link)

Plot Hooks: (kinds of scenes you'd like to see you character end up in)



Quick and easy. 

[Chrystal]

Thanks but I have my own standard char sheet that I will adapt to fit

[Scribbles]

May I suggest giving stuff like "background" or "history" a miss? It already feels as if the history of the world counts for very little and so I'm not sure there'll be a point in tying our characters to it...

Besides, it feels as if the theme of this game is that our characters are all pretty much just meat for the grinder in a war bigger than any individual! ^^

[Chrystal]

Yeah... Has anyoneread Robert Heinlein's book Starship Trooper? I don't mean seen the crappy movie that shares the title and nothing else, but actually read the book?

Seriously, quotes from the movies just make me roll my eyes.

That said, the political background to the war in the novel is significantly different from the political background in the movies. In the book it is all about the USMC policy "Leave No Man Behind" and was written as a protest to the US withdrawal from Vietnam. Heinlein was no 'Dove'. The films took that and twisted it into a military dictatorship.

To quote Douglas Adams, it is a generally recognised fact that there is not enough love or understanding in the galaxy. While the first of these may continue to be a problem, it is with the intention of increasing the general level of understanding that the following facts will now be revealed:

The enemy are human beings. The war is being fought on a number of worlds and has been going on for several years. The planet we are on is of vital strategic importance. The two armies are both locally recruited and reinforced from off world. I am making this up as I go.

Thanks.

[AndyZ]

The only time I can think of where I enjoyed the movie more than the book for the differences in their stories was Hearts in Atlantis.

[Scribbles]

Yeah... Has anyoneread Robert Heinlein's book Starship Trooper? I don't mean seen the crappy movie that shares the title and nothing else, but actually read the book?

Seriously, quotes from the movies just make me roll my eyes.

Was that directed towards me? As I wasn't aware I was quoting anyone...

If so, I didn't mean to offend...

[Chrystal]

You didn't offend, Scribbles. That was my weird sense of humour taking advantage of your inadvertent and slightly unfortunate choice of words to make a point about something I have a bee in my bonnet about.

The comparison to the Starship Trooper movies would be made eventually by someone so I brought it up myself. The quote "More meat for the grinder" is from the very end of the second movie.

[Scribbles]

Ah, glad to hear!

Unfortunately, I was fairly young when I saw Starship Troopers so I can barely recall the plot, never mind if there was any kind of subtext. I'll try avoid any further references to it, although no promises!