CT Only: Merc Ticket!

[Supplement Four]

I was wondering...

You gather a few players. You create a Merc Regiment. Maybe you don't do it from scratch. You can use the merc's provided in Adv 7.

Maybe you create a world. Maybe you use one of the Traveller pregenerated worlds.

The question is: How would you run an engrossing Merc based campaign?



STRIKER

You could set up a Striker scenario, to be sure. But, that's can't be all of it. This is a roleplaying game. Striker alone is more of a board game.



AHL

You could set up some smaller unit stuff--interior or under the ground--using Azhanit High Lightning Action Point based rules.

And, this would be fun, allowing the players to actually play more of their characters. I assume, in a campaign like this, the players would play a variety of characters.



ACROSS THE BRIGHT FACE

This DA could easily be incorporated into a Merc campaign. The players could go in search of some McGuffin. A point team. This would be more like a standard RPG with just a few characters. Exploring hexes.



HIGH GUARD

We could use High Guard at the outset. Secure the System! Giant starships go at each other until either destroyed or until one has air/space superiority.

Then, the satellites are launched and fed to the downside command post.

Commence the landing operations!



ALIEN REALMS

There's an adventure in Alien Realms were the players come into contact with a low tech indig alien race.

That'd be cool to have in this campaign.

Plus, there could be some small unit action here, too. Standard rpg combat.



ORTILLERY

How about a missions where the players take out PCs, one character to a player, to act as spotters for either sniping or ortillery.

That'd be fun. Sneaking around behind enemy lines. Radio contact. Getting in and getting out. Random encounters!



ANIMALS

Encounters with local beasties.

The players maybe use some local horse-analogues for transportation.



ABSTRACT COMBAT

The Ref can use this, from Book 4, to keep track of the situation. Little to big engagements, rolled out. Put the players in the HQ for this--they can direct the action that way.



VEHICLE COMBAT

Put the players as commanders of some Grav Tanks, and let's move the line forward!

Your objective, gentlemen, is Setletzin. And, we want to take it in three days.



DOG FIGHTS

Where the hell did the enemy get those atmo fighters? Watch out, they're strafing the HQ!



What are some more ideas for varied play in this type of campaign?

 

[RandyB]

The "Key Three" for mercenaries are "lawyers, guns, and money". If you can't build a campaign around those three (without resorting to perpetual dirt-scraping poverty), turn in your Referee Card.

 

[creativehum]

The "Key Three" for mercenaries are "lawyers, guns, and money". If you can't build a campaign around those three (without resorting to perpetual dirt-scraping poverty), turn in your Referee Card.

Can you unpack that a bit?
Thanks!

 

[aramis]

Can you unpack that a bit?
Thanks!

Lawyers: generally to keep you out of jail between jobs, and to draft contracts that are enforceable so you get paid. And so that you don't have to pay deserters.

Guns: if you don't have, cannot afford, or cannot use them, you're not a functional TL5 or later mercenary...

Money: if you ain't got it, and can't get it, you're done. Starve or raid. And if you raid, you're no longer a merc, but a criminal.

Which brings us back to lawyers...

 

[Supplement Four]

RE: Lawyers

I just read a cool Hammer's Slammers story where Hammer and his regiment are on a world with two other merc outfits. All three are supposed to be working together, keeping the French colonists from killing the Dutch colonists.

One of the bigger merc outfits is French, and Hammer's is, of course, a Dutch background.

There's some underhanded stuff going on as the merc companies play favorites.

It's an interesting read, watching Hammer and his men avert failing the objective, not getting ambushed by the French company, and still keep within the Bonding Authority rules who, if they find out that you're cheating or breaking the rules in any way, basically have the power to put you out of business (which may mean death for any in that company).

 

[jec10]

The ticket...the mercs have been hired to defend a small community located near a newly discovered node of some vital mineral or treasure. Word has spread of the discovery and jealous neighbours and other merc outfits are possibly going to try to seize control. One simple outline for a campaign that I've worked in various locales is:

Arrival: the mercs arrive on-planet and march out to a bivouac site with all of their equipment (they may drive if they've got vehicles!). They need to set-up their camp and prepare it including camp security. Remember there is a settlement nearby they need to engage with.

Training: the mercs head out into the boonies near camp and undertake tactical training. Opportunities to encounter locals, local flora and fauna, etc. Possibly scout out some potential ambush locations or key terrain.

Offensive operations: one night word comes down that an adversary force has penetrated to the treasure node and has chased off the local workers. They have taken up hasty defensive positions. Their force size is estimated to be considerably smaller than the merc force. The mercs must undertake an 'advance to contact'. On the approach they'll encounter outposts of the adversary force, small at first and getting bigger as the treasure node is approached. Having (presumably) cleared out the outposts, the main adversary force position around the treasure node will be reached with 10-12 troops dug-in. The mercs will have to use their skills to evict them. Once that is done they'll need to secure the position and prepare for the next phase of operations.

Patrol operations: Now the mercs switch to patrolling the vicinity seeking to detect and avert any future attacks. The mercs will have to break their force up into small groups and set out all around the settlement and treasure node, seeking the enemy. Some troops will have to stay behind at base as security and a rapid reaction force in case of trouble. Patrol;s will have to decide their route and order of march as well as searching for signs of the enemy. They're not seeking battle, they're seeking information. The ref might have them undertake more sophisticated ops such as setting up OPs and ambushes or trying to capture prisoners in order to extract information. The ref should find ways to gradually make it clear the enemy is building up strength for another attack in greater strength that will outnumber the mercs 2:1.

The Stand: Hopefully the mercs will realise they need to switch to defensive ops given the enemy strength and intent (or maybe they decide to take a risk and launch a pre-emptive decapitation strike?). They'll need to prepare fortifications and defences (opportunities abound for clever schemes a la the Ewoks). Meanwhile the enemy will launch probes over several nights. Finally, the adversary will attack, in several waves with fire support as appropriate. Their final assault should be an all-or-nothing affair, leaving opportunity for heroics.

Hostage rescue: Unbeknown to the mercs, while they were fighting off (hopefully) the main assault, a small enemy commando team sneaked into town and captured the mayor and some prominent townsfolk. They are held in a cluster of buildings on the outskirts of town. No mayor means no payment for the mercs! They will have to launch an audacious assault to free the hostages unharmed. They will have to approach undetected, possibly crossing obstacles, booby-traps or the like. Then they'll have to take out the commandos without taking out the hostages.

Reward: time for payment and pride.

 

[RandyB]

The "Key Three" for mercenaries are "lawyers, guns, and money". If you can't build a campaign around those three (without resorting to perpetual dirt-scraping poverty), turn in your Referee Card.

Can you unpack that a bit?
Thanks!

Lawyers: generally to keep you out of jail between jobs, and to draft contracts that are enforceable so you get paid. And so that you don't have to pay deserters.

Guns: if you don't have, cannot afford, or cannot use them, you're not a functional TL5 or later mercenary...

Money: if you ain't got it, and can't get it, you're done. Starve or raid. And if you raid, you're no longer a merc, but a criminal.

Which brings us back to lawyers...

More generally:

Lawyers - Legal and administrative. You're running a business; your business is providing mercenary services.
Guns - Supply and logistics, which is what wins wars and equips businesses.
Money - Accounting and finance. You're spending money; you need to be making more than you spend. Which means tracking all of it, incoming and outgoing.

Each has it's own scope of activity, and all three interrelate. For a couple of worked examples, see Tom Kratman's Carrera and Countdown series, from where I got the "lawyers, guns, and money" triad.

 

[Condottiere]

Private military contracting is a grey area; you don't want anyone to turn the legal hose on you due to some technicalities.

Also, you want to get out legally of a situation where you disagree with the paymaster regarding the tactical, operational or strategic aspects of the contract.

You'd also like to be adequately rewarded for your endeavours, or have the means to enforce the financial part of the contract.

A lot of contractors, after the ticket has achieved it's objective, suddenly find themselves having cash flow issues - a cutthroat lawyer is probably that tenth part after keeping possession of the objective.

 

[creativehum]

More generally:

Lawyers - Legal and administrative. You're running a business; your business is providing mercenary services.
Guns - Supply and logistics, which is what wins wars and equips businesses.
Money - Accounting and finance. You're spending money; you need to be making more than you spend. Which means tracking all of it, incoming and outgoing.

Each has it's own scope of activity, and all three interrelate. For a couple of worked examples, see Tom Kratman's Carrera and Countdown series, from where I got the "lawyers, guns, and money" triad.

I'm down with all that.

I was specifically curious about this portion from your post:
"If you can't build a campaign around those three (without resorting to perpetual dirt-scraping poverty), turn in your Referee Card."

That quote is addressed to the Referee -- not the in-game world of the Player Characters. I was wondering if you had specific adviice/techniques for a Referee to use at the RPG table.

 

[RandyB]

I'm down with all that.

I was specifically curious about this portion from your post:
"If you can't build a campaign around those three (without resorting to perpetual dirt-scraping poverty), turn in your Referee Card."

That quote is addressed to the Referee -- not the in-game world of the Player Characters. I was wondering if you had specific adviice/techniques for a Referee to use at the RPG table.

Fair and valid question. Then again, I don't have a Referee Card.:coffeesip:

Legal challenges:

1. Getting your mercenary company legally recognized and thus able to operate, including the possession of military weapons and munitions and the establishment of a base (see below).
2. The hoary old "patron skips out on payment".
3. Rival mercenary unit tries corporate espionage to gain an advantage in contract bids. Legal and admin personnel are now on the "front lines" and have to take action.

Logistics ("guns") challenges:

1. Equipping for a TL-specific ticket. Finding a source without tipping off the opposition you will be facing.
2. Establishing a base, whether on a starship, space station, or dirtside. Unless you have a regular churn of new recruits and retiring veterans, your troops may want to establish families. Bases are also good for training your own forces, medical facilities beyond "M*A*S*H-level" to include rehab, and a location for your "L-G-M" folks to work outside of combat zones.
3. Transportation. If not provided in the ticket, how to get your forces, especially munitions beyond personal weapons, to the required location? Again, without tipping off the opposition, if necessary.

Money challenges:

1. Ongoing expenses vs. income from tickets. Akin to managing finances for the legendary-but-rarely-randomly-rolled free trader campaign, but on a larger scale. Dirt-scraping poverty isn't the challenge, or the risk. Juggling logistics priorities is.
2. Payroll security/theft. Whodunit? Rival mercs? Opportunistic bandits? NPC adventurers:xh:?
3. Patronage/retainer. An "angel" investor wants to give the unit a large sum of cash, without an offer of an immediate ticket. What's the motivation?

I'd also point to 76 Patrons. Look at the complications for the individual patron encounters and think about how they would apply to a merc business.

 

[Supplement Four]

RE: Legal Challenges



Book 4 doesn't mention a Bonding Authority that is super powerful, as in the Slammer's story I mentioned above. It does mention a Repatriation Bond, as part of the original contract, but that's just some money set aside to get the mercs home and off the employment world should the merc company get decimated.

So, I am curious...

Who polices the large mercenary units?

You've got a large, well armed army. And, the merc company is on a world where they are probably the biggest, baddest force on that world. If the merc company decides to break the rules, then who is to stop them?

The Imperium usually takes a stand-off approach to dirtside world affairs.

Let's say a merc company is hired, and in their contract it is stipulated that the company avoids destroying key religious sites. Yet, in the course of the war, the merc company blows the heck out of those sites in their effort to win the conflict.

Or, let's say that gas weapons are prohibited for use, but the merc company uses them on the enemy anyway.

Or, let's say that, for some reason, the Merc Company finds that most of its mercs have become sympathetic to one of the sides in a three-way rebellion that the company is supposed to put down. Maybe those particular rebels share the same religion as many of the mercs, and the merc secretly start arming those rebels with better weapons and treating that side with some favoritism on the battlefield instead of being impartial to all three sides.

Who holds the merc companies for transgressions like these?

 

[mike wightman]

The Imperium.

 

[Supplement Four]

The Imperium.

I don't know about that. As I said above, the Imperium takes a hands off approach to world politics.

I can see them stepping in if the merc company uses nukes or some other weapon that the Empire has outlawed. Maybe chemical weapons.

But, if the merc company destroyed some local religious shrines? I don't think the Empire would interfere.

Or, what if the merc company completes a coup against its own employer, setting itself up as the local ruler. Again...I'm not sure if the Empire would go in and set things right.

 

[Condottiere]

Probably the local bachelor Knight monitors their activities and files a report with the subsector Duke.

Any complaints serious enough to warrant Imperium intervention would have an Imperium naval/marine force dispatched, or a subsector navy task group.

 

[Supplement Four]

Probably the local bachelor Knight monitors their activities and files a report with the subsector Duke.

Any complaints serious enough to warrant Imperium intervention would have an Imperium naval/marine force dispatched, or a subsector navy task group.

This is basically what Mike said. And, I think this still leaves the merc company with a lot of power.

Hiring merc companies are expensive. Wars are expensive. If a world is war-torn and by itself, then I doubt one of the world's neighbors would step in at great expense just to do something "right".

"Hey. You hear 'bout Charlie's World? The old government is out! They hired Jake's Company to put down a rebellion. The mercs did that, then they just kept on coming and took over the capital too. Colonel Jake is running Charlie's World now. Kinda reminds me of all those generals becoming emperor after the First Frontier War."

"The Empire going to do anythin' about it?"

"Why would they? Charlie's World was behind on taxes due to the coffers being drained by the rebellion--especially by hiring Colonel Jake's outfit. The first thing Jake did was swoop up monies on the world to pay the back taxes and get ahead by three years! Old Jake knows what he's doing. Now, he's got his own world!"

 

[RandyB]

This is basically what Mike said. And, I think this still leaves the merc company with a lot of power.

Hiring merc companies are expensive. Wars are expensive. If a world is war-torn and by itself, then I doubt one of the world's neighbors would step in at great expense just to do something "right".

"Hey. You hear 'bout Charlie's World? The old government is out! They hired Jake's Company to put down a rebellion. The mercs did that, then they just kept on coming and took over the capital too. Colonel Jake is running Charlie's World now. Kinda reminds me of all those generals becoming emperor after the First Frontier War."

"The Empire going to do anythin' about it?"

"Why would they? Charlie's World was behind on taxes due to the coffers being drained by the rebellion--especially by hiring Colonel Jake's outfit. The first thing Jake did was swoop up monies on the world to pay the back taxes and get ahead by three years! Old Jake knows what he's doing. Now, he's got his own world!"

And this would be a problem for whom, exactly? Mercs becoming warlords has a lot of historical precedent. It's an incentive to keep to the terms of your contract with the mercs, if you hire them at all. And to limit how many and the scope of their missions. There are no guarantees with mercs beyond a third party's enforcement. In Imperial space in the OTU, that's the Imperium itself.

The Imperial Rules of War are intentionally vague, so the Imperium can intervene, or not, according to its own discretion. Dirtside nukes (or the like) is about the only guaranteed intervention trigger. Chem weapons unknown, as far as I recall, bioweapons likewise but potentially more likely to trigger. Also triggering, at Imperial discretion, is munitions greatly exceeding local TL.

Plus: never, ever, forget the presence of megacorps in the Imperium. If the world in question is at all valuable to a megacorp, for any reason, they will likely step in - and are less likely to run afoul of "Imperial discretion". Remember my comments about rival mercs? :coffeesip:

 

[Supplement Four]

Plus: never, ever, forget the presence of megacorps in the Imperium.

Yeah, I thought of that. I didn't want to muddy my point. But, I was thinking of Aramanx in the Aramis subsector. Mega-corp interest there.

 

[BlackBat242]

More generally:

Lawyers - Legal and administrative. You're running a business; your business is providing mercenary services.
Guns - Supply and logistics, which is what wins wars and equips businesses.
Money - Accounting and finance. You're spending money; you need to be making more than you spend. Which means tracking all of it, incoming and outgoing.

Each has it's own scope of activity, and all three interrelate. For a couple of worked examples, see Tom Kratman's Carrera and Countdown series, from where I got the "lawyers, guns, and money" triad.

I thought you were quoting the following song from 1978...
Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns and Money

 

[BlackBat242]

I thought you were quoting the following song from 1978...
Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns and Money

Which was on the Excitable Boy album (outstanding title song)... along with this gem: Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner

 

[Supplement Four]

I thought you were quoting the following song from 1978...
Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns and Money

I often get songs in my head, BB, when I see stuff on the net.

For example, looking at your handle, BlackBat, I hear...

"You better get back, honky cat
Living in the city ain't where it's at
It's like trying to find gold in a silver mine
It's like trying to drink whiskey from a bottle of wine"

--Elton John