A CONTEST: Mercenary Unit Ticket
- Thread starter bryan gibson
- Start date
bryan gibson
Absent Friend
thats going out today, been a bit delayed due to an unaanouced release of smoke from my computer...yep, that motherboard will never be the same!
Look for something in your box
Look for something in your box
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
So, um, is your computer still causing grief or has one of my competitors intercepted my communique?
It's been a couple days since the above announcement and I just want to make sure my email isn't to blame if you have sent the specifics out.
bryan gibson
Absent Friend
My apologes for the delays, but betwwen moving and what appears a chronic run of bad luck on the comp repairs, there have been delays. If all contestants would please email me at Sabakakrazny@aol.com, I will get those doc. to you ASAP.
also, due to the delays, deadline is extended 1 week, to prevent penalizing the players for my lack of access!
Thanx!
Bryan
also, due to the delays, deadline is extended 1 week, to prevent penalizing the players for my lack of access!
Thanx!
Bryan
Okay then... (with a nod to the bleachers) 
Do the pay rates apply to alien troops (eg Aslan, Ithklur, Sydite, etc) and are such troops allowed / taken into account? I really don't want this to turn into a Cantina Bar merc unit though.
As for vehicles mounting weapons and such the only one that it looks it could but isn't already statted out with weapons is the Armored Truck from TA#6 pages 29 and 49. The illustrations and flavor text have a pintle mount but it's not in the stats. Any ruling on this from TPTB?
Casey
[EDIT]Clarified last section.[/EDIT]
Do the pay rates apply to alien troops (eg Aslan, Ithklur, Sydite, etc) and are such troops allowed / taken into account? I really don't want this to turn into a Cantina Bar merc unit though.
As far as I can tell this question has not been answered yet.
As for vehicles mounting weapons and such the only one that it looks it could but isn't already statted out with weapons is the Armored Truck from TA#6 pages 29 and 49. The illustrations and flavor text have a pintle mount but it's not in the stats. Any ruling on this from TPTB?
Casey
[EDIT]Clarified last section.[/EDIT]
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
As far as I can tell this question has not been answered yet.
Casey
</font>[/QUOTE]Actually it was:
In answer to Far Traders question, I think Liam's answer sums it up nicely........
If for a sniper/ sharpshooter section/ platoon, OKay. Not for an individual.
be sure to annotate th price of said weapons in yer bill/ expenses!
SSG Daniel W Hammersley
consider this the judges adjudication.
Bryan
Does troop quality need to be stated for each person in the unit or is it possible to do blanket declarations along the line of say Elite Platoon A, Veteran Platoon B?
I'm asking this partially because E1 is only available for Basic troops and partially as a level of detail question.
Casey
I'm asking this partially because E1 is only available for Basic troops and partially as a level of detail question.
Casey
bryan gibson
Absent Friend
Do the pay rates apply to alien troops (eg Aslan, Ithklur, Sydite, etc) and are such troops allowed / taken into account? I really don't want this to turn into a Cantina Bar merc unit though.
..............
for our purposes, assume human troops.
...............
As for vehicles mounting weapons and such the only one that it looks it could but isn't already statted out with weapons is the Armored Truck from TA#6 pages 29 and 49. The illustrations and flavor text have a pintle mount but it's not in the stats. Any ruling on this from TPTB?
....................
standard design, as per the book. If it has weapons mounts, it may mount a weapon, priced as per the other sources, simple designate and add the cost accordingly.
Take note, however, while it might mount a higher tech weapon, it must be capable of supporting said weapon ( IE, if mounting a fusion gun, and it has no EP or way to power one, its a NO GO)
..............
for our purposes, assume human troops.
...............
As for vehicles mounting weapons and such the only one that it looks it could but isn't already statted out with weapons is the Armored Truck from TA#6 pages 29 and 49. The illustrations and flavor text have a pintle mount but it's not in the stats. Any ruling on this from TPTB?
....................
standard design, as per the book. If it has weapons mounts, it may mount a weapon, priced as per the other sources, simple designate and add the cost accordingly.
Take note, however, while it might mount a higher tech weapon, it must be capable of supporting said weapon ( IE, if mounting a fusion gun, and it has no EP or way to power one, its a NO GO)
bryan gibson
Absent Friend
Do the pay rates apply to alien troops (eg Aslan, Ithklur, Sydite, etc) and are such troops allowed / taken into account? I really don't want this to turn into a Cantina Bar merc unit though.
..............
for our purposes, assume human troops.
...............
As for vehicles mounting weapons and such the only one that it looks it could but isn't already statted out with weapons is the Armored Truck from TA#6 pages 29 and 49. The illustrations and flavor text have a pintle mount but it's not in the stats. Any ruling on this from TPTB?
....................
standard design, as per the book. If it has weapons mounts, it may mount a weapon, priced as per the other sources, simple designate and add the cost accordingly.
Take note, however, while it might mount a higher tech weapon, it must be capable of supporting said weapon ( IE, if mounting a fusion gun, and it has no EP or way to power one, its a NO GO)
..............
for our purposes, assume human troops.
...............
As for vehicles mounting weapons and such the only one that it looks it could but isn't already statted out with weapons is the Armored Truck from TA#6 pages 29 and 49. The illustrations and flavor text have a pintle mount but it's not in the stats. Any ruling on this from TPTB?
....................
standard design, as per the book. If it has weapons mounts, it may mount a weapon, priced as per the other sources, simple designate and add the cost accordingly.
Take note, however, while it might mount a higher tech weapon, it must be capable of supporting said weapon ( IE, if mounting a fusion gun, and it has no EP or way to power one, its a NO GO)
bryan gibson
Absent Friend
From Casey
Does troop quality need to be stated for each person in the unit or is it possible to do blanket declarations along the line of say Elite Platoon A, Veteran Platoon B?
I'm asking this partially because E1 is only available for Basic troops and partially as a level of detail question.
...............
a good point. As we are doing this a bit on the abstract, and that unoless in areas of leadershio induviduals aren't that much an issue, let us presume the following:
broken down by unit size, designate as the following:
Battalion or company: designate at the platoon level.
If the unit company or less, then at the squad level
Does troop quality need to be stated for each person in the unit or is it possible to do blanket declarations along the line of say Elite Platoon A, Veteran Platoon B?
I'm asking this partially because E1 is only available for Basic troops and partially as a level of detail question.
...............
a good point. As we are doing this a bit on the abstract, and that unoless in areas of leadershio induviduals aren't that much an issue, let us presume the following:
broken down by unit size, designate as the following:
Battalion or company: designate at the platoon level.
If the unit company or less, then at the squad level
....................
standard design, as per the book. If it has weapons mounts, it may mount a weapon, priced as per the other sources, simple designate and add the cost accordingly. </font>[/QUOTE]Okay then if I decide to use the Armored Truck it won't have any pintle / weapon mount as per the stat blocks.
Casey
<Judge mode on>
Bryan is having connectivity problems, and has asked me to distribute the files in question to our players. Anybody who does not yet have a copy of the "Dream Ticket" file, (necessary if you are building a unit) please contact me immediately by email. I'll distribute the file as needed. Due to contest rule issues, I must ask that contestants only request the file.
Email addy is:
gardclan@comcast.net
Good luck. We look forward to reviewing your submissions.
<Judge mode off>
Bryan is having connectivity problems, and has asked me to distribute the files in question to our players. Anybody who does not yet have a copy of the "Dream Ticket" file, (necessary if you are building a unit) please contact me immediately by email. I'll distribute the file as needed. Due to contest rule issues, I must ask that contestants only request the file.
Email addy is:
gardclan@comcast.net
Good luck. We look forward to reviewing your submissions.
<Judge mode off>
Since in the area of leadership an individual is an issue and different ratings command different wages and shares do leaders need to be the same rating as the rest of their respective units? Or to put it another way, do non-leader members of a unit have to be the same rating as their leader?
For example a Veteran Platoon Leader leading a Basic Platoon. Currently I am assuming all members of a unit have the same rating, partially so I won't have to redo as much based on a ruling.
Casey
bryan gibson
Absent Friend
Casey,
the question has merit, although I am still not entirely clear as to your meaning.Could you clarify? there are a couple of ways of reading it, and actually both have merit, but may not actually be the answer youre looking for.
Its being examined by the judges, and we will post an answer here shortly.
the question has merit, although I am still not entirely clear as to your meaning.Could you clarify? there are a couple of ways of reading it, and actually both have merit, but may not actually be the answer youre looking for.
Its being examined by the judges, and we will post an answer here shortly.
In a prior post it was stated that troop quality* would be abstracted to the level of platoon or squad depending on over Merc Unit size. Which to me means say at the battalion or company Merc Unit size each platoon would have a designated troop quality. Say:
Platoon 1 - Basic
Platoon 2 - Veteran
Platoon 3 - Elite
Do the platoon leaders have to have then the same troop quality? i.e.:
Platoon Leader 1 - Basic
Platoon Leader 2 - Veteran
Platoon Leader 3 - Elite
This would mean they are indistinguishable from their platoon in terms of troop quality.
Or could there be something like this?
Platoon Leader 1 - Elite
Platoon Leader 2 - Basic
Platoon Leader 3 - Veteran
This would mean a platoon leader could be of a lower or higher troop quality than the sophonts they lead as well as being of the same quality.
Hope this helps,
Casey
* I’ve also referred to this as rating.
Platoon 1 - Basic
Platoon 2 - Veteran
Platoon 3 - Elite
Do the platoon leaders have to have then the same troop quality? i.e.:
Platoon Leader 1 - Basic
Platoon Leader 2 - Veteran
Platoon Leader 3 - Elite
This would mean they are indistinguishable from their platoon in terms of troop quality.
Or could there be something like this?
Platoon Leader 1 - Elite
Platoon Leader 2 - Basic
Platoon Leader 3 - Veteran
This would mean a platoon leader could be of a lower or higher troop quality than the sophonts they lead as well as being of the same quality.
Hope this helps,
Casey
* I’ve also referred to this as rating.
bryan gibson
Absent Friend
this also will be submitted, but my take on it would be along these lines:
Or could there be something like this?
Platoon Leader 1 - Elite
Platoon Leader 2 - Basic
Platoon Leader 3 - Veteran
This would mean a platoon leader could be of a lower or higher troop quality than the sophonts they lead as well as being of the same quality.
that's correct, although you'll want to bear the following in mind:
No single man, even in a leadership position will change the overall quality of troops, makes no sense, because that quality reflects their skill, ability to fight and so on. An Elite LT. does not a elite unit make.
However, an Elite Leader ( or higher quality leader, Elite beinmg our example )would provide certain benefits:
he would provide, I would think a positive modifier on leadership rolls,which relects his charisma and repute, making his troops more less likely to rout.
Also, there would be positives in tactical rolls ( in abstract, a bad tactic adopted by a contestant is still a bad tactic, no matter the quality of troops)as well in matters of evaluation, reflecting his experience and skills in these instances.
There are two edges to this sword, however: if said leader is lost, and there is no other leadership to fill in, then that loss would be catastrophic, and could result in rout or inability to continue by the unit.
I'll bounce by the others this thinking, but in the short, this is what I would consider.
Or could there be something like this?
Platoon Leader 1 - Elite
Platoon Leader 2 - Basic
Platoon Leader 3 - Veteran
This would mean a platoon leader could be of a lower or higher troop quality than the sophonts they lead as well as being of the same quality.
that's correct, although you'll want to bear the following in mind:
No single man, even in a leadership position will change the overall quality of troops, makes no sense, because that quality reflects their skill, ability to fight and so on. An Elite LT. does not a elite unit make.
However, an Elite Leader ( or higher quality leader, Elite beinmg our example )would provide certain benefits:
he would provide, I would think a positive modifier on leadership rolls,which relects his charisma and repute, making his troops more less likely to rout.
Also, there would be positives in tactical rolls ( in abstract, a bad tactic adopted by a contestant is still a bad tactic, no matter the quality of troops)as well in matters of evaluation, reflecting his experience and skills in these instances.
There are two edges to this sword, however: if said leader is lost, and there is no other leadership to fill in, then that loss would be catastrophic, and could result in rout or inability to continue by the unit.
I'll bounce by the others this thinking, but in the short, this is what I would consider.
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
Well, I wasn't sure if I'd want to air all this publicly or not but what the heck, a round of rapid fire questions a suggestion or two and a note...
</font>
</font>
- Vehicle volume to dtons conversion used to figure transport issues - Do we use The Traveller's Handbook conversion of 1 vl equal 10 litres and the table in the ship design section, or do we use the TA conversion of 1 vl equal 5 litres, basically halving the values listed in the ship design section of TTB?
.</font> - Bulk purchase - Noting that in TA1 ammunition is available in case lots (1000 rounds) at a discount of 25% may we also purchase case lots of other items in similar 1000 item lots (identical items) and 25% discount?
.</font> - Suggestion - My earlier inquiry of masterwork weapons might be more sensible if the actual cost is calculated as:
Base cost x (0.2 x DC)
Where the DC is the Craft item DC for the desired masterwork item. So:
Small Firearms (i.e. Handguns on the table) DC is 12 so masterwork versions will cost 2.4 times the base cost.
Medium Firearms (i.e. Shotguns and Rifles on the table) DC is 15 so masterwork versions will cost 3.0 times the base cost.
Machineguns (i.e. Machineguns on the table) DC is 18 so masterwork versions will cost 3.6 times the base cost.
This will generate a masterwork cost of x2 or more as the text states. No masterwork Laser Weapons or High Energy Weapons.
.</font> - Used Ships - TTB states that used ships are available for purchase. Ruling? Yes or no? If yes how old? Obviously (to me anyway) financing should not be extended beyond the valued life of the ship. So a 70 year old ship for example would be discounted by 80% (unless well maintained) and any loan is going to be calculated over the remaining shortest valued life of 20 years (when it will be discounted by 100% and subject to scrapping if not well maintained).
.</font> - Basing - What would be the requirements for having a spaceport on base? Or do you want me to make an application for one with my desired needs and budget?
.</font> - Note for other Mercs - While looking at the turrets of the Grav APC and AFVs I noticed it may be confusing the way it's listed. If I have it figured correctly (and I think I do) the 600 vl turret breaks down as:
350 vl - Actual turret volume available
140 vl - Gearing and systems for turret
110 vl - Gunner's station for & in turret
.</font> - Weapons use in vacuum - This came up again recently on the boards. So what is the judges call on this issue?
Simplistically (and with some detail you may not need for this) I'd say weapons with an introduction TL of 10+ are designed to function equally well in any environmental conditions.*
*subject to interaction with the environment of course, low g extends your ballistics, flammable gases may be set off by some weapons, firing underwater messes things up, etc.
Weapons with an introduction TL of 9- are not designed to function well in extreme environments. They will breakdown if the to hit roll is less than 20 - TL* of the weapon. Just use the to hit roll, no need to make an extra roll, just a check.
*actual TL of purchase and build, not TL of intro
A breakdown renders the weapon no longer able to fire until repaired. Repairs will cost 5% the value of the weapon per each point by which the breakdown check failed.
Ammunition and power supplies with an intro TL10+ are not subject to extreme environment failure in normal use.
Ammunition and power supplies with an intro TL9- are subject to catastrophic failure if the to hit roll is less than 15 - TL*. Again just use the same to hit roll, no need to make an extra roll, just another check.
*actual TL of purchase and build
Catastrophic ammunition or power supply failure results in the full remaining ammunition being destroyed and causing damage to the shooter as a 1d1 per round remaining attack that hits automatically (no crititcal). It also does (possibly additional) damage to the weapon equal to 5% the value of the weapon per round remaining.
All of the above may be subject to situational DM's of +/-2 or more. For example if due care is taken or the environment is more or less extreme.</font>
Hi Folks,
Working at comparing prices between MERCENARY, BOOK 3 of the CT set, etc - I'm finding that the prices are mostly identical with the exception of the G-Carrier being a little less costly (roughly half priced compared to Book 3). Bear in mind that I'm looking at T20 Lite rather than T20.
As a consequence of this, I am currently assuming that what ever is listed in MERCENARY is listed in T20 - is this correct? For example, I noted that there were no stats for RAM grenades in the T20 Lite version. Does this mean it doesn't exist for T20 at all?
The next question for me to ask is a rather simple one
T20 Lite doesn't seem to include "TAC missiles". I'm assuming that TAC missiles and surface to air missiles do exist - as they exist in MERCENARY.
For example, I'm looking at a squad makeup of two four man sections. A squad leader, a heavy weapon's expert and two regular rifelmen. The heavy weapons guy would be armed with either of Surface to air Missiles or with Anti-Armor missiles based upon preliminary evaluation of mission needs.
Hmm. I lied. I forgot to ask whether or not a Grav car is considered something that requires a "driver" or something that requires a Pilot. If I'm going to be using Grav cars in the role that the US army used to use Huey helicopters for - I'm going to need to know how to classify things. I'd hate to find out that I assumed incorrectly what classification we're talking about.
I'll tell ya - this is getting me to think long and hard on certain things. Do I go for numbers and be relatively equipment light, or do I go for various heavy equipment and go numbers light. If I'm on the defensive and I need frontage - numbers matter BIG time. If I'm dealing with situations where mobility is a major aspect of the fighting involved - then I need to be somewhat equpiment heavy. Decisions decisions
Working at comparing prices between MERCENARY, BOOK 3 of the CT set, etc - I'm finding that the prices are mostly identical with the exception of the G-Carrier being a little less costly (roughly half priced compared to Book 3). Bear in mind that I'm looking at T20 Lite rather than T20.
As a consequence of this, I am currently assuming that what ever is listed in MERCENARY is listed in T20 - is this correct? For example, I noted that there were no stats for RAM grenades in the T20 Lite version. Does this mean it doesn't exist for T20 at all?
The next question for me to ask is a rather simple one
T20 Lite doesn't seem to include "TAC missiles". I'm assuming that TAC missiles and surface to air missiles do exist - as they exist in MERCENARY.
For example, I'm looking at a squad makeup of two four man sections. A squad leader, a heavy weapon's expert and two regular rifelmen. The heavy weapons guy would be armed with either of Surface to air Missiles or with Anti-Armor missiles based upon preliminary evaluation of mission needs.
Hmm. I lied. I forgot to ask whether or not a Grav car is considered something that requires a "driver" or something that requires a Pilot. If I'm going to be using Grav cars in the role that the US army used to use Huey helicopters for - I'm going to need to know how to classify things. I'd hate to find out that I assumed incorrectly what classification we're talking about.
I'll tell ya - this is getting me to think long and hard on certain things. Do I go for numbers and be relatively equipment light, or do I go for various heavy equipment and go numbers light. If I'm on the defensive and I need frontage - numbers matter BIG time. If I'm dealing with situations where mobility is a major aspect of the fighting involved - then I need to be somewhat equpiment heavy. Decisions decisions
