Imperial weapons permits

[Jame]

I would expect that most Imperial nobles could issue permits to individuals and small groups that permit them to carry light weapons, such as an SMG, ACR or gauss pistol. Maybe a couple of weapons.

Though such individuals would be expected to be fairly circumspect, especially in high-population or high-law levels - such as no fighting at a concert unless the noble is there in person and can step in to say something like "sorry, officer, the dead persons were assassins and these gentle people are my bodyguard."

 

[welsh]

Keep in mind that most adjoining jurisdictions have cooperative agreements that give each other some sort of extra jurisdictional authority ... These agreements exist because they are mutually beneficial.

The Imperium and its worlds are not adjoining jurisdictions in that sense. I've been returning to Charles Tilly's essay, "War-Making and State-Making as Organized Crime," which essentially suggests that a state like the Imperium is a protection racket ... we aren't at the stage of mutually beneficial arrangements. Indeed, when we look at just how various kinds of worlds benefit or do not benefit from membership, we open a real kettle of worms. (Or something.)

Thus, in addition to certain (very limited) cases where certain Imperial officials have the authority to carry arms outside the XT line, in excess of the law level, there would likely be other agreements.

I don't think there are. Nobles and people carrying the Emperor's warrant don't have the privilege of carrying weapons because of an agreement; they have that privilege because they act in right of the Emperor, whose word is law. Bear in mind also how few nobles there actually are.

The Imperium is not a society of laws; it's a society of nobles. For it to become a society of laws would require the Moot to wrest legislative power out of the hands of the Emperor. Relations between Imperium and worlds are not constrained by agreements; they're constrained by custom.

 

[Condottiere]

You can see an example with Harrington's Armsmen, where she obligated to have them around her and armed at practically all times.

Diplomacy is the primary consideration, whether a non Grayson polity permits this.

 

[kilemall]

Quit a bit on this in the MgT Agents book, any interest in that take?

 

[Spartan159]

Quit a bit on this in the MgT Agents book, any interest in that take?

Ah, more to read up on. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[kilemall]

Hmm, while falling asleep last night, came up with the Class Warfare version of Law Level rights.

LL + 7 - SOC= PLL

PLL is personal law level, how the law level is experienced for each character.

The higher the social standing, the more 'rights' you have and the less hassle you get.

So for the average SOC 7 LL9 might be restrictive, but for the local Baron it's all LL4. The Baron breezes through, reasonably armed and almost never stopped by the police.

Conversely, a planet could be LL2, normally a pretty laid back place with little corruption, but a SOC 2 would experience it as LL9 and have to bribe his way through just to get a parking spot without a tow.


Pretty quirky stuff and I don't know that I would ever run things this way, but for those who want 'rank hath it's privileges' it certainly would put a helluva spin on the whole law level mechanic.

Might also produce a laser-like focus on increasing that SOC- "my boy will never pay the underclass tax!" or the like.

Heh, could be a complication too, if the Baron is with his lowlife SOC 2 friends too many times during hassle stops, could put HIS SOC at risk. Likewise the Baron's presence might put a crimp in the SOC 2 Streetcred and in danger of rising, losing all those Streetwise perks!

 

[Ackehece]

Hmm, while falling asleep last night, came up with the Class Warfare version of Law Level rights.

LL + 7 - SOC= PLL

PLL is personal law level, how the law level is experienced for each character.

The higher the social standing, the more 'rights' you have and the less hassle you get.

I like it Homebrew rule is added... .
but as with all rules...
Imperial Noble - applies with in Imperial Space only
Local Nobles only within local context

 

[welsh]

Pretty quirky stuff and I don't know that I would ever run things this way, but for those who want 'rank hath it's privileges' it certainly would put a helluva spin on the whole law level mechanic

I think that's a great rule and I'm stealing it.

Obviously it's not universal and we need to add a +/- DM for the You're-Not-From-Around-Here-Are-You index but sometimes the simplest ideas are best.

An example could be a Imperially registered merc unit applying to operate on a LL7 world.

I was thinking on this further & it occurred to me that law level, as a single number to represent "law," tells us the degree to which the state monopolizes the right to do violence.

As such, on an LL 7 world, I would expect any mercenary units to be hired by the state to do the state's work. LL 7 is actually quite strict.... At lower LLs mercenaries might be hired for security by private parties, but I would think that only at very low LLs would those mercenaries be permitted to carry military weapons (machine guns etc.) ... as a general rule, I'd expect mercenaries hired by private parties to carry weapons in line with local laws.

 

[Spartan159]

Hmm, while falling asleep last night, came up with the Class Warfare version of Law Level rights.

LL + 7 - SOC= PLL

PLL is personal law level, how the law level is experienced for each character.

The higher the social standing, the more 'rights' you have and the less hassle you get.

So for the average SOC 7 LL9 might be restrictive, but for the local Baron it's all LL4. The Baron breezes through, reasonably armed and almost never stopped by the police.

Conversely, a planet could be LL2, normally a pretty laid back place with little corruption, but a SOC 2 would experience it as LL9 and have to bribe his way through just to get a parking spot without a tow.


Pretty quirky stuff and I don't know that I would ever run things this way, but for those who want 'rank hath it's privileges' it certainly would put a helluva spin on the whole law level mechanic.

Might also produce a laser-like focus on increasing that SOC- "my boy will never pay the underclass tax!" or the like.

Heh, could be a complication too, if the Baron is with his lowlife SOC 2 friends too many times during hassle stops, could put HIS SOC at risk. Likewise the Baron's presence might put a crimp in the SOC 2 Streetcred and in danger of rising, losing all those Streetwise perks!

Interesting, I'm going to have to play around with this some. Thanks!

 

[Drakon]

I'd suggest not saying anything more about the strategic critical nature of Muncie.

What????

I am completely and totally unaware of any "strategic critical nature" with the entire state of Indiana. (Maybe Grissom AFB, but even then.) James Bond seems like overkill to investigate the rash of cow tipping that may or may not be going on.

 

[Drakon]

Not necessarily. The question would be whether the police force needed to go armed, which really depends on the local culture rather than on how strict the laws are. "Law level" is really a rather simplistic idea, which doesn't really reflect (a) what the laws say and (b) what popular attitudes towards those laws are, or (c) what the actual street-level availability of banned weapons, etc., is.

There is also a question of being armed with what? I would suspect that police everywhere have some kind of weapon, whether it's machine pistols, truncheons, some kind of stun beamed weapon, or those glow sticks from "Demolition Man".

Bad guys don't follow the rules, and that includes weapon bans. Police need a means of defeating any threat to public safety. Using non lethal means would be an improvement in most cases.

 

[Drakon]

Just a side comment. I am assuming what is meant by "antrax" is actually "anthrax". I checked by biological agents data book, and anthrax does not appear to be transmitted to birds. What you would need for waterfowl is Newcastle Disease Virus (also known as pseudo fowl pest virus). Parrot fever does not work on waterfowl, nor does fowl plague virus.

Anthrax principally effects herbivorous mammals, although other mammals and man can be effected by it. It would appear to have considerable potential for use on the K'kree, some possibility for use on the Vargr, and possibly on the Aslan.

However, given the effects on humans, I would say that any individual caught with vials of anthrax spores is going to have a LOT of explaining to do.

Edit Note: The above information is unclassified data, obtained from TM3-216 Military Biology and Biological Agents, March 1964.

Thanks for this. I was merely atempting humor by referencing a line from Futurama.

In any event, NBC weapons are clearly out of bounds, for everyone. I don't think even the nobles have "Family Atomics", a la Dune.

"Damn straight! Today the mad scientist can't get a doomsday device, tomorrow it's the mad grad student! Where will it end?!"

 

[kilemall]

What????

I am completely and totally unaware of any "strategic critical nature" with the entire state of Indiana. (Maybe Grissom AFB, but even then.) James Bond seems like overkill to investigate the rash of cow tipping that may or may not be going on.

The cover plan is working.

 

[Timerover51]

What????

I am completely and totally unaware of any "strategic critical nature" with the entire state of Indiana. (Maybe Grissom AFB, but even then.) James Bond seems like overkill to investigate the rash of cow tipping that may or may not be going on.

Cow tipping is an intercollegiate sport in Wisconsin, with one of the leading schools being the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

 

[Timerover51]

Thanks for this. I was merely atempting humor by referencing a line from Futurama.

In any event, NBC weapons are clearly out of bounds, for everyone. I don't think even the nobles have "Family Atomics", a la Dune.

"Damn straight! Today the mad scientist can't get a doomsday device, tomorrow it's the mad grad student! Where will it end?!"

Actually, the normal place to fine any form of biological agent is a large pharmaceutical firm. Any firm making or developing antibiotics or vaccines is automatically a biological weapons facility. They have to grow the bugs to test out the new antibiotics and vaccines.

As for chemical agents, every one of the major agents used in World War 1, and the chemical agents the US would have used in World War 2 is a commonly used industrial chemical. Some of the more toxic insecticides approach the lethality of Tabun, the first nerve agent developed. Then you have the whole spectrum of herbicides, which are also widely used. I view the Chemical Banning Treaty one of the more useless pieces of paper ever signed.

 

[McPerth]

In any event, NBC weapons are clearly out of bounds, for everyone. I don't think even the nobles have "Family Atomics", a la Dune.

Possesion of nukes in the only thing learly forbiden by Imperial Laws of War, so, I guess no, they don't have them.

Actually, the normal place to fine any form of biological agent is a large pharmaceutical firm. Any firm making or developing antibiotics or vaccines is automatically a biological weapons facility. They have to grow the bugs to test out the new antibiotics and vaccines.

As for chemical agents, every one of the major agents used in World War 1, and the chemical agents the US would have used in World War 2 is a commonly used industrial chemical. Some of the more toxic insecticides approach the lethality of Tabun, the first nerve agent developed. Then you have the whole spectrum of herbicides, which are also widely used. I view the Chemical Banning Treaty one of the more useless pieces of paper ever signed.

And any pharmaceutical is also a good place to develop chemical weapons. Most antineoplasic chemothreapics are good chemical weapons (and many are derivated from mustrad gas, that was the first effective chemoterapic discovered).

 

[Timerover51]

Possesion of nukes in the only thing learly forbiden by Imperial Laws of War, so, I guess no, they don't have them.

And any pharmaceutical is also a good place to develop chemical weapons. Most antineoplasic chemothreapics are good chemical weapons (and many are derivated from mustrad gas, that was the first effective chemoterapic discovered).

That is also correct, but I was thinking more in line of immediately available off-the-shelf materials. I once had a chemical engineer friend look at the formula for VX persistent nerve agent, and it took him about 10 seconds to tell me how to make it, and that he could put a pilot plant producing a ton per day in his 2 1/2 car garage. He figured that he could could have that up and running in a maximum of 6 months.

 

[welsh]

I would expect that because of the potential for mass casualties etc. that any actual use of biological weapons would invoke the full wrath of the navy. Same probably applies to chemical weapons.

 

[Condottiere]

Biological weapons can get out of hand, though I'd suppose ones with suicide genes used on a small scale with minimal casualties might be overlooked.

Same with chemical weapons, on a small scale, and not targetted at civilians.

Because cyberwarfare on a massive scale would really result in massive casualties for a high tech society.

 

[Spartan159]

I would think Nuclear Biological or Chemical warfare *anywhere* Would have the instant attention of the Imperial Military and Scout institutions, and not in a positive way. Hmm, was NBC warfare used by anyone on planets in any of the frontier wars? I know meson strikes were used, but is the radiation from such considered persistent? or instantaneous? On civilian / planetary targets I mean.