Mercenary Pay (1st and 2nd edition)

[Kilgs]

For some reason, Mongoose products have everyone getting rich easy or completely broke. As I was disappointed in 2nd edition, I took another look at 1st edition and Mercenary ticket costs/profits. By combining the two, I think you can come up with a coherent pay rate. Maybe.

Basically, the 1st edition ticket expenses are ridiculous since they use % reductions. It actually indicates that you get a 1% reduction for each vehicle in the mercenary outfit. That means a mercenary outfit of 100 tanks gets no money ever.

Also, I couldn't find any scaling of pay for size of outfit. (Did I miss it somewhere...)

So I combined 1st and 2nd edition...

Basically, using the CPM from non-ticket expenses as a monthly expense as a constant. Add in salaries (I used the updated tables from 2nd edition). Then I decided that "Running Costs" as indicated in 2nd edition are additional expenses from being in the field.

The non-ticket expenses on page 59 actually provide a better mechanic for expenses whether you are in combat or not. Your costs go down when not in combat and up when you are.

I came up with the following on a small company:

RED NIGHT COMPANY
BASE CPM: 10
TV: 3200+
TL: 10-ish
Size: 130 personnel
Fame/Infamy: +0
Unit Experience: Average
Rank Distribution: 35%(0-1)(changed this to be no increase in salary), 20%(2)(26p), (25%)3(32p), 15% Lt.(15p), Captain 3% (2p)
Traits:
Units
(8) Standard Squad-Regular (1848) w/ Badger APC (160,000 per month)
(4) Standard Heavy Weapons (1338) w/Badger APC (120,000 per month)

Note: 10 folks per squad

NON-COMBAT CPM: 10 (5+5 in modifiers as below)
Legion-sized (+2), TL10/11 (+1), Average (+1),
Uses heavy weapons (+1)
(300) for TL=3900 (250 for under TL10, 500 for TL11+, just went with 300)
(400) heavy weapons and vehicles=5200
(50) no HQ-standard living=650

MONTHLY NON-COMBAT EXPENSES: 9,750

MONTHLY SALARIES (2nd edition)
280,000 standard
+91,750cr (ranks)
(26) Sergeants: +26000
(32) Senior SGt: +25750
(15) Lt: +30,000
(2) Capt: +6000
(1) Major: +4000

TOTAL SALARIES: 371,750 (with ranks and salaries)

TOTAL NON-COMBAT WAGES AND EXPENSES: 381,500cr

The company gets a Ticket as follows:

Contract Using Ticket System
Size of group is base multiplier. Using Size Table on p66, Specialist=1, Private=2, etc.
Ticket Adjustments: 3
Striker Mission-Elimination (Pay: C)(Short)(4wks long)
Exposure (1 adjustment): Locally known
Group Target: +2 pay increment
Civilian Target
Average Risk
50% Repatriation (2 adjustments)
Pay Scale: E (100,000)
Now using the multiplier (6x for Legion)… 1.3MCr for one month’s work.

TEST OF CPM
Use the CPM/Non-Ticket expenses in addition to Running Costs. Running Costs are for actually being in the field and being shot at.
Legion (+2), TL10/11 (+1), Average (+1),
Uses heavy weapons (+1)
Has seen combat (+1)
Vehicles (+2)
Transport off-planet (300)=3900 (to get to location)
(300) for TL=3900 (250 for under TL10, 500 for TL11+, just went with 300)
(400) heavy weapons and vehicles=5200
(500) notable action=6500 (fighting was heavy)
(200) major wounds=2600 (suffered casualties)
(50) no HQ-standard living=650 (stayed in the field throughout)

COMBAT COSTS=22,750 a month without salaries… during this engagement.

Total: 394,510cr (CPM+Salaries)
Running costs (2nd edition): ((Vehicles=960,000)+(371750))*.1
=133,175cr
TOTAL EXPENSES + RUNNING COSTS=520,000

We’ll use the Reduction Four (Authority Payments since you have to pay tax)
Base d6% (3%)
+4% for Ticket over 1 Mcr
=1.209 Mcr
-Expenses+Running Costs (520000)

Remaining Profit=689,000cr
(actually makes mercenary work fairly lucrative and allows them to replace those vehicles destroyed, take a month off maybe... then back into it!)

COMPARISON (system from p57 1st edition)(when asked for d6, I use a 3)
TRANSPORT (Base 3%):
+13% (130 personnel transported)
+12% (12 vehicles transported)

EQUIPMENT (Base 3+1=4%)
+5% (130 members)
+12% (12 vehicles)

MEDICAL (Base 3-1=2%)
+13% (130 active members)

AUTHORITY PAYMENTS
+4% (over 1 Mcr)

TICKETING COSTS/LIVING EXPENSES (3-2=1%)
+2.5% (130 members)
+2.5% (12 vehicles)

TOTAL REDUCTION: 71%
=923000cr

REMAINING PROFITS: 377,000cr
SALARIES: 371750cr

END PROFIT: 5,550cr

Dead broke.

(The problem here is in the use of percentages…a vehicle heavy force would never break even paying a 1% reduction for every vehicle in the outfit)(Also, I added in my made-up multiplier for force size. Without that, it's a joke of a business.)

Hey... I used 2nd edition when I said I would never look at it again! Bonus.

(I'm trying to work out a system that functions for a mercenary organization-type campaign set in a different setting but similar stuff. Matt would appreciate that I'm drawing on Armageddon 2089 also...)

 

[Kilgs]

Dang it. Never mind... still doesn't take into account force composition (armor v. infantry v. air etc.).

Maybe using the expenses in reverse instead...

 

[Timerover51]

Have you checked current military pay scales for the US military, figuring that mercenary units are going to want to be well-paid to cover non-employed time and use that as a base to start from?

As for mechanized units, I would suggest taking the purchase price of the equipment, and figuring about 1% per month for maintenance and operational costs, and then plug in a replacement cost factor of 10% of the purchase price per month of employment.

Food and housing costs for non-employed units would depend on how you figure the value of the Imperial Credit based in the world the unit is on. Again, for food, current costs for the US could be used. Meal rate currently for 2014 can be found here:

http://www.quartermaster.army.mil/jccoe/Operations_Directorate/QUAD/Meal_Rates_2014.pdf


The meal rates do assume cafeteria-style messing arrangements. Field rations would cost more, and continued use of them may have negative effects on morale, unless you have the Imperium equivalent of Tabasco Sauce, season salt, and supplemental spice packets.

Housing would be highly dependent on the world and the situation of the unit. Are they housed in permanent barracks, temporary buildings, large tents, squad tents, or individual shelters? What cover is needed to unit equipment?

Also, are you allowing for any medical personnel for the unit or is that being supplied by the employer? If a mechanized units, some form of maintenance
must be provided for, which would typically amount to about 25% of the combat personnel, be specialists, and not really combat-proficient.

Is the unit supplying its own transportation while on the ticket or is it dependent on the employer? If on the employer, to what extent does the company have control of the transportation units and how reliable are they? Then you also have to provide for some sort of supply personnel, which for a mechanized company would probably be 5 to 10 persons, along with unit vehicles for immediate supply support.

One comment on your apparent organization. You have a have overplus of NCO and Lieutenants. What is the basis for that, or is it required by the rule set you are using?

 

[Kilgs]

To answer most of your questions, I fell back on Mercenary 1st and 2nd edition.

The rank ratio is based on Mercenary 1st edition which, as you noted, is top-heavy. I changed Rank 0/1 to be the same to even it out some.

The living expenses and salaries seem to work out okay.

It's not a bad hack but doesn't take into account the difference between fully infantry vs. combined forces.

I've moved in a different direction but still can't quite get things to work. The disappointing thing is that the rules in Merc 1st edition and 2nd edition are so obviously broken. Mongoose really needs to focus on playtesting. Some of these errors are visible from 1000m up and a few runs through it broke the system... Which tells me they didn't even do a few runs. It's been an issue for years and its pretty much killed any interest in their stuff for me.

Since the game I'm working on uses Heavy Gear mechanics, I've decided to focus on Threat Value (unit cost) and go from there. I was hoping not to reinvent the wheel but apparently the wheel doesn't really exist as I thought it did.

 

[Timerover51]

I have Mercenary and Striker for Classic Traveller, but not the Mongoose version. I do have the Mongoose Vehicle Handbook, but I think that it has been updated since I got the copy.

My problem right now with trying to help you is that I have a 3 week summer teaching session starting on Monday, with the morning being 2 classes on World War 2, and the afternoon being the historical board gaming class, so I am sort of busy.

Even at Tech Level 10, your mech troops are going to cost a lot more than your infantry, and right now, I am not sure where my Tables of Organization and Equipment for US mech troops are.

How soon do you need to have this done?

 

[Kilgs]

How soon do you need to have this done?

Slow down, Silver!! Don't worry about it although I appreciate the offer. I've abandoned it as a generic system. Since the game setting/mechanics are Silhouette-based, I'm going to hack something using their Threat Value. That covers armor/air/infantry differences simply due to increased TV.

A tank and crew are about 2,000 Threat. A squad of infantry about 72 Threat. That should be a significant enough difference that coming up with pay/upkeep is differentiated.

Also thinking of going towards something more abstract. Attributes such as Maintenance/Transport/Intelligence etc or skills like that.

Payment comes in Economic Points which function as experience points for raising your Transport and stuff.

(I found some good ideas in In Harms Way: Wild Blue. Never heard of it until I asked the same question on RPG.net. Modern mercenary company game.)

 

[MongooseMatt]

Matt would appreciate that I'm drawing on Armageddon 2089 also...)

I would - in fact Mercenary was revised, in part, specifically for a new A2089...

The disappointing thing is that the rules in Merc 1st edition and 2nd edition are so obviously broken. Mongoose really needs to focus on playtesting. Some of these errors are visible from 1000m up and a few runs through it broke the system... Which tells me they didn't even do a few runs. It's been an issue for years and its pretty much killed any interest in their stuff for me.

To be absolutely fair, I think there are two issues here...

I don't think the points you raised in the last thread were actual faults. I very much get the feeling you were expecting one thing and found another, but that does not make it broken. We did a lot of playtesting on Merc 2, and it does work.

The second thing is I think you are trying to make a round peg fit a square hole. That you are going back to the 1st edition Merc tells me you prefer the system in there for building tickets - however, 2nd edition has a completely different approach, and the two are not going to gel well.

In terms of being rich or poor, with 2nd edition Merc, this is completely down to the referee and the money he grants players via tickets (following the guidelines we lay down in that book). If you are using 2nd edition, you should not be running into these problems as they are now completely within the scope of the referee, rather than an abstracted system of tables.

If I have the wrong end of the stick here, please let me know as I would like to understand the issues you are hitting. I am a bit concerned, as 2nd edition was written to specifically avoid the issues you are raising here.

All that said, if it is your aim to tinker with the system to get customised mechanics that suit you, more power to you! You are an old school tinkerer, and I salute you! I just don't want to see you spinning needlessly in circles when there is a much easier route.