MGT Only: Mercenary Second Edition Playtest - Recruiting

[MongooseMatt]

If you take a trip to Planet Mongoose today, you will see draft/playtest rules for recruiting men and women into mercenary companies.

http://blog.mongoosepublishing.co.uk/?p=717

These rules start the core of the new Mercenary book, and more articles next week will continue to reveal more, building up into a complete system that will allow you to run mercenary-based campaigns quickly and easily.

Feel free to come back here and make comment, as we want to hear from all of you!

 

[Border Reiver]

I shall have a look. Hopefully I'll comment later.

 

[aramis]

The pay scale is considerably higher than in prior editions -

Rank:	Old:	New
Private	300	B (1000-3000)
Lance Corpora!	400	?
Corporal	450	B+500
Lance Sergeant	500	?
Sergeant	550	B+1000
Gunnery Sergeant	600	B+1500
Leading Sergeant	700
First Sergeant	800
Sergeant Major	1000	B+2000
Second Lieutenant	1000	B+2000
First Lieutenant	1200
Captain	1400	B+3000
Major	1600	B+4000
Lt Colonel	1800	B+6000
Colonel	2000	B+8000

After all, a typical colonel is retiring with only KCr4/year. As a merc, he's not going to make that per month - if he could, then no one would make it to colonel in the actives.

 

[Vladika]

After all, a typical colonel is retiring with only KCr4/year. As a merc, he's not going to make that per month - if he could, then no one would make it to colonel in the actives.

Jobs for mercs are few and far between. In addition, when things go wrong, as they sooner or later do, mercs are expendable. Their boss does not know them. Besides, if they are killed, no final payment.:devil:

Very few Military Officers would be willing to do the dirty jobs mercs all to often are hired to do. Money does not buy everything.

 

[MongooseMatt]

The pay scale is considerably higher than in prior editions -

It is - but it is designed to fit in with the pay scales of the current Core Rulebook with spacecraft crew. Happy to listen to arguments that this should not be the case!

 

[McPerth]

Just one comment after my first skip reading:

I see a Naval base (as a Scout one) has a -4 DM for recriting.

As I guess is where most ex-Navy (and, more important for this point, Marines) are discharged (and so, IMHO, they might begin to look for a new job), could you please explain the reasons for it?

 

[RandyB]

Will Mercenary v2 also cover Star Mercs?

 

[aramis]

It is - but it is designed to fit in with the pay scales of the current Core Rulebook with spacecraft crew. Happy to listen to arguments that this should not be the case!

the scales for crew in the CRB are the same as in CT. Ship Crews SHOULD make a lot more. A lot more responsibility, and a lot more firepower, in a ship with 2G drives. Every ship is capable of being a weapon of mass destruction.

 

[McPerth]

the scales for crew in the CRB are the same as in CT. Ship Crews SHOULD make a lot more. A lot more responsibility, and a lot more firepower, in a ship with 2G drives. Every ship is capable of being a weapon of mass destruction.

OTOH, those scales for crew in the CRB are for civilian merchant crews, not for starmercs, so all your "bounus" could be offser by the more danger, responsability (in another sense), etc... mercs confront...

Should a civilian merchant ship steward (salary 2000 Cr/month) be paid the same than a Merc Colonel (2000 Cr/month, in the CT:LLB4 scale), plus more expensive lodge and food (life support), even if he gets no shares of any success bonus?

 

[jec10]

I'm not sure I agree with the logic of the Government code modifiers.

I would have thought you're more likely, not less likely, to find people with military experience on a balkanised world. I'd think there would be a good pool to recruit from as people would be mustering out of various national militaries all the time and looking to earn a credit or two with their skills.

To my way of thinking a democracy would be less likely to be warlike and to provide a good recruiting ground, than worlds like a captive government where I'd see plenty of people wanting to escape colonial rule by joining an offworld mercenary venture.

All other things being equal, of course.

 

[aramis]

OTOH, those scales for crew in the CRB are for civilian merchant crews, not for starmercs, so all your "bounus" could be offser by the more danger, responsability (in another sense), etc... mercs confront...

Should a civilian merchant ship steward (salary 2000 Cr/month) be paid the same than a Merc Colonel (2000 Cr/month, in the CT:LLB4 scale), plus more expensive lodge and food (life support), even if he gets no shares of any success bonus?

Merc Colonels are a dime a dozen in the real world - they make their profit on shares, not salaries. Real world mercs tend to make about double (based upon Blackwater, etc.) their active duty equivalents' pay... and skilled merchants make the same or More. Mercs get bonuses, tho'.

Blackwater's officers don't even get double before Bonuses... but bonuses Can be >70% of take-home pay. (or so the TV journalists said.)

 

[rancke]

Merc Colonels are a dime a dozen in the real world - they make their profit on shares, not salaries. Real world mercs tend to make about double (based upon Blackwater, etc.) their active duty equivalents' pay... and skilled merchants make the same or More. Mercs get bonuses, tho'.

Blackwater's officers don't even get double before Bonuses... but bonuses Can be >70% of take-home pay. (or so the TV journalists said.)

I agree. I've always assumed that the salaries listed for mercenaries are lower than regular military salaries, precisely because mercenaries get success bonusses.

(Incidentally, I think the canonical Imperial pensions are unrealistic.)



Hans

 

[Vladika]

Merc Colonels are a dime a dozen in the real world - they make their profit on shares, not salaries. Real world mercs tend to make about double (based upon Blackwater, etc.) their active duty equivalents' pay... and skilled merchants make the same or More. Mercs get bonuses, tho'.

Blackwater's officers don't even get double before Bonuses... but bonuses Can be >70% of take-home pay. (or so the TV journalists said.)

Because they promote themselves?

Costas Georgiou alias "Colonel Callan". Kicked out of the British Army for robing Post Offices while serving in Northern Ireland. Headed of to Angola, called himself a Colonel, and started shooting his own men...

British Mercs in Angola:

About 143 went to Angola although a couple of that number were Americans.
17 died in action.
1 Executed on Holdern Robertos orders (Sam Copeland)
14 Were Murdered at Maquela by firing squad on Callan orders
7 Suffered a fate unknown
4 Were Executed by firing squad by the Marxist Angolan Army

One ex British Corporal self styled "Colonel". (GOT to beware of ex corporals!)

Not sure where "dime a dozen" comes from but there aren't all that many Mercs in the world today period.

But then, Kentucky is full of "Colonels" too...

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...fUhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3aEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5012,1223993

 

[MongooseMatt]

As I guess is where most ex-Navy (and, more important for this point, Marines) are discharged (and so, IMHO, they might begin to look for a new job), could you please explain the reasons for it?

The idea (and I am not sure I am happy with it) is that naval bases would be less than happy with an independant military actively recruiting in their immediate vicinity. OPpen for discussion.

I would have thought you're more likely, not less likely, to find people with military experience on a balkanised world.

Again, the idea here is that on a balkanised world, the variousnations may not be happy with offworlders coming along and stealing their fighting men.

To my way of thinking a democracy would be less likely to be warlike

The most warlike countries in the latter half of the last century were democracies (UK, France and USA, in that order, if I recall correctly), and in certain parts of the world today, there are no shortage of mercenaries from those three countries...

(GOT to beware of ex corporals!)

Sound advice.

Not sure where "dime a dozen" comes from but there aren't all that many Mercs in the world today period.

Got any data on that? I ask, as I would not be surprised if there were more today than ever before...

 

[Vladika]

Got any data on that? I ask, as I would not be surprised if there were more today than ever before...

While there are any number of people, groups as well as individuals, assumed to be mercenaries, a true mercenary is a rare animal. MOST of those non mercenaries are in fact contract employees of "security companies".

In the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions(GC) of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977 it is stated:

Art 47. Mercenaries

A mercenary is any person who:

(a) is specially recruited locally or abroad in order to fight in an armed conflict;
(b) does, in fact, take a direct part in the hostilities;
(c) is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a Party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar ranks and functions in the armed forces of that Party;
(d) is neither a national of a Party to the conflict nor a resident of territory controlled by a Party to the conflict;
(e) is not a member of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict; and
(f) has not been sent by a State which is not a Party to the conflict on official duty as a member of its armed forces.

It should be noted that as many countries including the U.S. are not signatory to the Protocol Additional GC 1977(APGC77). So APGC77 art 47 can best be seen as a guide to what a mercenary is. However without an agreed international definition it is the best around. - http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Mercenary#Mercenaries_and_the_Laws_of_War

The FULL article should be read to have a greater understanding than the above can achieve.

Mercenaries, under international law, are in FACT criminals.

 

[Vladika]

The most warlike countries in the latter half of the last century were democracies (UK, France and USA, in that order, if I recall correctly), and in certain parts of the world today, there are no shortage of mercenaries from those three countries...

Really?

Never heard of Germany(Nazi)? Japan(Imperial)? Russia(Take your pick, post WW2 which if discussed would get me banned)? China(Mao-Chiang Kai-shek, post WW2 which if discussed would get me banned)?

Maybe I missed something but the USA got into two WWs because Europe couldn't "keep house" and "play nice"? WW2 the USA was attacked by Japan. Germany, declared war on the USA. Most of what followed, in your "last half" was cleaning up the mess from ex-colonial power vacuums.

But, if one want's to trash the democracies, a narrow 50 year history of mankind could be used to do it.

I guess the USA should stay home next time around and let the rest of the world go to hell in it's own way? (Now if you'd said "first part of [edited due to the thought police]...")

Also, see:

John Phillip Walker Lindh, American citizen who was captured as an enemy combatant during the United States' 2001 invasion of Afghanistan in November 2001

to see how the USA treats mercenaries.

 

[Condottiere]

In various media, you can find all the classic archetypes and adventures they get themselves into.

We're also looking at this from a modern perspective, where mercenaries are politically incorrect and rather murky, which is where synonyms like Private Military Contractor come from.

Nations used to rent entire units for paid services, if anyone could recall the Hessians and the Swiss. The Persians even hired Greeks, who got short shrift when Alexander encountered them.

In Traveller, mercenaries can run the entire gauntlet from a bunch of drug enforcers or gang members you manage to hire to shoot up some shack, to specialist Shadowrunners who try to stay off the grid but can be hired to carry out an important mission with deniable assets to Falkenberg outshooting the Covenanters.

The pay scales are probably for permanent members, mission specialists have to be paid more, and local grunts less.

As for rank, being retired, any held in the military would be courtesy, the mercenary order would have it's own hierarchy, though adapted/adopted from what they experienced before and know how it functions, whereas on a ship, there is one Captain and he is the right hand of god.

 

[rancke]

The pay scales are probably for permanent members, mission specialists have to be paid more, and local grunts less.

Mission specialists who get paid full salaries probably get fewer or no shares.

As for rank, being retired, any held in the military would be courtesy, the mercenary order would have it's own hierarchy, though adapted/adopted from what they experienced before and know how it functions, whereas on a ship, there is one Captain and he is the right hand of god.

Ships run according to the semi-mythical Heinlein/Pournelle rules. Most real world ships¹ have been run with all the captains aboard that they want.

¹ I have read anecdotal evidence of ships that used the H/P convention, but I have also read equally well-documented evidence of ships where it wasn't used.​

Hans

 

[Condottiere]

Outside of overdramatic Heinlienization (which actually inspired my own simplified/paralleled military hierarchy construct), it's backed up by at least British naval tradition, whether they get virtually bumped up or not.

And with communication lags as compared to Star Trek or our own connected globe, likely reinstated in Traveller.

 

[MongooseMatt]

While there are any number of people, groups as well as individuals, assumed to be mercenaries,

But are such individuals and groups not among what we are talking about when it comes to mercs in Traveller?

Never heard of Germany(Nazi)? Japan(Imperial)?

Not in the latter half of the last century, no.

Maybe I missed something but the USA got into two WWs because Europe couldn't "keep house" and "play nice"?

You seriously want to go down that road?

Most of what followed, in your "last half" was cleaning up the mess from ex-colonial power vacuums.

Umm, yes, that was the point I was making.

I guess the USA should stay home next time around and let the rest of the world go to hell in it's own way?

And that is where you lose me. Cheerio.

Note to Others: I am talking about a game that exists in people's imagination. Not interested in getting into willy-waving about whose country is more or less perfect than others. We are all ruled by idiots.