I'm trying to come up with the background for a character I'm building. I'm using the modern-day phenomenon of gang members joining the military as a basis. He's an ork ganger who volunteered to join a national government in order to bring back the training and skills to help his gang survive a bloody three-way turf war. When he comes back four years later, he discovers his gang is completely gone... they've all been killed, and he is the sole surviving member of it.

That said, I'm trying to keep it fairly street level and urban. I'm trying to think of any armed conflicts that have gone on concerning the CAS or UCAS within the timeline (2065-2070 or so), so he could have seen some action while he was enlisted. I'd like for him to have been involved in a few harrowing gun battles so that he has character justification for a decent amount of weapons training.

Also, I was chatting with some people about the concept, and one person in particular mentioned that it would be hard for him to get into and out of the armed services with visible gang tattoos. I'm trying to think of a way he could have come out of those four years with them intact, as when he returns I want him to be the last surviving member of his gang. I also want them to be a constant danger to himself, as the gang that won figures out there's one left and they start to hunt him. That said, he needs to come out of enlistment with them intact so it makes for a better story.

Can anybody help me out here?

Well, can't help with the tatties bit.

As for combat experience... DESERT WARS!

Sure, it's a contest, but it's actual Military Manouvers! With live fire in the finals! A few bouts of that, and he'll have learned open field and urban combat techniques!

And, of course, my obligatory, GO BLACK DEVILS!

As for the Tatts could use nanotatts just changed em for service time and changed em back when when going home.

Thanks for the replies.

Concerning the Desert Wars option: I thought of that, and it was also suggested to me. But I was having a hard time accepting that a national government's standing army would send their troops into that. The Desert Wars seemed to me to be something that the megacorps took part in, in order to field their best weapons and technology, and test prototypes out. Would national governments really be a part of that? If so, how? I'm not challenging you, I'm just trying to make sure his backstory makes sense in the world of Shadowrun.

As for the nanotattoos -- That was also brought up. However, aren't nanites absorbed by the body after some time? I'm not sure that he could get into and out of his service with the nanotattoos intact. They would have eventually been flushed out.

Thanks for the responses, though. I welcome more. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

The Government would be involved with it. Publicity if nothing else.

Actually, the way I see Desert Wars is a method of waging war without the waste. Two countries have an issue they can't settle on the diplomatic table, they decide to have a "War Game" between two units in the middle of a desert.

Winner take all.

You don't have to have massive standing armies (Unless you need to keep the massive rabble under wraps), don't need to ruin the area/reason your fighting over wasted by troops and bombs, and, finally, there's all that money to be made from publicity!

Not to mention "War Bonds" that could be sold. Legallized Gambling!!!

Finally, and most importantly, it's a major thing for the Megacorporations to show their military might. And the last thing any of the Governments want to do is let it be known that they ARE lackies to the Megas (Even if it's true.). So getting in on this is a way of gaining some national pride back, which has a value you can't measure in Nuyen or Dollars!

So, just like I say...

GO BLACK DEVILS!!!

That's an interesting take on it. I like it and I might work that into the background.

Also, I was looking at nanotattoos, and I think I found a workaround for his gang tats. He joins the UCAS Marine Corps, and they say they'll take him but he has to lose his tattoos (the modern-day Marines are becoming hard-asses about letting in members with gang tats.) He agrees to undergo painful procedures to remove them. Meanwhile, they also give him full-body nanotattoo treatments at Rating 3 along with a nanohive to keep them going... Nanotattoos can give penalties to Perception tests to find people if they are using the proper camouflage. I figure that would be a good reason for the army to give those to somebody.

After he gets back out, he puts his tattoos back using the preset configuation in his commlink and wears them that way most of the time, unless he needs to adopt a different configuration for stealth purposes.

I figure I could grab a rating 3 or 4 nanohive in chargen if I take Restricted Gear, which would allow me to keep the nanotattoos going, and maybe grab another nanite system while I'm there. I figure it'd make sense given he just got out the military, especially if he was in a big publicity event like the Desert Wars.

Given the nature of the Sixth World I have trouble believing that the recruitment standards are nearly as strict as they are in modern First World militaries. I'd imagine that he would have to deal with more drek because of his race then his origins.

Also remember "training" a soldier can be as simple as installing a set of skillwires.

Might also be some recognition, as lots of folks watch Desert Wars, and soldiers are big business!

"When I want to kill every mother-fragger in the room, I turn to my Ares Alpha!"

And don't forget the SINner bit! You just got out of the military, and getting a SIN is one of the main reasons to join in Shadowrun!

I don't believe after 2064 either the UCAS or the CAS have been involved in any open conflicts. You could always have your gang member serve with the Aztlan army in the ongoing Yucatan fight then cross the border after going AWOL or some such.

CalFree saw some action didn't they?

Also don't discount signing up with a corp. Most of them run something very much like the military. That's what they send to Desert wars, and some of them may very well not care about tats.

Also there is more internal action in recent years.

For example the fight for the SCIRE occured within your timeframe.

Military assets are also have to spend more time engaging things like smugglers, runners, organized crime, and magic threats as they are capable of simply being more powerful than local authorities can deal with. I mean in cannon smugglers have Panzers and military grade subs. So maybe you're character could have had some action clearing out bug hives, or some boarding action by the Carrib league border. Or maybe they were guarding a shipment when some Yakuzaa decided to aquire it.

Also on joining corp forces. While UCAS/CAS forces are likely staying closer to home. The corps are not. It would be very reasonable that some recruiter for an Ares subsidiary would have been cruising around gang territory looking for recruits offering cash, skills, ware, and sin sponsership.

Two months of being called a maggot later your character could have a Cantonese linguasoft loaded and be on their way into one of the Chinese warzones or something like that.

On skillwires.
1. While most people don't understand edge, it is shown in the fluff that people know skillwires just aren't as good.
2. If I'm budgeting I think I'd rather have a trooper with wired 1 and musle replacement 2 than skillwires and a couple softs. Especially since VR training should have brought costs for that way down.

was gonna add, but i think someone already did; the renraku archology is still not totally cleared, if i remember correctly, and the whole reason it is owned by the UCAS government now is because the UCAS government is the one clearing it out. there is still supposed to be some fighting going on in the upper levels iirc, so he could have picked up some combat experience there.

Actually that gives me an idea I may very well use in the future as it has the flavor I like.

Alright so a programmer and an ex Drill Sargent hatch a new business model and get some Ares investment to kick start it.

So they roll into some rough spots like the barrens with holoprojectors showing awsome military stuff, music, the hottest babes you can rent and free flowing kegs. (And probably plenty of military types to show off and to keep this from turning into a disaster)

The next morning enough gangers to make a Company are waking up in a warehouse near Shanghai with hangovers and comlinks that will play back the terms of what they signed last night. They can either stick around for the training or they can walk out anytime and see how they fare in a barrens where they have no friends and don't even speak the language.

They spend the next month plugged into hot sim VR training with the Drill Sargent and unknown to them a little psychotropic friend that programs them to want to be better soldiers, loyal, obedient, and to spend all their pay on more ware and equipment.

The business model being they almost don't have to pay the soldiers as they reinvest in themselves, and their "leave no-one behind policy combined with a reluctance to give out cultured bioware means means when the soldier finally kicks it most of the resources are recovered. Also start up costs are low as they only have to pay up front for the facility, the recruiting drive, and some basic equipment of camo armor+helmet, decent assault rifle, some other regular kit and a smattering of heavier weaponry.

Soon they're light infantry that's up to their eyeballs in drek as the many Chinese warlords fight it out and over time the company gets whittled down into some very hard, low essence platoons and then grows again as the next batch comes down the line.

Unfortunitly the owners made some bad investments and their training facility got bombed killing a group of recruits, the staff, and the Sargent, causing the company to fold. The remaining gangers are shipped back home and simply dumped without a pension or anything but the clothes on their back, the skills and ware they carry with them, and some residual effects from the psychotropic IC.

(As a GM I'd give the player some flaws to represent that last bit. They'd have a flaw making them prone to becoming loyal to groups and people. Prone to taking orders A hard time when not being a soldier. And still the tendency to reinvest (which most runners have anyway I might just give one BP for that one). And maybe some fun battle related isssues. Maybe some PTSD, or other psychological issues, or perhaps they're missing an internal organ that got blown out with some game effect.

Also some flaw BP for my amusement later when they find they're still totally loyal to old commanders who are still around even now that the company is disolved.

And I'd probably fill up the negative quality allotment if loyalty turns out to be tied to some control words. Finally a dark secret the player would actually be worried about the rest of the team learning. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

The last time CalFree saw true open conflict was the Tir Tairngire invasion of 2036-2037 and (I believe) the Aztlan invasion of San Diego in 2036. The Japanese occupation of San Francisco was by misguided invitation.

Yeah but somehow they lost significant turf to the PCC. Could have been bloodless, but I don't see them losing LA lightly.

Actually checking the sixth world wiki it looks like CalFree saw some serious action.
http://wiki.dumpshock.com/index.php/California_Free_State

Though again with the Corp army thing it seems that Ares forces were taking point in fighting the Japanese Imperial Marines.

Which book has that action?

Year of the Comet I believe.

On the subject of armed forces:

A) The army is unlikely - VERY unlikely - to stick cyberware into grunts. No reason and it's not cost effective. 'Ware is for special forces. Grunts get gear, though I could accept it is likely access to ware would be made available if the solider wants to pay for it. Of course, you still need permits for the Restricted stuff, so I assume there would be procedure and stuff. The crazy ones don't get to have wired reflexes, ya know.

B) IMO they army wouldn't even blink at recruiting gangers. Though it would be careful about putting them all in the same company (or whatever). Don't want too many assault rifles being 'misplaced'.

C) As to actual conflict zones, you don't have to go far. Shooting skirmishes involving casualties on both sides happen frequently, even along 'tame' borders like between the UCAS and the NAN. Otherwise, UCAS-wise, there is probably a lot of action in the Pacific. As everyone else said, Corp military recruitement makes sense too. In that case, deployment could literaly be anywhere.

Does it have to be a North American national military? As people have already said North America has been fairly quiet since the Salish-Shidhe/Tsimshian war between 2062 and 2067 when the Salish finally annexed them. Likewise South America has been pretty much quiet apart from around Caracas on occassion.

The Chinese successor states and South-East Asia though are suitably fucked up however. If his entire gang has been murdered and he thinks he might be next maybe he scraps up what cash he has and anything of the gangs he can sell and decides to jump on a freighter out of town (I'm automatically assuming Seattle is where playing) either stowing away or paying a bribe to get a berth as a worker during the voyage no questions asked. Once there he signs on with some fourth rate mercenary crew and somehow manages to survive whilst learning on the job and working his way up to better and better organisations - maybe saving up for the hive himself, getting the organisation to pay for part of it and he pays the majority as a way to increase his efficiency or getting it as payment for a job from a corp client they work for. This also allows devious GMs to possibly have some fun if it's from and implanted by a corp but you probably don't want to be giving them suggestions. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Or if it's a French vessel and eventually making it's way back to mainland France there's always the French Foreign Legion although I think you need a valid passport/SIN for that.

Actually, you don't have to go that far.
Rating 2 is enough for the tats and another nanite system :



Emphasis mine.
Systems, not ratings.

Even higher ratings of nanotats only count as 1 system.
And while you're at it, get a cyberlimb for the thing, even a full arm doesn't cost more Essence than a rating 2 nanohive and it only takes up 2 points of capacity, regardles of rating.

Other fun things

2061
Ibn Eisa rises from the dead, proclaims a New Islamic Jihad.
SURGE causes all sorts of mayhem globally. Military certainly involved in riot control at the least.
CalFree fights Jpanese Imperial Marines and PCC to some degree

2062 Combat in Denver with Ghostwalker and then CAS taking Azzies turf.
Phillipiens enter open rebelion against the Japanese
Aztlan/Aztechnology military forces start a slash and burn of the Yucatan.
Armed combat erupts on the Salish-Shidhe/Tsimshian border

Note that things probably kept up kinda like that afterwards. They jumped forward in time to get to 4th edition. So some stuff isn't spelled out. And every war isn't mentioned.

From the sounds of things much of Africa, middle east, probably the Balkains and Caucus regions, China, and the Phillipines are sort of ongoing warzones.


You know if you really want to be CAS or UCAS it is quite possible that both run special forces units and some navy actions abroad. Especially UCAS as they aren't fighting a war. Protecting specific interests here and there. Engaging groups that start threatening them.

While I wanted to stick with CAS or UCAS, I can't help but think that if he were to enlist with a corp for military service, he would've had access to better gear, implants, and training. Reading one of the earlier posts in the thread, one person said that it's unlikely they would've given him implants, even though I would like for him to start with some. I figure a mega like Ares, who specializes in making military weapons, would allow him to walk out of chargen a little tougher than if he'd gone to a more budget-strapped military like one of the nationals.

Well Obviously I like my above idea with the corp and the psychotropic IC. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/grinbig.gif)

But that said there isn't any reason at all a ganger looking to be respected and deadly when he gets out wouldn't just sink the bulk of his paycheck into mods. The rest going towards having a good time.

However at standard payscales that means it'd take a good 12-15 years to put together the full 250,000 chargen alotment. Though I could see them subsidizing the costs some.

Of course corp pay might get higher. Being in the "regular" army means you would likely spend much of your career sitting around. A corp force however might be near nonstop action, and pay accordingly. That actually might be survivable especially for an Orc. You could be running around in a good 16 points of armor on the field between heavy armor, helmet, and cyber/bioware. Stay away from anti vehicle weapons and snipers and even if you do get mowed down or blown up it'd probably be mostly stun. And there are always trauma patches and pretty impressive first aid kits when it isn't.

Heh. I hadn't thought about that. But it's possible, especially with corp or mercenary forces that it might be more like the old shieldwall mercenary army battles of Greece where the saying was "Great battle, but nobody died" (Both sides fought conservatively and so on the charge spears would deflect up over the shieldwall and heavy helmets of the other side, at which point a shoving match would ensue along with some conetsting of flanks. Eventually somebody breaks and the beaten group would surrender if they fell or drop gear and run to fight another day. Though generally at least some people would get killed in the process.)

The analagy on the SR4 battlefield would be if everyone was running around with at least a respectable armor 10 and people are using cheap regular ammo people would tend to get knocked out, surrender if they're hurt, or trauma patched and eventually one side would retreat if the tide turns against them but few might die. The next day money is paid to get POWs back, new trauma patches are bought, and this continues until one sides employer goes broke.

\

Upper levels are still sealed off to the public and not sure if it said there was still a military presence but I seem to remember it just stateing that some levels were still sealed off, the rest being a self contained public houseing project irc.

I would think they'd have cleared out the place before opening it up again wouldn't they? Though they might very well not allow access to a number of rooms to the public.

Per the now outdated Shadows of North America, the CAS and Aztlan are in a low-intensity shooting war out in western Texas, sponsoring and initiating insurgencies left and right, when they aren't getting into minor cross border skirmishes. Also, per the same section, the CAS military is massive in terms of manpower, but tends to focus on training rather than technology, while the UCAS military has gone in the opposite direction, bolstering its' smaller numbers of less competent soldiers with the cool new toys from Ares.

I like that actually. I think SR could use more differentiation. I try to make the corps different, so it's nice to see military forces different.

By the way what do people think soldier grunts should be statted as? I don't think they've done that in 4th anywhere. And I don't know if I remember in in third or even second beyond stats for a metroplex guard grunt.

I'd say rathing 3 for Reserves or green units. Rating 4 for typical professional soldiers that have been around for a while.

Like the examples they have except obviously a tendancy towards using assault rifles and helmets resulting in penalties.
Plus at least some beyond leiutenants who would have some heavy weapon skill.

Why?