UCAS Military, How are things arranged? |
UCAS Military, How are things arranged? |
Dec 2 2003, 04:42 AM
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#1
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Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,138 Joined: 10-June 03 From: Tennessee Member No.: 4,706 |
I'm currently thinking heavily on what the standard soldiers in the UCAS armed forces would look like. Are there stats anywhere that I can adapt to my ends? Failing that, does anyone know what companies hold the production contracts for weapons, armor, etc.?
If there are books out there with this info, I'd appreciate the references as well :) Otherwise, it's time to start making things up (which is still fun). |
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Dec 2 2003, 04:49 AM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 280 Joined: 21-April 03 From: Singapore Member No.: 4,487 |
Canadians are sent out ahead of the main line of battle in compact formation as mine sweepers - they stick their fingers in their ears, tongues licking their lips as they use their right feet to probe ahead one step at a time.
The Americans bring up the rear with tanks and shit. |
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Dec 2 2003, 04:54 AM
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#3
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Chrome to the Core Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,152 Joined: 14-October 03 From: ::1 Member No.: 5,715 |
I slap Dim Sum with my Trout of Infalibility...
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Dec 2 2003, 04:54 AM
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#4
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
IIRC, there is information and examples of UCAS soldiers in Super Tuesday and either Brainscan or RA: Sutdown.
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Dec 2 2003, 04:56 AM
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#5
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Immoral Elf Group: Members Posts: 15,247 Joined: 29-March 02 From: Grimy Pete's Bar & Laundromat Member No.: 2,486 |
It can't be too infallible! :D |
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Dec 2 2003, 04:59 AM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 280 Joined: 21-April 03 From: Singapore Member No.: 4,487 |
The Trout of Infallibility??? :eek:
Whoa! Is that, like, a major artefact?!! Can my 18th level half-elven fighter/macho tree hugger/monk of Chaotic Indifferent alignment use it? *runs away with the fish* :D |
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Dec 2 2003, 05:00 AM
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#7
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Chrome to the Core Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,152 Joined: 14-October 03 From: ::1 Member No.: 5,715 |
Curse you spelling, curse you!
It's the fact that a girl I know (and who I think is quite hot) isn't sending me a picture that she keeps telling me about. Or maybe because it's midnight. |
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Dec 2 2003, 05:05 AM
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#8
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 280 Joined: 21-April 03 From: Singapore Member No.: 4,487 |
Midnight?
It's just gone 1300 over here. A-hah! Proof that time travel is possible! I'm 13 hours ahead of you in the future! :grinbig: |
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Dec 2 2003, 05:08 AM
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#9
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Chrome to the Core Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,152 Joined: 14-October 03 From: ::1 Member No.: 5,715 |
Silly Singaporian. Or person in Singapore.
Ha! I read the little thing on the side! I win! Or not. Oh, yeah, topic... Uh... Wasn't there an entry in one of the Neo-A books? If not, maybe Target: UCAS or somesuch. |
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Dec 2 2003, 05:17 AM
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#10
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 280 Joined: 21-April 03 From: Singapore Member No.: 4,487 |
Citizen of Singapore = SingaporEAN :)
However, I am, thankfully, not one. I just work here ... live here ... married here. More to do here than in Pencilvainia (isn't that something to do with being vain about your pencils?). :D On topic ... TinkerGnome, I don't recall any canon material on the subject, dude. |
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Dec 2 2003, 05:40 AM
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#11
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Immortal Elf Group: Members Posts: 11,410 Joined: 1-October 03 From: Pittsburgh Member No.: 5,670 |
i hate to be the one to put this back on-topic, but:
Colt's got the contract for the M-22/23. other than that, i'm not sure--but given the insanely unpredictable state of SR's financial world, i'm willing to bet the UCAS renegotiates contracts for fungible goods (ammo, MREs, clothing, etc.) on a yearly basis, if not more often. in SR, governments have to maintain some level of financial viability, or they'll lose all of their independence from the corps (instead of just most of it). what i'm saying is that you can make up the manufacturers of military goods, and still be correct--maybe the same manufacturer doesn't have the contract this year, but it's easily possible that they did last year and might get it again next year. as far as grunt stats, i think--and many people agree--that most militaries will be going towards smaller, leaner, meaner militaries. therefore, don't be afraid to give all your grunts a smartlink-1, formfit layered under armored camo, and EX-X ammo (or whatever gear floats your boat). everyone should have ARs at 5 or so, and sergeants should have SUT at the same level. they should be medium-badass, probably around the proficiency of a starting-level runner. i tend to give them professional ratings of 3 and karma pools of 2 or so. |
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Dec 2 2003, 05:44 AM
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#12
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,047 Joined: 12-November 03 From: Perilously close to the Sioux Nation. Member No.: 5,818 |
A lot of this stuff gets covered in the thread on magic users in the military.
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Dec 2 2003, 08:00 AM
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#13
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Target Group: Members Posts: 8 Joined: 9-May 03 Member No.: 4,565 |
Wow, closing the lounge really upped the ante round these parts. Jeesh I take about eight months worth of vacation and look what happens to the joint?
Moosegod is correct that this very topic has been very well covered in the past, and if you are interested in some pretty serious answers i'd start my search at the old forums, and the Shadowrun Archive-I can think of at least a dozen really good threads that I have seen over the years, and the Archive has some decent ideas to kick around. MFB is correct about the Colt contract, although I seem to recall, and someone fact check me here, that Colt is a subsidiary of Ares? Is that even close to being correct? Either way, expect Ares which maintains close ties with the UCAS government to supply a great deal of their day to day beans, bullets and drekcetera. Also expect Ares at the minimum, and probably some other corps to cross train with UCAS forces at all levels. (Well maybe not Flagg rank staff...but you never know.) I agree with the downsizing remark, as far as it goes, although I caution you to remember that the balkanization of North America means that everyone keeps their people active and training. Personally I'd tailor the NPC"s to fit my campaign-if you're running starting characters, at lets say 123 points, then make your average grunt oppostion run at about a 110 points, but keep in mind everybody in the military has a buddy, and the fire team is the basic level of Unit Organization. So encountering 4 or more dog faces at once would be a real easy thing to do. Play up the coordinated fields of fire, and combined arms and you can make even the lamest grunt a real threat. (Yeah i'm a plebe, but a plebe with artillery support and my bud here has a Stoner HMG, wanna find out why its called a general purpose weapon?) |
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Dec 2 2003, 08:45 AM
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#14
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 291 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 806 |
What about APDS? How common is it among the common troopers?
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Dec 2 2003, 12:41 PM
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#15
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Chrome to the Core Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,152 Joined: 14-October 03 From: ::1 Member No.: 5,715 |
It's probably reserved for special forces and snipers. No use throwing APDS in an automatic weapon. Too many wasted bullets when regular ammo works just as well. (Excluding the 1/2 Ballistic)
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Dec 2 2003, 12:52 PM
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#16
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,889 Joined: 3-August 03 From: A CPI rank 1 country Member No.: 5,222 |
IRL, APDS ammunition is mostly -- almost exclusively -- used in MMGs and HMGs. M948 7.62x51 NATO SLAP rounds in M240s and M60s as well as M134 and the odd sniper rifle, and M903 and M962 SLAP and SLAP-T .50BMG rounds for M2HBs. I'm under the impression that Barretts and the like cannot fire APDS ammunition, probably because of the muzzle brakes? |
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Dec 2 2003, 01:11 PM
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#17
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Chrome to the Core Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 3,152 Joined: 14-October 03 From: ::1 Member No.: 5,715 |
The Barret considers its special ammo APDS, IIRC.
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Dec 2 2003, 01:31 PM
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#18
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Great Dragon Group: Members Posts: 5,889 Joined: 3-August 03 From: A CPI rank 1 country Member No.: 5,222 |
I was talking IRL all the way through, I'm sorry that was a bit unclear. The REAL Barretts cannot fire APDS ammunition. At least that's what the nifty realmedia video that used to be (and might still be) on Raygun's site said.
Yes, Barrett M121 ammunition is automagically considered APDS ruleswise in SR canon. Those cost a lot more than normal rounds anyhoo (7 vs 20 nuyen a pop), and have an extra bonus of halved Barrier Ratings too, which normal APDS ammo doesn't have (IIRC). And the Barrett M121 is pretty screwy anyway -- like the moronic +2 Recoil on the first shot, or the integral silencer, or the fact that it can't fire AV ammunition... WTF? |
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Dec 2 2003, 01:32 PM
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#19
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Dragon Group: Members Posts: 4,138 Joined: 10-June 03 From: Tennessee Member No.: 4,706 |
Thanks for the book references. I also found another recent thread here that covers a lot of my questions. If the search function didn't make me foam at the mouth, I'd probably have found it before posting ;)
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Dec 2 2003, 04:34 PM
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#20
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Shooting Target Group: Validating Posts: 1,618 Joined: 29-January 03 From: Montevideo, Uruguay. Member No.: 3,992 |
Aztlan SB states that Aztlaner (or Aztek, as in Shadowbeat) troops use the big clumsy weapons, while Aztechnology has all the cool stuff (i.e, SotA Laser Weapons, Militech Armor, etc). Aztlan's military is 50.000 strong, while Aztechnology has 150.000 in uniform.
Then again, that is a special case. I'd imagine the UCAS military to be heavy with Ares and Novatech equipment. Lots of soldiers, too, maybe not as many as the CAS (check SoNA's CAS & UCAS chapters). |
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Dec 2 2003, 04:53 PM
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#21
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King of the Hobos Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,117 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 127 |
IIRC the CAS has the largest standing army in north America, sitting mainly down in Texas playing a game of who blinks first with the Azzies.
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Dec 2 2003, 05:08 PM
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#22
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,047 Joined: 12-November 03 From: Perilously close to the Sioux Nation. Member No.: 5,818 |
Largest, yes. However, their equipment tends to be lower par than everyone elses (YotC p. findityourself).
The UCAS is famous for its airpower and use of expensive gear. |
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Dec 2 2003, 06:33 PM
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#23
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Shooting Target Group: Validating Posts: 1,618 Joined: 29-January 03 From: Montevideo, Uruguay. Member No.: 3,992 |
APDS is standard for both Aztlan and ACS (Aztechnology Corporate Security) forces.
The lower end troops from both tend to have a by-the-book approach to problem solving (little imagination). On the other side of the coin, the Azzies compensate with superior firepower and armor: when Lone Star cop would use Amor Jacket and Thunderbolt, the Azzie beat cop uses security armor and assault rifles... kinda makes you worried, doesn't it? :P |
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Guest_Crimsondude 2.0_* |
Dec 2 2003, 08:21 PM
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#24
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Guests |
Nope. It only worries me South of the border, down Aztlan way... Oh, sorry, that if ACS kills someone while shooting at you, YOU'RE liable.
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Dec 2 2003, 11:14 PM
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#25
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Shooting Target Group: Validating Posts: 1,618 Joined: 29-January 03 From: Montevideo, Uruguay. Member No.: 3,992 |
Oh yes, that too. Add to that the fact that they like to switch (without warning) their elite troops with the standard beat cops.
PC: "Ha! I attack the cop" DM: (Rolls 4d6+14 Initiative) PC: "Errr..." |
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