alt.WAR, Fixing War's problems by writing a new book Options

[Cthulhudreams]

Title: Mercs!

Subtitle: When murphy shows up and shit goes to hell

[hermit]

I like 'For Fun and Profit: [Issue]" best. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

And yes, my recommendations were lame, but meh, I suck with names. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/frown.gif)

Also, Fields of Fire mentioned a number of merc-oriented game shows, aside from Desert Wars. One was The Big Hunt, where Mercs track down horrible awakened mutants. We could cover this too.

Also, might we want to establish an IRC channel for our project?

[Brazilian_Shinob...]

Also, I finished a first draft on Maracaibo with 1230 words. PM me with your e-mails so I can add you to google docs.

Perhaps some people didn't read this, I'm posting again.
hermit already gave me his feedback, waiting more opinions before writing the second one.

Also, might we want to establish an IRC channel for our project?

I think the last time I used IRC was, uh..., 97?
Does this thing still exists?

[hermit]

I think the last time I used IRC was, uh..., 97?
Does this thing still exists?

Yes. It's actually reasonably popular, even.

We might also want a facebook page; I'm not on facebook though, so I cannot set one up.

[sabs]

I can neither use facebook or IRC from work (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

They get really upset about stuff like that around here.

Damn it, my stupid firewall is blocking googledocs this week :/

[hermit]

Wow. That is one paranoid company. Facebook mainly for attention in the community though, not for author communication (it's a little lacking in the privacy department for that).

Does your firewall acccept one-click hosters?

[sabs]

Not sure
but they'd need to be SSL. I know that flickr, and those filesharing sites get blocked.

That kinda why I liked the webforum (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
it's not blocked.

[hermit]

shoot me your email and I'll just mail you the documents then.

[sabs]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) You already have my email

[hermit]

Stupid me. Files are out.

[lokii]

I think the last time I used IRC was, uh..., 97?
Does this thing still exists?

Oh, IRC is very much alive. Many open source and free software developers hang out at freenode for example. Their IRC servers have seen a steady increase of traffic in the past decade: http://freenode.net/history.shtml Other big ones are IRCnet or Undernet. Also all your "bad" internet people warez groups, activists, hackers and so on usually have their own IRC infrastructure. Anonymous coordinates via IRC for example. The charm of it all, admittedly, is that IRC reminds one of the good old times before society discovered the internet and took from us. You know these _other_ people you occasionally meet on the net now. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[pbangarth]

Yes. I get this sense that the Seraphim network still maintains a Francophone atmosphere in their communications - like the network itself still stays together and answers to the same people, just the final email address is damien.knight@ares.com and not lucien.cross@catco.ca.

[lurk]
It wouldn't be anything.ca in a seceded Québec. catco.pq, maybe.
[/lurk]

[Doc Chase]

[lurk]
It wouldn't be anything.ca in a seceded Québec. catco.pq, maybe.
[/lurk]

This is why I want French-speakers helping me out. =P

[Nath]

Quebec suffix would be .qc (they already use .qc.ca and similar suffix).
In French, PQ is the short for "papier-cul." That is, toilet paper.

[pbangarth]

Quebec suffix would be .qc (they already use .qc.ca and similar suffix).
In French, PQ is the short for "papier-cul." That is, toilet paper.

In Québec PQ has been used as the postal province code (poste Québec?). You're right, something like .qc or even .que would be more likely.

[Stahlseele]

We also need to dicker over the Ares Intel voice.

ok, somebody tell me what to dicker is supposed to mean . .

[sabs]

argue, discuss, come to an understnading over.

[Stahlseele]

ok, i did not know that.
i thought it would be to bicker or to dick around . . maybe to differ . .

[pbangarth]

This is cool! Watching a group trying to overcome the non-communication issue prevalent in earlier official books. Except now the writers don't speak the same language! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

[sabs]

It is pretty amusing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
we've got Germans, Brazillians, Americans, French..

[Tzeentch]

Useful roleplaying books that can serve as a starting point or organizational framework:

Battletech Field Manual: Mercenaries Revised The original also has a much different "feel".
GURPS Mass Combat
Traveller: Star Mercs:
Merc: 2000 (pretty crappy ...)
Traveller Book 1: Mercenary

[Arclight]

Merc: 2000 (pretty crappy ...)

Yeah. But still miles above Recon! from Palladium.

GURPS: Special Ops is also nice to read.

[Tzeentch]

-- Make sure you get the 3rd edition version of GURPS Special Ops revised by Hans, however. It's already been largely overtaken by events since it was revised, but it's much better than the earlier versions. Hopefully he gets the time to completely revamp it. Make sure to pick up his GURPS Tactical Shooting when it's released (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Arclight]

I have the 3rd ed (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

For books on shooting, I am quite content with books from Mr Suarez and Mr Howe, though.

[Tzeentch]

-- Shadowrun has never really done "big guns" right, see the mess that Fields of Fire ended up being - despite being more a "big guns catalog" than a sourcebook on mercenaries (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Useful References:
Dunnigan, James. How to Make War, Fourth Edition (Harper, 2003)
Richelson, Jeffrey. The US Intelligence Community, Fifth Edition (Westview, 2007).
FM 3-06 Urban Operations
MCDP1 Warfighting
MCDP2 Intelligence

The Marine Corps Doctrinal Pubs are excellent for introducing military concepts. They are easy to read, avoid complex jargon, and have great quotations (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)