All Things Vargr

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

Q. Quite likely, that the highest level of loyalty that a Vargr has is to his nuclear family.

R. Consisting of his parents, and his siblings.

S. That could include foster and step siblings.

T. That might extend, if in slightly lesser intensity, to the larger, extended family pack.

U. Generationally, maybe upto two removed.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

V. It would take something extraordinary to break the ties within a Vargr nuclear family.

W. It could be a Rover and Jezebel situation.

X. It could be cultish politics or religion.

Y. One member could have committed grave transgressions, against another member.

Z. Or, committed an act that endangered the entire pack, if only by association.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

1. As a Vargr grows up, he'll join play groups, run around with neighbourhood cubs, and go to kindergarten.

2. Outside of understanding the concept of a pack at that age, the temporariness of the association would prevent the formation of one.

3. Vargr that casually hang out with each other become a posse.

4. Ones that do so to do somewhat shady undertakings, are a gang.

5. Ones that like to follow a popular (and charismatic) Vargr, develop into an entourage.

6. As they get older, and they have more opportunity to socialize, or pursue their interests and hobbies.

7. These tend to be cliques, subgroups usually formed by a small number of Vargr from within a larger, of looser, groupings, such as sports teams, classrooms, clubs, or neighbourhoods.

8. Later on, workplaces, and even within packs.

9. Artistically minded Vargr may find themselves in troupes and (musical) bands.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

A. You survive high school and all those social cliques.

B. You get to join your first pack.

C. Assuming that they decide to let you in.

D. It's not a class taught by revered lecturers.

E. It's not the sports team required by your sports scholarship.

F. It's one of the college fraternities.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

G. Assuming that Vargr have teaching institutions.

H. It looks like that Vargr believe that life is a zero sum game.

I. And everyone is always competing with each other.

J. If so, why should one teach another how to become more competent at something the first happens to know more about, or, is good at?

K. Or, in the case of military academies, how to overthrow him, if only by proxy?

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

L. Now, it could be that Vargr university lecturers are close to the end of their useful working lifes.

M. Which has two advantages.

N. They have a proven track record of accomplishments.

O. And, their students won't be in competition with them.

P. Plus, furry coeds.

 

[Grav_Moped]

Education: "I know stuff, you don't. Let me show you how much smarter I am than you are, which is why you should follow me."

 

[Condottiere]

Indiana Bones.

I don't think the Vargr ruling class sponsors military academies.

I do think they'll sponsor universities and technical colleges.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

Q. I think that Vargr militaries, not necessarily non state paramilitary units, have the same problem as Arab armies.

R. Knowledge is power and relevance, and considered need to know, by junior and field officers.

S. What the Vargr ruling class want are specialists, not generalists.

T. This ensures institutional interdependency.

U. And compartmentalization.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

V. However, there is a realization that in order to keep their technologically based civilization going, regardless of the competition it creates at the microeconomic level, they have to pass on the requisite knowledge and skills to the next generation.

W. Hence, universities, or whatever they'll term it.

X. Graduation, currently, is two points to a major focus, and one to a minor focus.

Y. This includes military science, since it's theoretical.

Z. Rather than spreading it out amongst six service skills, three of which can be raised to factor/one, in a military academy.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

1. Once a Vargr reaches majority, he gets to voluntarily join any number of groupings.

2. We might call them packs, but there are likely nuances as to the degree of association.

3. To me, joining a pack seems a long term commitment, possibly a lifetime.

4. With potential life and death situations, for all parties involved.

5. I mean, would you lay down your life for your chess club pack leader, who's been accused of cheating, by sticking a vibrator communications device up his ass?

6. Current character generation mechanics allow Vargr to switch careers, without the normal penalty.

7. That might not actually be a pack that the Vargr is joining or quitting, but rather, a (commercial) crew.

8. What the Vargr might actually have joined, and still be a part of, the local chapter of the Secretary Union.

9. Or the Engineers' Guild.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

A. Vargr can join social institutions, like country clubs.

B. That makes them club members.

C. At the other end of the spectrum, criminal gangs.

D. These would be actual gangs, and the Vargr would be a gang member.

E. However, with organized crime groups, like the Mafia and the Yakuza, these would be considered packs.

F. Get initiated, and you're a Made Wolfman.

 

[bookwyrm]

F. Get initiated, and you're a Made Wolfman.

Couldn't find the facepalm Emoji.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

G. Vargr would love to join Masonic Lodges.

H. They provide three aspects important to the Vargr psyche.

I. Companionship.

J. Secrets of the universe.

K. Political influence.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

L. Although the life of a corsair is appealing to Vargr, these space pirates constitute less than 10% of Vargr society.

M. I'm not sure how many people appreciate how large a demographic is at ten percent.

N.

O. Of course, some countries have larger numbers of law enforcement and internal security personnel.

P. And, assuming that corsairs tend to be spaceborne, how many spacecraft are required.

 

[kilemall]

To the latter point, my assumption is that a goodly percentage of pirating vessels are small craft- fast to match course, gain control or pickup, and fast to leave. Carried by a mother vessel that either provides distant covering fire or isn’t readily visible around the target area.

 

[Condottiere]

I doubt there really is a standard corsair design, despite half a century of canon.

But average out the number of piratical Vargr in each crew, divided by ten percent of the Vargr population, and that's the number of corsair starships you need.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

Q.

R. Assuming eighty percent of the population is in employment, and half it by gender.

S. That would make corsair demographic ten over forty, or a quarter of the labour force.

T. You can adjust that downwards, by how many females you think will become corsairs.

U. Though, that could be how many Vargr embraced piracy in their lifetime, rather than the current practitioners.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

V. Let's say that the average size of a Vargr corsair is four hundred tonnes, and has a crew of twenty.

W. Ten percent of a million is a hundred thousand.

X. Hundred thousand divided by twenty is five thousand crews.

Y. Per million Vargr, there are five thousand corsair starships roaming about in space.

Z. With a tonnage of two million.

 

[Condottiere]

Vargr: Military Organization

1. Imagine a Vargr planet with a population of a billion.

2. There are five million corsair starships parked in orbit.

3. Crewed by a hundred million corsairs.

4. Who's paying their salaries?

5. How are the corsair starships' maintenance costs paid?

6. However you look at it, the corsairs are military and law enforcement threats.

7. In theory, you could send them to the next settled star system.

8. And let them descend like a plague of locusts.

9. Looting and pillaging everything.