o: ... Oh yeah. I keep thinking of it because I keep lumping Kinunir The Book with Kinunir The Ship.Accuracy Fiend, you are!:rofl:
Battle Dress skill and Marines
- Thread starter Shadowfax
- Start date
o: ... Oh yeah. I keep thinking of it because I keep lumping Kinunir The Book with Kinunir The Ship.Accuracy Fiend, you are!:rofl:
Bill didn't say the character was implausible, just that he was useless. That social level is precisely that which makes him plausible (somewhat plausible -- a mere knight is IMO a tad low, socially speaking, for being THAT incompetent :devil
. As the old Imperial Navy aphorism (that I've made up myself) has it "To get ahead in the Navy, you have to be either good or noble".Incidentally, I don't recall many officers in Patrick O'Brien's books that had been promoted FAR beyond their competence; in a shooting war, incompetence tends to be self-correcting.
Hans
Bill didn't say the character was implausible, just that he was useless. That social level is precisely that which makes him plausible (somewhat plausible -- a mere knight is IMO a tad low, socially speaking, for being THAT incompetent :devil
Incidentally, I don't recall many officers in Patrick O'Brien's books that had been promoted FAR beyond their competence; in a shooting war, incompetence tends to be self-correcting.
Hans
No, not many...but competency in sailing isn't the same as competency in command. There are several examples of lieutenants on some ships who have admirable sailing ability, but nearly drive the men to mutiny...captains who value a pretty ship and will flog (Bonden was flogged on the Nereid for it) a man for not shining the brass lock on a cannon enough but can sail a ship.
Likewise there are examples of officers who value the men's good opinion rather than be able to form them into a good fighting crew.
There are also examples in the series of similarly seeming poor officers who turn into real fighting men and excellent leaders when they first come under fire - to everyone's surprise.
I was just trying to point out that there's plenty of adventure fiction (and real life - who would think such a puny lad with no knowledge of French - and hated them to boot, swearing to bring them low one day - would rise to become Napoleon?) where unlikely heroes can come out of unlikely material.
I have a current player in my campaign who insisted on keeping his former Free Trader character even though his stats are 466A83...he failed in the regular service, but picked up some useful skills in the Free Traders. He decided the guy would be fun to run since he isn't of the usual sterner stuff of the average player character. Its a real joy to watch him play the guy as someone who tries to be heroic, but practically has to have someone else aim the gun for him.
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Hi Ken!
The boarding parties in the Lensman series used to wade in with space axes - axes doped with heavy metal (similar to superdense I guess, but carrying a LOT of inertia...).
I believe the space axe showed up in a T20 supplement...
Actually Bill, I thought that the Admin-4 was a pretty good skill for an XO to have. He has to break down the Captain's general instructions to specific ones across the rest of the ship's crew. He shouldn't have to fire weapons, or do damage control, just be able to organise other to do it for him. Kinda likea "money multiplier" effect, just with people.
And in CT, I don't think you can underestimate the power of the single level of JoT skill, either.
Certainly it is (albeit quite a bit of overkill), if it's in addition to the skills a captain needs. An XO isn't just an executive officer; he's the reserve captain.
Hans
Hi Ken!
The boarding parties in the Lensman series used to wade in with space axes - axes doped with heavy metal (similar to superdense I guess, but carrying a LOT of inertia...).
I believe the space axe showed up in a T20 supplement...
I found this on the Net:-------wait! I think I found it here! If so I apologize for forgetting....I have so many files I lose track sometimes.
I remember an old story that I believe was called "No Trumpets Sound"...or something like that. Old Golden Age stuff, it had the troops fighting in space with axes that had small nozzles to puff out air on either side of the haft to help the guy swing it in zero G...a think like the jaws of life that you'd clamp on a guy's leg or arm and it would start winding closed until it pierced the armor, and swords that were white hot to stab with.
I'll search for the story and post it here if I can find it.
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Hey, that's a good idea! Recycling is important even in space. Or you could save and jerk the meatier bits for those really long misjumps.
BlackBat242
SOC-14 1K
Soylent Green.
Supplement Four
SOC-14 5K
It's peeepole! PEEEPOLE!
pardon me for slipping in. But i just went through my book 1 again (the Kinunirs and this Exec are pre-book4 irc). Which skills do you think to be a must have for a captain? Ships that size do have pilots, navigators and engineers aboard. The captain is supervising them. Tactics maybe but you dont get tactics in the navy. Or leader but thats not in the navy either.
That depends. My USN training materials from 1983-1987 indicate the XO is purely admin, and different from the 1st officer/vice commander, who is the "reserve captain"... It's a paradigm that the USN keeps going back and forth on, in about 30 year cycles. Currently, its in the XO is vice commander mode. The 80's, it was in XO = line officer to oversee the staff departments for the CO and CV/1O and serve as 2O.
I can't imagine a cutlass being made with just steel in the future. I can understand on a low to mid tech world but in a high tech world I don't see why it wouldn't be titanium or even bonded superdense. Just a thought.
I'm fairly sure I've seen a statement by Marc Miller somewhere to the effect that the cutlass doesn't have any serious combat applications. The Marines train with them because it's tradition, just as Civil War Era officers trained with the epeé because it was tradition. I also think there was something about developing reflexes etc., but I'm pretty sure that's just a rationalization. Marines train with cutlasses because it's tradition. Just as regimental bands play bagpipes because it's tradition. Tradition; that's all there is to it.
And that's all that's needed.
Hans
...and tradition is important. Just like an officer carrying a traditional handgun in combat would also be an idiot if he didn't have a rifle.
But a lot can also just be assumed on the part of the referee and players as to the materials that make the cutlass (or whatever edged weapon) up - it shouldn't have to be spelled out for you. Just adjust the DM up or down a point or so per TL difference in the weapon used vs. the TL of the armor.
If it's a TL-15 cutlass (probably made with some super high tech metal if you wish) used against some primitive BEM wearing the equivalent of TL-10 mesh just give split the difference and give the cutlass an extra +2DM to hit. Reverse that if the primitive BEM survives the blow to riposte with a TL-10 merely high carbon steel blade for a -2DM against whatever the Marine is wearing.
The other thing to think about is if only the officer corps "uses" the cutlass, or do all the Marines use it, or does the officer corps use something else to mark them as distinct from the guys on the line? IMTU everyone uses it, but only the officers wear it. But since I like sword n' blaster stuff the rankers are issued cutlasses when either preparing to board, or when told to repel boarders.
But a lot can also just be assumed on the part of the referee and players as to the materials that make the cutlass (or whatever edged weapon) up - it shouldn't have to be spelled out for you. Just adjust the DM up or down a point or so per TL difference in the weapon used vs. the TL of the armor.
If it's a TL-15 cutlass (probably made with some super high tech metal if you wish) used against some primitive BEM wearing the equivalent of TL-10 mesh just give split the difference and give the cutlass an extra +2DM to hit. Reverse that if the primitive BEM survives the blow to riposte with a TL-10 merely high carbon steel blade for a -2DM against whatever the Marine is wearing.
The other thing to think about is if only the officer corps "uses" the cutlass, or do all the Marines use it, or does the officer corps use something else to mark them as distinct from the guys on the line? IMTU everyone uses it, but only the officers wear it. But since I like sword n' blaster stuff the rankers are issued cutlasses when either preparing to board, or when told to repel boarders.
I would say that (1.) you would actually need either leader or tactics for it, in addition to a bit of admin (well, someone's gotta do it...) and (2.) that a Navy career should be getting these skills. You'd also want the captain and exec to have at least one ship-skill such as pilot or gunnery.
I wouldn't put anyone in charge of a ship of mine if he couldn't astrogate[1].
[1] Even though the rules call it navigation, it's astrogation, the ability to direct a ship between the stars, not the ability to navigate on a planetary surface.
Hans
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
This brings up the interesting question of skill requirements for rank.
Perhaps the character generation process should be tweaked so that certain skills are required before a promotion can be attempted...
hmm, ideas forming.
Perhaps the character generation process should be tweaked so that certain skills are required before a promotion can be attempted...
hmm, ideas forming.
