Merc Equipment
- Thread starter Jame
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Ganidirsii O'Flynn
SOC-12
Well, that would be the interesting thing about mercs. IMTU, there IS no standard of equipment, aside from the obvious... weapons that accept the same calibers, vacc suits for ProForce units, and so on.
One guy in a squad might be in a CES whose chill system doesn't work, one guy is in a full suit of Cloth, a couple have no armor but helmets. Generally, the level of uniformity and maintenance in personal gear is one indicator of how successful a merc unit is. If you've ever played BattleTech, think of the difference between Wilson's Hussars and the Grey Death Legion.
One guy in a squad might be in a CES whose chill system doesn't work, one guy is in a full suit of Cloth, a couple have no armor but helmets. Generally, the level of uniformity and maintenance in personal gear is one indicator of how successful a merc unit is. If you've ever played BattleTech, think of the difference between Wilson's Hussars and the Grey Death Legion.
A Merc outfit should provide every trooper with some minimal level of gear. As above, a rifle of the same caliber everone else uses, a suit of cloth armor (or whatever they've standardized on as their BDU) easily recognized by their fellows as 'one of us' to avoid blue-on-blue. Depending on the size, reputation and quality of the outfit this gear will range from top-of-the-line gauss weapons and combat armor purchased from an Imperial surplus depot to autorifles and jack armor that had seen better days before the trooper was born. (personally, I'd sign with the first unit long before going to the second one)
Beyond this bare minimum of uniformity, I'd expect a w-i-d-e variety of equipment belonging to the individual troopers. And just because everyone is using a 9mm ACR, there's little guarantee they'll be of a single brand, and less of one that troopers won't be packing their own preferred ammo load-outs...
Beyond this bare minimum of uniformity, I'd expect a w-i-d-e variety of equipment belonging to the individual troopers. And just because everyone is using a 9mm ACR, there's little guarantee they'll be of a single brand, and less of one that troopers won't be packing their own preferred ammo load-outs...
Well, that's YTU. MTU is, of course, different.
IMTU, mercenary companies don't take contracts with customers who can't pay for decent equipment. No bucks, no bang.
Of course, there are ways around this, but they boil down to getting someone else to pay for your "advisors".
Alan Bradley
Merc companies are judged on thier equipment as much as their record. IF the uniforms are not standardized, the commander is obiously a loser usable only for throwaway contracts. A spit and polish outfit equiped with BD14 and FGMP15s will get offers for top CR cherry contracts from megacorps across known space. That is if you believe the recruiting posters.
The reality will be somewhat different.
A merc unit is used only when needed, and expected to be used. Why payout big bucks for a group of dangerous individuals close to your valuables? Anyone with something worth guarding will have guards already. If you believe that a megacorp will not have quick reaction forces of troops in BD14 and FGMP15s can keep on believing that.
The most common times a merc unit will be hired will be:
1. Security - to defend a poor group of settles who are sitting on exploitable resources
2. Striker - Removing those settlers for a corp
3. Cadre - Training settlers to defend themselfs
4. Commando - Eliminating a group embarassing to the local government, that the government wants not to be asociated with.
The eqipment used will depend on the ticket;
Security, mostly light weapons and armor
Cadre, Whatever the poor cheap fools can afford, the cheapest surplus garbage the can aquire
Striker, High tech is best
Commando, specialized high tech mandatory
The reality will be somewhat different.
A merc unit is used only when needed, and expected to be used. Why payout big bucks for a group of dangerous individuals close to your valuables? Anyone with something worth guarding will have guards already. If you believe that a megacorp will not have quick reaction forces of troops in BD14 and FGMP15s can keep on believing that.
The most common times a merc unit will be hired will be:
1. Security - to defend a poor group of settles who are sitting on exploitable resources
2. Striker - Removing those settlers for a corp
3. Cadre - Training settlers to defend themselfs
4. Commando - Eliminating a group embarassing to the local government, that the government wants not to be asociated with.
The eqipment used will depend on the ticket;
Security, mostly light weapons and armor
Cadre, Whatever the poor cheap fools can afford, the cheapest surplus garbage the can aquire
Striker, High tech is best
Commando, specialized high tech mandatory
Ganidirsii O'Flynn
SOC-12
OK, it is known in canon that the 3I will get absolutely hairy on two items of gear on mercenary units: Battle Dress and Spinal Mounts. Under NO circumstances will the Iridium Throne allow mercenaries to mount gear anywhere near it's ability to threaten said mercs. That is a Law of War.
Beyond that, mercenary work is, first and foremost, a market driven trade. In fact, it is in many ways no different than being a belter. You have a demand (skilled labor), an independant supplier (mercenary units), and criteria for hiring (unit specialty, equipment, size, reputation and so on). Those who hire mercs do not supply equipment, they hire it.
It is not the responsability of the employer to supply or replace gear. His ticket fee covers that. It is the OWNER'S responsability to deal with these things.
Thus, a bad commander making poor business decisions will likely have no unit to command. A unit owner who knows where he can contribute and where he cannot, and hires the right sophont for that job, will be successful. His unit will have, unlike the afore mentioned leader, good equipment, good retention, and good morale.
This ain't IMTU, this is just simply economics in a reputation-driven field.
'Nuff said - Stan Lee
Beyond that, mercenary work is, first and foremost, a market driven trade. In fact, it is in many ways no different than being a belter. You have a demand (skilled labor), an independant supplier (mercenary units), and criteria for hiring (unit specialty, equipment, size, reputation and so on). Those who hire mercs do not supply equipment, they hire it.
It is not the responsability of the employer to supply or replace gear. His ticket fee covers that. It is the OWNER'S responsability to deal with these things.
Thus, a bad commander making poor business decisions will likely have no unit to command. A unit owner who knows where he can contribute and where he cannot, and hires the right sophont for that job, will be successful. His unit will have, unlike the afore mentioned leader, good equipment, good retention, and good morale.
This ain't IMTU, this is just simply economics in a reputation-driven field.
'Nuff said - Stan Lee
Mercs will have the same kind of gear planetary forces will have. That's because they _are_ planetary forces, at least for the duration of their contracts.
It may or may not be the responsibility of the employer to supply or replace gear.
In the case of a cadre ticket, it clearly _is_, since the forces that are being trained will become their planetary forces. At most only personal equipment would be provided by the contractor.
In some cases, the employer may choose to provide the equipment, or they may require the contractor to act as their agents in providing it. This essentially depends on whether or not the employer has the necessary expertise, coupled with the question of who is going to retain ownership of the remaining equipment at the end of the contract.
If it is the contractor's job to provide the equipment, then yes, the ticket fee will include the cost of the equipment. If not, it won't.
Over time, it is possible that mercenary units might build up an inventory of equipment left over from previous contracts. This stuff could, of course, be used to reduce the costs of buying equipment for current contracts, or add a bit of extra firepower to a force that will otherwise be equipped to a low-budget standard. Generally speaking, however, merc units will tend to use gear that comes straight from the local Instellarms distributor, just like anyone else that can afford it.
What primarily is important for a mercenary unit is reputation, skills and experience. Equipment can be bought from any arms dealer. Reputation, skills and experience are harder to acquire.
In fact, I suspect that most "mercenary companies" are recruiting agencies, with at most a small cadre of permanent staff, plus a network of contacts and regularly used personnel. That way, when you hire Interstellar Death LIC to provide you with a battalion of mercs, they would then hire the battalion, with a cadre provided by permanent staff, supplemented by people they have worked with before and trust. They would also send a team around to the local Instellarms to buy gear, book passages and shipping space on Tukera lines, train for a while, and then deliver you your battalion. If you are lucky, of course, Interstellar Death may have just finished a contract, and may be able to convince most of the unit they provided for that contract to reenlist, which would cut the time required to provide you with your unit.
What you rarely would get would be a private army that sits around waiting to be employed wholesale. If a unit has no ticket, it will disband. It may be raised again later with substantially the same personnel, or it may not. The continuing factor is likely to be its corporate front. Of course, if money laundering is involved, the corporate front may itself be temporary...
Megacorporate mercs may be somewhat different. Megacorps, of course, rule entire worlds! As such, they legitimately control regular planetary armies and navies. They are also likely to be run by people who are imperial nobles and/or planetary rulers. In addition, they will have lots of more or less permanent security detachments spread around. All of these will tend to be more or less regular military forces...
The closest thing to a private army would probably be various Vargr corsair bands and similar warlord groups. These would, indeed, tend to have fairly random equipment. But, let's face it, these groups are roughly the equivalent of Al Qaeda. Would _you_ hire them?
Alan Bradley
You seem to have lost most of your post.
Unless you were implying that my previous post wasn't about Mercs in Traveller...
The private army model that many people assume is unprofitable. In addition, it probably doesn't produce optimal military outcomes.
It's a shame there isn't really a suitable simulator that we can use to demonstrate this. I would be really keen on an on-line Striker game.
Alan Bradley
I thought we were. Surely you've heard of Market Forces.Originally posted by Zutroi:
[What a shame if we should have been discussing Merchant equipment!
Besides, mercenary companies are businesses too, just like merchant lines. Indeed, certain merchant lines that we won't mention (glances towards Delphi Sector) not only employ mercs, but have been known to provide mercenary forces to certain governments.
So, yes, indeed, mercenary equipment is of concern to large enough merchant lines...
Alan Bradley
trader jim
SOC-14 1K
No need to tell ME...my Traders Raiders cost a buldle!!! and most of the time they are on "down time" but still drawing pay!!!....one of these days Ill post all that i have on them!!!
Shadow Bear
SOC-12
Whatever the unit/owner can afford!
posting from the alternate command site..
lets go bargain basement here...
what is the absolute cheapest merc platoon that you can build?
I toyed with the idea at one time, and came up with a tl7 light inf. platoon, all with small caliber assault rifles, flak jackets, 1-power radios, etc. squad leaders had grenade launchers (4 for the platoon). supply and support consisted of 2 medics, 1 electronics guy, 1 cook, 2 veteranarians (sp), 4 cart drivers, and four carts with attached animals
(i used miniphants from jtas in my calculations)
spent cr15,000 on payroll.
I believe i came up with a unit under cr50000. anyone out there come up with something better or more interesting?
lets go bargain basement here...
what is the absolute cheapest merc platoon that you can build?
I toyed with the idea at one time, and came up with a tl7 light inf. platoon, all with small caliber assault rifles, flak jackets, 1-power radios, etc. squad leaders had grenade launchers (4 for the platoon). supply and support consisted of 2 medics, 1 electronics guy, 1 cook, 2 veteranarians (sp), 4 cart drivers, and four carts with attached animals
(i used miniphants from jtas in my calculations)
spent cr15,000 on payroll.
I believe i came up with a unit under cr50000. anyone out there come up with something better or more interesting?
sorry for not getting quote exactly right; am on backup computer and its difficult to work with. any way, some of us in the traveller universe don't let mercs run around with big stuff like spinal mounts and battle dress and other things like that. I think the regulation of spinal mounts is mentioned in supplement 5. regulation of battle dress is more of a imtu thing, but i have it imtu because without it pc's get crazy and out of control. never, never, let a munchkin have battle dress and a personal battle cruiser with a spinal mount. thats just asking for trouble.
I don't know about that. I had BD and a battleship in one campaign. But the navy only gave us the battleship after we started the war....
Seriously, it depends on the campaign. In TNE you can find DB and fix it up, in CT buy it on the blackmarket or from a friendly noble patron.
Savage
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