Planetary Defense Force OCC?

Braden Campbell · Fri Dec 22, 2006 10:01 pm

Planetary Defense Forces.... the Phase World equivalent of the national guard or the local conscripted posse. More likely than not, just a bunch of bullies, former criminals, and otherwise unemployable loosers who all have one thing in common: they like to bust heads and act like big men.

I am toying with creating a PDF-constable OCC for Thundercloud Galaxy. My thinking is that these guys would get very basic training and thus not have nearly as many skills as the CAF trooper or Imperial Legionnaire... more like the CS Grunt package. No fancy powers. No partial bionic conversion. Just a weekend course, a badge, a uniform, and a gun.

Thoughts?

Alpha 11 · Unread post by **Alpha 11** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:08 pm

Interesting. I think it could go someplace.

Braden Campbell · Sat Dec 23, 2006 12:08 am

No, I mean "we have a colony of 200 people here on Planet X, and do not enough CAF Troopers/Imperial Legiannaires to protect/police them."

So they deputise a bunch of guys to act as second-string soldiers. Real solders could mop the floor with these guys, but hey, at least the colony will have some protection from pirates, monsters, Splugorth, or the local indigeneous species.

Jefffar · Unread post by **Jefffar** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 3:51 am

So a colonist with a couple WPs, a Hand to Hand Skill and MIlitary Ettequette.

Carl Gleba · Unread post by **Carl Gleba** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 11:52 am

I think its a cool idea. Given how spread out people are likely to get the CAF just can't be everywhere at once.

Carl

KLM · Unread post by **KLM** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 12:26 pm

Hi there!

The DMB03 touched this matter in the case of the
CCW - the IDF. As for the UWW, there are likely
to exist some similar force... Similar in purpose,
that is, of course.

In the TGE... I really doubt it. They probably will
send some poor fellow from the other side of TGE
space, and preferably from a different race, just
to ensure proper oppressing... err... loyal behaviour.

Divide et impera.
---------------------
Now... Given the fact that these local forces vastly
differ in size, resources, professionalism and finally
in threat level (in their enviroment), it takes a very
wide OCC, with lots of MOS options.

More likely, I am toying with the idea of an uniformed
character creation system, when a character gets
a given amount of "points" (insert fancy name

)
and make most special abilities - like magic use,
psionics, autododge, you name it - make out of these
resources.

Unfortunately I am a lazy and occupied bastard, so
this idea will stay in that level indefinitely. :-(

Adios
KLM

Braden Campbell · Sat Dec 23, 2006 3:19 pm

OK... Gadrin's had enough egg nog it seems.... 8-)

glitterboy2098 · Sat Dec 23, 2006 8:41 pm

Braden, GMPhD wrote:Planetary Defense Forces.... the Phase World equivalent of the national guard or the local conscripted posse. More likely than not, just a bunch of bullies, former criminals, and otherwise unemployable loosers who all have one thing in common: they like to bust heads and act like big men.

I am toying with creating a PDF-constable OCC for Thundercloud Galaxy. My thinking is that these guys would get very basic training and thus not have nearly as many skills as the CAF trooper or Imperial Legionnaire... more like the CS Grunt package. No fancy powers. No partial bionic conversion. Just a weekend course, a badge, a uniform, and a gun.

Thoughts?

sweet, a Minuteman OCC.

though i think 'constable' should be 'planetary police', not militia/PDF. probably falls under the same orginizational control, but law enforcement and military defense should be seperate branches of a PDF.
(perhaps 'constable' can be a PDF version of an MP?)

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 9:22 pm

Try using the Ninjas and Superspies Grunt-class for planetside troopers, giving them more civilian-oriented skill programs to represent their 'other' jobs/orientation....The use of the N&SS formats also allows for a greater diversity of possible martial arts training to represent cultural differences between worlds(albeit the more basic styles)...Also, if you limit abailable skills to those in the N&SS books, with a few basic high-tech skills like Pilot Hovervehicles or W.P.s, you can better represent low-tech worlds or citizen soldiers without access to the sort of higher-tech firepower the regular CCW ground forces(more like Marines) get...

Of course, on many worlds, the planetary militia is, as some folks have already mentioned, just about any OCC with some basic military skills like Radio: Basic, mandatory physical performance stats, and WPs, plus Military Ettiquette so they know who to obey, recognize rank, and follow proper procedures...so you can end up Tribal Barbarians and Totem Warriors mixed up with civilian (construction)Robot Pilots, BodyFixers, and Operators in a unit...

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 9:27 pm

gadrin wrote:I vote for a Cosmic Dogwalker OCC or the Cosmic Burger Flipper OCC, Energy Leash and special Rune Glove for picking up the Cosmic Crap, and the other carries a Rune Spatula.

Maybe a full-size cut-out for LARPers to wear a tin-foil or paper emblem, showing they're real heroes of the Cosmic Forger.

How about the Quixotic CosmoKnight OCC...basically it's a crazy guy who THINKS he has Cosmic Powers...but in reality it's (mostly) a delusion borne out of incredible self-denial and incredible luck and maybe some latent psychic powers that kick in from time to time like Empathic Projection that has enemies fleeing from the guy(who ascribes it to 'fear of his Cosmic Forge-granted greatness')...

MADMANMIKE · Unread post by **MADMANMIKE** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 2:22 pm

..This is the kind of thing I'd like to see; pick a professional skill or a set of amatuer skills to reflect chosen path in life, but have the OCC skills be the basic military to represent militia training.

..So you've really got a civilian soldier. The trend has been towards alot of OCC skills and only a few Other and Secondary, specializing the characters. I'd rather see a looser format similar to the original occ's.

-Mike >8]

taalismn · Unread post by **taalismn** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 9:46 pm

Planetary defense forces tend towards extremes...either they're budget-cut bargin-basement laughingstocks that got loaded with yesterday's equipment by whatever stellar-national they're a part of, or they're even better equipped than the stellser-national armed forces because of their narrower focus, smaller theatre of operations, and because the local government will find a way to fund its self-defense if they think they're being left to hang in the wind...

MADMANMIKE · Unread post by **MADMANMIKE** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 9:49 pm

..I think it would take alot of modification. The Mercenaries are professional soldiers. What we're talking about here are volunteer fighters. ot half as much training.

-Mike >8]

KLM · Unread post by **KLM** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 5:19 am

Nah, there freedom frighters of the FWC are full-time
soldiers. We are talking about part-time soldiers...
...which truely ranges from a men's club, with
almost surplused equipment to the Switzerland's
reserves.

On the other hand... Hmmm. Maybe this is not an OCC,
just a skill package (hmm... WB5: Triax+NGR, page 22
offers such a skill package) and maybe option for reaching
some categories unaviable for non-military types.

And maybe for some number-crunching, designating several
skill packages (3-5 skills each) and adding az XP-multiplier
to them.

I mean Joe C. Rat decides to be a weekend warrior, somewhere
in a dusty, boring colony. He finishes boot camp in 4 weeks,
and get the five skills from the NGR book, this adds 10% penalty
for every experience level's XP-limit.

Later on, he decides to participate on a ranger course (another
3-4 weeks) and he gets like land navigation, wilderness survival,
track, maybe detect ambush and first aid - and another 10%.

If he has spare skills, he might train in some skills he had no
acces to previously, like aircraft piloting or robot combat elite.

So, instead of needing 3751 XP for lvl 3, he needs 4501.

Just my virtual two cents, before my first coffee.

Adios
KLM

Braden Campbell · Mon Dec 25, 2006 10:53 am

Darkmax wrote:freedom fighters?

The Freedom Fighter OCC can actually load up on a lot of skills by fourth level, and can be pretty tough mothers in a fight.

My thinking is that the PDF soldier would get a few, basic, military-oriented OCC skills. then, instead of choosing OCC Related skills, you would choose a background set: what were you before you got drafted/joined up? A criminal, constantly unemployed bum, former military? Each background choice will contain a subset of skills oriented to that choice (and taken from Systems Failure)

Then a few Secondary Skills.

Anyway... maybe more after Christmas.

Aramanthus · Unread post by **Aramanthus** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 8:24 pm

It does sound interesting Braden!

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