Re: [HOE] Re: Military Background

["Kai Tave" <kaitave@harborside.com>]

The difference between a Syker and a soldier is that Sykers weren't made to
be cranked out assembly line-style.

Sykers were true "specialists."  No two Sykers, even ones who had the same
line of work, would be trained in exactly the same fashion.  They didn't go
through "boot camp" as such, and also didn't fall into any specific
"categories", like infantry or armor or air corps or what-have-you.  Two
pyrokinetic saboteurs could be totally different as far as skills, tactics,
and personal styles go.

I think that Veteran of the Faraway Wars works well for a Banshee Syker
because it DOES give them all a common skill that they all would possess
(Shootin': Rifle 3) and then it gives generic extra skill points rather than
specific ones.

Cyborgs MIGHT be more inclined towards the Soldier background, but only
dedicated military models.  Those that worked for other government agencies
(The Agency, police forces, etc.) would be like Sykers in the sense that
they would have wildly differing training depending on what they were called
upon to do.

Earth Sykers were thrown into the thick of the war a touch late to become
the kind of veteran the Soldier background implies.  Veteran of the Wasted
West might be more appropriate there.

And totally off the original subject, but you mentioned Throwing: Balanced
and I just had to get this off my chest.  WHY does the "Infantry" skill
package list Throwing: Balanced as a skill?  Balanced is for throwing things
like knives and axes.  Wouldn't it make more sense for infantry to have
Throwing: Unbalanced for grenades?  I can see the Special Forces package
having it (the stereotypical spec-ops soldier silently dispatching the enemy
with throwing knives), but why give it to G.I.'s?

--Kai Tave


>>>Maybe I should have said this about ten more times:
>The Soldier edge
>is
>for people who were soldiers for 10 years or more, not
>jsut anyone who
>went through basic.<<
>
>Woah, down boy!  :)
>Forgive me, but looking back on my previous posts, I
>have not articulated my main point well enough.
>Having looked back on the HOE main book as well as
>Brainburners, I think that it's not unreasonable to
>say that a good number of non-greenie Sykers DID see
>enough combat to make them Soldiers (more than half in
>my opinion, but that's just conjecture).
>
>Banshee Sykers-  Based on the description of the
>Banshee war provided in Brainburners, I'd have to say
>that 70+ percent of the Sykers involved would qualify
>for Soldier.  Admittedly, the battle didn't last for
>10 years, it was 8 years of intense, guerilla warfare.
> The narrator specifically mentions that "The sykers
>who had survived...were battle-hardened warriors,
>capable of killing a lizard with fists, bullets or
>brainpower," and this was only 2 years into the
>conflict.  Further, given the growing NA/SA tension
>that was building on Earth during the Banshee
>conflicts, I suspect that most countries would be
>hesitant to commit any more of their limited Syker
>resources to the cause.  Odds are, the first Sykers
>off the jumpships did most of the fighting. YMMV, of
>course.
>
>Earth Sykers-  Earth Sykers lack the combat experience
>of their Banshee brethren, but did see a lot of front
>line action in the three years of the last war.
>However, Brainburners specifically mentions that
>Sykers that remained on Earth during the Banshee war
>were the strongest, most experienced ones, too
>valuable to send off.  This leads me to think that
>such Sykers would have been a part of one military
>organization or another for quite some time, again
>qualifying them for the Soldier edge.
>
>Perhaps I am a little too eager to use Background:
>Soldier, but given the scale of the Last War, I'm of
>the opinion that most folks in the Wasted West should
>have some military training.  Certainly, making every
>Joe Waster a demolitions expert or sniper is a bit
>much, but most able-bodied folks would have fought,
>and should have at least basic training skills.  Maybe
>a 2 point edge that gives Shootin': Rifle 2, Survival:
>Any 1, and Throwin': Balanced 1, with a much less
>severe version of the Soldier Background Table.
>
>=====
>"I was a warped little boy.  Now I'm out to warp the youth of America."-
Weird Al Yankovic
>Remember, conformity is the mother of obscurity;
>be true to yourself in everything you do.
>Happy Roleplaying,
>-The Smiling Bandit <Strikes Again!/Ha-Ha-Ha>
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail
>http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/
>
>
>To unsubscribe, send a message to esquire@gamerz.net with
> unsubscribe hoe
>as the BODY of the message.  The SUBJECT is ignored.
>
>