Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

[Kraven Kor]

OK basically, if you hadn't read the other thread, this campaign is going to see the players as members of an elite, top secret paramilitary group that are basically the Navy Seals of a space-age UN.

 

What I'm trying to figure out right now, is what common gear would they all have?

 

Not all of it needs to be written up as powers, but I want them to have a list of what they have available to them and intend to place them in numerous situations where that is all they have.

 

Obviously, they'll have a gun, knife, and the other stuff already listed on their characters - but what else would a high tech soldier have in their "kit?"

 

Some tech info: Nanomaterials are common in the campaign - lots of stuff that can fold down to super-small sizes, lots of super-resilient materials for armor and such, and their uniforms will double as environment suits without being very bulky. Portable energy sources are much more powerful and efficient; "Chemical Fusion" batteries being the most common. A standard CF Battery provides enough power for a 20mm Gauss Rifle to fire several hundred shots, and is about the size of an iPhone, if you want to consider "energy density." All tech in the campaign is "advanced but believable" - no laser swords, no true force fields, etc.

 

On the note of force fields: I do want to have Magnetic Deflectors, mostly on ships, as a very limited force field. Basically a system that detects incoming ordinance then emits a short-lived but powerful magnetic field. Primarily designed to protect against plasma weapons and particle weapons. What types of attacks would such a shield be effective against and to what degree, again thinking of it as much more advanced than current teck (for instance, it can shape the magnetic field, can have only a single polarity, etc.)

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

Some more info I thought of that might be helpful / that I might need suggestions on:

 

I'm thinking the team will consist of:

 

NPC Lieutenant

NPC Sergeant

Player 1 - Genetically and Cybernetically Enhanced Space Marine (might make him the Sergeant depending on how the players feel.)

Player 2 - Sniper and Black Ops / Martial Arts specialist

Player 3 - Cybernetically Enhanced Technician / Computer / Electronics expert

Player 4 - PsiCorps Agent - Psionic Intelligence Operative

8 NPC Space Marines

4 NPC Crewmen for the ship

 

This is the "standard regiment" of a Recon Team, for larger ops they would join with larger units.

 

Any resources I could use as a quick primer on military command structure, S.O.P., and whatnot would be helpful too.

[Yansuf]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

Some more info I thought of that might be helpful / that I might need suggestions on:

 

I'm thinking the team will consist of:

 

NPC Lieutenant

NPC Sergeant

Player 1 - Genetically and Cybernetically Enhanced Space Marine (might make him the Sergeant depending on how the players feel.)

Player 2 - Sniper and Black Ops / Martial Arts specialist

Player 3 - Cybernetically Enhanced Technician / Computer / Electronics expert

Player 4 - PsiCorps Agent - Psionic Intelligence Operative

8 NPC Space Marines

4 NPC Crewmen for the ship

 

This is the "standard regiment" of a Recon Team, for larger ops they would join with larger units.

 

Any resources I could use as a quick primer on military command structure, S.O.P., and whatnot would be helpful too.

 

I suggest squad or section rather than regiment; traditionally a regiment is commanded by a colonel and has 1000 or more troops. In WWII a US regiment had around 3000 men (depends on type) and a modern US ACAV regiment has over 3000.

 

Your organization, with one officer, one senior NCO and 11 or 12 troops has some similarity to a special forces A Team.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

As regards basic equipment, I'm thinking that some sort of extra-small computer for each trooper would be the go. That sort of tech is starting to emerge in the US military right now - sometimes nicknamed "The Battlefield Internet", which seems a pretty accurate description. Includes stuff (utilizing iPods in a lot of cases) that enables troops to translate languages, share information (real-time or otherwise), transmit images, figure out where they are and so on.

 

Given another 50-100 years, the gear for doing this sort of stuff may fit inside a wrist watch (or smaller!) or even be an implant.

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

OK... going to try to come up with a semi-decent list.

 

Found a pretty basic listing of gear for a traditional, modern soldier here. But this seems focused on the do-it-yourself survivalist type.

 

Couldn't find much else that outlined a soldier's kit, much less a higher tech version of the above "bug out kit" checklist.

 

So:

 

Uniform: The typical soldier wears a combination light armor and environmental suit with built in load bearing and weight distributing attachment points for pack and gear. This suit features an outer layer of Carbon Nanofibre/Kevlar weave, Ceramic Gel Blister packs over vital areas, and a reactive gel to seal ruptures and prevent exposure to hostile environments should the suit be compromised. Combined with the helmet, which is not integral to the suit but designed to match, and an air supply tank, the uniform doubles as a short duration EV suit for both low and high pressure environments. The arms and legs are reinforced with a lightweight frame which provides weight distribution as well as being integral to the suits resistance to low or high pressure. (Something akin to this MIT Design.)

 

Built into the uniform itself is a compact PDA, which functions as a backup or primary communications device (many soldiers have a comm implant), and can also:

 

Connect to Military Network (Local only, no FTL comms / data transfer), relay video or audio (both ways), stores several exobytes of data (if we have 64GB Solid State drives the size of your thumbnail... well, imagine what they will have in nearly 300 years) - this allows for it to hold a cache of pretty much all military documentation for remote operations. On worlds with GPS satellites, it can connect to those, on worlds without it can sense the magnetic field and use known solar data and local system star-charting information to give approximate location. It is also a motion tracker similar to those in aliens, can detect a wide range of EM or Radiological emissions, translate any known language (though not like on Star Trek - you hear gibberish, wait a moment for the translation, read/listen to it, and then can enter a reply which it will translate back, generally poorly due to lack of inflections and body language.) This PDA is located on the wrist, but has various components spread throughout the suit, mostly for monitoring the wearer and activating various aspects of the suit.

 

(More to come, still seeking ideas)

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

Here is the write up of a standard issue uniform (various unit types have various differences, the actual marines will have a bit more defense and some power armor features, the Super Soldier character will have a much more advanced version, and the Sniper will have a Predator-like light-bending stealth system; this specific armor is what the Techie character wears):

 

Class III Tactical Environment Suit

1) Combat Armor: (Total: 28 Active Cost, 6 Real Cost) Armor (6 PD/6 ED) (18 Active Points); Independent (-2), Full Coverage Helmet, Long Jacket, High Boots (Protects Locations 3-5, 9-14, 16-18; -3/4), Real Armor (-1/4) (Real Cost: 4) plus +5 PD (5 Active Points); Independent (-2), Real Armor (-1/4) (Real Cost: 1) plus +5 ED (5 Active Points); Independent (-2), Real Armor (-1/4) (Real Cost: 1)

0

2) Environmental Jumpsuit: Life Support (Extended Breathing: 1 END per 5 Minutes; Immunity: All Airborne contaminants; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum) (12 Active Points); Independent (-2), OIF (-1/2), Real Armor (-1/2)

0

3) Plasma Screen Emitter: Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 75% (60 Active Points); Independent (-2), Ablative BODY or STUN (-1), IAF (-1/2), Limited Power: Only vs. Plasma, Lasers, heat/fire based Weapons Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (-1/2), Restrainable (EMP) (-1/2), Real Armor (-1/4), Visible (-1/4)

0

4) +5 STR, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (7 Active Points); Only for Carrying Capacity (-1 1/2), No Figured Characteristics (-1/2), Real Equipment (-1/4)

 

Med kit (which has a few unwritten rules attached; mostly that the subject must rest to gain the benefits, any wounded or disabled body part takes normal time to heal for the most part, etc.)

 

MedKit: Healing 1 BODY, Requires A Paramedic Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; +0) (10 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Hour (-2 1/4), Independent (-2), OAF (-1), Extra Time (1 Minute, Only to Activate, Character May Take No Other Actions, -1), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4)

 

Motion Tracker:

 

Motion Tracker: Detect: Motion A Single Thing 14- (Unusual Group), Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees) (8 Active Points); Independent (-2), OAF Durable (-1), Real Equipment (-1/4)

 

I'm at a bit of a loss on how to write up the PDA... I'm thinking of just "taking it for granted" that it will add +1 to +3 on various skills, and allow for things like absolute range sense and such.

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

Other equipment:

 

Food and Water test / purification / mess kit: Basically a small battery-powered stove, water container that purifies any water put in it with a combination of heat, carbon filtration, iodine, etc. And then a test kit for alien flora or fauna for survival situations. It will simply give a bonus to survival rolls.

 

Collapsible Shelter: This is basically an "easy up" tent made out of materials that allow it to become a self-contained environment. It can maintain a human for 24 hours in almost any environment, though not in actual vacuum, nor in very high radiation.

 

Plasma Cutter / Welder: Powered by the CF Batteries, this is basically the torch used in Aliens to cut and weld.

 

Multi-tool: Basically a very high-tech Leatherman and collection of spare parts that includes most common tools needed to service standard issue weapons, armor, and minor vehicle or system repairs.

 

NEED MOAR IDEARS!!!

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

Grenades / Flares

 

I can see descendants of the humble hand grenade becoming very advanced indeed. Rather than having various specialized forms of grenades (and related things like flares, landmines, demolition charges and claymores), I could see a lot of these ideas being put together in one standard unit, with a number of different settings available.

You want HE, select [1]; you want WP-equivalent, select [2], etc.. You want a smaller blast radius, or remote detonation instead of pre-set timer - all those options and more are available. Very specific "default" modes usually provided in advance, needless to say.

Also, rather than being merely flung by hand or launched out of something, they might actually be hand-thrown smallish missiles - they have their own propulsion, and probably some sort of self-guidance mode as well.

Probably have the capability to "loiter" - they get launched, then wait around for a proper target. At that stage, they start to have a great deal in common with the next idea.

 

 

Miniature UAVs

 

The usefulness of UAVs (remote-controlled planes) on the battlefield has become very clear in recent times. Not just for recon either - some of the more recent models carry weaponry and can even have some degree of autonomy.

I have also heard in a couple of places about R&D being done on "mini"-UAVs about the size of a dragonfly, intended for use on the battlefield by frontline troops. Given a century or three of development, I can envisage each trooper having perhaps multiple sets of these - used for recon, decoys, comm relaying, taking out OTHER peoples' UAVs and generally extending the user's "reach" (being able to peek around corners at the very least would be a huge help). I would also suggest that at least some would have a built-in explosive charge for Kamikaze-style attacks.

[Ryjrunr]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

what other thread? url please

 

'exobytes'? 'exo-' means 'oiutside' 'exa-' is the prefix for 10 ^ 18 'yotta-' is the prefix for 10 ^ 24 why not use that

 

they have to carry food turning poison---most other planets' critters will be poison---to food is impractical

 

helmets will be needed most planets will have no atmosphere or poisonous

 

HUDs---everything will\can display to the HUD

 

recyclers for everything poop to food, urine and breath water vapor to water etc etc etc

 

the 'abandon vehicle' weapon will be laser everything else needs ammunition, even plasma weapons

 

AIR!! and some way to carry it light

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

One thing I thought of, lifted from 'Rogue Trooper' (in 2000AD magazine).

 

Think of it as 'The Last Hope'. If a soldier takes fatal / catastrophic damage, his personality and memories are automatically recorded on a small and relatively hard-to-destroy implant chip. Ideally, this chip can be salvaged by friendly forces and, assuming all goes fairly well, the personality therein downloaded into a freshly-cloned body.

 

If you feel that this idea does not fit your campaign (entirely possible), then I suggest a lesser form of implant as a kind of 'Black Box Flight Recorder' thingie. It does not preserve the bearer's personality, but if something bad / fatal happens to him / her, this implant records what happened in terms of direct sensory inputs and personal bio-readings.

If the implant can be salvaged, then these recordings may indicate what happened. Just the thing for helping figure out new tactics /weaponry being used by the enemy, or the facts behind 'critical mission failures' on your own side, and so forth.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

Maybe check out some Warhammer 40K material. Especially the Imperial Marines - those guys tend to be loaded up with a variety of interesting implants and synthetic organs to make them more effective warriors.

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

My "main thread" for the campaign is here.

 

Cloning is illegal; cloned organs and tissue and such are used a lot in medicine, cloned meat for food, etc. But actual clones are illegal (and will pop up occasionally in the story line.)

 

Air can only be compressed so much. The standard issue uniform has both attachments for air canisters as well as atmosphere-processors. In environments that have nitrogen/oxygen but are still not safe / sufficient for humans to breathe and survive, the suit can filter the air (when enough oxygen but unsafe), or supply extra breathable air (low oxygen environments) to extend the duration of the air supply. In the case of no oxygen environments, the standard air supply is about 6 hours per canister.

 

Most Marines have a small number of implants, and most of the players have a few as well. But, like cloning, too much genetic or bionic tinkering is looked down upon. Many of the more extreme examples of this will pop up in NPC's, the "Good Guys" keep their modifications to a minimum to avoid things like the Eugenics Wars and such. In my campaign, humanity has - for the most part - learned a few things in the past 300 years of the setting.

 

The standard issue PDA does have a black box function and some soldiers will have such an implant (and thank you, Ian, I hadn't exactly thought of that and am more fleshing this out than saying I'd already considered), but it doesn't record thoughts. Telepaths and any tech that can read thoughts are carefully regulated for privacy issues. Early telepathy research revealed that about 90% of the population has what could be considered "criminal thoughts" and they realized they would need to protect free thought even more carefully than we have free speech.

 

The uniform has a helmet, and said helmet has a HUD linked to the PDA.

 

The "mess kit" has food purification abilities. Generally, they carry rations and all that, and the suit can provide some nutrients in survival situations. But if you are stranded on a planet you might be weeks to months away from a rescue.

 

And yeah, very few true energy weapons. There are the Stunners and Neural Disruptors, which are battery powered and are loosely based on what we have figured out about psionic powers - they are a combination laser and electric weapon, a laser creates a conduit for the electricity which then disrupts the target's nervous system.

 

Most weaponry is based on railguns - magnetically accelerated caseless munitions. Plasma weapons actually shoot projectiles that react with air to become plasma. Many weapons feature the ability to shoot multiple types of munition. Advanced weaponry link to bionic implants - smart guns, basically, linked to the soldier's HUD and the C4 network, etc.

[ghostwolf]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

You should add various perception enhancers to the helmet, like nightvision, IR, ultrasound, etc.

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

IR, UV, Radio, Flash Defense vs. Sight and Hearing, and then the motion detector sound complete enough?

[ghostwolf]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

IR' date=' UV, Radio, Flash Defense vs. Sight and Hearing, and then the motion detector sound complete enough?[/quote']

 

Go with the High-range radio, so they can send video and audio components to team huds.

[Ryjrunr]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

...weapon, a laser creates a conduit for the electricity which then disrupts the target's nervous system.

if it has a nervous system that uses electricity

 

Most weaponry is based on railguns - magnetically accelerated caseless munitions. Plasma weapons actually shoot projectiles that react with air to become plasma. Many weapons feature the ability to shoot multiple types of munition. Advanced weaponry link to bionic implants - smart guns, basically, linked to the soldier's HUD and the C4 network, etc.

anything that needs ammo will run out of ammo when most dangerous

 

railguns or whatever maybe the weapon of choice when everything is going well when it isn't you want something that requires as little logistic support as possible

 

a higher tech version of the above "bug out kit" checklist.

if that is what you want you want laser gun no ammo to run out of no ammo to lug around simplicity is best

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

Yes, but again I'm going for a bit of "hard sci-fi" in my space opera.

 

Energy weapons as small arms are incredibly rare. They exist, but are not the norm. The military wants everyone equipped with the cheapest, most reliable, most effective weapon possible. In this case, the "Magnetic Pulse Rifle" is the dominant technology. There are Laser weapons but most armor and defense systems are highly resistant to Laser or Heat-based weaponry; Plasma is only slightly more effective. Lots of magnetic defenses exist. Particle Weapons are still, even in my far future, too bulky for small arms. They are quite common on vehicles, starting as a turret weapon on LAV's. Tripod-mounted Particle weapons akin to HMG's are also common.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

Another thing the US military is looking at presently are small portable solar panels, something that a grunt can easily carry, and use to recharge some of his gear. Small items to help EXTEND the time a soldier can remain effective and in the field are always worth looking at.

 

On a similar note, consider drugs. Humans require a certain amount of uninterrupted sleep per day to remain effective. This has always been a major problem for frontline soldiers, and one way this is often dealt with in the short-term (since ww1, in fact) is by issuing limited (?) quantities of stimulants.

[Ryjrunr]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

ok i'm confused do you want "bug out kit" or standard issue?

 

the two are different things for different situations

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

Standard Issue for Special Forces in a Space-based Military.

 

Figuring in for my campaign's somewhat realistic limitations - a unit deployed to a far away system will take weeks to get there, and weeks to be reported overdue, and years for a message to arrive in a worst case scenario.

 

Thus every soldier needs to not only have the appropriate combat gear, but also survival gear, etc.

 

The players will be investigating missing ships and basically doing all sorts of stuff that has them light years from home and pretty much on their own with limited ability to call for help or bring in supplies and reinforcements or whatever. And they need to be prepared for anything.

 

We ran through two "prequel" sessions for two of the players so far, and some of the ideas presented here have gone over very well. And we also fleshed out some things - like the HUD responding to eye movements allowing the wearer to select and send information or commands to squad mates without talking, that sprang up in the middle of the session. (I'm thinking this would be built as a limited mind link.)

[Sundog]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

One thing I don't think you've mentioned: Cybernetics.

 

The "Black Box" download need not go to only one receiver. In addition to the PDA, send it to a tab on the skin on the back of the neck - as well as a download point, this could serve as high-tech "dogtags".

 

Radios don't need to be in a helmet if they're in your head...and any damage that takes you off the net will kill you (no "he might still be alive!" arguments). Likewise Optic replacements give the soldier IR, flash protection and Lowlight capability, plus the capacity to use a frequency-hopping laser targetter (I see the dot, but you don't) and even an inbuilt range finder and artillery designation capability.

 

Make your weapons and high-tech gear interface-only and low-tech enemies can't use it (and high-tech ones will have to modify for compatibility). Cybernetic limbs wouldn't be given out willy-nilly, but might be a better option for a soldier than cloned replacements, especially if the Army promises replacement with cloned parts upon discharge (which is likely - they wouldn't want military cybertech out in the civilian society).

 

Of course, this sort of stuff is expensive. Eye replacement would be done only for elite soldiers. But in built interfaces and radios could be grown in situ with an injection of nanobots and a high-metal diet.

 

Oh, and if you have man-carried UAVs, forget grenades. Just send a very small UAV wth an explosive charge.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

Oh' date=' and if you have man-carried UAVs, forget grenades. Just send a very small UAV wth an explosive charge.[/quote']

 

Refer my post on the previous page about grenades and UAVs.

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

Cybernetics are available but not mandatory.

 

Not everyone wants them, and human society in my campaign has gotten a bit more "enlightened" about a lot of things. Personal preference wins out over military needs, especially given that there have been no real wars in 300 years - just a bit of terrorism and crimes and raiders and hostile alien critters and such.

 

This is why the standard issue stuff is non-cybernetic. Most everything is available as an external or internal model.

 

Many infantry and Marines, knowing what they are getting into, opt for cybernetics, or genetic modifications (cloned and modified replacements.)

 

For instance:

 

The Super Soldier character opted for genetic modifications, and has base stats of 25 STR, 25 CON, 20 BODY, etc. Then on top of that, a reinforced skeleton, subdermal armor over vital areas, an adrenal stimulator, etc. But does not have cybernetic eyes, instead relying on his helmet for sensory stuff.

 

The Techie character has an advanced cybernetic eye, which connects to an electric contact in her hand, which then interfaces with a smart weapon - like Sundog mentions. This gives her better targeting (PSL's vs. range and hit locations), the ability to switch munition types instantly (gun has 4 clips in it of various ammo types), and in addition nobody else can use her gun. She also has an eidetic memory chip connected to the eye with several exabytes of data storage, she is the mission recorder basically. She also has a comm implant, and a "cybernetic sub-processor" which grants a bonus to INT (it basically lists options and data into the HUD of her eye, making it easier to brainstorm or come up with options.)

 

The Sniper / Stealth character has only a "Wired Reflexes" implant to give him superhuman dexterity and speed. (+12 DEX implant, for a total of 27 DEX.)

 

The telepath... has no implants. Though this is subject to change (we are still working out the details of her character.)

 

The Marine NPC's mostly have no implants.

 

Most military funding goes into other things than cybernetics - implants don't make you immune to vacuum, and it is very hard to shield such small devices from EMP and Microwave weapons, which are quite common. If your suit gets fried by EMP, it is a lot easier to replace than if your cybernetics do - and yes, the players will be learning that the hard way at least once

[Tom Carman]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

Yes, but again I'm going for a bit of "hard sci-fi" in my space opera.

 

Particle Weapons are still, even in my far future, too bulky for small arms. They are quite common on vehicles, starting as a turret weapon on LAV's. Tripod-mounted Particle weapons akin to HMG's are also common.

 

I hope that tripod-mounting lightning gun comes with a remote control. The turret-mount is much nicer, for the armor mass to block the backscatter rad.

[Kraven Kor]

Re: Divided Skies: "Everyman Gear"? (Need suggestions.)

 

I hope that tripod-mounting lightning gun comes with a remote control. The turret-mount is much nicer' date=' for the armor mass to block the backscatter rad.[/quote']

 

Not a lightning gun. Most particle weapons actually use ammo - a prepared charge that releases the appropriate matter into a magnetic accelerator. This is all based on handwavium magnetic technology, super-miniaturized particle accelerators and mono-polar magnetics and such.

 

Small Arms Plasma Rifles are the only truly common man-portable "energy weapon."

 

The tripod and turret mounts rely on a fairly bulky CF generator pack, rather than the smaller CF batteries. And again, require ammunition as well. But radiation is not an issue (CF is "chemical fusion" which is essentially cold fusion or "sonofusion" - a chemical reaction which creates energy in a similar process to that of fusion without the radioactive leftovers.)

 

Only the big ship-mounted stuff is truly an "energy weapon" but even they needs some material from which to create or pull the particles to accelerate.

 

Again, most weapon systems are either railguns or coil guns of some variety - whether they are accelerating metal or plasma or particles - or non-lethal EMP and Microwave weapons.

 

Now, the nearest thing to "lightning guns" are the Neural Disruptors, which I posted a thread about but they are loosely based on the Nerve Disruptors from the Miles books by Lois McMaster Bujold.