Quote from: flyingmiceThere is - definitely Commandos/Special Forces. Probably light/mechanized infantry as well.

-clash

[Rubbing hands together] Excellent!:hehe:

Quote from: JohnnyWannabe[Rubbing hands together] Excellent!:hehe:

I won't be including options for armored or artillery - That's going further than needed. There will be attack aircraft available, and, if necessary, liaison with the host nation's armed forces. It's extremely likely that the mercenaries will be working as members of the host nation's armed forces. If not, they will be working as members of an ally's armed forces. The current rules of war are slanted against mercenaries, and leave no other option. Think the Flying Tigers here. They were ostensibly members of China's air force.

-clash

The setup phase of Wild Blue is going to be a game-within-a-game. Like all In Harm's Way games, the players play Troupe characters - in the setup phase, they'll play the department heads/staff of the mercenary company. Their characters have a budget, and they have to contact various arms dealers to purchase their equipment. Each dealer (NPC) will have a randomly generated list of available equipment they have on hand or can broker. The PCs have to assemble the equipment they need to perform their contracted mission while staying under/on budget. The dealers will be able to offer price breaks to buy more than one type of item in a lot, so it won't be just choosing from a list. While they shop, they'll have to learn about the capabilities of the different hardware so they can optimize their force.

-clash

sounds like that may work for an x-com game, too :keke:

Quote from: beebersounds like that may work for an x-com game, too :keke:

I know nothing of x-com, but since it's using real-world stuff, it should work for any military-oriented game.

-clash

Wild Blue has a CharGen system that's a bit different from the other IHW games. Like the others, you get background skills that take you up to the age of 18. From there you can go on to college, or join the services. Some professions within the services will required a college education. while others won't. Colleges give you skills, as do professions. There will also be specialized schooling available from within the military. Taking the specialist schools is free, but you are obligated to stay within the service for a number of extra years before leaving, and you have to have left the service to join the mercenaries.

The Specialist Schools give you a package of skills, as well as a new concept called "edges." Edges are free-floating bonuses the players can invoke if they can relate their edge to the situation to the GM's satisfaction, each edge woth 5 points. For example, an ex-SEAL is evading pursuit. Seals have Escape and Evasion as a skill, so the PC makes a skill check and fails, barely. Since they are near a river, and SEALs have an edge of Water 2 - most people think of water as a barrier, but SEALs think of water as a highway - the PC can get a bonus of 10 to his E&E roll by using the river to hide in, which allows him to make his check. The pursuit doesn't see him under the water, and continues on past.

-clash

Quote from: flyingmiceAnything sound interesting? I can elaborate on any of these games.
-clash

You already know my opinion on this clash

...and just in case I have to remind you - IHW:Scum Of The Earth!

Quote from: beebersounds like the perfect thing with which to run area 88
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_88

Area 88 is exactly what I was thinking of too!

So now I'm looking forward to IHW:Scum Of The Earth and Wild Blue

Quote from: gale_wolfArea 88 is exactly what I was thinking of too!

So now I'm looking forward to IHW:Scum Of The Earth and Wild Blue

Hmph! The only anime I ever liked was Cowboy Bebop, but maybe I'll have to research this Area 88...

-clash

OK! Prodded by Old Geezer, I've gome up with an adaptation of Aces And Angels to Star Wars type space dogfights, which are - of course - based on WWII dogfights:

Those tight turns starfighters make without air to brake them? They all have "Inertial Accumulators" which can be charged with a certain amount of inertial energy (Max Potential) which can be discharged as needed allowing quick maneuvers.

Change the Potential box from height to total energy in your Inertial Accumulators, change the Climb Rating to "Charge Rate" and the Dive Rating to "Discharge Rate."

Everything else should follow, as it's all abstract anyway.

• The energy in your Immediate Box is your speed
• The energy in your Potential Box is your Accumulated Reserve
• The maneuvers cost what they say they cost
• You can discharge as often as you need from your Accumulators
• You can charge your Accumulator only once per turn
• The turn ends when you run out of energy or charge your Accumulators.

Change the names of the planes to more space-like names, and you are good to go!

-clash

Continuing with the ideas in my last post, if we link the Inertial Accumulators to mass on a cube basis - i.e. the cost/mass of the IA varies as the cube of the mass affected - it also defines why big wallowing ships don't use Inertial Accumulators, and why little fighters are effective. I like self balancing systems!

-clash

Here's the yearly cycle I came up with for my Wild Blue modern Mercenaries game:

I   Process:
II   Create the Staff Characters*.
   A   GM plays the Ops Manager
   B   Players play Department Heads
   C   Staff Characters are much less detailed than PCs
III   Establish Home Base based on Base Budget.
   A   Base Budget determined by GM to start
   B   Some profits may be allocated to increase Base infrastructure
IV   GM determines the available contracts either by choice or randomly.
V   Staff Characters choose from among available contracts.
   A   Terms in contracts can be negotiated
VI   Staff Characters decide on Operational Budget
VII   Staff Characters purchase necessary equipment as outlined in OB
VIII   Create the Player Characters
   Players have as many PCs in their troupe as there are Operational Departments - possibilities are:
   A   Fighters
   B   Attack Planes
   C   Helis
   D   Light/Mechanized Infantry
   E   SpecOps
IX   Play out year
X   Determine whether contract will be extended for next year
XI   Accept, Reject, or Renegotiate Contract
   A   If contract is accepted, go to IX
   B   If contract is rejected, go to IIIB
   C   If contract is to be renegotiated, got to VA

* The reason I put creating the Staff Characters first is so that the players can argue the contracts in character, from the viewpoints of their departments. The Staff characters would be part of the players' troupes, but wouldn't be going out on adventures.

Sound interesting?

-clash

If you are interested, the draft chargen for Wild Blue and the character sheet and worksheet are available by clicking on the links. Don't worry about the blank places - they are set aside for illos.

Feedback is welcome!

-clash

Here's the cover for Wild Blue:



-clash

killer cover.  shiny!  :win: