The combatants who make up resistance movements vary as much as
the movements themselves. Thus, the following list offers
suggestions to help guide a GM who wishes to create his own
resistance movement, or as a grab-bag of “generic” rebels he can
throw at his PCs.
The characters listed below have no
specific
weapons. I have chosen generic
weapons for GURPS Ultra-Tech or from previous iterations of Psi-Wars.
These can be replaced with any similar or appropriate weapons.
Between the Insurgent Type and the suggested traits associated
with each Personnel, a group might have a wide variety of
disadvantages associated with them. These represent
suggestions.
Feel free to ignore, mix, or swap as you see fit. In principle,
each Insurgency should have a unique character, and some flaws that a
clever Imperial can exploit.
Lens: Insurgent Type
Different cells have different philosophies and approaches.
Choose one of the following lens to represent the approach of a
particular movement. Sometimes, multiple philosophies live within a
particular movement, so a GM can mix and match as he sees fit.
Furthermore, the lenses below offer a basic guideline on how to
handle a particular philosophy, but also options for giving each
movement some unique flavor.
Anarchist
Anarchists live for chaos. They rebel for the sake of rebellion
and their fight with the Empire ultimately boils down to a disdain
for authority. By default, their critical weaknesses are a lack of
planning and an unwillingness to listen to others. Many anarchists
fight for their own amusement and may have
Trickster, while
others do it for the sheer pleasure of watching things burn
(
Pyromania), or just to
spite authority figures (Intolerance (Authority Figures)),
or just because they’re so
angry
(Bad Temper).
While most such characters do not last long, Anarchists, especially
young ones, often have Overconfidence.
Default Traits: Impulsiveness
(12),
Stubbornness (12)
Freedom Fighter
Freedom Fighters fight for
principles.
They resemble Ideologues in this way, but they’re less devoted to
a specific cause than that they’re just righteously indignant at
the crimes of others. By
default, they will not harm anyone not directly associated with the
conflict, but nor can they just stand aside and do nothing as
injustice is inflicted on those they know and love. This devotion to
principles might manifest instead as Code
of Honor (Rebel),
and the drive to help others might become Charitable.
Freedom Fighters tend to be derided by other factions as Gullible
for their idealism; this may or may not be true.
Code of Honor (Rebel) [-15]:
Only
attack military targets or collaborators, never unassociated
civilians. Never leave a a fellow rebel behind. Die before you
betray your cell. If necessary, sacrifice yourself for the rebellion.
When the conflict has finished, put aside your weapons and return
to civilian life.
Default Traits: Pacifism
(Cannot Harm Innocents), Sense of Duty (Community)
Ideologue
Ideologues fight for a purpose.
By default, they devote
themselves wholeheartedly to this ideal or, at their most generic, to
the rebellion itself. What
explicit purpose they fight for varies, and often determines the
exact nature of their Fanaticism. Patriots devote themselves to the
ideal of an independence movement or the safety of their people, and
often have Sense of Duty
(Nation).
Fundamentalists devote themselves to religious ideals, and have some
version of a Discipline
of Faith.
Ideologues who hold to more abstract ideals (like a deep devotion to
some particular philosophy or economic model) might have a strict
Code of Honor
or be Hidebound.
Those Ideologues who aren’t fanatics tend to be at least Selfless
or
have Intolerance
(Outsiders or
Nonbelievers).
Traits: Fanaticism.
Terrorist
Terrorists do whatever it takes to win; for them, atrocity is just
part of the game! By default, Terrorists suffer (benefit?) from an
overeagerness to shed blood and a complete disregard for the safety
of others. Terrorists often enjoy the violence they inflict, and
might have
Bully or even
Sadism. Most
willingly engage in warcrimes for
a reason,
which might be Greed,
Jealousy
or Selfishness.
Traits: Bloodlust
(12), Callous.
Amateur Resistance Members
Not every member of a resistance organization is a hardened
warrior. In fact,
most
members lack decent training and believe that enthusiasm can make up
for a lack of combat experience. In the most idealistic resistance
movements, these eager allies assist on the edges of the battle until
they’re skilled enough (or old enough!) to join on the front-lines.
In more scrupulous resistance movements, they become cannon fodder,
used to tire out the enemy before the resistance brings in its
veteran fighters.
Child Soldier (Innocent)
Common Insurgent Types: Ideologues and Terrorists
Rebellion is often a family affair! Whether or not resistance
members want children involved, children usually find a way to
involve themselves. They might admire a big, strong resistance
fighter that rescued them and want to be just like him or help him
out. They might have lost their homes and only survive under the
protection of the rebellion and seek to help however they can.
Innocent child soldiers don’t generally participate in combat,
though they can; instead, they usually act as spotters, guides or
distractions for the primary combatants. The stats below assume a
human child of about 10 years of age.
Few resistance movements go out of their way to use Child
Soldiers, but they’ll show up most often with Ideologues, who
respect their devotion, and terrorists, who don’t care about the
fate of the children. Anarchists tend to be dismissive of children,
and Freedom Fighters actively oppose their use (It violates their
principles!).
| ST 8 |
HP 8 |
Speed 5 |
| DX 9 |
Will 9/7 |
Move: 4
|
| IQ 9 |
Per 10 |
|
| HT 10/8
|
FP 11 |
SM -1 |
Dodge
8
|
Parry
7
|
DR:
0
|
Hold-Out Blaster (9): 2d(5)
burn sur (Acc 5, Range 100/300 RoF 3, Bulk -1)
Rock (Thrown) (9): 1d-3
cr (Acc 1, Range 6)
Skills: Area Knowledge
(Local)-10, Fast-Talk-10,
Observation-10, Running-10,
Stealth-10, Urban
Survival-10.
Traits: Pitiable; Combat Paralysis; Easy to Kill -2;
Pacifism (Reluctant Killer); Social Stigma (Minor);
Notes: Human; Untrained and largely unready for combat.
Apply a -4 to shoot any recognizable humans (or other galactic
sapients generally considered non-monstrous) with visible faces, or
-2 if no face is visible. If they killed someone with a visible
face, roll against Will or break down. If faced with imminent bodily
harm, roll HT; on a failure, you are mentally stunned. The lower
Will value applies to all fright checks.
Always
count as “innocent” for the purposes of
Pacifism
(Cannot Harm Innocents).
Child Soldier Tactics
Distract (10): Wave your
arms, hurl insults and shout at the target. Roll a quick contest of
Fast-Talk (10) vs your target’s will (if you hit the target with an
attack in the past few seconds, including a thrown rock, add +1 to
your Fast-Talk roll). On a success, the target must either chase
you, attack you or suffer a -2 to combat for as long as you continue
shouting at him.
Spot (10): If you see something, say something! Shout out advice to an ally and roll
Observation (10). On a success, if your ally listens to your advice,
he gains +1 to his next attack roll.
Partisan
Common Insurgent Types: Freedom Fighters and Ideologues
The common man and woman serves as the backbone of the rebellion,
not trained soldiers. The Partisan represents the civilian who takes
up arms (whatever arms he or she can find) against the Empire. They
tend to make poor soldiers, with an inability to handle direct
confrontation well and, despite their enthusiasm, they falter when
they come face to face with an enemy they must directly kill.
Partisans can show up in any resistance movement group, but they
tend to be most common among Freedom Fighters, as they represent the
every-day person pushed too far, or ideologues, as they represent the
relatively common people who have given themselves over to some
religious or philosophical cause.
| ST 10 |
HP 10 |
Speed 5 |
| DX 10 |
Will 10/8 |
Move: 5
|
| IQ 10 |
Per 10 |
|
| HT 10
|
FP 10 |
SM +0 |
Dodge
8
|
Parry
8
|
DR:
0
|
Blaster Pistol (10): 3d(5)
burn sur (Acc 5, Range 300/1000 RoF 3, Bulk -2)
Cheap Assault Blaster (10): 4d(5)
burn sur (Acc 8,
Range 250/750
RoF 8,
Bulk -3)
Cheap Blaster Rifle (10):
6d(5)
burn sur (Acc 10,
Range 500/1500
RoF 3, Bulk -1)
Blaster Butt (10):
1d+1 (Reach 1)
Skills: Area Knowledge
(Local)-10, Observation-10,
Professional Skill-12, Stealth-10, Urban Survival-10.
Traits: Combat Paralysis; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer);
Notes: Human; Untrained and largely unready for combat.
Apply a -4 to shoot any recognizable humans (or other galactic
sapients generally considered non-monstrous) with visible faces, or
-2 if no face is visible. If they killed someone with a visible
face, roll against Will or break down. If faced with imminent bodily
harm, roll HT; on a failure, you are mentally stunned. The lower
Will value applies to all fright checks.
Civilian Militia Tactics
Potshot (17, 20 or 22): After
taking an Aim action, make a single, sighted, All-Out (Determined)
attack against the target (+5 Acc with a pistol, +8 with an assault
blaster and +10 with a rifle). If the target has a visible face,
apply an additional -4 penalty. A
successful hit strikes a random hit location.
You may not defend.
Spray Fire (7): With an
assault blaster, make a hip-fired All-Out (Suppressive Fire) attack
against a one-yard zone. A
successful attack strikes a random hit location. You may not defend.
Panicked Strike (10):
Make an All-Out Attack (Determined) with your Rifle Butt at the
nearest target to pose a risk to you. Because this is close combat
and a “non-lethal” attack, it does not suffer from Pacifism. You
may not defend.
Punk
Common Insurgent Types: Anarchists and Terrorists
Often, the angriest members of society, too young or too unstable
for military service, find their way into resistance movements as an
outlet for their rage. Punks serve on the front lines of riots,
inciting violence and bringing the fight directly against the Empire.
They also act as “strong arms” for less professional insurgency
cells. They push for violence, and rarely consider the possibility
of defeat at the hands of the Empire, until that inevitably happens.
Punks often don’t survive long, or quickly evolve into harder
opponents, like Fighters.
Punks are too undisciplined for Ideologues and too violent for
Freedom Fighters; they tend to be most often found among Terrorists
and Anarchists. Some particularly brutal Punks (especially working
with Terrorists) exchange their clubs for vibro-blades or neurolash
batons.
| ST 11 |
HP 11 |
Speed 5.25 |
| DX 10 |
Will 10 |
Move: 5
|
| IQ 10 |
Per 10 |
|
| HT 11 |
FP 11 |
SM +0 |
Dodge
8
|
Parry
8
|
DR:
0
|
Club (10): 1d+2
cr (Reach 1)
Neurolash Baton (10): 1d+2 cr + linked HT-5 (5) (Reach 1,
parry 0)
Vibro Blade (10): 2d+3(5) cut (Reach 1, parry 0)
Weaponized C-Cell (10): 6dx4
burn ex sur
(Acc 1, Range 40);
Unstable!
Skills: Area Knowledge
(Local)-10, Intimidation-10,
Forced Entry-10, Running-11
Traits: Bad Temper (12); Overconfidence (12)
Notes: Human; Untrained; Highly likely to use tactics not
properly trained for or to make unforced errors; Never resists
distraction or “Draw Aggression” attempts. The weaponized C-Cell
is a modified power-cell that explodes when thrown. A strike against
the cell, or a critical failure could set it off!
Punk Tactics
Shoving Match (14): Make
an All-Out (Determined) Shove. Your opponent may defend normally. If
you hit, inflict 1d-1 dbk
only
(no damage!). If the target is pushed at least one yard, they must
roll DX, Acrobatics or Judo or fall prone. You may not defend.
Beat Down (10): Against
a prone target, make an All-Out (Strong) attack with your club. Your
opponent defends at -3 for being Prone. Inflict 1d+4 crushing damage
to the torso (or random hit location). You may not defend.
Night Nurse
Common Insurgent Types: Ideologues and Freedom Fighters
If an insurgent movement needs anything, it’s medical personnel
who can help deal with wounds, whether those inflicted on the
insurgents themselves, or upon poor civilians. Some such nurses
amount to little more than local medical personnel with a strong
stomach and a little medical training, but who find themselves
sympathetic to the insurgents who come through their door and fail to
report them to the Empire. They may even find themselves joining in
battle, just to keep an eye on their fighters to make sure none of
them go down.
Night Nurses tend to be most common among Freedom Fighters or
Ideologues, as most medical personnel will only join their local
insurgencies if their philosophies align, and both such organizations
see a direct need for tending to the wounds of civilians. Terrorists
and Anarchists tend to be too violent to attract civilian medical
personnel, and generally don’t see the point in assisting wounded
civilians or, worse, wounded Imperials.
| ST 10 |
HP 10 |
Speed 5 |
| DX 10 |
Will 12/10 |
Move: 5
|
| IQ 12 |
Per 10 |
|
| HT 10
|
FP 10 |
SM +0 |
Dodge
8
|
Parry
8
|
DR:
0
|
Blaster Pistol (10): 3d(5)
burn sur (Acc 5, Range 300/1000 RoF 3, Bulk -2)
Pneumohypo (10): HT-3;
penetrates up to 1 DR, Reach C, cannot parry.
Skills: Area Knowledge
(Local)-10, Diagnosis-12,
First-Aid-12, Physician-12, Pharmacy-12, Stealth-10
Traits: Combat Paralysis; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer);
Notes: Human; Untrained and largely unready for combat.
Apply a -4 to shoot any recognizable humans (or other galactic
sapients generally considered non-monstrous) with visible faces, or
-2 if no face is visible. If they killed someone with a visible
face, roll against Will or break down. If faced with imminent bodily
harm, roll HT; on a failure, you are mentally stunned. The lower
Will value applies to all fright checks.
Night Nurse Tactics
“
I don’t want to shoot you” (17): After
taking an Aim action, make a
“Wait” maneuver; if your target moves to attack you, you may
attack first. If
your wait triggers, you may make an All-Out (Determined) sighted
attack. Success hits the torso. You may not defend.
Pnuemohypo KO (14):
Against an unaware target,
make a Telegraphic Attack with Knife or DX-4 (14). Unaware targets
may not defend; other targets may defend at +2. A successful attack
injects the drug, generally
Morphazine or Soothe (both UT205), which can be resisted with an HT-3
roll. Failure generally puts the target out of commission for
awhile.
Medic! (12):
You attend to someone’s wounds. This takes 10 minutes; at the end,
roll IQ-4, First-Aid or Physician (12). Success heals 1d+1 damage.
You may use Medic at most once per victim for a given set of
injuries.
Amateur Errors
Amateur insurgents don’t present much of a challenge. They
largely serve as a back-up for superior forces, or as a story
element, allowing the players to train plucky villagers into a decent
fighting force, or forcing imperials to question the morality of
slaughtering women and children. As such, the GM may wish to
emphasize their lack of professionalism. The following represent
ideas that the GM can inflict on Amateur forces, if he wishes. A
successful use of
Leadership
instantly snaps an amateur insurgent out of this unprofessional
behavior.
Action Hero
Many amateur insurgents only
have an idea of what combat feels like from watching the holo-vids,
and might have even joined an insurgency so they could feel like a
hero. They expect a blaster to be a fire-hose spewing brilliantly
colored shards of death at their opponents, who simply fall before
they like grass before a mow-bot. Action Heroes will step out from
cover, hurl some insult at the enemy, and then open fire. If they
have a rapid fire weapon, they will make an All-Out Attack
(Suppression Fire) at the nearest group of enemies. If they have two
pistols, they will draw both, and make
a Dual-Weapon All-Out (Suppression Fire) Attack by combining the ROF
of both weapons. This is at -7 and has a maximum value of 7. Those
with a single pistol or a single RoF 3 long arm will make a
Fast-Firing All-Out (Suppression Fire) Attack. This applies a -4 to
the roll, increases recoil to 2, and has a maximum value of 7. In
all cases, the character cannot defend and those who target him have
no penalty to hit him (he's not behind cover).
Big No
Many insurgents have family ties with one another, but only an
amateur allows that bond to override his good sense during battle.
When an ally falls (especially a child soldier), the amateur
insurgent runs up to the fallen ally, cradles them, touches them,
weeps and wails and may only choose
Do Nothing
for the next 1d6 turns. Thereafter, the amateur either retrieves the
body and quits the field, or goes berserk (treat as the
Berskerk
disadvantage, but only against
those who harmed the ally).
Charge!
For many, blasters don’t “feel real.” When their adrenaline pumps, especially in close combat, they react on a primal level and lash out physically with their weapon. They’ll move right up against their opponent and either attack with the rifle butt (1d+1 cr for most insurgents), or turn it around and swing it from its barrel, often while screaming (1d+2 cr for most insurgents, and unbalanced). Treat this as an All-Out (Determined) Attack, giving most amateur insurgents a skill roll of 14 to hit.
Gangsta Shootin’
Some amateur shooters have peculiar notions about how best to fire their blaster pistols. Holding them at odd, dramatic angles to fire applies a -1 to all ranged attacks with the weapon, it reduces the Malf to 16, and the character cannot make All-Out Attack (Determined) sighted attacks or use a two-handed grip with his blaster pistol.
Gape and Point
Unless an untrained combatant has explicit orders to attack, if he sees the enemy, he may simply observe them in a detached way, without realizing the danger he is in. Unless the enemy is immediately violent (for example taking shots at the target), the amateur merely observes them, and makes comments to anyone nearby, saying things like “Hey, is that an Imperial trooper? Woah, I think it is. Gosh, I’ve never seen one this close. What do you think he’s doing?” When violence breaks out, the amateur is immediately mentally stunned for the next 1d seconds, as though totally surprised, not because he didn’t realize the enemy was there, but didn’t truly grasp the danger it implied.
Go Away!
The average person wants to
survive, but feels a strong instinct preventing him from killing
unnecessarily. When faced with combat, the character shouts at his
opponents and makes an Attack, but deliberately
misses, aiming over their heads, or even up into the air. Treat this
as an Intimidation
attempt.
Horrors of War
Most amateur insurgents have
never seen the true brutality of war. The first time such an
insurgent is the target of an attack or sees an ally hit or killed,
they must make a Fright Check without the +5 bonus from combat.
Remember to apply a -2 penalty if the amateur has Combat Paralysis!
If the amateur passes, he still hunkers down and avoids conflict
unless he gets a stern rebuke or hears a sharp command shouted at
him.
Star Wars drew a great deal of inspiration from the “heroic
patriots” who resisted great and powerful enemies, such as the
American Revolutionaries vs the British Empire, the French Resistance
against Nazi Germany (I have found no references to equally
interesting Eastern European resistance movements), or the Viet Cong
resisting the “Imperial” Western powers (America in particular).
However, the Rebellion of Star Wars doesn’t really depict an actual
resistance movement, but rather hard-pressed soldiers of a power
fighting a more powerful army. We see well-supplied starfighters,
vast warships run professionally, soldiers fighting in formation, and
grand and elegant award ceremonies, led a princess!
