Minions: Alliance Troopers

If the Empire and the Storm Trooper are the golden standard of soldiers from Star Wars, the brave troopers of the Rebellion are the silver standard. Of course, a typical Star Wars game doesn’t feature combat against the Rebellion, but there’s no reason for that to be true of Psi-Wars. Moreover, heroes of the Alliance may well be accompanied by Alliance Troopers. Thus, they’ll need as much detail as Imperial Troopers.

The Concept of Alliance Troopers

The soldiers of the Rebellion are defined by being in a state of rebellion. They’re the brave resistance to the great and powerful empire and stand as a contrast to it. The empire is the Leviathan, the great, tyrannical state, and the Rebellion fights against it: they’re the Minute Men, La Resistance, the Viet Kong, and the Taliban. George Lucas often described the Rebellion in these terms. If the Empire is Goliath, the Rebellion is David.

In a sense, both forces are foils to one another. Where the Empire’s soldiers are faceless, the Rebellion’s soldiers show their faces. Where the Empire is well-funded with sleek and advanced technology, the Rebellion is poorly equipped and makes use of old technology. Where the Empire has legions of soldiers at its disposal, the Rebellion has only a few desperate heroes to defeat the great military-industrial behemoth that marches on them.

While describing the Rebellion as “the Taliban” might seem harsh to modern ears, it fits tactically. Like the Rebellion, modern terrorists fight a technologically and numerically superior foe. They must make use of spoiler tactics, explosives, old and reliable weapons like jeeps and AK-47s, and cheap missile launchers to defeat their opponents. They must also make use of the land, network with the local natives, and scatter when their foe launches a serious attack.

The Rebellion differs from the terrorists on two key points, though. First, terrorists lack professionalism. They generally draw their ranks from disenfranchised and disposable youths. The Rebellion, though, shows signs of full military training and also have access to military hardware. If we look at the Rebellion as a splintering of the Empire, then that seems appropriate, and closer to the Revolutionary war, where a portion of the military broke with the Empire and joined forces with the Rebellion. Second, terrorists are villainous. They sow discord for the sake of discord and often have no real plan, other than nebulous idealism, for what will come if they achieve victory. The Rebellion, thanks to its superior professionalism and leadership, is heroic, and has a real plan in place, a restoration to the Golden Age that came before. To evoke this, the Rebellion should represent something from our past, from our own golden age of war.

Thus, I propose that the Rebellion be professional soldiers with a focus on spoiler tactics, explosives and agile hit-and-run tactics. Thematically, they should evoke Americans of WW2 or possibly the revolutionary war crossed with the French resistance movement.

Minions: Imperial Troopers

We already discussed Imperial Troopers in some detail when we talked about building mooks, but let’s go from theory into concrete detail. I want to start with Imperial troopers because they represent the most obvious element from Star Wars that we’d want to port into Psi-Wars. We already know what Storm Troopers look like and how they fight: They’re terrifying, they’re highly inaccurate, and they’re impressively armed. In Psi-Wars, Imperial Troopers will have the same vibe, but I want to dig a little deeper into the reasoning behind the decisions and the impact they’ll make on how combat plays out for our heroes.

The Concept of Imperial Troopers

When we discuss empire, especially in the context of something like Star Wars, we really mean dictatorship, the rule of a single august emperor, directly, over all of his territory (one can make the case that the big shift in Rome with the victory of Augustus Caesar was not from republic to empire, but from republic to dictatorship, since the Roman Republic had been an empire for many years, in the same way that the British Empire was also a parliamentary democracy). Typically in these sorts of dictatorships, the military is personally loyal to the dictator, and their loyalty and might keep him, directly, in power. This fact also forces him to conquer, since his conquests result in increased wealth and prestige for his military forces, which gives him more power, but also more military officers to please, which means he needs to conquer again.

The military in these cases needs to be deeply loyal and very impressive. They need to march in the square, to intimidate the populace, as much as they need to march on the enemy. Thus, as said before, they need to be about shock and awe. The empire also has vast resources that it constantly pours into its military (at the expense of its civilian populace), meaning the empire has all the coolest toys. Their deep loyalty, though, either needs some form of personal empowerment or a deep sense of belonging to the group and a willingness to sacrifice oneself for the “greater good” represented by the dictator. The former would result in heroes who could overthrow the emperor, though, so the latter is far superior. Imperial troopers need to be brainwashed and devoted to the imperial cause or, at least, made to fear those loyal to the cause enough that they’re willing to fight.

We also know what stormtroopers feel like in a film: Faceless mooks who look really frightening but prove to be rather ineffective. They might have the coolest toys, but they often prove overpriced and fragile, glass cannons easily destroyed by a focused and skilled opponent. They pour firepower into the enemy, but they’ll seldom actually hit. They are Goliath, vulnerable to a focused and skilled David.

Troopers 3.0

I liked the approach I had before.  This time, what I need to do is tackle the technological changes, and make a few small tweaks with how the mooks are handled, and correct some previous errors.  The biggest change is to armor: Only the Assault Trooper gets heavier armor (including a heavier helmet), and he also benefits from a riot shield and the neurolash field-parry, if he wishes to carry that equipment.

I've also added tactical advice on how to use these characters.

Trooper Mooks

ST 11
DX 10
IQ 10
HT 11
Basic Speed 5.0, Basic Move 4 (Light Encumbrance)
Dodge 7 Parry (Unarmed) 8

DR: 60 (Torso) 30 (Limbs, Skull), 20 (Face)

Blaster Carbine (12): 5d(5) burn sr, Acc 10, Range 500/1500, RoF 3 (17 shots), bulk 3, rcl 1
Carbine Butt (12): 1d+1 cr, C
Punch (12): 1d-1 cr, C
Plasma Grenade (12): 6dx4 burn sur exp, 30 yards

Traits: Fit. IR Vision, Hearing Protection, Small Radio, Biomedical sensors, micro-climate control, filter mask, sealed.
Skills: Soldier-12, Pilot (Contragravity)-12

Class: Human

Notes: These should generally be treated as mooks: A single point of damage should remove them from play.  They never hit with their first volley unless the players are clearly aware of them.  They aim, but only in full view of the player-characters, and with the GM announcing at whom they are aiming to give their opponent plenty of time to react (thus raising tension).  They generally use grenades to push people out of cover.  They can and do make use of cover if necessary.

The above covers green or inexperienced troops.  Note that they lack Combat Reflexes, thus do not gain a bonus to recover from mental stun.  More experienced soldiers gain skill 14, combat reflexes, +2 parry, and +1 basic speed, basic move, and +2 dodge. They are Battle Drilled (Tactical Shooting 37) and might use Fire and Maneuver, Ambush, Peeling, and Urban Combat (see "Tactics in Action" starting on Tactical Shooting page 21).  Such troopers will often have "Code of Honor (Soldier)" or "Fanatical".  The former can be relied upon to follow the laws of war, to never leave a man behind and to follow orders, while the latter can be relied upon to die to the last man and to follow even suicidal or stupid orders.

Elite Trooper Mooks

Assault Trooper

ST 12
DX 11
IQ 10
HT 12

Basic Speed 6.0 Basic Move 6 (Light Encumbrance)
Dodge 9 Parry (Unarmed or Neurolash Baton) 10, Block (Riot Shield) 14
DR: 100 (Torso) 60 (Limbs, Skull), 40 (Face),
Riot Troopers: 60 (Shield, with 60 HP)

CBQ Troopers:
  Blaster Carbine (14): 5d(5) burn sr, Acc 10, Range 500/1500, RoF 3, bulk 3, rcl 1
  Blaster Pistol (14): 3d (5) burn sur, Acc 5, RoF 3, Bulk -2, Rcl 1
  Stun Grenade (14): HT-8 or be stunned, 7 yard radius, 30 yards
  Carbine Butt (14): 1d+1 cr, c
  Punch (14): 1d-1 cr, C

Flame Troopers:
  Assault Flamer (14): 5d burn, Jet, Range 50/150, RoF 1, Bulk -3, Rcl 1
  Blaster Pistol (14): 3d (5) burn sur, Acc 5, RoF 3, Bulk -2, Rcl 1
  Plasma Grenade (14): 6dx4 burn sur exp, 30 yards
  Flamer Butt (14): 1d+1 cr, c
  Punch (14): 1d-1 cr, C

Riot Troopers:
  Blaster Pistol (14): 3d (5) burn sur, Acc 5, RoF 3, Bulk -2, Rcl 1
  Stun Grenade (14): HT-8 or be stunned, 7 yard radius, 30 yards
  Neurolash baton (14): 1d+1 cr or 1d-1 cr + HT-5(5) aff, Reach 1
  Punch (14): 1d-1 cr, C

Traits: Fit, Impulsive. IR Vision, Hearing Protection, Neurolash Field Parry, Small Radio, Biomedical sensors, micro-climate control, filter mask, sealed.
Skills: Running-14, Soldier-12, Pilot (Contragravity)-12

Note: Assault troopers can be either elite mooks or low-level "worthy" NPCs.  They are generally the former if they are a block of troops, or the later if they are a single elite in a squad of standard troopers.  As the later, they're removed when they reach 0 HP.  Like standard troopers, they always miss on the first volley unless the player characters are aware of them, and they only aim if a player character can see them.  They can defend normally and can take cover (but rarely do).

I have listed three types of Troopers in detail.  CBQ troopers represent SWAT-inspired assault mook: they breach doors (usually with charges placed with their Soldier skill, or a Grav Ram) and then rush in, laying down stun grenades and covering fire until they have suppressed all opposition.  Flame Troopers represent a ferocious attachment to a larger unit that generally attacks terrain, destroying houses or setting fires, and using plasma grenades to add to the general destruction.  Finally, Riot Troopers tend to be deployed when non-lethal options are preferred, or when you want to come really close to the enemy.  They'll move behind their shields and attack with their neurolash batons once they get close.

The typical assault trooper is impulsive.  He'll act as soon as he sees an opening, without necessarily thinking his way through it.  That doesn't mean he won't follow orders, but once he has engaged in fighting, he'll often react without thinking.

It occurs to me that I've never adjusted the DR of the riot shield.  I've done so here, assuming that +2 TL doubles the DR.

Heavy Trooper

ST 14
DX 10
IQ 10
HT 10

Basic Speed 6.0, Basic Move 4.0 (Medium Encumbrance)
Dodge 8 Parry (Unarmed) 10
DR: 60 (Torso) 30 (Limbs, Skull), 20 (Face)

Blaster Carbine (12): 5d(5) burn sr, Acc 10, Range 500/1500, RoF 3 (17 shots), bulk 3, rcl 1
Heavy Plasma Gun (14): 3dx5(2) burn ex, Acc 8+3, RoF 3, Bulk -6, Rcl 2
Gatling Blaster (14): 7d(5), Acc 10, RoF 12, Bulk -6, Rcl 1
Infantry Missile Launcher (14), 6dx10 burn sur exp, Acc 3, IR Homing Skill 15
Plasma Grenade (14): 6dx4 burn sur exp, 30 yards
Punch (12): 1d cr, C
Carbine Butt (12): 1d+2 cr, c

Traits: Huge Weapons, Fit, Overconfidence (12 or less). IR Vision, Hearing Protection, Small Radio, Biomedical sensors, micro-climate control, filter mask, sealed.
Skills: Explosives-12, Soldier-12, Pilot (Contragravity)-12

Note: Treat a heavy as either a mook or a worthy.  In all cases, his first attack misses unless the characters are aware of his presence, and he only aims if the player characters are aware of him, and it is clear who he is aiming at.

A heavy trooper might carry a blaster carbine, but he'll always carry a mess of plasma grenades and at least one of a Heavy Plasma Gun, a Gatling Blaster or an Infantry Missile Launcher.  For the IML, the heavy will always aim (with the GM clearly announcing to the players what he is aiming at) and then fire.  For the heavy plasma gun, he'll generally target areas rather than individuals, granting him a +4 to hit.  With the Gatling Blaster, he'll often engage in Suppressive Fire (the RoF gives him a +2).  He has sufficient ammunition in a gatling blaster that, for most fights, he never needs to stop firing and reload (and a gatling never overheats).  He might stop firing once every three turns if he can't see anything (a Perception check at -4), in which case he'll stop and peer around before opening fire again.

The typical heavy is certain his fire power can take on any challenge.  He's easily fooled into thinking he can handle an overwhelming challenge and will readily by into any trickery that seems to prove his superiority.

A heavy trooper carries phenomonal amounts of ammunition, enough to supply the rest of his squad, which means he never runs out of ammo.  This is the source of his additional encumbrance.

Recon Trooper

ST 10
DX 12
IQ 10
HT 10

Perception 12
Basic Speed 6.0 Basic Move 5.0 (Light Encumbranc)
Dodge 9 Parry (Unarmed) 10
DR: 60 (Torso) 30 (Limbs, Skull), 20 (Face)

X-ray Sniper Rifle (14): 8d(5) burn sur, Acc 12+4, Range 70mi, RoF 1, bulk 5, rcl 1
Blaster Pistol (14): 3d (5) burn sur, Acc 5, RoF 3, Bulk -2, Rcl 1
Plasma Grenade (14): 6dx4 burn sur exp, 30 yards
Punch (12): 1d-2 cr, C
Rifle Butt (12): 1d cr, c
Vibroknife (12): 2d(3) cut

Traits: Fit, Loner (12 or less). IR Vision, Hearing Protection, Small Radio, Biomedical sensors, micro-climate control, filter mask, sealed.
Skills: Camouflage-14, Stealth-12, Observation-12, Survival-12, Soldier-12, Pilot (Contragravity)-12


Note: Treat a heavy as either a mook or a worthy.  In all cases, his first attack misses unless the characters are aware of his presence. The recon trooper always aims, as he uses a sniper rifle.  He makes use of cover, though never pop-up attacks, and he always rests his rifle and makes All-Out Attacks if sniping, thus gaining a +2 to all sniped attacks.  While his rifle has a range of miles, he's rarely farther than 200 yards (-12), and often much closer.  Determining the position of the sniper requires a Perception vs Camouflage contest (assuming the sniper is camouflaged). The target is at +2 if he has seen the beam, and the beam is bright enough to eliminate any darkness penalties for noticing it.

Recon troopers prefer ambushes, and either set themselves up in advance, or will use Stealth Combat tactics to move around until they're in an ideal position to snipe at their opponents.  If pressed into combat, they'll draw either their knife or their pistol and leave their sniper rifle in its braced position.

Recon troopers prefer to work alone.  They'll rarely have support with them, other than (perhaps) a single "spotter" who is a second recon trooper.