Thread: ORMO
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Old 05-03-2009, 12:32 PM
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Raellus Raellus is offline
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Question ORMO

I've got a couple of questions about the ORMO and other "unofficial" Polish militias. The v1.0 source material makes little mention of the ORMO's weapons, equipment, and composition; it's all just kind of taken for granted.

It seems to me that there are really two ORMOs, an official State-sponsored ORMO, and various makeshift, State-sanctioned local militias that use the ORMO title. In the canon, ORMO seems to have become a blanket term for most kinds of Polish militias.

Doing some research, the real-world ORMO was a Interior Ministry internal security force and not really a militia, per se.

So, it would seem that in the T2K world, the Polish government rapidly expanded the ORMO to become, in effect, a civil defense force while the internal security role became the exclusive responsibility of the ZOMO (IRL, the motorized arm of the internal security service. They also served as riot police.)

So, how would State-santioned ORMO forces be equipped in the T2K world? I've always assumed they were issued with surplus AKMs, especially since the Polish army started to convert to a locally manufactured version of the AK-74 known as the Pz 88 Tantal in the early '90s, IRL. What about uniforms then? Were they issured proper uniforms (likely surplus) or did they just wear their own outdoors stuff? Were they issued weapons heavier than LMGs?

How big would they really be? Wouldn't most of Poland's able-bodied male population have been drafted into the conventional army? That would leave mildly disabled veterans, middle-aged men, and teenagers for the ORMO.

What sized settlements would have an official, state-sponsored ORMO?

As for unofficial ORMO (i.e. makeshift town militias), I've always assumed that they just have to make due with whatever they can get their hands on.

What are your thoughts? How have you used ORMO in your campaigns? Is there any good source material out there, offical or home-brewed, concerning T2K ORMO weapons, equipment, uniforms, and internal organization?
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