What is a good combat character to play in 2nd ed.

[Gabe The Gun]

Howdie folks, I know I've been off for a while but have'nt had much time to play. Now my friend is going to run a 2nd Ed. T2K game and I was just wondering what peoples opinions are for the best combat character to play and why. Thanks for the input because it will help me figure out what I want to play in his game. Cheers.

[Legbreaker]

Anything you think you can have fun with.
The character should though be something you have enough knowledge about to pull of convincingly - no point trying to play a rocket scientist if you failed basic physics in school for example.

[Panther Al]

Also might want to take into account where the game is going to be set: Open plains of Germany? Mountain Infantry might not be a good idea. The Austrian Alps? Gebirgsjager: Where Eagles Dare.

But Legs has a very good point: Play what you have a at least a good grounding in, that winds up being the most fun IMHO.

[Adm.Lee]

Whatever you want to play.

Any character should end up with at least a wartime term, so they won't be short on combat skills. A PC who's spent all of his/her terms in the active military is going to have more combat skills than one who hasn't, obviously, but don't make that your focus if you don't want to.

2nd ed. is so free-form in career choices that you can come up with a lot of different things. My last Merc:2k group had a big-game hunter, a biker, a pilot/demo expert, a sniper, and an ex-mobster.

[helbent4]

Originally Posted by Gabe The Gun

Howdie folks, I know I've been off for a while but have'nt had much time to play. Now my friend is going to run a 2nd Ed. T2K game and I was just wondering what peoples opinions are for the best combat character to play and why. Thanks for the input because it will help me figure out what I want to play in his game. Cheers.

Gabe,

Of course, everyone else is right, play what you like or feel comfortable with.

An obvious choice for combat is infantryman/commando/special ops, but T2K tends to be more than well-stocked (if not overrun) with "high speed low drag" types. You sometimes can't swing a cat without hitting snipers, Rangers, Airborne, US Marines, 10th Mountain, Special Forces/Spetsnaz recon/recce troops and commandos of all kinds.

I'm going to go out on a limb here are recommend a specific character type/role that is generally underplayed: heavy weapons.

They really "bring the thump" more than any other PC, and every military force has plenty of heavy weapons units to choose from. Basically, you get to play with all the really fun toys other PCs can't because they already maxed out cooler skills like SA: Rifles, Pistols, Unarmed Martial Arts and so on.

Good skills for HW types are GL (for GLs, RPGs/LAWs and recoilless rifles), Autogun (MGs, GPMGs, Autocannon and AGLs). An artilleryman (or some tankers) would also be wise to pick up Heavy Gun and/or Heavy Artillery.

It's not just a case of being the biggest wanker with the biggest gun; real-life teams and units really benefit from heavy fire support. Bad guys know this and will often have their own heavy weapons of some kind to use against you. (Which you can certainly use should they fall into your hands.) An AT gunner of some kind (ATGM, RPG or RR) will be able to better deal with any of the APCs, AFVs or even tanks you run across than a rifleman with a grenade.

If a straight-up member of a HW unit (PacWar or NATO) doesn't grab you, HW troops are all part of different special ops and commando units. US Marine MOS 0331 "Assaultman" seems pretty interesting; they train extensively for using SMAWs (GL) and demolitions (eg. "...blast a hole in the wall using an oval charge...blow open a door with a linear, donut or water charge...") They also tend to cross-train on TOWs, MGs and mortars.

As mentioned, tankers usually have AG, HG and HA, as do artillerymen. Getting a little more exotic, naval personnel can have the same skills, even aviators. Assault engineers are also great, but planting explosives and using demo charges requires both a degree of advance planning than most players enjoy and more balls than is usually healthy.

Tony

[Panther Al]

You know, Combat engineers have always been a fav off and on. Just enough combat skills not to be at a strong disadvantage in a fight, with enough odd skills to really be a huge multiplier to the group on the whole, especially the CE Officer track.

[helbent4]

Originally Posted by Panther Al

You know, Combat engineers have always been a fav off and on. Just enough combat skills not to be at a strong disadvantage in a fight, with enough odd skills to really be a huge multiplier to the group on the whole, especially the CE Officer track.

Al,

Thank you, that's the concept I was looking for. Riflemen are the basic "force" while HW specialists are a significant "force multiplier". Other PC types are also force multipliers in and of themselves (intelligence, signals, mechanics, etc.) but few have as much pizzazz. Plus, they are generally not in the most exposed position (like, advancing under fire) being more in the direct- or indirect-fire support role.

In Rae's game I'm playing a Polish artilleryman who I think has scored more enemy kills than all other PCs combined. (Also, regrettably, recently involved in an incident of fratricidel.) My favourite in-game weapon is the Vasilek (" it's a mortar firing HE! It's a direct-fire AT gun when firing HEAT! It's an 82mm autocannon! It's all three at one low, low price!") and favourite vehicle was an Ural bike with sidecar mounting an AGL-17.

Engineers are a good bet, too. However, I find with playing them you have to work a lot harder to remain relevant, else you become just another rifleman that on the odd basis removes a mine or sets a booby-trap.

Tony

[Panther Al]

I agree, its hard not to get left out, but with the Autogun skill, the CE can always double up as the machine gunner, letting the more gung-ho types get up and close. But, cheesy as it might be at times, the last time I played a CE, I had him do his first two terms in the infantry, mostly to pick up some of the more esoteric skills that tend to get glossed over, like FO, tac missile, and gren launcher, that are not avialable to CE officers.

[Adm.Lee]

Originally Posted by helbent4

Al,
In Rae's game I'm playing a Polish artilleryman who I think has scored more enemy kills than all other PCs combined.

I think I did this in a one-shot of Merc. My guy with a 60mm mortar did a lot of damage to the targets. I think this was also the game in which we realized our plan involved using 5km radios... but our teams were 8km apart. Oops.