Military Experience

[jester]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Yeah, that's a good point. I hope I would be undertanding and try to correct them gently but it probably would get on my nerves.

On the other hand, I'm not sure why a real teacher would want to RP being a teacher. I play T2K to escape reality.

I'm curious as to why T2K appeals to vets- especially combat vets- when it can only ever beel a pale approximation of the real military experience.

SimonMark6: That's a really good point. The Sgt. Ellias/Sgt. Barnes (Platoon) intra-party drama is all fine and dandy when the players are cool with it and have discussed it ahead of time. I've only ever seen this kind of thing develop on the fly and get personal fast, though, and that kind of ruins it for everyone involved.

Maybe it's just something about my game that makes players despise each other.

I have noticed it is certain types who tend to gang up on other types. Alas, I saw this in another couple games back in 01 and 02 with the same suspects. As well as piecing it together with someone who left the game a while ago

[Adm.Lee]

I was fortunate(?) in that I've only run with non-veterans, and having been the most military-enthused member of a group. My own level of military enthusiasm is to study at the level above RPGs. That is, I read a lot about the generals' level of the war, not usually the grunts'-eye view. I stopped caring a lot about the minutia of weapons systems a long time ago.

I did run with some fellow ROTC cadets once (see sig), but they didn't really like RPGs so it didn't last long. The non-ROTC guys were the ones that later broke the game up over intra-party conflict (executing prisoners, as I've said before).

I made a point of including an NPC NCO sometimes, so that I could insert a "voice of wisdom" sometimes: "Uh, sir, charging that would be a bad idea. Let's take cover instead."

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Adm.Lee

I made a point of including an NPC NCO sometimes, so that I could insert a "voice of wisdom" sometimes: "Uh, sir, charging that would be a bad idea. Let's take cover instead."

That's a good thing to do, in a lot of RPGs -- I used to do it sometimes even in D&D, Top Secret, and Traveller games. You have to be careful not to get too heavy-handed with it, though, or it turns into one of those things that make players feel they are being led around by the nose.

Excuse me -- Sam needs some Phazyme...

[jester]

I've found its a good tool, to include a NCO lower, or a runner, or driver who can act as a voice to at times guide the players. Sometimes, the PCs will just stop and pause wondering what to do. Then poof, the radioman, or Cpl can make a suggestion to get things rolling.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by jester

I've found its a good tool, to include a NCO lower, or a runner, or driver who can act as a voice to at times guide the players. Sometimes, the PCs will just stop and pause wondering what to do. Then poof, the radioman, or Cpl can make a suggestion to get things rolling.

He is also useful as a victim of a gorey fate to hammer home a point or emphasize something to the party

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by headquarters

He is also useful as a victim of a gorey fate to hammer home a point or emphasize something to the party

Yes, just put a red shirt on him...

Sorry, I'm a little goofy tonight.

[jester]

Originally Posted by headquarters

He is also useful as a victim of a gorey fate to hammer home a point or emphasize something to the party

That too! Although, I often include someone for that as well among the NPCs. It helps to bond a group together, since suffering and shared loss are often something that does draw people together, and of course facing obstacles and over comming them as a group or team also bring a group together as a team and that is somthing that when done right is fostered within a campaign.

[jturfitt]

Was a medic in the Air Force from 1974-1978. Spent 2 1/2 year in various places in Texas (Basic training at Lackland AFB, Tech school at Sheppard AFB, Air Evac Training at Kelly Air Force Base and 2 years working OB in the hospital at Laughlin AFB). Then spent 17 months @ Clark Air Force Base in the Phillipines working with the 9th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. 75% of the patients we flew to the states post Vietnam were Psych patients from Korea and Japan. One trip we had three in straight jackets for the whole trip (Jesus, Alexander the Great, and Ghengis Khan), most ususual trip.