Who Would Make a Good Warlord?

[Rainbow Six]

A bar or nightclub owner may have, initially at least, access to a number of "luxury" items - alcohol, tobacco, drugs, women, as well as a range of contacts they might be able to call on, and be well known within the local community, all of which may come in useful when empire building.

On a related note to the bar / nightclub owner, I don't know if you intended to include this under security companies, but in the UK it's common for bar / nightclub bouncers to work for specialist companies who then provide doormen to pubs on a contract basis, so someone who owned one of those companies would potentially have access to a number of people who are well used to trouble. In some cases the same companies also provided stewards for concerts / football matches, etc, so have hundreds of people on their payrolll (for many it's a second job opportunity and / or a chance to get into events for free).

Probably too obvious, but pre war politicians might be an option.

A charismatic university professor perhaps? Possibly one who has studied / taught certain periods of history that may have given them some knowledge / insight that may prove useful in the T2K World? For example, someone who is a subject matter expert on the medieval World may attempt to use their knowledge to recreate some sort of feudal State with themselves at its centre?

Ultimately though, all you really need is someone particularly charismatic who is ideally a good orator as well. When I put my Alternative Survivor's Guide to the UK together I made one of the major marauder leaders a former call centre worker who manoeuvred himself into being in the right place at the right time

http://www.twilight2000files.com/page702.html

Another was a student nurse before the war

http://www.twilight2000files.com/page72.html

So whilst some career paths obviously offer an advantage in terms of having resources / people already in place, I think pretty much anyone could end up as a warlord, particularly in areas where there is a mass movement of people leading to refugees overwhelming established communities.

[Targan]

Me.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Targan

Me.

+1

[RN7]

Originally Posted by Targan

Me.

Always thought there was something megalomaniac about you Targan

[pmulcahy11b]

Here's possibly stupid idea, but still possible in my mind: Major TV personalities (especially from news organizations) who had a large following before TV went byebye.

[Askold]

People seem to assume that military officers make perfect warlord material but there is an obvious problem there. They hold authority due to their rank in the military. Any authority they have is basically because of that rank, if the military collapses how many soldiers will continue blindly following them if they decide to become warlords? Certainly some might want to stick together simply because it offers better chances of survival but they might just as well decide to leave and try to get back to their families or perhaps find other units are not being led by a "warlord."

Gangs, biker gangs and organised criminal organisations on the other hand I see as a perfect breeding ground for warlords and their armies.

[Webstral]

My wife.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Askold

People seem to assume that military officers make perfect warlord material but there is an obvious problem there. They hold authority due to their rank in the military. Any authority they have is basically because of that rank, if the military collapses how many soldiers will continue blindly following them if they decide to become warlords? Certainly some might want to stick together simply because it offers better chances of survival but they might just as well decide to leave and try to get back to their families or perhaps find other units are not being led by a "warlord."

Not just any officer is going to become a warlord by virtue of their rank. The crap ones would be more likely to be fragged in a SHTF scenario. But, as the Romans have taught us, loyalty to a successful and/or charismatic officer can often trump loyalty to a more abstract concept such as "the state" or "the people". In Rome's case, this phenomenon led to the end of the Republic and largely contributed to the end of the Empire.

[kato13]

This list

http://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-f...ference?page=1

seems to show that being a military person, or a religious or political leader is the most common pre-warlord occupation.

[Olefin]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

Here's possibly stupid idea, but still possible in my mind: Major TV personalities (especially from news organizations) who had a large following before TV went byebye.

a la The Omega Man with Charlton Heston

Course could also just be someone famous

i.e. The Postman movie

[Wolf sword]

What about History or a Political Science Professor.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by RN7

Always thought there was something megalomaniac about you Targan

My online gaming name for the last decade has been Monomaniacal. I think that says it all

[SionEwig]

Pretty much anyone who has been in any type of leadership position could be a possible good warlord. It's more the person rather than what they have been. A possible off the wall one could be an experienced youth group leader. Or a park ranger, forrest ranger type.

[Apache6]

I've GM'd a local Sheriff in a southern county who 'grew' almost unwillingly into a warlord as other elements including the state and local elected officials proved incapable of providing order and/or security. His intention was to protect his county and ensure justice. This certainly has historic precedence.

As does the wealthy cattle baron, minor or farmer hiring protection that eventually grows into a 'militia' of its own. This scenario has occurred in Columbia where "FARC" guerrilla (originally a Marxist group) have basically become the security force for drug growers, who have then grown to control significant portions of real estate, has occurred in recent history.

In many cases the difference between a militia band, a contract security force and a warlords army might be almost semantic. In all cases, the truth will be colored by the intent, beliefs, perceptions and propaganda of the various speakers.

If he is my enemy, I might call a a charismatic and effective leader of a county militia, a warlord, gang leader, or warcriminal... Of course if he's in my pay or doing my bidding he's a brave defender of the helpless. If I'm a single mother who is being protected, I might call him a hero or even willingly 'my lord' and be proud of his successes.

[pmulcahy11b]

[QUOTE=SionEwig;60784]Pretty much anyone who has been in any type of leadership position could be a possible good warlord. It's more the person rather than what they have been. A possible off the wall one could be an experienced youth group leader. Or a park ranger, forr

I've been a forest ranger in Virginia. Some will never listen to you, especially kids on a field trip. A forest ranger would better be a specialist asset to a warlord.

[Raellus]

There's a somewhat interesting German film called The Wave (that, at least, is the American English title) about a high school teacher who conducts a simulation/social experiment with his students on the topic of totalitarianism. I don't want to give too much away but things spiral out of control pretty quickly.

[SionEwig]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I've been a forest ranger in Virginia. Some will never listen to you, especially kids on a field trip. A forest ranger would better be a specialist asset to a warlord.

Well, some people are not going to listen to someone in any of the professions mentioned in this thread. And kids on a field trip, especially to the wide open spaces, do tend to be had to get the attention of. Nonetheless, a park ranger or forest ranger could still become an effective warlord, at least in the right circumstances (just like any profession could).

[Adm.Lee]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Six

A charismatic university professor perhaps? Possibly one who has studied / taught certain periods of history that may have given them some knowledge / insight that may prove useful in the T2K World? For example, someone who is a subject matter expert on the medieval World may attempt to use their knowledge to recreate some sort of feudal State with themselves at its centre?

If not a professor, a university president/chancellor/provost/whatever-- someone used to holding power, who's got some cachet in the community outside the university, perhaps as a former professor or judge.

Heck, combine it with politician-- a former mayor or governor, now univ. professor/president. I think most US states and cities might have a law prohibiting too many back-to-back terms as chief executive, so a "retirement" to State U., located in the capitol, might be a nice way for Popular Governor X. to sit out the four-year term of his handpicked successor (or opposite party opponent) in the Governor's Mansion.

I don't know of anyone like this in the '90s, but Ohio's Gov. Jim Rhodes was governor for 2 terms, sat out the 1971-75 term and returned to the Statehouse 1975-83, since the law was "no more than 2 consecutive terms as governor". He ran again in 1986 for a 5th term, but lost. He wasn't a university president in between, but someone else could have done it. Someone with that kind of longevity would have a lot of influence over state office-holders, local politicians, and even police and militia appointments.

Woodrow Wilson went from Princeton Univ. president to NJ governor to US President.

Alternately, cities don't usually have such restrictions, so a mayor who had been re-elected over and over could have deep roots into patronage and power, to become a warlord.