Decoration for Characters

[Raellus]

In T2K, the game, medals are cool fluff. I think that they do have their place in the T2KU. I doubt that many physical medals would be distributed in the T2KU after the exchanges, but paper "I.O.U."s would likely continue to be handed out.

It's a morale thing. People like to be recognized for their efforts. A PC in a PbP that I play in recently told some new PCs that my PC had earned a Silver Star during a previous episode of the campaign. That was news to me, but I was thrilled to read it. What does it mean in the game world? Not much. There's no paperwork, AFAIK, and my character never received a physical medal of any kind. If the unit gets wiped out tomorrow, no one will ever know about it. But IC, it's a subject of IG conversation, a source of pride for the character, a piece of shared history for the members of the unit. Perhaps, someday, some sort of tangible reward will be attached to it (like a promotion or free drinks at a bar). Even if nothing else comes of it, it was a cool moment and I appreciated a fellow player making mention of it. I imagine that other players would likely feel the same way if their characters were awarded a medal.

[Targan]

Does there have to be a functioning Congress for CMHs to be awarded? As in, would MilGov hand out CMHs despite not recognizing the authority of the CivGov "Congress"? Or does the "Congressional" part not actually mean anything in terms of the way the Congressional Medal of Honor is awarded?

[simonmark6]

I remember the incident that Rae is referring to. In that case it was a highly irregular occurrence. The PC officer in command was a Silver Star winner in his backstory and when the PC in question faced down and beat a Hind in order to save the whole party he not only recommended him for the medal but issued him his own medal.

It was a long time ago in the game and I don't wonder that Rae had forgotten. It was a cool bit of fluff that meant something between the gamers but I don't know how you would make it into a game mechanic as reputation is such a nebulous thing.

[Olefin]

Originally Posted by simonmark6

I remember the incident that Rae is referring to. In that case it was a highly irregular occurrence. The PC officer in command was a Silver Star winner in his backstory and when the PC in question faced down and beat a Hind in order to save the whole party he not only recommended him for the medal but issued him his own medal.

It was a long time ago in the game and I don't wonder that Rae had forgotten. It was a cool bit of fluff that meant something between the gamers but I don't know how you would make it into a game mechanic as reputation is such a nebulous thing.

Took out a Hind by himself? Ok this I want to hear - must have been one hell of a session

[rcaf_777]

That happened to a character of mine, he was able to get off two LAW shots one to engine and one to cockpit both shots were at close range from a rock face however I died of my wounds three rounds later lol

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Olefin

Took out a Hind by himself? Ok this I want to hear - must have been one hell of a session

I just found and reread the pertinent thread. Seems both simonmark6 and I both misremembered a bit. Considering the campaign started in 2008, I think we can both be forgiven. Here's what actually happened.

A Hind attacked our party at a river crossing, as our AFVs (an M113 and an M2) were attempting to complete their fording of the watery obstacle. My PC ran out into the open to attempt to draw the gunship's fire and toss a WP grenade to provide concealment for the vulnerable AFVs (more the latter than the former, really).

The ploy failed on both counts but the gunship fortunately ignored my PC. It also missed the AFVs on its first pass. On its second pass, it was the Hind's unguided rockets vs. the Bradley's 25mm bushmaster. The former failed to score a direct hitter but the latter succeeded, downing the gunship (most of its crew survived).

After the fight, in recognition of my Latvian scout-translator PC's foolhardy but selfless act, simonmark's CO PC gave my PC his grandfather's prized march compass. At some point later on in the game, my PC was also awarded a battlefield promotion, to corporal U.S. Army, I think.