Military genre stuff

[Toadmaster]

Well the PA thread got into the various games out there that could be used for a PA HERO game, then it drifted a little and Recon was mentioned which got me thinking about military Hero games. Since it is an area I am fond of and have alot of the games that have been done I thought I'd start something similar for this genre.

 

Recon (RPG Inc)

Recon started as a Vietnam RPG, most of it came as little books like Traveller.

 

Recon rule book (1982), small black book. This is the rule book.

 

Recon supplement 1: Sayaret & Track Commander (1983), small black book. Includes rules for middle east based games, primarily the Arab / Isreali wars. Also includes rules for playing a tank crew.

 

Recon Module 1: The Haiphong HALO (1983), newsprint format. Includes rules for playing SOG operations in North Vietnam, includes many methods of infiltration / extraction, a map of a harbor area and deck plans for a frieghter.

 

Recon Module 2: Hearts & minds (1983), small black book. Includes rules for playing Special forces characters in the central highlands of Vietnam.

 

San Succi: (1983?), newsprint format. Scale map of a small city and Road Kill, a vehicle combat system.

 

Recon Mission Directors Screen (1983?), three fold 8 1/2 x 11 gaming screen.

 

Planned (but as far as I know never done)

 

Sweep, Recon supplement: Conventional operations in Vietnam.

 

Up from the ashes, Recon module: Phoenix / Phung Hoang operations against Viet Cong infrastructure.

 

LZ Loon, Recon module: Humorous mercenary module.

 

RECCE, Recon supplement: Rules for playing Rhodesian / South African based games.

 

Death from Above, Recon supplement: Rules for playing helicopter crews.

 

Weapons & Booby traps, Recon supplement: Modern weapons and booby traps from around the world.

 

Revised Recon (Palladium)

Palladium bought Recon from RPG Inc and re-wrote much of the game, but the original Recon is still buried in the rules. It also moved the game from Vietnam to a Vietnam "like" setting and also include a number of other hot spots (again thinly veiled approximations of the real world). The game went from the small book to an 8 1/2 x 11" format and added alot more art.

 

Revised Recon (1986) The rule book

 

Advanced Recon (1987) More rules, includes the miniature rules from the original recon which had been removed from the Revised version.

 

Deluxe Revised Recon (1999) Combines Revised recon and Advanced recon into one book.

 

 

Behind Enemy Lines (FASA)

Behind Enemy Lines is a WW2 RPG.

 

Behind Enemy Lines boxed set (3 books), (1982). The rules.

 

British Commandos (1982) The basic rules only include how to make US characters, this book provides rules to make and play British characters.

 

The Guns of Navaronne (1982) A module for Behind Enemy Lines

 

 

Behind Enemy Lines (The Companions)

FASA sold the rights to the game to another company, the rules changed but it is still a World War 2 based RPG. The books now resembled military field guides.

 

Behind Enemy Lines boxed set, (1985). The rules.

 

The British in World war 2 (1986). Rules for making characters from Britain, Canadia, Australia and New Zealand.

 

 

Delta Force (Task Force Games)

This is an RPG of modern combat, primarily anti-terrorism based campaigns. It uses a similar system to FASA's Behind Enemy Lines.

 

Delta Force boxed set (1986) the rules.

 

Terror at sea (1986) a module involving an ocean liner.

 

Desert sun (1987) a module involving a North African nation and nuclear weapons.

 

Delta Force Companion (1987) more rules for delta force.

 

 

MERC (Fantasy Games Unlimited)

This is an RPG involving mercenaries in Africa.

 

MERC boxed set (1981) The rules, also includes supplement 1.

 

Supplement 1: Rhodesia. Rules for playing a Rhodesia based game.

 

Supplement 2: The Congo (as far as I know this was never released).

 

 

Twilight 2000 (Game Designers Workshop)

While best known as a Post Apacalypse game the second edition released a Special operations supplement and Merc 2000 for games set in a world that had gone into many small brush fire wars instead of WW3. These are well suited to running modern military games.

 

Osprey publishing has many books suitable for getting the basic information to run a game set in a particular conflict.

[Dauntless]

Re: Military genre stuff

 

I dipped my feet into Vietnam roleplaying with the original Recon game. I had the Haiphong Halo supplement and the Hearts and Minds supplement (didnt know about the Sayeret one though). I really wish I remember what I did with that game though. I only played maybe 4-5 games with that system. I never really liked the Palladium version of Recon though, but fortunately the Phoenix Command system came out not much afterwards.

 

I ran my own Vietnam campaign using Phoenix Command as the rules end, and doing my own research for the setting. I remember using some Osprey books (which I still have) and some digest sized books (I think from Time-Life, but I could be mistaken) for other material. When I was 16, I knew more about the Vietnam conflict than I do now. I even read part of the Bright Shining Lie, not to mention Chickenhawk (the author of whom I met since he lived very close to my town), The Killing Zone, Warrior Kings, LRRP, and probably another 3-4 books I can no longer recall.

 

And of course Twillight 2000 both 1st and 2nd (though not 3rd edition, where they changed it to a d20 system). I actually only had the first 5 modules, the RDF sourcebook, and the Nato and Warsaw Pact vehicle guides. Once they moved the action back to the United States, I sort of lost interest.

 

I also remember thumbing through Behind Enemy Lines, but I never actually got it.

 

I also bought but never played Freedom Fighters and Merc both by Fantasy Games Unlimited. I also had Task Force Games Delta Force and the Delta Force companion, but again never played it (though it looked like a really good system). I also have the Gurps 3rd Ed. WWII world book (1st edition softcover), but none of the supplements.

 

I also remember playing a few games in one guy's Boot Hill campaign, but he ran it as a campaign against the Nez Perce and Chief Joseph.

 

I've been itching to do either a WWII or Forgotten War campaign (Korean Conflict campaign). But unlike current computer games, which would seem to allow young players to believe that the war was fought almost totally by paratroopers and Rangers in Normandy alone, I'd want to cover some of the far and offbeat places. Like maybe Merril's Marauders in China or the Chindits in Burma, or the campaigns in North Africa or the Mediterranean. And the Korean War would be intense...how would you like facing literally hundreds of thousands of troops coming at you en masse, even if maybe only a tenth of them actually had weapons.

 

Heck, I'd love to do an American Civil War, French and Indian War, English Civil War, or American Revolution period game. For some reason, RPG designers have never touched on any game period before the Victorian/Edwardian era or after the Crusades (and always neglecting from the 1st century through the 11th). Strange considering the great wealth of setting these periods could provide. Then again, history has never been a great inspirer for RPG games or gamers unfortunately.

[megaplayboy]

Re: Military genre stuff

 

Here There Be Tigers, a supplement for the old Espionage/Danger International game. Complete summaries of package deals for military characters, esp. Spec Forces, Rangers, Force Recon, etc.

Some interesting stuff in there.

 

Out of print, sadly.

[megaplayboy]

Re: Military genre stuff

 

Seems like a big component of military hardware is reliability/maintenance, two things that'd be in short supply in a post-apoc setting. Think Twilight 2K had some stuff on that.

[Starwolf]

Re: Military genre stuff

 

Here There Be Tigers, a supplement for the old Espionage/Danger International game. Complete summaries of package deals for military characters, esp. Spec Forces, Rangers, Force Recon, etc.

Some interesting stuff in there.

 

Out of print, sadly.

I recently (6 months ago) bought a copy from Noble Knight games. They are an online company that has a lot of old gaming material as well as new stuff.

 

Here's the link if you want to check them out.

 

Noble Knight Games

[Roter Baron]

Re: Military genre stuff

 

Here there be tigers is is great - buy it if you can get it! Only problem is that you cannot possible change the time so you have to start in the mid- to ealy 80s (I cannot think that there are still living POW in Vietnam by now!).

 

Another very good adventure is Raid on Rajallapor by Grenadier Games and for Mercenaries, Spies and Private Eyes - setting is India in 1983, but you can chnage that one easily to any country big enough to have some out of the way mansion. And the time can be changed, too. Even included some supernatural elemnts, but you can leave them out (as I did) with no ill effect on the plot.