Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

[incrdbil]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

 

I don't think you really meant Sgt Superior to be taken as a "typical" soldier. But maybe that's what some of us thought you were saying.

 

 

Thats what I took it as. If that was not the intention, and if the character was an ex-soldier for a reason (theres a good reason many types get out of the military and try to brag about being in, because they couldn't function in the military bevcause they are over-agressive a-holes who can't work with others)...then I do apologize. Perhaps I've been lurikng rpg net and other forums too much lately, theres a lot of 'I need some evil..I'll use a soldier, they are all just kill crazy fascists anyway' attitudes out there, and apparently I wrongly read an inocent post.

 

Again, my apologies.

 

Hmm, Sergeant Superior, if he's a really big twit might set Harry up for failure, abusing a contact or resource as to give the team false intel through an therwise reliable resource, or arrange for equipment promised by some agency to be sabotaged or fail, or somehow prevent some expected support not to arrive, then have his team come in to save the day.

 

He may even lobby for his team to somehow become more officially sanctioned than Harry's, and use that against them, trying to crowd them out of many scenes all together.

[Shoutybloke]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

If you want inspiration for military bad guys, look into the attitudes shown by the officer class duing world war 1. "choke the rivers with our dead" has long been considerable strategy by those who don't have to die to do the choking. If you can get hold of a copy of some of the "charleys war" comics, that'll help.

 

The thing to remember, is that the military is a hierachy, so you have to consider weather or not your bad guy sees himself as their superior or not. If he does, he'll try to make sure they get the worst assignments, the ones with no glory and much risk. Sooner or later the opposition does your work for you. If he see's them sas equal or superior to him, then he needs to make sure that he knows when they screw up, and snich to their superiors. This tactic will make him hated by your players, as no one likes a snich, and well pc groups screw up a LOT.

[SimComm]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Hello all,

Please do not feel any need to apologize to me.

I try not to insult anybody, but I'm still not so good at it at times.

I forget that many people have many different backgrounds, and I should be sensitive to others.

I have asked my BFF (who is an American) to look at the following post, and she says that it is clear. I hope you will be able to understand better what I am trying to ask:

 

Please understand that I meant no offense about Sgt Superior.

I actually like the character very much.

He has been in a number of different adventures as a rival for the heroes.

He is actually a very successful hero, having made his own Super group and is pretty well known.

However, the problem is that he has had to sacrifice a lot of his personal life.

He is divorced (mostly due to that he was saving the world instead of spending time with his family) and has a daughter, Kate, who I personally like very much, as the Sgt spends a lot of time trying to help her. Unfortunately, he does not really know the best way to do so, and spends a lot of time trying to give her super-powers by all of the “conventional methods” while trying to be the best father possible. However, he has missed most of her childhood saving the world, and I think he regrets it, so he can be very doting on her.

Harry makes him very upset, as he sees the younger PC as being something he could have been (as Harry has been doing local work and investigations) and dislikes Harry’s attitude (Harry does not wear a mask, and does not seem to take saving the world very seriously).

I want him to not be just a two-dimensional character, but the problem is that Harry (our main PC) is more inventive than I am, and I cannot seem to be able to do any plots that are taken apart rather quickly.

I would like the Sgt to win. Maybe just once, so he can be seen as a credible rival.

 

-SC

[Shoutybloke]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Simple. If he's US military, then the way he wins is with firepower and boots on the ground. See, the military isn't about being brave and proving which side is better, it's about getting the job done, no matter what.

 

Just have him ambush the upstart kid in his civvie ID, when he's alone and unarmed and the Sgt isn't, and administer some wall-to-wall counciling.

[greenbriar]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

good soldier will collect as much information about an objective as they can before acting on it.

[Tom]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

{...snip...}

Harry makes him very upset, as he sees the younger PC as being something he could have been (as Harry has been doing local work and investigations) and dislikes Harry’s attitude (Harry does not wear a mask, and does not seem to take saving the world very seriously).

I want him to not be just a two-dimensional character, but the problem is that Harry (our main PC) is more inventive than I am, and I cannot seem to be able to do any plots that are taken apart rather quickly.

I would like the Sgt to win. Maybe just once, so he can be seen as a credible rival.

 

-SC

 

Well, the 'how' would seem easy. The details will be trickier though...

 

As much as PCs hate being 'saved' by NPCs, and it's something GMs should avoid doing on a regular basis, if Harry really is a bit of a 'loose cannon' succeeding on luck, and raw power -- have Sgt Superior and his crew save the PCs (or the city's, whatever) bacon by being 'professionals' (ie: prior planning and training -- which would certainly fit for a professional NCO)...

 

With a little luck, it's possible the Sarge and Harry could even come to respect each other...

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

He's a Rival, not a Hunted. No reason for him to be trying to tear Harry down, when he can build himself up instead.

 

He's got his own super-group, dedicates himself to saving the world, even to the point of unintentionally neglecting his daughter (even though, by saving the city/world etc. he was protecting her too!) - and he's going to waste time trying to ambush him or manipulate things behind the scenes in petty revenge against Harry and his Little Rascals? Nah, he's got more important things to do.

 

How to humiliate Harry? Be better than him. Show this upstart how it's done. Drive himself and his team to be better than ever, be rivals, but in the sense that the Super Bowl champions are "rivals" to some team that didn't even make the playoffs. Become the gold standard, the heroes that others are measured against.

 

Along the way, since he sees some of himself in Harry and is a basically good guy, if a bit rough around the edges, he'll point out Harry's mistakes and give advice on how to fix them. He means well and is genuinely trying to help, but his manner and choice of phrasing will likely ruffle Harry's feathers, who will think the Sgt is just rubbing his nose in things and being overly critical. The Sgt may even invite the PCs to join HIS team, individually or all at once - the PCs have some talent, no disputing it, and with his help they can become even better. And given the threats out there, combining forces makes sense. Of course, the PCs especially Harry will likely balk at the prospect of having the Sgt as their "boss".

 

If the ages are appropriate, a fun subplot would be for Harry and Kate to start dating. Even better if Harry has no idea who her father is to start with. Then one night she brings him over for dinner to meet her father...

[Yansuf]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Hello all,

Please do not feel any need to apologize to me.

I try not to insult anybody, but I'm still not so good at it at times.

I forget that many people have many different backgrounds, and I should be sensitive to others.

I have asked my BFF (who is an American) to look at the following post, and she says that it is clear. I hope you will be able to understand better what I am trying to ask:

 

Please understand that I meant no offense about Sgt Superior.

I actually like the character very much.

He has been in a number of different adventures as a rival for the heroes.

He is actually a very successful hero, having made his own Super group and is pretty well known.

However, the problem is that he has had to sacrifice a lot of his personal life.

He is divorced (mostly due to that he was saving the world instead of spending time with his family) and has a daughter, Kate, who I personally like very much, as the Sgt spends a lot of time trying to help her. Unfortunately, he does not really know the best way to do so, and spends a lot of time trying to give her super-powers by all of the “conventional methods” while trying to be the best father possible. However, he has missed most of her childhood saving the world, and I think he regrets it, so he can be very doting on her.

Harry makes him very upset, as he sees the younger PC as being something he could have been (as Harry has been doing local work and investigations) and dislikes Harry’s attitude (Harry does not wear a mask, and does not seem to take saving the world very seriously).

I want him to not be just a two-dimensional character, but the problem is that Harry (our main PC) is more inventive than I am, and I cannot seem to be able to do any plots that are taken apart rather quickly.

I would like the Sgt to win. Maybe just once, so he can be seen as a credible rival.

 

-SC

 

A lot depends on what Harry has done to the good sgt.

If they were just harmless pranks, the sgt may well ignore them, confident that "what goes around, comes around" and that Harry will "get his" eventually, while he (the sgt) gets on with the mission.

See post #9 by incrdbil, I agree with him on that.

Of course, if Harry should happen to "step in it" somewhere down the line, the sgt (and his team) will get a very good laugh out of it.

 

If the "pranks" were serious, that is a different matter. But the sgt might still use the above response.

 

If you think what Harry did was serious enough that you cannot see the sgt "acting like the adult" and ignoring them, you really need to give us some more info on what was done.

[SimComm]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Harry and the Sgt have had a very juvenile rivalry for some time now.

I think it started small with Harry accidentally barging into the Sgt's media coverage spraying magical goo on everyone (they had the wrong room number).

But the big one that really made the Sgt mad was when Harry was chasing (I think it was a werewolf) through the local University and found it about to kill a girl in the showers. So Harry picked her up and ran out, eventually going on a very long (and unfortunately recorded) running away scene. The Sgt finds out on the evening news when he sees his daughter, Kate, naked, being carried screaming through the public street with Harry. Things were eventually sort of explained (by Kate after the Sgt smashed into Harry's hideout and nearly took off Harry's head), but there is a big grudge between the two.

 

-SC

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Please understand that I meant no offense about Sgt Superior.

I actually like the character very much.

He has been in a number of different adventures as a rival for the heroes.

He is actually a very successful hero, having made his own Super group and is pretty well known.

However, the problem is that he has had to sacrifice a lot of his personal life.

He is divorced (mostly due to that he was saving the world instead of spending time with his family) and has a daughter, Kate, who I personally like very much, as the Sgt spends a lot of time trying to help her. Unfortunately, he does not really know the best way to do so, and spends a lot of time trying to give her super-powers by all of the “conventional methods” while trying to be the best father possible. However, he has missed most of her childhood saving the world, and I think he regrets it, so he can be very doting on her.

Harry makes him very upset, as he sees the younger PC as being something he could have been (as Harry has been doing local work and investigations) and dislikes Harry’s attitude (Harry does not wear a mask, and does not seem to take saving the world very seriously).

I want him to not be just a two-dimensional character, but the problem is that Harry (our main PC) is more inventive than I am, and I cannot seem to be able to do any plots that are taken apart rather quickly.

I would like the Sgt to win. Maybe just once, so he can be seen as a credible rival,

 

Well, here is one thought. It may not necessarily fit in with what you originally had in mind, but it has ... possibilities.

 

OK, first. A summary of the situation as I see it.

 

On one side is the Sarge character, your classic Veteran Warrior. Very dedicated, good at running his team (tactical and leadership skills, certainly) but his people skills beyond that somewhat lacking, not Mister Sensitivity by any means, but definitely a good guy. Rightly or wrongly, he regards the Characters as a bunch of loud-mouthed show-offs with no idea about what superheroing is REALLY like. From his viewpoint, they may have been lucky a few times but, sooner or later, they will be in real trouble - and then it will probably be the Sarge and his people who will have to save them.

 

On the other side are the Player-Characters, young upcomers who tend to see the Sarge as more of an annoyance than anything else. He puts them down whenever possible, keeps competing with them for the damnedest things, and so on.

 

OK, my idea is this.

 

The Sarge, for all his faults, will have various connections, if just from his long service. He could use these to put across the idea that the Player-Character group is too inexperienced to be safe. They need extra training. The suggestion is eventually made by someone high-up that it would benefit everyone for the Characters to be trained by the Sarge and his people. That will basically mean having the Sarge as their boss for a while (maybe a few months, minimum of several weeks - up to you).

 

Now, it is possible that some Players may not go for this idea. I suggest that you be up front, and tell them the following:

(1) If the Characters refuse this training, then all government support will be withdrawn. If they don't have any government support, then it is harder to do any real superheroing;

(2) If the Characters complete the training, then XPs will be awarded, with bonus XPs if it is done well. Plus, the probability that any government support will be increased (eg. if they don't have a base, maybe one will be offered; if they already have a bse, maybe it will get refitted with groovy new stuff, etc.).

 

As regards the training, expect that the Sarge will be TOUGH on them. Not bullying or vindictive (much!) or deliberately cruel, but he is going to work them extra-hard. Think military-style basic training with superheroes in mind - running obstacle courses; lectures on subjects like law, first aid, tactics and technical skills; combat training; etc..

 

In keeping with his military background, one thing he will probably have the PCs do is cross-train. This is where somebody in an organization gets some training in a specialty other than his/her own. For a superhero group, this might mean that the brick is learning a little about using computers, and the speedster is lifting weights, and the computer guy is running extra laps on the athletic field.

Should be quite a few "exercises" for the PCs as things progress, both as a team and singly. Rescue the dummy from the burning shed, or deal with the gunman in the crowd (all dummies) without hurting anybody, or just knock down that wall any way you can .

 

Anyhow, probably the best way to describe what happens overall is as what goes on in any number of stories - the young warriors being trained by the seasoned old warrior. Gradually, the young warriors discover that the old guy is smarter than they first thought, and a lot of the crappy stuff he subjected them to actually makes sense in terms of making them better warriors. This is what you are aiming for here.

 

Anyhow, that's the idea. It would probably require a fair bit of prior planning, but there is plenty of help to be had here.

[SimComm]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Actually, now that I think about it, Harry has been the one who has inadvertently been the troublemaker, as the entire campaign is based around a group of secret mages (of which Harry is one) that keeps magic secret and from threatening the normal world.

The Sgt and his group will show up after one of these events, and ask what is going on, and Harry at first starting making up somewhat convincing explanations, but the Sgt could tell something more was going on (but he couldn't prove it).

So I guess as far as the Sgt sees it, Harry is a liar and a danger to everyone around him, but somehow gets more attention than he does from people. (For example, his daughter Kate)

The two also push each others' verbal buttons a lot.

 

And from Harry's point of view, the Sgt is a big bruiser who keeps pushing him around when he's trying to save the world from unexplainable horrors.

The Sgt is not very delicate in his handling of people, and Harry doesn't like being pushed around at all.

 

-SC

[Tom]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Well, the 'how' would seem easy. The details will be trickier though...

 

As much as PCs hate being 'saved' by NPCs, and it's something GMs should avoid doing on a regular basis, if Harry really is a bit of a 'loose cannon' succeeding on luck, and raw power -- have Sgt Superior and his crew save the PCs (or the city's, whatever) bacon by being 'professionals' (ie: prior planning and training -- which would certainly fit for a professional NCO)...

 

With a little luck, it's possible the Sarge and Harry could even come to respect each other...

 

Actually, now that I think about it, Harry has been the one who has inadvertently been the troublemaker, as the entire campaign is based around a group of secret mages (of which Harry is one) that keeps magic secret and from threatening the normal world.

The Sgt and his group will show up after one of these events, and ask what is going on, and Harry at first starting making up somewhat convincing explanations, but the Sgt could tell something more was going on (but he couldn't prove it).

So I guess as far as the Sgt sees it, Harry is a liar and a danger to everyone around him, but somehow gets more attention than he does from people. (For example, his daughter Kate)

The two also push each others' verbal buttons a lot.

 

And from Harry's point of view, the Sgt is a big bruiser who keeps pushing him around when he's trying to save the world from unexplainable horrors.

The Sgt is not very delicate in his handling of people, and Harry doesn't like being pushed around at all.

 

-SC

 

ok -- here's a thought for a scenario, a little more fleshed out...

 

The Sgt and crew are probably more used to dealing with tech and more obviously powered threats, while Harry and co are dealing with magic...

 

One of your magical badies allies with a paramilitary organization to steal a macguffin from a military research facility for nefarious purposes. Doesn't need to be something weapon-y, could be useful for opening a gate of some sort (mixing tech and magic can be fun!)...

 

Harry and company can recognize and deal with the magical aspects easy enough -- but they probably aren't as familiar with high technology, and dealing with a foe using small unit tactics effectively...

 

The Sgt may well have crossed swords with the paramilitaries before, and with his contacts, should be able to get good intel on their tactics and capabilities. In other words; he can second guess them effectively in a fight, knows what they can do, and has effective counters prepared in advance. Also, having contacts in the military world, he may have actual intel on the macguffin as well. He knows how to counter it, break it, or turn it off effectively...

 

Ideal payout: both groups have to work together to save the day, recognizing each other's strengths in the process...

[SimComm]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Dear All,

Thank you for the many replies!

Please don't worry if I did not reply to you by name, as I appreciate all of them

 

Supreme Serpent:

Thank you for this idea! I do like it a lot.

I would also like Kate and Harry to date (Harry though is not hot on the idea as the Sgt almost tore his head off for being near naked Kate; see above post )

I think something that bothers the Sgt a lot is that Harry gets a lot of attention from Kate for "just saving her once," while Kate doesn't show her father as much attention even though he's saved the world many times...

 

Tom:

I do like the idea of them being "forced" to work together to save the day. Although I'm not sure how to keep things secret from the Sgt and let him still work with them. Another idea I guess would be to bring the Sgt into the "magic conspiracy" but then would he be ok with keeping everything secret from his superiors?

 

-SC

[incrdbil]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Hmm, if the Sergeant is quite a bit less malicious, and the rivalry seems to be a classic 'rubbing each other the wrogn way' personality clash between teams thats exacerbated by unfortuate circumstances..play this up.

 

Since magic is involved, perhaps an every popular but tortuous 'switched bodies' episode..just for a walk in someone elses shoes.

 

It depends on which way you want to take the rivalry--force a healing for the worlds benefit, or push it to something more dangerous.

 

Or, maybe a combination--a manipulative villain seeks to stoke the fires and bring the two to all out war against each other, then take advantage of the conflict to get away with his own nefarious plot. If anything, the outrage about the two of them being manipulatedonce the characters find out about it, or Harry can convince the good sergeant it is a set up) should make for a great 'coming together' battle moment where they unite against a common foe and go to town.

[Tom]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

{...snip...}

Tom:

I do like the idea of them being "forced" to work together to save the day. Although I'm not sure how to keep things secret from the Sgt and let him still work with them. Another idea I guess would be to bring the Sgt into the "magic conspiracy" but then would he be ok with keeping everything secret from his superiors?

 

-SC

 

Two thoughts...

 

First option, the Government already 'knows', even if Sgt Superior doesn't. Typical conspiracy think. The Sgt passes along the information, and is told 'it is being taken care of' or 'congratulations, you've just been drafted into the fight to save humanity from eldrich horrors'...

 

The PCs now have a possible ally/competitor (or even both) in their own arena, depending on GMing plot requirements...

 

Second option is a matter of GM discretion. The military is more than familiar with the idea of 'classified information'. Does Harry convince the sarge that this is stuff that can't be disseminated to those without a pressing 'need to know', or would you rather the sarge pass the info along -- in which case: does the gov't try to bury the info, decide Sgt Supreme has lost his marbles, or does the gov't take the threat seriously and try to join the fight?

[Cygnia]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

How do the other PCs feel about the Sgt. and his rivalry with Harry? Do they back Harry's play regardless or are they a bit more sympathetic to the situation/try to stave off any escalations?

 

Who's on the Sgt.'s team as his allies?

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

First, a "curiousity" question: Is Superior his actual last name, or did he take that as a heroic ID?

 

On to the main topic. Part of the problem with having the NPC hero team win the day is how it's presented. It can easily come across as "GM PC," Mary-Sue type of stuff if not done well. So I'm not so hot on the thought of the two teams, or even the Sgt. and Harry, going toe-to-toe against each other unless it's a pre-arranged joint training thing. And even then, it could rub the players the wrong way and the message get lost in the moment.

 

I like the idea of the PC heroes being pushed to train under the Sergeant, especially if it includes some real action together. Perhaps breaking both teams into pairs (2 PCs with 2 NPCs) and they get to see each other in action first-hand. "Okay, I don't like him personally, but he does take this 'hero' thing seriously." Some grudging words of respect from NPCs, tempering of suggestions on how things "should" be done, etc. And a few actions from NPCs to make the PCs realize they aren't 100% wrong.

 

Building on Tom's idea, I also like the idea of having the Sgt. and his team facing off against something that's related to something the PC heroes are investigating, a foe or plot too big for either team to take on alone. For instance, both teams could be investigating different elements of a plot by some mystic evil (I'll use DEMON for simplicity sake). Let's say DEMON is stealing military weapons and enchanting them -- Sgt's team is looking into the hardware thefts, Harry's team going after thefts of mystical elements needed for the enchanting, and they meet in the middle just as DEMON opens a portal to Dread Things Best Left Untouched. Way too many DEMON warriors and Monsters From Beyond to wipe out easily. Someone has to go through the portal to stop DEMON, but someone needs to keep the portal open so the heroes can get home. Sgt. Superior promises his team will hold the line (and they do) while Harry's team deals with what's on the other side.

 

Anyway, just an idea.

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Oh, and rep to Tom and Ian for their ideas, and Vondy for, well, being Vondy and helping defuse a situation with well-spoken words.

[Balabanto]

He's a Rival, not a Hunted. No reason for him to be trying to tear Harry down, when he can build himself up instead.

 

He's got his own super-group, dedicates himself to saving the world, even to the point of unintentionally neglecting his daughter (even though, by saving the city/world etc. he was protecting her too!) - and he's going to waste time trying to ambush him or manipulate things behind the scenes in petty revenge against Harry and his Little Rascals? Nah, he's got more important things to do.

 

How to humiliate Harry? Be better than him. Show this upstart how it's done. Drive himself and his team to be better than ever, be rivals, but in the sense that the Super Bowl champions are "rivals" to some team that didn't even make the playoffs. Become the gold standard, the heroes that others are measured against.

 

Along the way, since he sees some of himself in Harry and is a basically good guy, if a bit rough around the edges, he'll point out Harry's mistakes and give advice on how to fix them. He means well and is genuinely trying to help, but his manner and choice of phrasing will likely ruffle Harry's feathers, who will think the Sgt is just rubbing his nose in things and being overly critical. The Sgt may even invite the PCs to join HIS team, individually or all at once - the PCs have some talent, no disputing it, and with his help they can become even better. And given the threats out there, combining forces makes sense. Of course, the PCs especially Harry will likely balk at the prospect of having the Sgt as their "boss".

 

If the ages are appropriate, a fun subplot would be for Harry and Kate to start dating. Even better if Harry has no idea who her father is to start with. Then one night she brings him over for dinner to meet her father...

 

That's awesome. "Dad, this is my boyfrie..."

 

"Keep your hands off my daughter, you snot nosed little punk! I'll bend you into a sandbag and use you on a live ammo range!"

[greenbriar]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

you could just treat as an inter-service rivalry, Army/Navy, Navy/Marines etc.

[SimComm]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Thank you all for the replies and suggestions! I am already trying something to get them to work together

The plot hook will be Kate, who will get involved in the villain's scheme, and the PCs and the Sgt will have to work together to save her.

I don't want to give up too much in case my PCs are reading this (my BFF/also PC now knows about this website, and I don't think she'll look, but you never know ), but it will involve two organizations working together that are usually taboo, and will make some things more complicated.

Who knows, I might be able to make the Sgt a more returning character and get Kate to be another repeat NPC in the bargain

 

A general question: What is this "Mary Sue" people are talking about? I googled the name, but I'm not sure if what I am reading is right...

 

BoloofEarth:

Sgt Superior is the code name given to him by the people who made the super-science that gave him his powers (The government scientists sort of gave him a goofy name ). His last name is not Superior. He does like to use it a lot though:

"You think they named me Sgt SUPERIOR because you maggots could take me down? If you really want to get a hurting, then step right up!"

 

Cygnia:

The other PCs do not seem to mind the feud between Harry and Sgt Superior. They sort of watch it with the detached feeling you get watching monkeys in opposing cages scream at each other. (Or in this case, maybe a small monkey and a big gorilla...)

The Justice Batallion is the name of the Sgt's team. It is supposed to be rather big, but there are two major characters that tend to show up. They are Rockhead and Shark-Man.

Rockhead is a Thing-pastiche, made of granite and not very bright. He hits things and chortles at bad jokes.

Shark-Man is the character who is a bit of a complainer. Doesn't really like his job, but it's hard to find work when you're a Man-Shark (or rather Shark-Man). Still, very good for underwater work (The campaign is in New York City, so there is water adventures).

 

-SC

[Cygnia]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

A general question: What is this "Mary Sue" people are talking about? I googled the name, but I'm not sure if what I am reading is right...

 

-SC

 

Mary Sue

 

(I'd link the TV Tropes items, but you could lose yourself for hours on that site!)

[SimComm]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Cygnia:

I have been to that website, started looking and then noticed the sun went down!

So if I understand it, a Mary Sue is a character who cannot do wrong and is a wish fulfillment of the writer?

I do not think the Sgt is anything perfect at all (Kate would definitely not think so), and although he is a good leader, he is far from a perfect man (although maybe it is hard for him to admit that some days )

 

-SC

[Yansuf]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

The Justice Batallion is the name of the Sgt's team. It is supposed to be rather big, but there are two major characters that tend to show up. They are Rockhead and Shark-Man.

Rockhead is a Thing-pastiche, made of granite and not very bright. He hits things and chortles at bad jokes.

Shark-Man is the character who is a bit of a complainer. Doesn't really like his job, but it's hard to find work when you're a Man-Shark (or rather Shark-Man). Still, very good for underwater work (The campaign is in New York City, so there is water adventures).

 

First, 2 quibbles.

Battalion is the correct spelling. (I know, it's NOT important, but I quibble.)

The significant part of the quibble: a bn (standard US abbreviation for battalion) is a rather large organization, between 300 and 900 troops, commanded by a field grade officer.

Second, The thing (Ben Grimm) was/is fairly smart. He was a college graduate from before WWII, when very few Americans attended college. He was a fighter ace in WWII, and a test pilot afterwords.

Of course, Rockhead can still be not too bright; but in that case he is unlike Ben Grimm.

 

FYI, in the (current) US Army, the TO&E (Table of Organization & Equipment) has a Sergeant (E-5) leading a fire-team or heavy weapons crew of 3 to 5 troops.

Back in WWII and Korea, the sgt would have a squad of 8 to 12, but the US Army had serious grade (rank) inflation in the 1950's. (The USMC did not, there an E-5 still commands a squad.) The sgt has 3 chevrons (pointed up in the US, down in the British commonwealth) for insignia.

Back to army, the squad is commanded by a Staff Sergeant (SSG) or E-6. The squad (or sometimes section in heavy weapons) has 2 fire-teams or several weapons crews/teams plus the squad leader. The SSG has 3 chevrons and 1 rocker for insignia.

The platoon has an officer as platoon leader, a 2LT or 1LT. There is a platoon sergeant with rank E-7, a Sergeant First Class (SFC), to be the second in command, and often he will also be acting platoon leader when there are not enough officers available. The SFC has 3 chevrons and 2 rockers for insignia.

 

SimComm. you said that you are not from the US. Therefore I should point out that very few other countries have the rank inflation the US Army has.

In the British commonwealth the platoon sergeant is a Sergeant (3 chevron, no rockers); and the squad (or section) leader is a corporal.

Anyway, unless the bn has a more senior commander than the sgt (even if the sgt is the man in charge whenever the PCs have met them) it should probably be the Justice Squad or the Justice Section.

 

Of course, in the US the term sergeant is often used for all ranks of sergeant from E-5 (Sgt) to E-8 (Master Sergeant or MSG). So sergeant Superior could be of higher rank than E-5, and still called Sergeant Superior. He should wear the correct rank insignia though. (BTW MSG is 3 chevrons and 3 rockers.)

 

Recommended solution: there is an officer (Major, Lt.Col or Col) in command of the large bn, but since you say only a small group shows up, this is a squad, section, or team that Sgt Superior is leading. It might still be called the Justice Battalion by the media, even though only a very small part is present; the media is not very concerned with military terms.

You could show this to your players by having them watch a press conference on TV (possibly from Washington DC) where the commanding officer of the Justice Battalion is speaking. Call him (or her) Major Victory or Colonel Constitution.

 

Of course, since this is a quibble, you can just ignore all of the above.

[SimComm]

Re: Military Eye for the Civilian Gal

 

Yansuf:

Oh this is a great idea!

I did not know anything about US Military, but I have hinted that the Sgt may not be totally in charge! Perhaps this could just be one unit of a much larger group!

Now I can make someone in charge of Sgt Superior

Edit: I did not know much about the Thing's history. I really only know the heroes from their movie characters. I am glad that he is smarter than he seems though. He was my favorite in the movie.

 

Thank you!

-SC