Infinite Worlds: alternatives to Sleepout

[Qoltar]

Originally Posted by tratclif

To be pedantic, sabre-tooths evolved for big prey animals like mammoths and rhinos. But you're correct, there should be plenty of rabbits and the like in the Pleistocene.

Either way then it works out for these characters.

I mean I knew you couldn't have Sabre-tooth tigers in isolation - there had to be either smaller or larger animals around for some kind of balance in the area.

As to the other question - I think Infinity would try to keep the traning facility as "low-impact" on the environment of that world as possible.


- Ed Charlton

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

Whisper it, but I'm not 100% convinced it knows what it is. Members call themselves cops and scouts; that training is indeed military in style; many of the divisions are said to perform police/customs agent functions, though others are clearly a "scout service"; and the classic PC missions that make for kewl scenarios tend to require slightly shady secret agent types.

Just about the only real-world organizations that train with weapons and that have resources and internal compartments enough to scout foreign lands, guard borders, send small units on secret missions, and occasionally do police duties are military. Any two of these factors might imply a law-enforcement bureau (say, "train with weapons" and "police duties"), a security service (perhaps "train with weapons" and "guard borders"), or an intelligence agency (probably "scout foreign lands" and "send small units on secret missions"). But all of them? Sounds like a well-funded military force to me. That the Patrol doesn't call itself such is probably less an honest case of split personality than a consequence of it being a de facto unit of a profit-making interest that doesn't want to appear fascistic and militarized.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Just about the only real-world organizations that train with weapons and that have resources and internal compartments enough to scout foreign lands, guard borders, send small units on secret missions, and occasionally do police duties are military. Any two of these factors might imply a law-enforcement bureau (say, "train with weapons" and "police duties"), a security service (perhaps "train with weapons" and "guard borders"), or an intelligence agency (probably "scout foreign lands" and "send small units on secret missions"). But all of them? Sounds like a well-funded military force to me. That the Patrol doesn't call itself such is probably less an honest case of split personality than a consequence of it being a de facto unit of a profit-making interest that doesn't want to appear fascistic and militarized.

A law-enforcement agency (FBI) does police duties, trains with weapons and sends small units on secret missions. It also has a responsibility to guard the borders of its land from enemies, albeit in conjunction with other agencies. In the past, it sent agents to foreign countries in Latin America.

The CIA trains with weapons, sends small unit on secret missions and scouts foreign lands.

Just felt like nit-picking. ;)

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Just felt like nit-picking. ;)

Sure, sure . . . but both of your examples are mostly a testament to the tendency of U.S. agencies not to want to allow another agency better-suited to the job simply to do its job. Most countries' federal criminal police and federal intelligence service don't conduct paramilitary operations with quite the zeal that the American FBI and CIA do -- the competition between which is part of the explanation.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Sure, sure . . . but both of your examples are mostly a testament to the tendency of U.S. agencies not to want to allow another agency better-suited to the job simply to do its job. Most countries' federal criminal police and federal intelligence service don't conduct paramilitary operations with quite the zeal that the American FBI and CIA do -- the competition between which is part of the explanation.

Completely true.

Although it is not a problem limited to the US. The German BKA has quite a wide purview, the GSG-9 have in the past carried out operations that would be classified as an overt invasion of a foreign country, not to mention several covert insertions in a security role, and so on and so forth.

Neat and clearly defined roles for each department or agency are a nice dream, but in most countries, factors such as operational requirements, security considerations and, it must be admitted, interdepartmental turf battles, lead to many agencies having capabilities that, strictly speaking, should be in the purview of another agency.

[Fleckenzwerg]

This thread reminds me of an anecdote I read a few years ago.

A bunch of recruites was going through basic training. This naturally included quite a bit of marching in full combat gear. The recruites secretely moaned about the weight of their backpacks so one wise guy told them he reduced the weight by leaving useless items like the spare pair of boots behind. Most recruites started following this advice.

Some time later the recruites were out on yet another march. Several kilometers away from their barracks they came upon a truck. Their officer* ordered: "Take of your boots and throw them on the truck." Reluctantly the recruites followed the order and the truck sped off with the boots. Cheerfully he officer ordered: "Now put on your spare boots ." After a very painful march back to the barracks the recruites never again left parts of their gear behind to reduce weight...

* Sorry, I don't know the rank of said officer anymore.

[Lord_Kjeran]

Chello!

Originally Posted by Agemegos

Do all former soldiers with good skills keep this level of preparedness in civilian life, and disperse the kit only as their skills deteriorate?

lol, I kinda do. Of course these day the kit in the corner of my bedroom is what I use for WW2 Soviet reenactment with a Nagant revolver and M44 carbine. and a Soviet WW2 medic bag packed with modern supplies. :)

(I have found that I really like the WW2 Soviet field gear...;))

Tony

[Lord_Kjeran]

Chello!

Originally Posted by Kromm

Just about the only real-world organizations that train with weapons and that have resources and internal compartments enough to scout foreign lands, guard borders, send small units on secret missions, and occasionally do police duties are military.

You mean, like the NKVD/KGB border troops? :)

Tony

[Qoltar]

...or maybe the now International Stargate Command forces.


What??


Okay - different universe ...but thats the closest thing on TV to what Infinity Agents might be.


- Ed Charlton

[Lord_Kjeran]

Chello!

Lol..that's funny since that's essentially what the IW game I'm setting up is (Stargate). I'm focusing not on Infinity, but the US gov't's "Worldgate" project.

Tony