The Honor Of The Regiment

[Michele]

Originally Posted by scc

Thanks for all the input guys, now for a couple of things from me.

First, and most importantly, I've decided that Duty shouldn't be on the offering list, the characters are supposed to be civilian agents of the Crown, not currently serving members for the armed forces.

Er, they do have a Duty. Only it's to Her Majesty's government, or secret service, or some other agency, not to the Army or Regiment. Unless they are able to turn down any order or mission assignment.

Note that this wouldn't be too surprising at the time. It was conceivable that a Minister resorted to his old-boys'-circle acquaintances, and use, especially for very sensitive missions, gifted gentlemanly amateurs rather than professionals. These would be volunteers, so no Duty.
However, in that case I'd say that they would volunteer out of Sense of Duty to the Country or the Crown.

If they are former members of the Regiment, then they should have Courtesy Rank. It's a nice Advantage, because it's cheap since it carries no real hard power; but good players can rolepay it up and achieve more than expected thanks to it.

Secondly templates probably aren't a good idea, I've got no guarantee that people will use them and the goal classic diverse array of eccentrics, so anything like that might limit players creativity.

Good choice, if you ask me.

I'd add here, since we're at it, a suggested new Perk. We have Haughty Sneer, the possibility of making a wordless Influence roll against Savoir-Faire (High Society), thus convincing night club bouncers or hotel clerks that you are entitled to get in or be there, without uttering a word.

So why not Soldierly Posture? You can make a wordless Influence roll against Savoir-Faire (Military) to get by a sentry or MP checkpoint. You walk as on parade, stand erect, snap a flawless salute, or the like, and it's done.
For your agents who are former officers, it might be useful: people seeing them might think that they aren't in uniform, but they still are in active duty.

[johndallman]

I'd call it Military Bearing, but that's an extremely sound idea, and bas gone on my to-buy list. There should also be a Police version.

[swordtart]

Originally Posted by Michele

I'd add here, since we're at it, a suggested new Perk. We have Haughty Sneer, the possibility of making a wordless Influence roll against Savoir-Faire (High Society), thus convincing night club bouncers or hotel clerks that you are entitled to get in or be there, without uttering a word.

So why not Soldierly Posture? You can make a wordless Influence roll against Savoir-Faire (Military) to get by a sentry or MP checkpoint. You walk as on parade, stand erect, snap a flawless salute, or the like, and it's done.
For your agents who are former officers, it might be useful: people seeing them might think that they aren't in uniform, but they still are in active duty.

Regimental Tie. I have been at plenty of functions where the first activity has been an inspection of the tie you wear to see if you are "one of the chaps" and been given a stiff ignoring once It was discovered that I wasn't in the "right" regiment. This could get you through the door, but you can expect some fairly blunt close scrutiny to verify that you aren't a Walt.

This may be a British Army thing though (but definitely not just modern British army). Cap badge is very important don't cha know ;)

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by swordtart

This may be a British Army thing though (but definitely not just modern British army). Cap badge is very important don't cha know ;)

According to William Manchester the First US Marine Division mocks anyone who wasn't at Guadalcanal. The Seventh Cav went into Io Drang talking of Custer and Garry Owen. The cap badge itself is probably a British thing but ancestor veneration is par for the course.

Sometimes political correctness gets involved. Britain has
Queen's Own regiments but not a royal army because if the King owns the army he can bully Parliament. In India regiments that got their main battle honors in colonial campaigns, especially the Great Mutiny are forbidden to carry them openly, though I rather suspect that such events still get toasted at officer's messes and to heck with the government.

[Þorkell]

Originally Posted by jason taylor

Sometimes political correctness gets involved. Britain has
Queen's Own regiments but not a royal army because if the King owns the army he can bully Parliament.

It seems like a vast oversimplification to call that political correctness.

Oh, and it also seems like the British Army has had at the same time regiments that were Queen's Own [something] and King's (Own) [something].

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by Þorkell

It seems like a vast oversimplification to call that political correctness.

Oh, and it also seems like the British Army has had at the same time regiments that were Queen's Own [something] and King's (Own) [something].

Perhaps. But it is in any case political considerations modifying a regiment's guild mentality in a manner in which said regiment is unlikely to be concerned with.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Þorkell

Oh, and it also seems like the British Army has had at the same time regiments that were Queen's Own [something] and King's (Own) [something].

It was entirely reasonable for a Queen Consort to be patron of a regiment. The same goes for princes, princesses, and very senior nobility. There's a good and fairly modern example in Canada, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

The regiment was formed in 1914, and named after Princess Patricia, then daughter of the Governor General of Canada, who was a son of Queen Victoria. She remained patron ("Colonel-in-Chief") of the regiment until her death in 1974, and was succeeded by her cousin, Patricia, Countess Mountbatten, who held the post until her death in 2017. Since then, the Colonel-in-Chief has been Adrienne Clarkson, former Governor General of Canada. Patrons of regiments are quite significant.

[Phil Masters]

Mmm. Honorary colonels are still very definitely a thing in the British Army. Anyone who remembers the pictures from Prince William's wedding a few years back may recall that he was wearing the dress uniform of an army regiment to whom he's the colonel-in-chief, plus RAF pilot wings to reflect the fact that he's actually been in that service (and flown search-and-rescue with them). Kind of feels the wrong way round to me, but that's tradition for you.

I don't know about the Victorian period, but I doubt that an ordinary member of a regiment today has much access to the colonel-in-chief, though he or she would probably be amiable if they met by chance. The regiment's top few officers might be able to get through to the colonel-in-chief, if only because they'll have had dinner and drinks together from time to time.

My civilian's impression is the front line regiments tend to be quite big on the mutual loyalty and support, because that's the whole point of the system - it's a useful attitude to have if things come to a firefight - but whether the members of, say, a signals regiment regard it as much more than "the organisation which signs my pay slips" may be less certain.