Equipment of Choice - Modern Forces?

Ryu Mori · 09-08-2006, 03:45 PM

Okies. Well, my character (currently within a government funded special agency kind of deal) has finished his first espionage mission. Now, I suspect he is going to be armed. However, I'm stuck at the moment on what to choose for him, as there isn't much of a 'standard issue', as the GM put it.

So far, I'm thinking of a combination of a longarm, sidearm, CQC weapon and obviously, armour. In specific, the M-16, Sig Sauer P226, Combat Knife and a Tactical Vest.

Not being a gun-nut or such, I chose these mainly for aesthetics (I prefer as much style in my equipment as I do substance).

But back to the thread at hand, is there anything that you guys would you suggest, in either addition/to replace the gear above?

The Colonel · 09-08-2006, 04:02 PM

Who does he work for and are his ops grey, black or white.
What's his level of support?

The M16/M4 family are a good choice since they are as common as dirt, but if he's running about in the bush where the enemy use WarPac kit using something from Tula himself gives good deniability and a good place to theive ammo from.
The H&K range are less common, but generally perfom extremely well, and if deniability isn't an issue he may prefer these.
Depending on his fighting style he may even prefer a high accuracy SMG (like an MP5, which would have the advantage of using the same ammo as amny handguns), a silent weapon like a DeLisle (or MP5SD, which would drag in my last suggestion) or a sniper rifle (chose bolt or semi auto, choose common & deniable over quality).
Handguns - why not a Sig indeed. Glocks are good as well. The M1911 and its decendants (the SOCOM pistol for example) are also quite good, or if you like one handed artillery the IMI Desert Eagles are useful (or some of the Colt magnum revolvers, which have the advantage of being hard to break, especially in the stainless steel models). Not good on WarPAc handguns.
Knives are much of a muchness really, as long as you get a good one the exact make and design doesn't matter all that much.
Armour you might want to ditch altogether if you're going long range.

But all those options aside - that's certainly not a bad loadout.

Ryu Mori · 09-08-2006, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Who does he work for and are his ops grey, black or white.
What's his level of support?

Not very good with the terminology, but he does work for what is pretty much a 'James Bond' style spy group. It's a slightly cinematic, Metal Gear Solid based campaign. As for support, so far, he's generally been alone in the field.

Hence, my reliance on sidearm and CQC combat - The M-16 for being when a certain solid hits the fan. But so far, he's never been in an actual firefight, which according to the GM will be coming soon.

Anthony · 09-08-2006, 04:12 PM

For military/swat type missions, favored weapons mix is generally one of a 9mm SMG, an assault carbine, or an assault rifle (which one is used depends on the force and the mission); armor would be a ballistic helmet and a tactical vest with trauma plates.

For covert operations, your main goal is to not be recognized, which means you'll use whatever weapons or armor you can carry without making yourself too recognizeable. Unless you're penetrating a group where carrying weapons is normal (in which case you carry whatever weapon type that group uses) you'll either not carry any weapon, or you'll carry a rather small holdout weapon (the .380 holdout looks like a good choice). For armor, again, either none, or something concealable (probably a ballistic vest).

The Colonel · 09-08-2006, 04:22 PM

If well recall Bond himself uses a horrible little pistol (the Walther PPK) which really only has ease of concealment to recommend it.
GURPS Covert Ops (and how that avoided the NSA after what happend to that Cyberpunk thing I'll never know) covered concealable kit in pretty good detail - the rules are all 3e, but the fluff is good forever.
Bond usually borrows weapons from the enemy in theatre.

Black Ops will generally be ones that the sponsor agency denies knowledge of, so you would want weapons that are very common and easily obtained on the black market or stolen from somebody (using a wide value of stolen, since in some nations police siezures and gun amnesties turn up some surprisingly useful stuff) - even better if the serials can be traced to another enemy or rival of the agency. The more advanced the theatre nation the more you need to worry - in Africa you can probably pay the police to kill someone for you, in Western Europe or the US you need to be extremely careful what you leave a the scene, even if you are a domestic operator.

Ryu Mori · 09-08-2006, 06:05 PM

Ahh. ^^

Also, another thing I meant to ask. Is it possible to use Deceptive Attack with a firearm?

Anthony · 09-08-2006, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryu Mori

Ahh. ^^

Also, another thing I meant to ask. Is it possible to use Deceptive Attack with a firearm?

Not by the RAW.

Ryu Mori · 09-08-2006, 06:39 PM

What things can firearm users do then to improve their chances of hitting? I mean, I know you can Aim, but that doesn't stop the Dodge 14 character from dodging all the shots?

Exxar · 09-08-2006, 06:50 PM

I'm not sure, but AFAIK RAW allows dodging bullets, which is a pretty strange thing outside the Matrix.

Me, I rule that if a character took an Aim maneuver before shooting, his target doesn't get a dodge. If he wasn't aiming, his target may dodge normally. In this case, the target isn't dodging bullets, but the gun itself - evacuating the space where the shooter is pointing it.

Ryu Mori · 09-08-2006, 07:10 PM

Doesn't it say in the book that Dodge against a firearm isn't dodging the shots themselves? But avoiding where you -think- is going to be shot, and that you need some kind of cover within range to actually dodge behind?

09-08-2006, 03:45 PM	#1
Ryu Mori Join Date: Nov 2005	Equipment of Choice - Modern Forces? Okies. Well, my character (currently within a government funded special agency kind of deal) has finished his first espionage mission. Now, I suspect he is going to be armed. However, I'm stuck at the moment on what to choose for him, as there isn't much of a 'standard issue', as the GM put it. So far, I'm thinking of a combination of a longarm, sidearm, CQC weapon and obviously, armour. In specific, the M-16, Sig Sauer P226, Combat Knife and a Tactical Vest. Not being a gun-nut or such, I chose these mainly for aesthetics (I prefer as much style in my equipment as I do substance). But back to the thread at hand, is there anything that you guys would you suggest, in either addition/to replace the gear above?

09-08-2006, 04:02 PM	#2
The Colonel Join Date: Jul 2006	Re: Equipment of Choice - Modern Forces? Who does he work for and are his ops grey, black or white. What's his level of support? The M16/M4 family are a good choice since they are as common as dirt, but if he's running about in the bush where the enemy use WarPac kit using something from Tula himself gives good deniability and a good place to theive ammo from. The H&K range are less common, but generally perfom extremely well, and if deniability isn't an issue he may prefer these. Depending on his fighting style he may even prefer a high accuracy SMG (like an MP5, which would have the advantage of using the same ammo as amny handguns), a silent weapon like a DeLisle (or MP5SD, which would drag in my last suggestion) or a sniper rifle (chose bolt or semi auto, choose common & deniable over quality). Handguns - why not a Sig indeed. Glocks are good as well. The M1911 and its decendants (the SOCOM pistol for example) are also quite good, or if you like one handed artillery the IMI Desert Eagles are useful (or some of the Colt magnum revolvers, which have the advantage of being hard to break, especially in the stainless steel models). Not good on WarPAc handguns. Knives are much of a muchness really, as long as you get a good one the exact make and design doesn't matter all that much. Armour you might want to ditch altogether if you're going long range. But all those options aside - that's certainly not a bad loadout.

09-08-2006, 04:12 PM	#4
Anthony Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Berkeley, CA	Re: Equipment of Choice - Modern Forces? For military/swat type missions, favored weapons mix is generally one of a 9mm SMG, an assault carbine, or an assault rifle (which one is used depends on the force and the mission); armor would be a ballistic helmet and a tactical vest with trauma plates. For covert operations, your main goal is to not be recognized, which means you'll use whatever weapons or armor you can carry without making yourself too recognizeable. Unless you're penetrating a group where carrying weapons is normal (in which case you carry whatever weapon type that group uses) you'll either not carry any weapon, or you'll carry a rather small holdout weapon (the .380 holdout looks like a good choice). For armor, again, either none, or something concealable (probably a ballistic vest).

09-08-2006, 04:22 PM	#5
The Colonel Join Date: Jul 2006	Re: Equipment of Choice - Modern Forces? If well recall Bond himself uses a horrible little pistol (the Walther PPK) which really only has ease of concealment to recommend it. GURPS Covert Ops (and how that avoided the NSA after what happend to that Cyberpunk thing I'll never know) covered concealable kit in pretty good detail - the rules are all 3e, but the fluff is good forever. Bond usually borrows weapons from the enemy in theatre. Black Ops will generally be ones that the sponsor agency denies knowledge of, so you would want weapons that are very common and easily obtained on the black market or stolen from somebody (using a wide value of stolen, since in some nations police siezures and gun amnesties turn up some surprisingly useful stuff) - even better if the serials can be traced to another enemy or rival of the agency. The more advanced the theatre nation the more you need to worry - in Africa you can probably pay the police to kill someone for you, in Western Europe or the US you need to be extremely careful what you leave a the scene, even if you are a domestic operator.

09-08-2006, 06:05 PM	#6
Ryu Mori Join Date: Nov 2005	Re: Equipment of Choice - Modern Forces? Ahh. ^^ Also, another thing I meant to ask. Is it possible to use Deceptive Attack with a firearm?

09-08-2006, 06:39 PM	#8
Ryu Mori Join Date: Nov 2005	Re: Equipment of Choice - Modern Forces? What things can firearm users do then to improve their chances of hitting? I mean, I know you can Aim, but that doesn't stop the Dodge 14 character from dodging all the shots?

09-08-2006, 06:50 PM	#9
Exxar MIB Join Date: Oct 2005	Re: Equipment of Choice - Modern Forces? I'm not sure, but AFAIK RAW allows dodging bullets, which is a pretty strange thing outside the Matrix. Me, I rule that if a character took an Aim maneuver before shooting, his target doesn't get a dodge. If he wasn't aiming, his target may dodge normally. In this case, the target isn't dodging bullets, but the gun itself - evacuating the space where the shooter is pointing it.

09-08-2006, 07:10 PM	#10
Ryu Mori Join Date: Nov 2005	Re: Equipment of Choice - Modern Forces? Doesn't it say in the book that Dodge against a firearm isn't dodging the shots themselves? But avoiding where you -think- is going to be shot, and that you need some kind of cover within range to actually dodge behind?