Buying equipment in special ops/military type games

[clu2415]

Elite soldiers have access to talented armorers to make custom modifications, early access to prototypes, exotic and expensive ammo, but they still have limited resources at their disposal. I’m running an ISWAT campaign, which I see as a lot like a special operations team. (note: I don’t have Infinite Worlds, just using the info in Campaigns. I’m running Homeline as straddling the TL8/9 border.) I do want them to have access to high-tech and awesome gear, but I want them to make decisions about which pieces of gear matter to their character instead of grabbing every gadget they can see. So I suppose I need to set an operating budget for them, since rare and cutting edge tech costs more. Does anyone have tips for equipment access on this kind of situation?

[RyanW]

I might consider providing a basic load out freely with an operating budget for extras and upgrades. Allow for getting a little extra by using appropriate skills (Administration, for example).

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by clu2415

Elite soldiers have access to talented armorers to make custom modifications, early access to prototypes, exotic and expensive ammo, but they still have limited resources at their disposal. I’m running an ISWAT campaign, which I see as a lot like a special operations team. (note: I don’t have Infinite Worlds, just using the info in Campaigns. I’m running Homeline as straddling the TL8/9 border.) I do want them to have access to high-tech and awesome gear, but I want them to make decisions about which pieces of gear matter to their character instead of grabbing every gadget they can see. So I suppose I need to set an operating budget for them, since rare and cutting edge tech costs more. Does anyone have tips for equipment access on this kind of situation?

At the risk of tooting my own horn, you could probably look up Schrodinger's Backpack (Pyr 3/83) and treat the pool of weight and resources (or just resources) as something to roll against. If someone wants a piece of custom tech, they roll to see if they can get it. If they CAN, the per-time-period budget is reduced and Next Guy may have a harder time getting what they want.

[clu2415]

Originally Posted by DouglasCole

At the risk of tooting my own horn, you could probably look up Schrodinger's Backpack (Pyr 3/83) and treat the pool of weight and resources (or just resources) as something to roll against. If someone wants a piece of custom tech, they roll to see if they can get it. If they CAN, the per-time-period budget is reduced and Next Guy may have a harder time getting what they want.

Lots of other awesome stuff in that issue, too. Thanks for the tip!

[Black Leviathan]

If you want to run a realistic campaign, people in legal professions don't' get a lot of opportunities for self-expression. They can sometimes have their own side-arm if a procedure is followed but your rifle would likely be stock with a few approved options within budgetary restrictions. Same with your uniform/armor, safety equipment, the kit you carry on your belt.

If you'd like your team to be free to have exotic firearms disparate armor and specialized equipment in the field you should couple it with a sort of nebulously detached oversight and poorly defined mission for the unit as well as greater autonomy in their tactics and investigations.

[The Colonel]

There was a mechanic I recall from GURPS: Conspiracy X … something to do with pulling strings. Essentially an influence roll you could make to tray and tap extra resources from organisations to which you belonged.
Success mean mores stuff, failure usually meant temporary or permanent reduction in the skill and/or other consequences. Don't recall the exact mechanics....

[Anaraxes]

GURPS Social Engineering: Pulling Rank has rules for asking for various kinds of assistance from your organization. When it comes to material aid, you could also use the Patron rules. (Pulling Rank does so for consistency, with the organization treated as an equivalent Patron for this purpose). It includes rules and guidelines for amount of help you can expect based on the org and your Rank, modifiers for repeated requests, appropriateness to the mission (and meta-wise, the story), and so on.

[jason taylor]

A mild but entertaining side point is designing equipment. Real spec ops people do a lot of Macgyvering. Usually not cinematic things like designing while the bad guys are breathing down their necks, more like designing at base. The UDT once had a shaped charge designed to clear beach obstacles by flooding them with water. It was made by stuffing explosives in a fire hose. David Armine Howarth once when on the shore staff of the Shetland Bus (the infil/exfil service of the Norwegian Resistance), solved compass problems by shifting the compass away from metal and putting in a redundant compass. Rather straightforward but most of the smugglers in the Bus were used to navigating by landmark near home. Condoms were used for almost everything, even sometimes the original purpose.

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

There was a mechanic I recall from GURPS: Conspiracy X … something to do with pulling strings. Essentially an influence roll you could make to tray and tap extra resources from organisations to which you belonged.
Success mean mores stuff, failure usually meant temporary or permanent reduction in the skill and/or other consequences. Don't recall the exact mechanics....

This was pretty brilliant, and there's also a hidden metasystem in there for things like creating secret bases, at least in the abstract.

[safisher]

Originally Posted by clu2415

Does anyone have tips for equipment access on this kind of situation?

GURPS Action 1 has a system for budgeting on each operation, and has basic rules for Pulling Rank are in there, too. It's meant to be cinematic but it actually works fine as a way to quantify and control a team's budget and access to aid in the context of an RPG adventure. Even if you don't use Action, Action 1 and Action 2 (the GM handbook) are two of the most useful books for running a modern campaign. Highly recommend.

Now, another more elemental way is to make the PC roll for it. I use Admin, Scrounging, or Savoir-Faire (Military) to get what they want. They can put in requests in official channels (Admin), scavenging on the base (Scrounging) or smoozing and bartering (Savoir-Faire). You might decide a table of prices and set penalties so the PCs know what they are up against.

-1, $100 or less
-2, $300
-3, $500
-4, $1000
-5. $3000
etc.