Starting a Merc Company with a party of 6
Posted: Fri May 12, 2023 3:59 pm
Looking for some feedback on the players creating their own merc company.
First Idea
1st Level
"Man at Arms" player characters run through "Boot Camp" in Merc Town. Graduate.
2nd Level.
They still don't have a reputation. Get some merc work for a few months getting familair with low level merc company.
3rd Level.
Then decide they want to do the jobs they want to do and cut out the middle man. So they want to start their own merc company out of Merc Town.
Figure they are too small for high paying jobs so they'd have pick up whoever is left on the open bounties on the bounty hunting board.
They have only what THEY have and some contacts with their former employer and fellow mercs.
Start out with out-sourced merc work the big companies are too busy to bother with.
Run some Hook, Line, and Sinker adventures out of the books for Merc Town or such.
LOOTING they pick up extra weapons and such they can keep or sell for start up $
Size & Orientation: SMALL time Squad (Start-Up) 5 player characters and 6 NPCs they recruited (5 smugglers and 1 Forger).
60 POINTS are available, plus an additional 10 POINTS for vehicles
and 10 POINTS for weapons. + 10 Points ANYWHERE for being independent.
A. Sponsorship: None.
B. Outfits: None.
C. Equipment: None.
D. Vehicles: + 10 points from starting bonuses; an expense account of $500k. Over Powered and NO WAY. MAYBE a client pays them in "credit" towards vehicle maintenance up to $500k and they have to do side quests for them delivering vehicles to clients or repo them back or pick them up in the field and exchanging them taking the that needs service back or such. Or they keep a vechile from one of their conquests / LOOT.
E. Weapons: Basic Weaponry. (Got by LOOTING) + 10 Points (Start-Up)
F. Communications: Secured Service. 10 Points
G. Internal Security: None.
H. Permanent Bases: None.
I. Intelligence Resources: None.
J. Special Budget: None. Seems too easy to ABUSE.
K. General alignment of personnel: Scrupulous and Principled. Company Cost: 10 Points
NOT SURE about this but trying to use Points somewhere.
L. Criminal Activity:
Smugglers and Sellers of Contraband (5) NPCs; books, pre-Rifts Artifacts, TW items, basically stuff illegal in the CS but treasured in Lazlo. NOT drug dealers) 15 points
Forger (1) - Works with the smugglers. 30 Points.
M. Reputation/Credentials: Unknown. 5 Points
N. Salary: None
Total Points Spent: 90 POINTS
FEEDBACK: Over-Powered? Under-Powered?
#2. How do the players GROW their business?
When the $ comes they can take profits for themselves or hire more people.
I figure a company needs at least 3 things to grow:
1. Profit/Money (there has to be $omething in it for them)
2. People (competent, loyal, diciplined. NOT someone who takes the rifle you issued them and runs away)
3. Process. The NPCs have to understand their role in the company and what's expected of them. What they can expect their leadership and other NPCs comrades in arms to do. You have to break the NPCs into their job, each other, and the procedures/hardware.
Unless you are churning out battle droids from a factory already programmed it takes time practicing for real people to work together and do their job safely and correctly 98% of the time.
Come to think of it.
What would player characters do with an Army "company" of 160 troops?
What would you do in Rifts Earth if you were the leader of your own Merc Army?
First Idea
1st Level
"Man at Arms" player characters run through "Boot Camp" in Merc Town. Graduate.
2nd Level.
They still don't have a reputation. Get some merc work for a few months getting familair with low level merc company.
3rd Level.
Then decide they want to do the jobs they want to do and cut out the middle man. So they want to start their own merc company out of Merc Town.
Figure they are too small for high paying jobs so they'd have pick up whoever is left on the open bounties on the bounty hunting board.
They have only what THEY have and some contacts with their former employer and fellow mercs.
Start out with out-sourced merc work the big companies are too busy to bother with.
Run some Hook, Line, and Sinker adventures out of the books for Merc Town or such.
LOOTING they pick up extra weapons and such they can keep or sell for start up $
Size & Orientation: SMALL time Squad (Start-Up) 5 player characters and 6 NPCs they recruited (5 smugglers and 1 Forger).
60 POINTS are available, plus an additional 10 POINTS for vehicles
and 10 POINTS for weapons. + 10 Points ANYWHERE for being independent.
A. Sponsorship: None.
B. Outfits: None.
C. Equipment: None.
D. Vehicles: + 10 points from starting bonuses; an expense account of $500k. Over Powered and NO WAY. MAYBE a client pays them in "credit" towards vehicle maintenance up to $500k and they have to do side quests for them delivering vehicles to clients or repo them back or pick them up in the field and exchanging them taking the that needs service back or such. Or they keep a vechile from one of their conquests / LOOT.
E. Weapons: Basic Weaponry. (Got by LOOTING) + 10 Points (Start-Up)
F. Communications: Secured Service. 10 Points
G. Internal Security: None.
H. Permanent Bases: None.
I. Intelligence Resources: None.
J. Special Budget: None. Seems too easy to ABUSE.
K. General alignment of personnel: Scrupulous and Principled. Company Cost: 10 Points
NOT SURE about this but trying to use Points somewhere.
L. Criminal Activity:
Smugglers and Sellers of Contraband (5) NPCs; books, pre-Rifts Artifacts, TW items, basically stuff illegal in the CS but treasured in Lazlo. NOT drug dealers) 15 points
Forger (1) - Works with the smugglers. 30 Points.
M. Reputation/Credentials: Unknown. 5 Points
N. Salary: None
Total Points Spent: 90 POINTS
FEEDBACK: Over-Powered? Under-Powered?
#2. How do the players GROW their business?
When the $ comes they can take profits for themselves or hire more people.
I figure a company needs at least 3 things to grow:
1. Profit/Money (there has to be $omething in it for them)
2. People (competent, loyal, diciplined. NOT someone who takes the rifle you issued them and runs away)
3. Process. The NPCs have to understand their role in the company and what's expected of them. What they can expect their leadership and other NPCs comrades in arms to do. You have to break the NPCs into their job, each other, and the procedures/hardware.
Unless you are churning out battle droids from a factory already programmed it takes time practicing for real people to work together and do their job safely and correctly 98% of the time.
Come to think of it.
What would player characters do with an Army "company" of 160 troops?
What would you do in Rifts Earth if you were the leader of your own Merc Army?