Differences

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--- guarding_troopers [2025/06/24 02:53] – [The Guarding Troopers in the Beta Age] admin
+++ guarding_troopers [2025/10/31 07:47] (current) – [The Guarding Troopers in the Beta Age] admin
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 ====== THE GUARDING TROOPERS ======
+{{ :guarding_trooper_ralar_gg_scenic_2d_01.jpeg?200|}}
 ===== Overview =====
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   * **Successor:** [[federal_sheriff|Federal Sheriff]] (established in 2632 under the [[federal_confederation|Federal Confederation]]).
-The Guarding Troopers were the central protective and enforcement force for humanity during the [[the_alpha_age|Alpha]] and [[beta_age|Beta Ages]]. Initially tasked with ensuring order aboard the Last Frontier, they evolved into the executive authority of the Free State of Settlers and later became the elite combat unit of the Volunteer Army of Man during the [[great_war|Great War]]. The disbanding of the Guarding Troopers marked the transition from the Free State to the Federal Confederation.
+The Guarding Troopers were the central protective and enforcement force for the [[the_humans|Exohumans]] during the [[the_alpha_age|Alpha]] and [[beta_age|Beta Ages]]. Initially tasked with ensuring order aboard the Last Frontier, they evolved into the executive authority of the Free State of Settlers and later became the elite combat unit of the Volunteer Army of Man during the [[great_war|Great War]]. The disbanding of the Guarding Troopers marked the transition from the Free State to the Federal Confederation.
 ===== The Guarding Troopers in the Alpha Age =====
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 ===== The Guarding Troopers in the Beta Age =====
-After the Last Frontier’s crash, the Guarding Troopers were reorganized into a lean force of 250 personnel. Each trooper — drawn from former ship security and frontier volunteers — was issued a Laser Gun and Combat Knife. Their mandate: enforce the Free State of Settlers’ laws, protect nascent settlements, and secure vital infrastructure under austere, resource-scarce conditions.
+After the Last Frontier’s crash, the Guarding Troopers were reorganized into a lean force of 250 personnel. Each trooper — drawn from former ship security and frontier volunteers — was intended to be issued a [[laser_gun|Laser Gun]] and [[guarding_troopers_combat_knife|Combat Knife]]. In practice, post-crash scarcity and the massive fires that destroyed much of the exohuman infrastructure forced a patchwork reality: issue sets were incomplete, batteries were rationed, and entire squads improvised gear from salvaged materials.
 **Governance & Command:**
@@ Line 32: / Line 34: @@
   * **Law Enforcement:** Patrol frontier rings, investigate crimes, adjudicate minor disputes on-site, and manage two holding cells per station.
-  * **Judicial Support:** Facilitate summary hearings under the [[criminal_code_of_the_free_state_of_settlers|Criminal]] and [[civil_code_of_the_free_state_of_settlers|Civil Codes]], then transfer convicted offenders to the Central Prison in the Guarding Troopers Headquarters (New Kourou).
+  * **Judicial Support:** Transfer accused offenders to their trials at the Settler's Council (according to the [[criminal_code_of_the_free_state_of_settlers|Criminal]] and [[civil_code_of_the_free_state_of_settlers|Civil Codes]]), then transfer convicted offenders to the Central Prison in the Guarding Troopers Headquarters.
   * **Security Operations:** Provide defense against raids and escort high-risk convoys.
+**Uniform, Look & Logistics (Beta Age Patchwork):**
+  * **Core Layers:** Base garments varied widely — shipboard duty coveralls, firefighter under-suits, and quilted cold-weather layers — overdyed with plant inks or ash-gray pigments.
+  * **Armor:** Chest and shoulder protection often consisted of mismatched composite tiles and ceramic plates cut from burnt ship bulkheads; bindings were leather thongs, wire, or canvas straps.
+  * **Helmets:** A mix of repurposed firefighting helmets, industrial visors, and partial EVA shells; cracked lenses were replaced with smoked mica or salvaged face shield panes.
+  * **Insignia:** Standardized uniforms were impossible; rank and unit were shown with cloth armbands, stitched glyphs, or painted plates, often faded and non-uniform across regions.
+  * **Capes & Cloaks:** Oilcloth or tent-canvas dust cloaks for the [[desert_side|Desert Side]]; fur-lined wraps or sail-cloth mantles on the [[dark_side|Dark Side]].
+  * **Webbing & Rigs:** Magazine pouches and battery holsters braided from cargo-net webbing; many troopers carried tool rolls (pliers, filament cutters, sealant) as part of everyday kit.
+  * **Footwear:** Mixed lots — ship boots, worker clogs, stitched hide gaiters — repaired endlessly with resin patches.
+  * **Logistics Reality:** Squads shared power packs and optics; laser weapons were prioritized for marksmen and commanders, while line troopers frequently fielded refurbished alternatives.
 **Challenges:**
 Operating across rugged terrain and perpetual twilight in the [[asari|Asari Region]] or frigid [[dark_side|Dark Side]] cold, they balanced the demands of security with severe supply constraints. Their frontier-hardened experience and improvisational tactics presaged the critical special-ops role they would assume once war erupted.
 ===== The Guarding Troopers in the Great War =====
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 ==== Notable Missions ====
   * **Burning of the Trando Cabins:**
-  * **Mission:** Set fire to 40% of the [[the_trando|Trando tribe’s]] tree huts, resulting in over 800 civilian casualties.
+    * **Mission:** Set fire to 40% of the [[the_trando|Trando tribe’s]] tree huts, resulting in over 800 civilian casualties.
-  * **Outcome:** A demoralizing blow to the Trando but heavily criticized as a war crime.
+    * **Outcome:** A demoralizing blow to the Trando but heavily criticized as a war crime.
   * **Assassination of the Honga Spiritual Leader:**
-  * **Mission:** Targeted elimination of the [[the_honga|Honga tribe’s]] spiritual leader during their “Shai Zaong” celebrations.
+    * **Mission:** Targeted elimination of the [[the_honga|Honga tribe’s]] spiritual leader during their “Shai Zaong” celebrations.
-  * **Outcome:** Successfully completed but further alienated anti-war factions among exohumans.
+    * **Outcome:** Successfully completed but further alienated anti-war factions among exohumans.
   * **Blasting of the Orlanda Fish Populations:**
-  * **Mission:** Starve the [[the_orlanda|Orlanda tribe]] by destroying their primary food source in the Orlanda Swamps.
+    * **Mission:** Starve the [[the_orlanda|Orlanda tribe]] by destroying their primary food source in the Orlanda Swamps.
-  * **Outcome:** Resulted in unintended civilian casualties (approximately 250) and the eventual execution of retreating soldiers by Orlanda warriors.
+    * **Outcome:** Resulted in unintended civilian casualties (approximately 250) and the eventual execution of retreating soldiers by Orlanda warriors.
 ===== Combat Drones and Guarding Bots =====
@@ Line 60: / Line 74: @@
   * [[combat_drones|Combat Drones:]] Autonomous aerial defense units originally developed for reconnaissance and perimeter security aboard the Last Frontier. Never made available to civilians, they were exclusively assigned to Guarding Troopers. In the Beta Age, these drones enhanced settlement security through terrain surveillance, facility patrols, and defense missions. Their battlefield performance during the Great War was pivotal in holding key positions against Native assaults. Combat Drones were decommissioned after the Peace Treaty.
-  * [[guarding_bots|Guarding Bots:]] Specialized Service Bots designed to assist Guarding Troopers. Developed before the Last Frontier's departure from Earth, they were adapted for law enforcement through collaboration with the Troopers. Guarding Bots combined surveillance systems with enforcement functions, helping to monitor corridors, manage access points, and enforce order. After the crash, they supported security operations in the Free State's main buildings. Though officially banned in the Gamma Age, some Guarding Bots survived in hidden or unofficial use.
+  * [[guarding_bots|Guarding Bots:]] Specialized Service Bots designed to assist Guarding Troopers. Developed before departure from Earth, they were adapted for law enforcement through collaboration with the Troopers. Guarding Bots combined surveillance systems with enforcement functions, helping to monitor corridors, manage access points, and enforce order. After the crash, they supported security operations in the Free State's main buildings. Though officially banned in the Gamma Age, some Guarding Bots survived in hidden or unofficial use.
 ===== Armament of the Guarding Troopers =====
-The Guarding Troopers utilized modern-age weaponry and advanced equipment that evolved alongside their roles.
+The Guarding Troopers utilized modern-age weaponry and advanced equipment that evolved alongside their roles — **with significant variability in the Beta Age due to loss of stockpiles and battery scarcity after the crash fires**.
 **Ranged Weapons**
-  * **[[laser_gun|Laser Guns]]:**
+  * **[[laser_gun|Laser Guns]] (rationed in Beta Age):**
-  * **Type:** Advanced energy-based firearms.
+    * **Type:** Advanced energy-based firearms
-  * **Damage:** 2d10 energy.
+    * **Damage:** 2d10 energy
-  * **Range:** Normal 120m, Maximum 400m.
+    * **Range:** Normal 120 m, Maximum 400 m
-  * **Properties:** Battery-powered, allowing up to 40 shots before recharging.
+    * **Properties:** Battery-powered, up to 40 shots before recharging
-  * **Purpose:** These highly accurate and devastating weapons were primarily issued during the Beta Age and the Great War, granting the Guarding Troopers superiority in ranged combat.
+    * **Issue Reality:** Prioritized for squad leaders and designated marksmen; line troopers often rotated packs or carried a single shared rifle on patrol.
+  * **Salvage & Substitutes (Beta Age):**
+    * **Improvised Coil-Carbines:** Bench-wound coils and iron slugs; shorter range, unreliable in cold.
+    * **Harpoon/Line Launchers:** Originally industrial; adapted for silent ambushes and climbing.
+    * **Flare/Bolt Casters:** Low-power utility launchers pressed into defensive use.
 **Melee Weapons**
   * **[[guarding_troopers_stun_gun|Guarding Troopers Stun Gun]]:**
-  * **Type:** Melee.
+    * **Type:** Melee
-  * **Damage:** 1d4 (stuns and paralyzes the opponent temporarily)
+    * **Damage:** 1d4 (stuns and paralyzes the opponent temporarily)
-  * **Properties:** Battery-powered stun feature, ideal for close combat or riot control.
+    * **Properties:** Battery-powered stun feature, ideal for close combat or riot control
-  * **Purpose:** Standard issue for crowd suppression and non-lethal engagements.
+    * **Purpose:** Standard for crowd suppression and non-lethal engagements; batteries shared in squads.
+  * **[[guarding_troopers_combat_knife|Guarding Troopers Combat Knife]]:**
+    * **Type:** Melee
+    * **Damage:** 1d6 slashing or piercing
+    * **Properties:** Dual-use as a weapon and utility tool
+    * **Purpose:** Essential for survival, stealth kills, or utility tasks in field operations.
+  * **Improvised Tools (Beta Age):** Hatchets, pry bars, and ceramic shards mounted as blades when supply lines failed.
-  * **[[guarding_troopers_combat_knife|Guarding Troopers Combat Knife]]:**
+**Armor and Gear**
-  * **Type:** Melee.
-  * **Damage:** 1d6 slashing or piercing.
-  * **Properties:** Dual-use as a weapon and utility tool.
-  * **Purpose:** Essential for survival, stealth kills, or utility tasks in field operations.
-**Armor and Gear:**
+  * **Body Armor:**
+    * **Material:** Reinforced composites salvaged from the Last Frontier; often **misfitting, multi-era plates** laced onto canvas carriers.
+    * **Properties:** Resistant to projectile weapons and light energy attacks; gaps common.
+  * **Helmets with Visors:**
+    * **Features:** Integrated comms and thermal vision **where intact**; many units used plain visors with wired throat mics.
+  * **Optics & Comms:** Monocular scope tubes, rewired helmet lamps, signal slates; scarce and swapped between patrols.
-  * **Body Armor:**
+**Legal Drugs and Medicine**
-  * **Material:** Reinforced composites salvaged from the Last Frontier.
-  * **Properties:** Resistant to projectile weapons and light energy attacks.
-  * **Purpose:** Offered critical protection in both urban skirmishes and guerilla warfare during the Great War.
-  * **Helmets with Visors:**
+  * **ShockStop E-Boost**
-  * **Features:**Integrated communication systems and thermal vision.
+    * **Format:** 1 mL stab-pen
-  * **Purpose:** Enhanced battlefield awareness and coordination.
+    * **Primary Use:** Cardiac-arrest bailout / anaphylaxis
+    * **Dose / On-Table Effect:** Revives target to 1 HP; target gains one level of Exhaustion
-**Legal Drugs and Medicine:**
+    * **Avg. Price:** 75 Kourou
+    * **Note for DMs:** Guarding Troopers carry two — stealing them invites official retaliation
-  * **ShockStop E-Boost**
-  * ** Format:** 1 mL stab-pen
-  * **Primary Use:** Cardiac-arrest bailout / anaphylaxis
-  * **Dose / On-Table Effect:** Revives target to 1 HP; target gains one level of Exhaustion
-  * **Avg. Price:** 75 Kourou
-  * **Note for DMs:** Guarding Troopers carry two — stealing them invites official retaliation
 ===== Disbanding and Aftermath =====
   * **Post-War Trials:** As a condition of the Peace Treaty, the Guarding Troopers were disbanded, and surviving members faced a Native court-martial. Many were convicted of war crimes, further tarnishing their legacy.
-  * **Transition to the Federal Sheriff:**The Federal Confederation replaced the Guarding Troopers with the Federal Sheriff, a more regulated and community-focused enforcement body.
+  * **Transition to the Federal Sheriff:** The Federal Confederation replaced the Guarding Troopers with the Federal Sheriff, a more regulated and community-focused enforcement body.
-  *** Legacy:** Lauded by the Party of [[individualists|Individualists]] as defenders of humanity in its most perilous hour.Vilified by the Party of [[communards|Communards]] and Natives for their ruthless tactics and wartime conduct.
+  * **Legacy:** Lauded by the Party of [[individualists|Individualists]] as defenders of humanity in its most perilous hour. Vilified by the Party of [[communards|Communards]] and Natives for their ruthless tactics and wartime conduct.
 ===== Gameplay Mechanics =====
-Key Features for Player Interaction:
+  * **Combat Expertise:** Guarding Troopers or former Guarding Troopers are highly skilled in ranged combat, leveraging their tactical knowledge.
+  * **Patchwork Loadouts (Beta Age):** Characters starting as Troopers roll once on a “Scarcity Table” (DMG) to swap one standard item for an improvised equivalent (narrative advantage on creative problem-solving; occasional disadvantage on maintenance checks).
-  * **Combat Expertise:** Guarding Troopers or former Guarding Troopers are highly skilled in ranged combat, leveraging their tactical knowledge.
   * **Morale Penalties:** The brutal methods of active or former Guarding Troopers can lead to moral conflicts among player characters, especially when interacting with Native Tribes.
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 ==== 1. Missions Before and During the Great War (Alpha- & Beta Age) ====
   * **Sabotage and Espionage:** Send players alongside the Guarding Troopers to infiltrate Native strongholds, introducing moral dilemmas when civilian casualties are unavoidable.
-  * **War Crimes Investigation:** Allow players to uncover the extent of the Guarding Troopers' actions, forcing them to decide whether to report their findings or bury the evidence.
+  * **Supply-Scarcity Drama:** Spotlight battery shortages, armor gaps, and improvised rigs; make logistics a strategic mini-game.
 ==== 2. Missions After the Great War (Gamma Age) ====
   * **War Crime Trials:** Involve players in investigating or defending former Guarding Troopers during court-martials, navigating the tense post-war political landscape.
   * **Rebuilding Relationships:** Task players with brokering peace between exohuman survivors and Native Tribes, leveraging or confronting the Guarding Troopers’ controversial legacy.
@@ Line 141: / Line 156: @@
   * [[great_war|Great War]]
   * [[combat_drones|Combat Drones]]
-  *[[guarding_bots| Guarding Bots]]
+  * [[guarding_bots|Guarding Bots]]
   * [[laser_gun|Laser Gun]]
   * [[guarding_troopers_stun_gun|Guarding Troopers Stun Gun]]
@@ Line 154: / Line 169: @@
   * [[guarding_troopers_headquarters|Headquarters of the Guarding Troopers in New Kourou]]
   * [[local_station_of_the_guarding_troopers_firetown|Local Guarding Troopers Station of Firetown]]
-  *[[local_guarding_troopers_station_of_hope| Local Guarding Troopers Station of Hope]]
+  * [[local_guarding_troopers_station_of_hope|Local Guarding Troopers Station of Hope]]
   * [[Local Guarding Troopers Station of Morningstar|Local Guarding Troopers Station of Morningstar]]
   * [[Local Guarding Troopers Station of Arla Town|Local Guarding Troopers Station of Arla Town]]