MAKING MARINES

“How many drops is this for you, Lieutenant?”

“Thirty eight... simulated.”

“How many combat drops?”

“Uh, two. Including this one.”

—LT. ELLEN RIPLEY, LIEUTENANT SCOTT GORMAN, AND PRIVATE JENETTE VASQUEZ

Either via draft, free will, or at gunpoint, you signed up for the Colonial Marines. Congratulations. Your recruiter probably gave you a pretty story about a paid education, learning a trade, traveling to beautiful new worlds, and getting off your boring ass colony. Probably even told you that the Americas haven’t been in an open conflict since the Dog War ended, almost twenty years ago. Definitely told you you’d get to shoot a nice big gun. Well marine, that last part is 100 percent true. The rest, well—lets just say those little gems ain’t as shiny as you thought. If you’ve signed up thinking you’re going to be taking on enemy platoons by yourself and slow motion running away from explosions like some goddamn action hero nonsense—just stop that shit right now. You’re embarrassing yourself and you are embarrassing the Corps. Modern warfare is a dangerous business. Once you step off that dropship and onto a battlefield, you’ll run into more ways to die than there are for you to stay alive. Just remember that war is more Nuts and Gory than Guts and Glory.

ON THE READY LINE

In a Colonial Marines campaign, most if not all PCs will typically be of the Colonial Marine career as described in the core rulebook. This chapter gives you more background detail and more options for Colonial Marines, to create a more varied group of PCs.

It’s possible to create Pilot and Officer PCs within the USCMC as well, but it can be challenging to play as pilots tend to stay on their ships and commissioned officers only command units of platoon size and up. A team of Pilots could work if the PCs belong to an EVAC fighter wing, but most missions would be aerospace combat based. Smaller units such as squads and sections are commanded by non-commissioned officers (NCOs) who count as Colonial Marines in game terms but can learn some Officer talents as well. More on that below. The players should ideally create their squad of Marines together, in a group. The normal rules for character creation apply, unless stated otherwise here.

CREATING YOUR MARINE How you create your Marine is explained in detail in this chapter. The summary below is a helpful overview. Grab a character sheet, a pencil, and follow these steps: Decide together who in the group should be unit commander. Choose your Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). Distribute 14 points amongst your attributes. Distribute 10 points amongst your skills. Choose your MOS talent. Roll for your fifield events. Choose your rank. Choose your name. Decide on your appearance. Decide on your Personal Agenda. Choose your Buddy and Rival. Get your gear and a signature item.

RECRUITMENT 101. In the Corps, the galaxy is your playground, and you get to see it all. Every assignment is a new planet, every mission is a new moon. You have trouble making friends? In the Corps, you will have no choice but to form life and death bonds with your squad—instant life buddies. Out of cash and worried about paying for that sleeping cage you rent? In the Corps, all that shit’s taken care of, baby. You’ve got room and board and all expenses covered—all courtesy of Colonial Administration. You earn money to send back home. Plus, you get to show the universe you are a goddamn patriot. Still not convinced—I get it. What if I told you you’ll not only get all that, but also get to shoot one of these puppies—the M41A1 Pulse Rifle. Every rifleman gets one of their very own—go on, hold it. Feel the weight. She fires 10 millimeter explosive-tip caseless light armor piercing rounds and comes with her own over-and-under thirty millimeter pump action grenade launcher. You can really fuck up someone’s day with one of these. Sounds good, now, doesn’t it.

THE BASICS

You need to work together with the other players to create your characters. Have a look at the command breakdown and decide on a unit size that fits the number of players—a typical group will be a squad, but a larger group might be a full section, while a smaller group could be just a single fireteam.

MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY (MOS)

When the commander has been assigned, it’s time for everyone to choose their Military Occupational Specialty—MOS for short. Your MOS determines your exact job in the corps. You’ll find a number of MOS to choose from on page 54 and forward.

Talk to each other when selecting MOS. Look at the requirements of the standard four-man squad. It contains two fireteams, typically a Gun Team (a smartgunner and a comtech Marine) and a Rifle Team (two Marines who can select their MOS freely). One of those four will be designated squad leader. It is possible, also, that the section’s commander (a sergeant) might attach themselves to the squad, making five Marines in total. Squads can also be formed by swapping out one fireteam for an Assault, CBRN, or Recon Team.

Finally, it is also possible to create a Colonial Marine campaign that is focused on the two-man crew of a dropship, or the driver and gunner of an M577 APC or XT-37 FAV. The crew chief and AFV Marine specialties are provided for this.

THE COMMANDER: As the unit commander, you still need to choose a MOS. You won’t actually have this specific role any longer, but it determines your skill set based on what you did before you took command.

ATTRIBUTES

Allocate 14 points to the standard attributes of Strength, Agility, Wits and Empathy as normal. Your MOS will indicate your key attribute, to which you can assign up to 5 points. For the other attributes, 4 is the maximum.

SKILLS

Allocate 10 points to your skills. You must allocate at least one skill point each to CLOSE COMBAT, STAMINA, RANGED COMBAT, MOBILITY, and the skills listed by your MOS. MOS skills can start at up to level 4. For non-MOS skills, 3 is the maximum starting level.

TALENTS

Choose one of the talents listed for your MOS. Some of these talents are new. If you’re an NCO, you can choose an Officer career talent instead of a MOS talent.

JOINING THE MARINES Most new recruits have an initial age of 18–23. Recruits are initially trained as Marine infantry riflflemen at Camp Pendleton, California, where the best will eventually graduate having mastered their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). In their fifirst few months, a Marine holds the rank of private. Within a year or so, they will have been promoted to private fifirst class (PFC). Some will go on to become lance corporals.

MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY (MOS)

Your Military Occupational Specialty—MOS for short—determines what you do in the corps. In game terms, your MOS is a skill package that provides several skill choices. This MOS might be a rifleman, combat medic or smart gunner, for example. The specialties of AFV Marine and Dropship Crew Chief may only be suitable for vehicle-based games, however. You can find a selection of MOS below.

AFV MARINE

When the squad gets itself in the shit, you are the one who has to come bail them out. You are part of the crew of a Marine armored fighting vehicle (AFV) such as an APC or tank. Whether driver or gunner, you share responsibility for your vehicle's maintenance and repair.

• KEY ATTRIBUTE: Agility
• SKILLS: Piloting, Ranged Combat
• TALENTS: All-Terrain Driver, Banter, Heavy Weapons, Overkill, Past the Limit

ASSAULT MARINE (BREACHER)

You are a combat specialist—trained for both major assaults and urban pacification. For crowd control, you carry stun batons, riot shields, and use rubber U1 ammo to subdue targets. You also use a big fucking rocket launcher to knock on doors. You are often paired with a comtech marine for the ultimate in badassery.

• KEY ATTRIBUTE: Strength
• SKILLS: Ranged Combat, Close Combat
• TALENTS: Banter, Subdue, Overkill, Past the Limit, Weapon Specialist (M5 RPG)

AUTOMATIC RIFLEMAN (SMARTGUNNER)

Smartgunners are a breed apart. The M56A2 smart gun’s servo mount may keep it steady, but it takes muscle to withstand the kickback and stay on target. You are tough and dedicated to your role as an asskicker in battlefield fire support—your buddies flush out the bad guys and you blow them away.

• KEY ATTRIBUTE: Strength
• SKILLS: Ranged Combat, Stamina
• TALENTS: Banter, Machinegunner, Overkill, Past The Limit, Weapon Specialist (M56A2 Smart Gun)

COMTECH MARINE

It’s a modern battlefield—that means remote driven dropships, robot sentry guns, computer controlled bombs, and worse. You are a Comtech Marine—the squad’s tech spec—skilled with computer systems, radios, diagnostic and hacking devices. Comtechs are essential to any squad and play a significant role in Assault Marine and CBRN Specialist fireteams.

• KEY ATTRIBUTE: Wits
• SKILLS: Comtech, Observation
• TALENTS: Bypass, Banter, Overkill, Past The Limit, Remote

CBRN SPECIALIST

You are trained to assess, contain, and quarantine chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. Part field scientist, part rifleman—you’re all Marine. Whether it’s a dirty bomb, viral outbreak, or some chemical that melts people’s faces off, you’re the one with the tools who’s cool enough to hold their breath and handle it.

• KEY ATTRIBUTE: Wits
• SKILLS: Observation, Heavy Machinery
• TALENTS: Banter, Inquisitive, Nerves of Steel, Overkill, Weapon Specialist (M230 Incinerator)

DROPSHIP CREW CHIEF

You are the back-seat crewman of a dropship or gunship. On the ground you carry out maintenance, run pre-flight checks and handle loading and unloading. In-flight, you provide sensor and navigational data to the pilot and operate the weapon systems. The pilot might make the ship fly, but you make it go boom.

• KEY ATTRIBUTE: Strength
• SKILLS: Comtech, Heavy Machinery
• TALENTS: Banter, Fast Reflexes, Heavy Weapons, Overkill, Past the Limit

HOSPITAL CORPSMAN

You are still a rifleman—but you are one of the platoon’s combat medics, able to provide life-saving first aid and even emergency battlefield surgery if needed. Your squad tends to have your back because they know they’ll need you to patch them up when the shit starts flying.

• KEY ATTRIBUTE: Empathy
• SKILLS: Medical Aid, Observation
• TALENTS: Banter, Bodyguard, Hug the Dirt, Overkill, Past the Limit

DEDICATED MARKSMAN

You are a sniper. You wear a camouflage ghillie suit, blend into the background, and pick off enemy soldiers at long range with your M42A scope rifle. Most platoons employ one or two dedicated marksmen and their spotters.

• KEY ATTRIBUTE: Agility
• SKILLS: Ranged Combat, Observation
• TALENTS: Banter, Killer, Overkill, Past the Limit, Weapon Specialist (M42A Scope Rifle)

FORWARD OBSERVER

The first one on the field—you scout ahead to silently take out enemies and secure a vantage point to set up shots for either artillery or a dedicated marksman. An advanced rifleman, you use silenced motion detectors, full spectrum scopes, ghillie suits, and suppressed Pups to coordinate targets for either your sniper or an airstrike.

• KEY ATTRIBUTE: Wits
• SKILLS: Observation, Mobility
• TALENTS: Banter, Watchful, Stealthy, Remote, Hug the Dirt

RIFLEMAN

As a rifleman, you’re always on the frontline—walking point and looking out for ambushes and traps. The uneducated say you’re just a grunt, but you are much more than that. Part scout and part assault trooper, you are the core of the Colonial Marines’ close combat forces.

• KEY ATTRIBUTE: Agility
• SKILLS: Survival, Mobility
• TALENTS: Banter, Overkill, Past the Limit, Stealthy, Watchful

FIELD EVENTS

Marines have formative experiences that will impact their lives or career. Make a note of these events, they become an important part of your Marine’s backstory. Most events bring with them some benefit, an advantage, skill gain, injury, or other effect.

For a normal enlisted Marine, just roll once on table A. For an NCO, also roll for a second field event on table B. For pilots and crew chiefs, instead roll on table C.

Re-roll if you roll the same event as another player. Skills and attributes can never go above 5 as a result of a field event. If you roll an event that would cause that to happen, re-roll.

EVENT TABLE A – ENLISTED

D66	EVENT
11–13	You picked up a maintenance jack during a colony siege. It got your squad into the heart of the complex where the fight was won. You kept hold of this useful tool, which works so well it give an additional bonus +1 to HEAVY MACHINERY when using it.
14–16	During a colony virus outbreak everyone ran out of ammo and your squad retreated to the Marshal’s office where you fought off the infected colonists. You still have the 12-gauge shotgun you used that day.
21–24	You buck authority, given the choice of prison or the Corps, you chose the latter. You do your job but still don’t like being told what to do. Gain the Hothead talent.
25–31	You threw yourself in front of a colonist and saved them from an insurgent attack. Your M3 armor saved you and you saved the colonist. You gained a Marine Commendation Medal and the Bodyguard talent.
32–34	A headshot knocked you down, the bullet embedding into your helmet. You picked it out and still wear it today—the bullet that should’ve killed you. Gain the bullet as a signature item.
35–41	Local alien wildlife ate the lieutenant and friendly fifire took out the sergeant. You were the eldest of the young Marines and they turned to you for their orders. You didn’t let them down. Gain +1 COMMAND skill.
42–44	The MAU trained for Operation Crossbow, a secret attempt to seize a UPP space station. Gain the Zero-G Training talent. The op never took place or, if it did, your platoon did not participate in it.
45–52	Your training days at Camp Pendleton were hell. A vindictive drill sergeant singled you out for merciless punishments. Gain the Tough talent.
53–55	You risked your life to save your comrades and were awarded the Galactic Cross, the second highest award that the UAAC can bestow. Offifficers in the battalion give you special treatment which causes tension in your platoon.
56–62	Manning a checkpoint on a war-torn colony world, you spotted suspicious behavior and shot the suicide bomber dead, saving a dozen lives in the process. Gain +1 OBSERVATION skill.
63–66	You’ve got a good rapport with the company logistics sergeant and he’s always supplying you with unexpected or unconventional bits of equipment. Gain the Hidden Stash talent.

EVENT TABLE B – NCO

D66	EVENT
11–13	Age didn’t play a part—everyone came to you during the hard times of the campaign. You were a brother, a father and confifidante. Gain +1 EMPATHY.
14–16	The sun’s going down, the squad’s low on ammo and dead–beat, but you always volunteer to stand a double watch. The guys appreciate it. Gain the Light Sleeper talent.
21–24	You spent time training with Force Recon and gained a special ops M4A3 pistol with custom sound suppressor.
25–31	In combat you were severely injured and held on to life throughout the night behind enemy lines. Gain +1 STAMINA skill.
32–34	In a protracted bug hunt the ammo ran dry. Only determination, bravery and skill with a combat knife and entrenching tool saved your skin. Gain +1 CLOSE COMBAT skill.
35–41	It looked like the hostage rescue had failed but you bargained with the insurgents and secured their release after all. No medal for you, but you gain +1 MANIPULATION.
42–44	Your squad was relentlessly hit by booby traps and sniper fifire from an invisible and unreachable enemy. Frustration and anger boiled over. Gain the Merciless talent.
45–52	The guy was screaming and bleeding. The squad panicked, but you took decisive action which saved the Marine’s life. Gain +1 MEDICAL AID skill.
53–55	Your position was compromised, and the squad had to escape across rugged and dangerous terrain whilst under withering fire. Gain +1 MOBILITY skill.
56–62	Isolated behind enemy lines in a harsh environment, it looked like the end of the line for the squad. Your ingenuity in securing shelter and food kept your comrades alive during the march back to base. Gain +1 SURVIVAL skill.
63–66	The abandoned and damaged vehicle was the only way to escape an imminent attack, but you diagnosed the main problems and got the squad to fix it—fast. Gain +1 HEAVY MACHINERY skill.