Firestorm: aka "Planes and Mercs"

[GIrene]

So much to do so little time. But this is my best bet of a one shot to do before I go as I want to playtest this rules set on tabletop and of course I've peaked some interest in giving it a run.

So without further ado:

"It's PLANES AND MERCS!"


So the background in a nutshell is as follows: World economy in the near future goes to total ruin, a lot of militaries downsize and then figure out they can contract out certain areas of their defense. This creates a surplus of military folk and equipment look for jobs. Enter many PMC companies starting up to include their own airwings. Think of them as Merc units in Battletech. Lots of small wars (firestorms) pop up in the world and most smaller nations fight them by proxy with mercs as they won't risk their own downsized military assets.

Its one part Top Gun, four parts Tom Clancy and Larry Bond, and 9001 parts awesome.

For this particular run each player would create and control a flight of their own making, contracted to a PMC (PMC list to be shown) with 4-6 pilots and 4 airframes (extra pilots are useful as backup pools or if you buy two seater aircraft, or you can hire on NPCs to ride shotgun). You get a certain "kickstarter" pending on your PMC to buy the airframes and equipment. Its a bit of budgeting and such as well since buying the best airframes you can get will leave you moneyless for weapons and mission support.

After the flights are done, the competitiveness would come in mission contracts. Flights would bid on various contracts, and if two or more flights want the same contract, they bid for who will take the least pay. Each flight executes its mission and then repairs, buys new things, or improves their existing airframes.

Of course online we run a well thought out story and background and such pending on the campaign.

Here's a "guidebook" the community has been putting together. Its a compilation of everything the various GMs have been doing since we each have our own modifications to the Beta rules that the creator has given us (and needs to improve! ). It won't preview so you'll have to DL it. But it has a whole lot of fluff info, profiles of the airframes (at least the ones we've seen and that have been statted by the creator), and then a pretty good breakdown and explanation of the rules. Plenty of examples and cool pictures to look at as well.

docs.google.com/open?id=0B4U73lJ3zxF7bW5ZYkFDTlNMS3M

For measure I'll probably be using my maps and setting I used for Firestorm: Vietnam since its most familiar to me.



Also


I'll probably try and give this a whirl, given interest, at the next games day after our regularly scheduled games.

[Talus]

Win!

[Gannon]

Interesting concept. I'm not that big of an RPG'er, but I may give this one a shot. How long does game setup usually take? Is it like playing D&D, rolling for characters, etc?

[GIrene]

Not very long, especially as for a one shot I don't really need things like character background. I'll expound in a moment. I had to find all my source documents for my campaigns. Sort of a spreadsheet overload...

[GIrene]

My writeup for the background to Firestorm: Vietnam. (Link)

General table of weapons/aircraft/upgrades/PMCs. (Link)

Ignore the flights and Pilots, those are my current player flights and players. Though you can go through them to see how the stats trend out usually.

[GIrene]

To kinda give an outline ahead of time and directly expound on the answer to the question (and some tabletop specifics).

Normally we each run a character, write up a detailed history etc. But for this its one player running an entire flight so they have to make all the pilots/WSOs/RIOs so just the basics will suffice.

10d10 is rolled for stats and converted onto a chart. The player assigns them how they want. Some aim for a dogfighter, favoring ACM/Guns/IR/ID. Others go Beyond Visual Range and favor SAR/AR and ECM. Others go ground pounder and get AtG Guided and/or Unguided and Guns. Depends on what you are aiming your flight to do.

Airmanship: Generic handling of your aircraft. Used to land, make inflight repairs, stay conscious through wounds or other mishaps, correct critical failures, etc. Also initiative.

ACM (Air Combat Maneuvering): Dogfighting skills. Skill at pulling fancy schmancy maneuvers.

Ident: Used for visual identification.

AtA IR (Air-to-Air Infrared): Used for air-to-air missile locks using heat seeking missiles. (Like the Sidewinder). As well as using IRST (Infrared Search and Track) or FLIR-type pods to ID targets.

AtA SAR/AR (Air-to-Air Semi-active Radar/Active Radar): Used for air-to-air missile locks using radar guided missiles. Also used as your skill at operating your radar for detection, ID, etc.

AtA Guns/Rckts (Air-to-Air Guns/Rockets): Used for shots against other planes using guns or rockets.

AtG Unguided (Air-to-Ground Unguided): Used for attacks of all "dumb" AtG munitions like iron bombs, cluster bombs, fire bombs, etc.

AtG Guided (Air-to-Ground Guided): Used for locking all guided AtG munitions, regardless of guidance: laser guided bombs, tv guided missiles/bombs, IR guided missiles, Anti-Radiation Missiles, etc.

AtG Guns/Rckts (Air-to-Ground Guns/Rockets): Like its AtA but instead for moving mud.

ECM (Electronic Countermeasures): Used to break locks, "disappear", or utilize Electronic Warfare devices on EW Aircraft.

Two stats are picked to be specializations which give you a re-roll once per turn.

Rinse and Repeat a few times to create a pool of 4-6 pilots (depends on if you are going to buy a two seater and put a PC into it or buy one seaters, or buy two seaters but hire NPCs instead).

Then you organize your flight:

First up comes picking a Starter Level PMC. Each one has its ups and downs and different benefits.

US/Ru/Eu/Other: Different generic nations (US, Russia, European, Other) of origin for airframes. Some may still fall under another due to its base technology (A German F-4F though designed for and used by Germany, is ultimately still a US rather than a Euro airframe). The aircraft are color coded to each region on the aircraft page. N means that the PMC cannot purchase that airframe. A Y means they can, either at regular price or at a discount or markup.

Mandatory Ops: In a long campaign your flight may be forced to fly a mission by your PMC at any time.

Vetting: Even mercs have rules. Some PMCs will not allow their employees to fly certain missions due to conflict with their goals, government manipulation or being just stand up (or devious) chaps.

Success Bonus: The PMC pays out a bonus for 100% successful missions in addition to the contracted payment.

Failure Penalty: The PMC will take back money for failed or partially successful missions.

Max Tech Level: The max TL of aircraft/munitions that the PMC can buy.

Sign: Your sign on payment that you use to buy the starter planes/munitions for your flight.

Monthly Pay: Every two missions in a campaign game you'd get payed this much.

Kill Bonus: For every enemy aircraft you down, you get a percentage of their market worth as a bonus.

Incidental Penalty: Accidentally commit fratricide or bomb hospitals or orphanages (And other collateral damage) and pending on your PMC's attitude towards having to cover up your mistakes or paying governments/media off is how much you lose for committing such acts.

Buyout: In a long campaign game you have to buy your way out of the PMC to upgrade to a new one.

Special: What kind of special bonuses the PMC provides.

Preq: Prerequisites. High Tier PMCs require that your flight have a certain net worth, grade, number of kills, aces, or may only ask for you by name.

After this you buy your aircraft with the money you have. Keep in mind you have to save for munitions and assets.

Then you would bid on a mission from a set of contracts available for that round.

After the conclusion of it you have an opportunity to buy weapons/upgrades to tailor your flight to the mission. Finalize the plane loadouts for the mission and then play the mission out.

[GIrene]

Aaaand we have our first flight up.

The "Yankee Air Pirates" a 4-man flight specializing in Air to Air. Signed on with Eagle Corp. They have in their inventory two F-15C Eagles, and two F-5E Tiger IIs. Talus is heading up this flight of misfits and miscreants.

Visible under the flights and pilots page. (Link)

Someone got REALLY lucky on the d10s.

How the plane setups look. (Link)

[Chagear]

I'm in. A flight with A-10s and Tiger II (heavily modified to AtA better) and I will be good. Talk to you later about the details.

I'm thinking of calling the flight "Bad Weather" and the symbol will be an angry cloud holding 2 lightning bolts with crossing bullet belts.

[GIrene]

Chagear has stuck mostly with his idea and has ran a mudmoving flight with its own internal air coverage:
a A-10A Thunderbolt II , F-105D Thunderchief, and two A-4S Skyhawks.

Get you guys some briefsheets soon so you can see what missions will be posted.

[GIrene]

(Side note, any title images I have are clickable. I keep a theme running the normal game where all the missions/RP titles have an associated Nam-era song)

Mission selection, this is what you've been working towards! In Firestorm, there will be a number of mission briefs in every area you deploy to. A general overview of the mission is listed, as well as details concerning what threats to expect, your paycheque, and how accepting the mission will affect your reputation. A low reputation will give you access to certain contracts later on, as will a high reputation.

Your flight leader will bid on a mission, by saying they accept the contract. Another Squadron can bid, but must accept a reduced payment (-100 on last bid) and are obligated to complete it. A contract can never be reduced below half of it's original value. Bidding is open until the contract closes or the minimum value is reached.

Flight leaders, your flight must have presented a full financial report for the month, prior to bidding on contracts.

Light the Fires, Kick the Tires, and Happy Hunting!


July 12, 2015 Thailand: Thai-Cambodian Conflict
________________________________________

Flights in Warzone:

The Yankee Air Pirates
Bad Weather

Homeplate: Nakhon Ratchisisma (Korat) Royal Thai Air Force Base
Alternate: Ubon Ratchathani Royal Thai Air Force Base

JADE ELEPHANT

Mission Type: Convoy Interdiction
Contractor: Royal Thai Army
Mission Overview: The Cambodians have been moving supplies into the Preah Vinear area by way of low-key infrastructure and side-roads. Your job will be to interdict a convoy moving AAA/SAM equipment into the temple as well as damaging the infrastructure as best you can.
Threat Analysis: Low
Reputation: +1
ROE: Once spotted you are weapons free on the convoy. However check targets, as there is the village of Chang Krang at the crossroads.
Distance: 160nm from Homeplate
Pay: 750
Homeplate: As Above
Alternate Homeplate: As above

ARDENT VIPER

Mission Type: Reconnaissance
Contractor: Royal Thai Air Force
Mission Overview: The Thai Air Force would rather have mercenaries take the risk of making a flight over the Preah Vihear temple complex area. Hit the assigned recon points so their intelligence can get a better picture of the area and what the Cambodians have there.
Threat Analysis: Low
Reputation: +1
ROE: The site is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Employ weapons only if needed.
Distance: 154nm from Homeplate
Pay: 200 for each site. 100 bonus for low level (HB1) photos.

VALIANT STEEL

Mission Type: Combat Air Patrol
Contractor: Royal Thai Army
Mission Overview: Despite the lull in the conflict the Thai Army has been experiencing daily attacks by what they believe to be mercenary air assets in one of the major Cambodian salients in Southeast Thailand. Intel has ascertained that the attacks are originated from Siem Raep by US/Euro airframes.
Threat Analysis: Low-Medium
Reputation: +1
ROE: Weapons free upon positive ID.
Distance: 55nm from Homeplate
Pay: 700

[Talus]

Where do we get the financial Report?

[GIrene]

Sorry I copy/pasta'd that. Normally you'd have to have a finished budget before you bid. Your budgets are finished

[Talus]

The Y.A.P.s will be taking "Valiant Steel" if we aren't outbid.

[GIrene]

Doubt you will be, I mean... Some of the P&M peeps are the types that'd take Skyhawks, a Thud, and a Hog on an AtA mission, but Chagear I think is smarter than that!

But then again... We still have someone interested in making a flight. Competition worthy?

Oh possibly!

Eric ya gotta roll a Euro/Russian flight.

Too many 'Murrica! Frak yeah! flights running about

[duomaxwelliii]

no AC-130 on the list... a B-1B for 3000(~300 million per air craft). so around 1200-1400 seems fair(132 million). crew of 13 but you could do it with 7 to 9 with some duel hating amongst the crew.