Types of Armor

[Jedi Skyler]

You go, Crunch! *raises glass in toast*

[Ray]

Aw man, now I wish I was playing again.

Anyhow, to steer things back on topic, Armour is either mass produced (Expensive, and not that much better than Stormie Armour), or Custom Made for the individual (REALLY expensive, and can be insane! All it depends on how big your pocket is.).

For the Far Orbit Marine Corps, we issued Smasher Armour, which were mass-produced and customized by our tech's for the individual wearer. Not that great protection, but we could hump a lot of gear without feeling it thanks to the power assist, and no dex hit.

[Jedi Skyler]

I'm sure the power assist really made things easy...

I've never personally run anything like that before. I might have to start looking into it, just for the fun of it. In fact, none of the games I've ever been in had any power armor before. Sounds like it's got mass possibilities.

I wonder what kind of problems you ran into, both regular (technical) and those the opposition threw at you.

[Ray]

Well, game system-wise, no rules on POWER for Power Armour. I wanted to introduce some, but the GM felt it'd make things too complicated.

There are a few issues with Power Armour.

One: Sensors pick it up easily. It gives off energy signals like no tomorrow. No problem in shipboard combat, but when in the field, not good.

Two: Maintence. Big one this. Power Armour sees almost as much downtime as Starfighters! Also expensive in replacement parts and such. IIRC, we dedicated a part of a cargo bay on every Capital Ship, and one of the Cargo Bays of a Corellian Corvette, just for maintence of armour and vechicles.

Three: Training. You use "Power Armour Operation" for running and dodging, not Running and Dodge. Every recruit had to learn how to move again when given the suit! And we at the Far Orbit believed in Cross Training, so they trained in more than Smasher Suits, so there was no "Cheap" specialization of the skill.

Four: Weight. While lighter than you think, damaged flooring is not the friend of Power Armour. We saw quite a few basements the hard way.

Five: Attraction. First rule of combat: Shoot the guy in the Power Armour. Sure, you can shrug off more blasts than the other guy. Guess what, you're GETTING more shots than the other guy. (Kinda like being a Machine Gunner in Modern Combat.).

Six: Aquiring suits. We almost had to buy our own factory to build the suits and spares we needed. As much as we spent long-term, it might have been cheaper to do so. You need to find them (Good luck!), get the proper permits (If getting legally), and then transport them around.

Seven: Recognition. Oh ya, they see you in your Power Armour, you're going to start making a name for yourself very soon!

Those are the disadvantages.

Now, the advantages.

One: Power Assist! Sure, it's great for punching through brainwashed, drugged up Wookiees that have been unleashed by Imperial Remnants, but that's not all! You also have an entire Marine Contingent that's able to haul cargo like no tomorrow, do heavy lifting of spare parts (Makes replacing a engine nacelle on a Y-Wing really quick. Just four guys and LIFT!), and great for crowd control!

Two: Intimidation Factor. Stormtrooper Armour is more a psycological assault as it is defence on the battlefield. And, while the suits aren't the "Faceless, Identical" models Stormie Armour is, they do add an element of "Unnaturalness" to the troops.

Three: Lack of Supply Train. The main issue with any infantry unit is the Supply Train. Troopers are overloaded all the time. That's a fact of the Galaxy. With the ability of the armour to carry so much, a huge backpack (With quick-release snaps) allows for the Power Armour groups to carry much more. Even taking into consideration the extra power packs needed for the suits. With a Marine Unit, that is *VERY* important!

Four: Lack of needing to fight. OK, this goes to Number Two, but it still works as well. Got an angry mob of people you don't want to hurt? Punch out a few walls, start playing Baseball with CommLine Poles, Benchpress the burned-out CAV. Sucks the wind right out of the sails of the mob with Vibro-Pitch Forks.

Five: Recognition. Having a name is a bad thing, but also a good one! When military units start surrendering rather than face a boarding party, you know you've done well.

For a large army, it's very inefficient. For Special Forces or small, elite field units, they're great!

[Jedi Skyler]

Both sides make a lot of sense. I especially loved the comment, "We saw a lot of basements the hard way!" hehehe

That would be an interesting campaign, to say the least. Too bad I wasn't around to run with you guys; I'd have had a ball!

[Ray]

I kept suggesting Rocket and Jet Packs, but Nooooooooooooooooo, that'd make us too big a target.

BAH! We already were big targets! That was the point!

*Sigh* I wish I could again as well...

[Jedi Skyler]

Too big a target?

Someone from the all-powerful Far Orbit group said THAT?

You shoulda had Fluffy take em out behind the synthewood shed for a little whoop@$$ session. Let him show what a REAL 'big target' is...

[Ray]

More along the lines of, when we were doing training with it, someone kept yelling "PULL!" when someone took off.

The practical joke turned dangerous when one of the Spec Forces guys was in the area...