More Inspiration (World War Borg)

I completely forgot I had this.

Maybe a year or two ago I picked up a copy of Charles Simpson's book Inside the Green Berets. I'd never heard of it before and (if memory serves) I think I got it for 50 cents or so from a neighborhood used bookstore that was going out of business. I then promptly relegated it to a dusty shelf for "future reading." At least, till yesterday.

Currently Reading This

I've never personally known any U.S. Army special forces personnel...at least not that I know of. My grandmother's youngest brother was an airborne ranger, but not all rangers choose (or are accepted into) the special forces (i.e. "the Green Berets") and I don't think Uncle Tommy was one of those...for a variety of reasons. I had a buddy who was a Marine scout-sniper, which has some pretty intense (and comparable) training (as well as similarly dangerous assignments and the self-sufficiency to operate in very small teams with very little support)...but there's a big difference between having the training to kill and being trained only (or mainly) to kill. Soldiers of the special forces have a larger scope of mission objective.

Or so I'm starting to learn.

So anyway, I picked up this book because it's a piece of military history (like I said, one of several hobby interests) and because I was thinking it might prove useful for research with RPG design. Of course, I promptly forgot about it until...um...yesterday, when I found it buried in a pile of other books I've yet to read.

Now, if only I'd started reading it last week, it would have provided serious inspiration for Metal Ever After...for example, I might have simply said all the PCs were special forces personnel. It would certainly make sense in light of the chargen system (with the wide variety of skills available to PCs). And that may still be the case...i.e. I might go back and rewrite the book (or re-craft the setting) to make use of the information in this book. Certainly, I think I'll model the PCs, their role and their squads, on special forces units.

Funny. One of the names I was originally considering for the game was "Ranger Team X." But I thought the implication that the PCs were all Army rangers was too limiting. I'm now reconsidering this.

But for the present, the game will consider to stand "as is" (any changes will be incorporated into an "expanded game" not the one-page, micro-version). Inside the Green Berets is an interesting book but...well, I'm only on Chapter 6. I am taking notes, but I'm not ready to adopt it wholesale into World War Borg.

Hope everyone's enjoying the solstice! Later, gators!