TL8 Tank Crew
Contents
The Crew
ST: 10 [0] -- Swing 1d, Thrust 1d-2
DX 11 [10] -- Basic Speed 5.5, Move 5
IQ: 12 [20]
HT: 11 [10]
Total: 75
Advantages: Charisma +1 [5]; Luck [15]; Military Rank 3 [15]
Disadvantages: Bad Sight (Nearsighted) [-15]; Duty (15 or less to army) [-15]; Reputation -2 (Not corrupt/by the book, 10 or less, with officers) [-3]; Sense of Duty (crew) [-5]
Quirks: Goes by the book (as long as the book covers the situation); Always refers to his men by rank and last name
Skills: Adminstration-11 [1]; Driving (Tracked)-12 [4]; Electronics Op (Comm)-12 [2]; Electronics Op (Sensors)-12 [2]; First Aid-12 [1]; Gunner (Cannon)-12 [1]; Gunner (Machine Gun)-13 [2]; Guns (Pistol)-14 [2]; Intelligence Analysis-11 [2]; Leadership-13 [4]; Mechanic (Tracked vehicle)-12 [2]; NBC Warfare-11 [1]; Orienteering-13 [4]; Politics-11 [1]; Savoir-Faire (Military)-12 [1]; Survival (Jungle)-12 [2]; Tactics-13 [6]
Languages: Spanish-12 [0]; English-12 [2]
Appearance: 5'6", 155 lbs, dark hair, dark eyes, slight skin, 29 years old, wears (plastic) glasses and a tanker's uniform. He carries a 9mm semiautomatic pistol with him whenever he is in uniform.
Background
Manuel Ruiz is one of the oldest lieutenants in the army of San Saba, primarily because he refuses to give in to the rampant corruption in the military. Instead, he insists on strictly following rules and regulations that are widely ignored by other officers. This has lead Ruiz to repeatedly be passed over for promotion and command of larger units, as well as drawing the ire of many officers. Not reporting Pvt. Salinas is one of the few exceptions Ruiz has made to the rules, primarily because he feels that he crew is better with him than whoever regimental headquarters would send as a replacement, and also because he feels it would be betraying one of his own men.
While Ruiz is frustrated by this, he refuses to resign his hard fought commission (being one of the few volunteers in the San Saban army, and being a rare member of the middle class who was allowed to attend Officer Candidacy School). He feels a duty to his men (and, to slightly lesser degree, other soldiers and his country) and would consider it a victory for corruption if he gave up. He is appalled by the lack of professionalism in the army and drills the crew of his tank (and any other soldiers he can corner) to keep them sharp. Unlike other officers, he cares less for the appearance of his men than their effectiveness.
Until a month ago, Ruiz commanded a newer (and somewhat more capable) Type 12 medium tank. However, he managed to offend his superiors by reporting a fellow officer for stealing and selling equipment (this was compounded by him doing such a good job that the officer, who was merely a tool of his superiors, was convicted and executed, mainly for being so sloppy that someone caught him). As a 'reward' for this, Ruiz was transferred to an armored recon troop, using the much inferior Type 14 light tank, that was providing close support to counter-insurgency troops. His former superiors are eagerly awaiting the report that Ruiz has been killed in action. It has been three months and Ruiz is continuing to disappoint them.
ST: 11 [10] -- Swing 1d+1, Thrust 1d-1
DX: 12 [20] -- Basic Speed 5.75, Move 5
IQ: 10 [0]
HT: 11 [10]
Total: 75
Advantages: Military Rank 1 [5]; Status +2 [10]; Wealth (Comfortable) [10]
Disadvantages: Bully [-10]; Duty (15 or less) [-15]; Overweight [-5]; Reputation -1 (Rich Brat, everyone, all the time) [-5]
Quirks: Hates his father (secretly); Flaunts his (higher) wealth
Skills: Carousing-11 [2]; Driving (Tracked)-14 [8]; Driving (Wheeled)-13 [4]; Electronics Op (Comm)-10 [2]; Electronics Op (Sensors)-10 [2]; Gunner (Machine Gun)-13 [2]; Guns (Light Auto) -13 [1]; Guns (Pistol)-14 [2]; Mechanic (Ceramic engines)-10 [2]; Mechanic (Tracked vehicle)-10 [2]; NBC Warfare-9 [1]; Orienteering-11 [4]; Savoir-Faire (Military)-10 [1]; Survival (Jungle)-10 [2]
Languages: Spanish-10 [0]; English-10 [2]
Appearance: 5'5", 210 lbs, blonde (dyed) hair, dark eyes, tanned skin, 19 years old, wears a tanker's uniform. He carries a non-regulation 10mm semiautomatic pistol with him at all times.
Background
Rafael Elizondo is bitter about his being in the military every waking moment. As the son of a government official (retired Major Roberto Elizondo, who became a wealthy businessman after leaving the service), it should have been easy for him to buy his way out of the mandatory military service required of other San Saban males. However, his father felt that Rafael's lifestyle of partying had made him weak and incapable of handling the family business, so he pulled some strings to make sure he son could not be exempted from military service.
The end result was not the one desired. Rafael acts even more like a spoiled brat and bully and hates his father for every day he must spend in the army, considering it a form of punishment. After he was drafted, he had managed to hide away a significant amount of money he had stolen from his family (and threw the blame on a new house worker) and feels that it should be enough to let him live in better comfort than other conscripted soldiers for the standard two year service period. Of course, this has led to resentment of him by almost all non-officers, but he could care less; because of who his father is, there is little chance of anyone retaliating against him.
ST: 10 [0] -- Swing 1d, Thrust 1d-2
DX: 12 [20] -- Basic Speed 5.75, Move 5
IQ: 11 [10]
HT: 11 [10]
Total: 75
Advantages: Alertness +2 [10]; Empathy [15]; Military Rank 0 [0]; Toughness [10]
Disadvantages: Duty (15 or less) [-15]; Secret (Sympathizes with rebels) [-20]
Quirks: Dislikes carrying personal weapons; Likes to spend spare time with animals
Skills: Administration-10 [1]; Agronomy-11 [2]; Animal Handling-11 [2]; Armoury (Vehicular weaponry)-12 [4]; Armoury (Rifles and handguns)-10 [1]; Brawling-13 [2]; Forward Observer-11 [2]; Electronics Op (Sensors)-11 [2]; Fishing-11 [1]; Gunner (Cannon)-14 [4]; Gunner (Machine Gun)-14 [4]; Guns (Pistol)-13 [1]; Leadership-10 [1]; Mechanic (Ceramic engine)-11 [2]; Mechanic (Tracked vehicle)-10 [1]; NBC Warfare-9 [0.5]; Savoir-Faire (Military)-11 [1]; Scrounging-12 [2]; Survival (Jungle)-10 [1]; Teamster-11 [2]
Languages: Spanish-11 [0]; English-9 [0.5]
Appearance: 5'6", 160 lbs, dark hair, dark eyes, tanned skin, 20 years old, wears a tanker's uniform. He carries his 9mm pistol with him only if specifically ordered to do so.
Background
Emilio Hernandez was born to poor farm workers in the western lowlands, which makes him the only member of his tank's crew to have spent most of his life outside a town or city. Also, unlike the others, he has seen military atrocities from the other side, including neighbors shot because someone claimed they were giving aid to the rebels, which has secretly lead to him wanting the rebels to win. While he will not hesitate to fire at anyone shooting at him (or the tank), he tends to be less than thorough when during COIN missions in subtle ways. No one else knows about this, which is a good thing; if it were reported to an officer that he had sympathies for the rebels, he would likely be shot on the spot without trial.
Despite his rather dark secret, Emilio is a moderately competent soldier and tank gunner. He is well-liked by others and has a knack for getting along with them. Perhaps odd for someone who fires one of the largest guns in the army, he dislikes carrying personal firearms and will do so only if ordered. However, he is reasonably skilled with his fists and can take a punch or two. Also, because of all the time he spent on a far as a youth (as well as his jaded opinion of soldiers), he prefers the company of animals. He has started developing respect for Lt. Ruiz, who seems to be different from all the other soldiers he has ever known, but he especially hates Sgt. Elizondo, who represents to him all that is wrong with San Saba, and the two have nearly come to blows on several occasions.
ST: 13 [30] -- Swing 1d+2, Thrust 1d-1
DX: 11 [10] -- Basic Speed 5.25, Move 5
IQ: 12 [20]
HT: 10 [0]
Total: 75
Advantages: Deep Sleeper [5]; Fit [5]; Lightning Calculator [5]; Rank 0 [0]
Disadvantages: Combat Paralysis [-15]; Duty (15 or less) [-15]; Odious Personal Habit (Practical joker) [-10]
Quirks: Likes to talk about cars and car repair
Skills: Administration-12 [2]; Armoury (Artillery)-12 [2]; Computer Op-13 [1]; Guns (Pistol)-12 [1]; Guns (Light Automatic)-12 [1]; Mathematics-11 [2]; Driving (Wheeled)-11 [2]; Electronics Op (Comm)-12 [2]; Electronics Op (Sensors)-12 [2]; NBC Warfare-11 [1]; Orienteering-12 [2]; Savoir-Faire (Military)-12 [1]; Survival (Jungle)-12 [2]; Tactics-10 [2]; Mechanic (Gasoline engine)-13 [2]; Mechanic (Diesel engine)-12 [1]; Mechanic (Wheeled vehicle)-14 [4]; Mechanic (Tracked vehicle)-14 [4]; First Aid-12 [1]; Gunner (Cannon)-13 [2]; Forward Observer-13 [4]
Languages: Spanish-12 [0]; English-11 [1]
Appearance: 5'4", 145 lbs, dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin, 21 years old, wears a tanker's uniform.
Background
Benny grew up helping his father repair cars and, once his military service is over, plans to open his own auto repair shop. Perhaps as a result of the inefficient bureaucracy of San Saba, Benny started his military career as part of a howitzer crew in an artillery battalion and served well there for several months, though his propensity as a practical joker was not appreciated, as he received several reprimands and minor punishments for some jokes that got out of hand or were targeted towards the wrong people. This is primarily why he is still a private and still in the military (his time spent while under punishment not being credited towards his required two years of service).
What eventually caused his transfer was that when his unit was ordered into action, on multiple occasions Benny froze up for several seconds in combat and some deaths resulted. His commanding officer, not wanting to answer why he had not noticed this shortcoming in Benny before, sent him to an armored recon troop on the other side of the country as part of a 'temporary' cross-training assignment.
It didn't take long for Lt. Ruiz to discover what he had inherited, and unfortunately, given his track record dealing with his superiors, he could hardly contradict Benny's prior commanding officer (a colonel) who had declared Benny fit for service. Fortunately, the Type 14 was designed so that the commander could also load the main gun, so if Benny 'locks up' Lt. Ruiz can take over. The other crew members barely tolerate Benny, but take great pains to hide his shortcomings because they value him highly for his mechanic skills.
San Saba is a small, fictional country in Central America. The military government is corrupt and rather inept. The country is generally poor (not even benefiting from any illegal drug trade) and military equipment is generally some 30-40 years out of date; anything modern is very cheap and poorly maintained. It is not uncommon for especially corrupt officers to sell off newer equipment for older items, which their men get, and cash, which they pocket).
The country has been at war with a small group of rebels for some eight years, after an attempted wide-spread rebellion failed and the survivors were forced into the jungles. The rebels have moderate popular support but are poorly equipped, primarily with aging TL7 gear (although equipment sold by corrupt San Saban officers sometimes ends up in their hands). In recent years, San Saba has taken to hiring foreigner mercenaries (who often lead San Saban units) who are unlikely to be sympathetic to the rebels.
San Saban COIN Operations and an Armored Recon Troop
The crew's tank is part of a small armored force that is attached to a motorized (truck) rifle battalion that is engaged in counter-insurgency duties in the hilly southern region of the country. The rifle battalion is divided up with one rifle company in each of three towns and the headquarters company (along with the rest of the battalion's assets) in a fourth town, slightly further away from the rebel's suspected base. Platoon-sized units are sent into each of the outlying villages at least twice a village, officially to look for signs of rebels, but more often so the troops can bully the peasants.
(For space considerations, a TOE for the infantry battalion is not listed. One possible TOE is the one for the light infantry battalion, with some minor changes of equipment).
The paranoid battalion commander, Major Jon S. Davis, a mercenary, normally keeps the armored recon troop's headquarters and self-propelled mortar sections in the same town he is in. The two scout platoons are rotated amongst the three towns garrisoned by the rifle companies and are generally the ones tasked with going into the hills to search for rebels or attacking any discovered rebel camps, which suits the regular infantry just fine. However, it also means that in case of a determined attack, the experienced armored recon troop, spread out and overused, is the only local force that can reasonably be expected to stop it.
The organization of the armored recon troop is as follows:
Armored Recon Troop (203 men)
1 Headquarters Section (17 men), with
For the most part, the characters and situations can be transferred to just about any place and time from the mid-1930's (a Japanese tankette in China), though WWII, to Vietnam and beyond. In general, the PCs should have a tank noticeably inferior to the current state-of-the-art Main Battle Tank, but not be expected to fight any better tanks on a regular basis.
GM's interested in campaigns based on tank crews may wish to see the movie The Beast (a Russian tank crew in Afghanistan) and read the comic The Haunted Tank (an American tank crew in WWII).
The following is what each member of a tank or APC crew is supposed to have:
Uniform/harness, 2 filtration canteens (1 liter each), large knife/bayonet, medium kevlar suit, light helmet, mini-flashlight, medkit, military compass, short range comm, 9mm automatic pistol, 4 loaded magazines, 2 defensive grenades, rucksack, envirobag, shelter half, 20 ration packs, 20 yards biphase rope, mess kit; 55 lbs
However, many items are lost, bartered (for drugs or food) or simply sold. Equipment that isn't worn is normally stowed somewhere inside (APCs) or on (tanks) the vehicle. In addition, many tank crews pick up equipment that they officially aren't supposed to have.