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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Vigilance" data-source="post: 1032655" data-attributes="member: 4275">I feel your pain, and that is one reason why I give you a (very) brief primer to the military.  However, if you need more information, I'd check the websites in the bibliography.  A complete primer on the military, along with everything else in the book, was a little beyond the scope.  Basically, if I included a lot of info on certain types of military campaigns, it would still be useless to most people, and including information on EVERY type of campaign is pretty impossible. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />So, I just tried to do most of the heavy lifting rules-wise.  If you were starting a fantasy campaign on a new world you'd have some legwork to do that the DMG couldnt do for you.  It's the same here- a little research goes a long way.Also- for a WWII game there are some good resources out there for very little.  First- there's so many documentaries about the war on cable I'm surprised we don't have to pay the Germans and the Japanese royalties- that's an old George Carlin joke- but you get the idea <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Secondly, I can recommend the WWII Polyhedron minigame "V for Victory", this has the added advantage of WWII weapons statted out for d20.If you're willing to spend a little more cash, GURPs WWII is a fantastic game with a lot of supplements- the game stats won't be much use for you- but the historical info is top notch.Well- I think there's a lot in the game for low-level characters as well.  The MOS packages, the feats, the rank and medals, the elite units, these comprise a fairly big chunk of the book and are all useful at first level.Also, I would disagree that most of the classes are a DISTANT dream.  Special Forces, Air Force Pararescue, Rangers are all doable by 5th level.  If you want to be in SEALs, Force Recon, or Delta Force then it takes a little more time.  If you wanted to start your characters out in Delta Force, then your campaign is going to have an average character level of about 10- so its really a matter of the kind of campaign you want to run.Well- player characters are exceptional.  And, there are examples of very young officers achieving significant rank in wartime. Outside of wartime, you wont see enough action to gain 10 levels that quick.If you're running a special forces campaign, a character above Captain would likely not be given those types of assignments.  So you could put a cap on promotions above a certain level if it bothers you.Also, something you may not have considered is that the advanced training packages require you to spend a feat on them.  And *all* OCS gives you is a promotion to 0-1.  And since rank in the field, behind enemy lines, where your only subordinates are the other PCs- that was seen as a wasted feat by most of my playtesters.Special ops units dont stand on ceremony much, so there isnt a lot of rank-pulling needed.  Special ops teams are usually run like good PC parties- cooperatively. If a character is a demolitions master- his opinion is going to carry a lot of weight if the mission is to blow up a bridge. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />As for medals- a lot of getting a high-end medal is being at the right place at the wrong time <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Many people awarded the highest medals are young men drafted into service. Many high ranking generals, by the same token, are never awarded the MOST prestigious medal.  So what you see in the medals, that a 1st level character can get a medal of honor or a Bronze Star with V Device- is exactly what I was aiming for, because its something that happens in the real world all the time. Well- Im glad your overall impression is favorable anyway <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />The feedback I get on this book seems to be very mixed.  People generally like it, but they always have that BUT- and then rattle off a lot of things the book needs that it doesnt have.I almost always agree with them. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />However, it's just a reality that I could not completely cover the topic of american military and special operations campaigns in 100 or so pages.So of course the book will be incomplete- it wasnt intended to cover everything- it was meant to be a starting place- for you guys to get going with, and for me to return to in future books to fill out the topic more.Chuck</blockquote>

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