Speed-Stick said:
Before I do up a sheet, I have a question:
For people from other countries, other than a job, are there other benefits to joining the FFL? I mean like French Citizenship after your tour is complete or something.
French citizenship is available to those who complete their five-year contract with the Legion. That's about the only tangible benefit, and of course it doesn't mean a great deal to the French who choose to enlist.
Men join the Legion for a variety of reasons, but it's important to remember that at the heart of it all, the Legion is a force of mercenaries. Legion enlistment tends to rise following wars - for example, the Legion had many Spanish enlistees after the Spanish Civil War, Germans after WWII*, and British after the Falklands War. The Legion attracts those with martial skills who chafe at the idea of routine or garrison duties, or for whom their military service was ended after winding up on the losing side of a conflict.
The idea that criminals seek out the Legion to hide from their past is based in fact, and in fact it was part of the recruitment strategy of the Legion from its earliest days. The
anonymat, enlisting under a false name, was encouraged to attract those who wanted a break with their past. The goal of the Legion was not to enlist the worst of society however, but to attract men who had little or no allegiance to anything other than the Legion itself, men who failed in their lives and who could be encouraged to replace their failed loves with love of the Legion.
Finally, the Legion attracted adventurers - I don't think anyone has kept figures on how many recruits either PC Wren or Gary Cooper attracted to the Legion, but a romantic image of the Legion in the popular media has certainly drwn its share of men to the white kepi.
I hope that helps.
I've added a short story about basic training in the Legion to the campaign briefing above - this is a general experience that your characters can draw from if they choose.
Speed-Stick, please let me know if there's any other questions I can answer - I look forward to seeing your character!
Hopefully we can fill out our player roster this week.
*
Germans have traditionally been a large part of the composition of the Legion, dating back to its origins in 1831. After WWII the French continued to accept former Wehrmacht soldiers but refused anyone who was in the SS. Some former SS troopers removed the tattoos under their arms with their serial number in order to get in anyway, and at least a few either were not detected or were ignored.