Welcome to the Clarion Royal Marines...

Shadow Shack's picture
Shadow Shack
January 24, 2011 - 2:55am
...ya buncha lard lumpers! Thanks for enlisting, your sorry butt belongs to us for the next twelve weeks. Maybe more! Your mamas ain't here to tuck you in or read your bedtime stories, nope...you're gonna learn how to walk, talk, eat, sleep, shoot, and $#!t like a Clarion Royal Marine!!! Kiss


Now that the formalities are out of the way Foot in mouth, let's dive into this project head first. BTW, wouldn't that opening line work great on the preface of a CRM Source Book?

Yep, that's the idea behind this project: a Clarion Royal Marines Source Book to utilize as a campaign backdrop for a Star Frontiers game. You all loved "Warriors of White Light". But then something terrible happened: it ended. Sure, the Dramune Run module that follows was perhaps the best all time SF module ever written (and inheriting a ship at the end is always icing on the cake), but no module begs for expansion like SF/KH:0 Warriors of White Light. The background ifno that was offered worked for the game, but by golly didn't you just find yourself wanting more? More as in "Gee, if only I had some extra filler to continue this game a little longer..."

Yep, that's what this project aims to settle.

My proposal (and subject to change based on contributions and other ideas) is a book that details the following:

  • Clarion - the planet, the people, the cities, the government, social customs (as in why they hate the name "Gollywog"), the laws of the land.
  • The Royal Family - and the Clarion Liberation Party too.
  • The Royal Guard - those oft forgotten ground pounders and land lubbers. Yeah, they probably get into fights witht he Royal Marines in bars everywhere...
  • The Royal Marines - who regularly kick the Guards' butts. Or do they?
  • A Time Line - Zeb's is pretty screwy up until the formation of the UPF in this regard, but there should be little problem with starting a time line at Year One.
  • ARTWORK - yeah baby! pics of just about anything are welcome. Rank and insignia, uniforms, ships, anything goes here. Here's a personal fave of mine, a dralasite I whipped up for jedion357's futuristic White Light game (and whose image is an avatar gracing this project for the time being):

greludemotto.gif 
I'm not overly fond of Zeb's Guide...nor do I have any qualms stating why. Tongue out

My SF website
Comments:

Malcadon's picture
Malcadon
January 24, 2011 - 6:27am
I have some extra detail to the CRMs at the SF Wiki. I have added ranks for enlisted personnel, as well as rank insignias. This is the basic setup:
"The color scheme of the Royal Marines is light green on a black field. Rank symbols appears as light green pins (for officer) or stripes (for enlisted), on black shoulder pads with light green trim - this arrangement appears on all uniforms."
It may seem like a contradiction to the source books to give the Crewmen ranks when it was not given in the first place, but this is a good way to show seniority among the enlisted personnel. Plus, experienced NCOs are important in instructing new officers, and acts as a voice for the enlisted men. More importantly, these ranks offer a good career for Alpha Dawn characters who don't have the fancy spaceship skills.

Anonymous's picture
w00t (not verified)
January 24, 2011 - 7:42am
History
How about using text from jedion's Frontier Timeline #16; Royal Mounted Constabulary and the Royal MerchantMarine?



Shadow Shack's picture
Shadow Shack
January 24, 2011 - 2:17pm

I too assigned ranks among the enlisted in my Basically Speaking game.


Let's have some links so we can 'port the stuff here. Ditto on the history.

I'm not overly fond of Zeb's Guide...nor do I have any qualms stating why. Tongue out

My SF website

jedion357's picture
jedion357
January 24, 2011 - 5:49pm
Ok I'm in and my online game also has enlisted ranks, crest and latin mottos for the Royal Marines, Royal Guard, and the Royal Mounted Constabulary, plus I think Will contributed a drinking or marching song.

Plus I wrote, what I thought, was a neat bit of history about the founding of the monarchy and the Royal Marines which were originally the Royal Merchant Marine but after the first encounter with the yazirians and at the urging of Captain Morgaine the Crown organized the RM with a core of spacers from the Royal Merchant Marine. Fortuitously too as they were ready to respond to the devolving crisis in Madderly's Star and for the First Common Muster.

Incidently with the RM being formed out of the RMM it gives you two different dates for the founding of the RM and different people take different dates as per their bias which is really just a little thing but I liked that idea.

I also did a map and created new settings on Clarion- that map is just a fractile offering in green and blue to simulate a soggy planet.

and I introduced Port Royal as the planet side site of the RM headquarters and training academy even procuced a Port Loren style map of the Port Royal downtown.

Anyhow since we have some overlap in ranks perhaps we should start a thread and debate what should be the official set of ranks.

Plus I think I might start a document called Jedion's Royal Marines as a good way to make it all readily available.

EDIT: heres the thread where we bashed out a lot of detials for my game:

http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/3799
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

Shadow Shack's picture
Shadow Shack
January 25, 2011 - 10:23pm
I don't recall if it was discussed, but I kinda like this one for the Royal Guard:

I'm not overly fond of Zeb's Guide...nor do I have any qualms stating why. Tongue out

My SF website

jedion357's picture
jedion357
January 26, 2011 - 7:25pm
Shadow Shack wrote:
I don't recall if it was discussed, but I kinda like this one for the Royal Guard:



Thats the more militant looking one that didn't get chosen for the Royal Marines so I used it for the Royal Guard and the other one for the mounties
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

Putraack's picture
Putraack
January 31, 2011 - 2:43pm
Sir, I'm glad to be here, sir!

As you say, I loved the WoWW module, and I am looking forward to inflicting it on my sons and their friends in the near future (summer vacation?). Participating in this project (my first, really) should be a help as I warm up for that.

I'd also like to say that as an amateur military/naval historian, I have a soft spot for "small" services, so a planetary navy of a handful of ships is right up my alley. The very early US Navy (ca.1790-1820) is one of my particular interests.

Gaming influences of mine that may come to bear: the Honor Harrington and Aubrey/Maturin novels, and Star Fleet Battles.



Shadow Shack's picture
Shadow Shack
January 31, 2011 - 3:22pm
"Well it's about time, ya jackwagon! I bet it wouldn't take as long for you to find the chow hall!!!" (I think Full Metal Jacket should be required viewing for this project)

Welcome to the project, no contribution is too small.
I'm not overly fond of Zeb's Guide...nor do I have any qualms stating why. Tongue out

My SF website

jedion357's picture
jedion357
January 31, 2011 - 5:40pm
Putraack wrote:
Sir, I'm glad to be here, sir!

As you say, I loved the WoWW module, and I am looking forward to inflicting it on my sons and their friends in the near future (summer vacation?). Participating in this project (my first, really) should be a help as I warm up for that.

I'd also like to say that as an amateur military/naval historian, I have a soft spot for "small" services, so a planetary navy of a handful of ships is right up my alley. The very early US Navy (ca.1790-1820) is one of my particular interests.

Gaming influences of mine that may come to bear: the Honor Harrington and Aubrey/Maturin novels, and Star Fleet Battles.




David Weber Rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Though the looming difficulties with the Solies are quite disconcerting.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

rattraveller's picture
rattraveller
February 11, 2011 - 8:03pm

Let's not forget the Coast Guard. They are pretty close to what the Royal Marines do.

Looking forward to working on this project.

Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go?