darkwolf687

XCOM Roleplay - An Open Discussion on How It Should Work

Haha, true enough. those guys are massive behemoths coated in metal, not going to go down easy

XCOM Roleplay - An Open Discussion on How It Should Work

Lennon79 said
One question; as XCOM is a paramilitary organisation, would you allow non-military recruits? So security operatives, police, African mercs etc etc.And as an ex-Royalie, 7.62 chambered rifles would have made the world of difference in Afghan. Using the ANA's AK-47s, we often found that they were more effective than our own 5.56 SA80s when fired semi-automatic.In this context, you wouldn't want to bring a 5.56 rifle to fight a Muton. Just no. But that doesn't mean that 5.56 doesn't have it's uses; it would be more handy when fighting in rural terrain or in open spaces. But in urban combat or when assaulting a UFO, a 7.62 is the way to go.

The original application said 'Years of Military/Police/Security Service' If I recall correctly, and given that Xcom would end up looking for the best to line it's ranks, I can't see why they would deny someone who's proven themself to be among the best just because they aren't military.

Nice to hear a point from someone who's handled a gun as well

XCOM Roleplay - An Open Discussion on How It Should Work

RPCWhite said
Well see though it is a trade off. Sure the AK is powerful, But you get more accuracy with like the M4. It may only take you 1 round with an AK to kill a guy, but if you are a trained operative or something then you can get those three rounds on center mass pretty quick. Doesn't matter how fanatical you are, you get three rounds in your chest and one to the head you are dead. I like Accuracy, power i could really give a shit. and most likely we will be engaging things in long or medium range in the beginning. Close range combat with a new type of species? That would be fairly deadly. This is of course my opinion. But you would want to learn their physiology first before you were going in close enough for an AK to definitely not miss it's target. And by the time we get to mutons we will probably have some sort of alien weaponry.

Yes it isn't a good idea to get into Close range combat with a new type of species... but the Berserker can take a plasma sniper rifle shot (Hell, plasma pistols can blow away entire walls) and continue to charge you. Like it or not, he's going get close to you. Even the sectoids end up being pretty close to you in xcom, remember, all they need (on the harder difficulties at least) is a single shot to knock your recruits dead and given their bad accuracy the sectoids probably don't want to end up in long range engagements (They're using pistols, we're using rifles, they are going want to close that distance)
Also, in EU you research alien weaponry super fast. Unless we're going to make massive bounds within the first of these 'seasons', we're probably going to be using ballistics for a while
Shooting someone in the head is a lot harder than hitting them in the torso, soldiers are taught to aim for the center mass as a result. Jihadists have been known to continue fighting with bullets in them, humans are more resilient than we give ourselves credit for
The size of the bullet seems to matter to the SAS and the US marines, both have argued a case for larger bullets to be used:
"The bullets upgrade – and a new range of rifles designed to fire them – were recommended in a top-secret report on SAS operations in Afghanistan. It called for a return to a ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy and for heavier rounds to be issued to troops. The report’s authors described bloody clashes with Taliban jihadists who managed to ignore their bullet wounds and carry on shooting" - Daily Mail article talking a bout a recommendation by the SAS to upgrade up from 5.56
"‘But this backfired against the Taliban. The 5.56 mm rounds did not take a big enough chunk out of them, allowing fanatical insurgents to keep on fighting despite their wounds." - SAS regiment insider
"They [US Marines] all hate the 5.56mm (.223) round. Poor penetration on the cinderblock structure common over there and even torso hits cannot be reliably counted on to put the enemy down." - Paraphrased to a reporter by a father after talking to his marine son (In defence of the 5.56 however, he mentions that autopsy reports show that many insurgents are drugged up)

Also, while saying three shots to the chest will put an enemy down... on classic mode a sectoid who is wearing nothing has nearly as much health as an armoured rookie, so I gotta argue that here 7.62 vs 5.56 is much more important to consider than on a conventional battlefield, because we will end up fighting aliens who will just blink and say 'What...' if you shoot them with ballistics. Thin men on classic have just one less hp than a soldier in body armour.

Basically, my argument is

7.62 vs 5.56 is much more important because it seems even the basic aliens are pretty tough considering they aren't wearing armour. Do we want to be hitting them more or packing more punch when we hit them?
These aliens obviously have superior weapons. The sectoids are terribly inaccurate however, so we likely will end up in CQC with them because they are likely to try and push up to counter this
As a result, the trade off is more important than irl.

Basically, we're talking a choice between EW's reaper rounds vs standard rounds (though slightly less ridiculously inaccurate than reaper rounds were lol). Both have their ups and downs, and here it's going to be painfully obvious. If we miss that muton, he'll probably melt us, if we fail to kill that berserker, he'll crush us.

As for side arms, we'll likely bring the side arms of our country and their respective service branch. So if you're character comes from a poorer country you'll likely be using older weaponry, while if you come from a richer country you'll be using modern weaponry. You're mileage may vary as a result

XCOM Roleplay - An Open Discussion on How It Should Work

The M16 has been in service since the 1962, the AK-47 has been in service since 1948. They're already old, but they are effective. Trust me when I say I don't think either will just disappear from the battlefield in the space of five years, weapons have longer life cycles than people give them credit for

Also, don't assume newer = better. Most newer weapons (Especially US/NATO ones) use 5.56mm in order to wound the opponent, while the AK fires 7.62mm. AK shots, needless to say, are generally more deadly if they hit. Neither is better, it's a trade off.

Now, the reasoning behind the 5.56 is that a wounded man takes more resources than a dead man. Good reasoning for fighting human enemies (Or not so much, if you have heard the reports that some insurgents are supposedly so fanatic that they continue to fight you to the death anyway) but not so good for fighting the Xcom aliens. Why? Well, do you think the Ethereals really give a shit that you wounded a Muton or Sectoid? Hell, would a muton even feel it?

The Ethereals seem like the type who'd be more willing just to let them die than heal them, and even if they aren't they probably have the tech to heal them up and pump them back out asap (They can genetically engineer species, have plasma weapons, cybernetic implants and anti-gravity/reverse gravity technology. I think they can probably heal up their troops pretty fast xD Though, we won't know this about the aliens at first, it'll likely be a bit of a painful learning experience when we realise the alien logistics aren't being effected the way one might hope when wounding their soldiers. Maybe a way of revealing this might be to find a sectoid who just got dumped and left for dead because he got wounded?)

Of course, 7.62 is considered less accurate and has more recoil than 5.56.

But your mileage will vary depending on the situation. Berserker charging you? Damage. Trading fire with sectoids who are in cover? Accuracy.
It'll really be the players decision to look at such a trade off

Void of the Stars II: Return to the Stars [Sci-Fi] [Always Accepting]

Lone Ship

"Classification denied, you shall reveal this information immediately"

Kashyyyk

The Triarian ships drifted forwards, then came to a half, and two dropships launched and began to fly towards the station across the black background, the odd insect like dropships looking very out of place

The Elder Scrolls: Rising Storm

Jangel13 said
The keeper whistled loudly and the bosmer that came from elyswrr came down to explain"Just as my keeper says we believe he's a spy. Look at both new and the keeper both of us wear a tattoo our face passing on our faces while this bosmer had none and no bosmer would ever remove their war paint for it is an eternal shame to their clan. He was also being taken away by kahjit guards from the coast when we saw them. He was wearing a cloak but it had no hood, we have reason to believe this bosmer is meant to be a scapegoat to what we don't know. However me and my brothers in elyswer can look into it if the keeper orders"

"But does that not mean he may be simply a Bosmer from the cities? They don't wear face paint, and there are bosmer living in Elsweyr as well as Khajiit, even if they don't tend to get along" Barus said, folding his arms "Very well, please look into it if you feel so strongly that it may be a spy, I have to keep moving towards Elsweyr though, the orders cannot be ignored and delaying could be dangerous."

The Elder Scrolls: Rising Storm

Valenwood

"A bosmer spy? What evidence is there of this, may he not just be a city bosmer? How do you know he is a spy But you have my attention, either the south will be reclaimed or it has been reclaimed, either way we cannot risk foreign agents snooping around and sticking their nose in every thing they find." Legate Barus said "There's already a war going on in Elsweyr, I can't afford to delay, are you certain that he's a spy? Who discovered this?"

The Elder Scrolls: Rising Storm

Valenwood

The Legate and his forces ground to a halt on the command, being yelled down the line by various officers, as the Keeper arrived. Legate Barus looked to the keeper in confusion before speaking "Is there something you need, noble Keeper?" He asked

Cyrodiilic Disconnect

The Emperor, upon hearing news of this new disease and it's effects, decides that now would not, in fact, be a very good time for a disease epidemic and instead sends word to the Arcane university and to alchemists across the land, stating that the Empire will pay whoever finds the cure for the disease handsomely.

Orsinium

Agnar and his small group of body guards have arrived at Orsinium to meet the Orcs, he had to admit that the Orcs were brave to start a city here between Skyrim and Hammerfell, but he supposed they had no where else to go. Disembarking from his horse, he and his body guards proceed towards the city of Orsinium and call out with a request for the gates to be opened and let them in
"We're from the Empire, we were told to send an Emissary here after the Summit!"

Imperial City

The Emperor sat at the desk, reading over the letter from the Count of Leyawiin, talking of the Maormer. Was this some form of joke? He would have thought so, had the Count not sent some alien chitin jewellery up with the letter to prove his point. Could it be from Pyandonea? Why had they resurfaced now, was this some turning point... Did they want to take Tamriel still, or did they have less nefarious and more friendly intentions? He placed the letter down on the desk, turning and walking to the map of Nirn on the wall behind him, looking to the island of Pyandonea below Tamriel. Stories told tales of endless riches, sea serpents and alien ships. A strong ally, and a terrifying opponent. Which side would it take, if any? It was a wild card in the equation for sure, one that could potentially be a gamble... with potentially great payoff.

He looked over the map again, observing his Empire. Mede had lost Skyrim, he had gained Elsweyr. Not a grand trade... he needed to convince Skyrim to come back, the Nords and the Imperials always had been great when united together, ever since the days of Tiber Septim.
But he could not turn a blind eye to the atrocities of the Stormcloak uprising, the death of Tullius and the... 'disappearances' of opponents to the High King that he suspected were political purges. No, after all that he couldn't just take them even if they did want to come back to the Empire, in addition to the usual treaties and agreements and negotiations there would likely have to be talks of the Stormcloak rebellion and it's ills.

There was a knock on the door, and Gaius called out for whoever it was to enter. The door creaked open and a proud looking man with eager brown eyes and dark short dark hair, wearing Imperial Legate armour with his helmet in hand, stepped through. Raising his hand to his chest in salute
"Tribune Crassus" Gaius said with a smile
"My Emperor, the guardsmen report that a Redguard has just been granted access to the city, he has come to talk about the agreement made by Councillor Albuttian at the Summit." The Tribune said, lowering his hand from his chest
"Have the Watch bring him to the Palace, I shall be down to meet with him shortly" Gaius said, turning back to the map on the wall. The Tribune nodded
"Yes My Emperor" He said, as he turned and marched out the room, dispatching two palace guards to bring Ciralen to the palace

Colonial Powers NRP (Reboot/New Thread)

Iluvatar said
I just abstained from helping either side. I didn't want to get Lydiah involved in a large land-based conflict when most of its military power is in its navy.

Makes sense, better hope the Lance think the same way :P

Colonial Powers NRP (Reboot/New Thread)

What? We'd never do that to poor Lydiah *innocent whistle* xD

Edit: In his defence, refusing to get involved in your civil war isn't exactly betrayal, you might not be strong enough after this civil war to do so either, we don't know how this Alas conflict is going