This thread is for out of character discussion of Operation: Ikhawu.

Access has been granted for all four players. Please add your character information to his sheet.

MERC is unfortunately silent on character languages spoken so we'll adapt a rule from Top Secret as our house rule - if your character is Dense he can only speak his native language (Primary) fluently - an Average character can speak a Primary and one Secondary language, a Smart character has a one Primary and two Secondary languages, and a Sly character has one Primary and three Secondary languages. Please make a note of languages spoken, including which is Primary, on your character sheet.

I'm also going to set a few expectations for the game -

• The dice fall where they may. There is no 'script immunity' or 'plot armor.'
• I trust you to roll your own dice.
• To the extent the mission allows, this is a sandbox - you're presented with a situation, and where things go from there is up to you. Consequences will follow, of course.
• Posting pace is relaxed but if you're going to be out for an extended period, please let us know. I reserve the right to run your character in your (lengthy) absence to keep things moving.
• Play smart. Ask questions. Explore.
• A fair amount of this will be theatre of the mind. Don't expect a combat map for everything. Make your own sketch if you need one and, again, ask questions - I'm not out to screw you or your character.
• I labeled this campaign as 'Mature' because it involves fictional events in a real time and place where real people suffered and died, too often horribly and nonsensically. Treat the subject matter with respect.
• Racism, sexism, religious intolerance, bigotry of all sorts is a fact of life in the game-world - if it comes up, keep it in-character. Out-of-character, keep it to yourself.
• I am the final arbiter of the rules and the game-world.

I hope to have the first (Briefing) post up on Sunday, 23 July.

In reply to The Corporation (msg # 2):

Just a test post and an acknowledgement I've read the rules.

Are we using the rules from the supplement or campaign book?

In reply to The Corporation (msg # 2):

Got it. I'll try to find the character sheet area and transfer the information over to it. I'll also list languages, but can you tell me what they speak in country? Native tongue or something borrowed from a colonial power, or both?

Thanks.


Supplement 1, yes. I have the campaign book but honestly I haven't looked at it in awhile - is there a particular rule you're concerned about?


You can just cut and paste what you posted over on Pundejo's Playhouse - no need to be fancy.

There are over 1500 languages spoken in Africa - just make sure you have a lingua franca among your characters, which would appear to be English at this point. In country, expect a couple of different colonial languages, indigenous languages, and a smattering of other languages from around the globe - the chances of having the exact right combo of languages is pretty slim, but I will say English should serve you pretty well in general.

No, was just curious whether we were sticking to the main rulebook, or using the extra rules in the other books.

The Rhodesia book has rules for weapons doing different amounts of damage.

What I remember of the Rhodesia book is that it was basically someone's campaign played with a bunch of actual troopies - I have to imagine there was a fair amount of, 'But the AKM could . . . ' gun bunny conversations, which is totally understandable given the make-up of the group but not necessarily the stuff of which great game rules are made.

MERC is quirky enough as is!

In reply to The Corporation (msg # 6):

Thanks, I've updated the character details with the information from therpgsite and languages that would make sense for a white South African mercenary.

I added a new thread, 'SOF Classifieds.' Please submit your character's classified ad to Soldier of Fortune magazine, seeking a position as a mercenary. The Corporation needs to know who and what it's hiring!

There are two examples to give you an idea of what actual would-be mercs posted in SOF in the late Seventies and early Eighties.

Added English and Spanish as languages and updated biography here with the game stats.

[burns] Excellent! [/burns]

Everyone's characters look good - I saw Andy speaks French and can't wait to learn more about how Steve learned Haitian Creole! - so post your classifieds and we're headed for the bosse.

In reply to The Corporation (msg # 12):

Janco's classified is up. Apparently he's a fan of American TV Westerns. Who knew?

(I didn't realize there was a Carlton Hotel on the show as well as in Johannesburg. Serendipity.)
This message was last edited by the player at 03:25, Tue 25 July 2017.

I can't find the setting background description.  What approximate year is this set in?

Early June 1980, 'somewhere in Africa.'

Mark, are you with us?

Yep. Just a little slow is all. :)

No worries - just making sure you're still playing. First in-character posts goes up later today.

Please take a minute to read the Loadout post - by the time the mercs are in country, please make a note of any personal gear your character carries above and beyond what's standard. Remember, you can only carry that gear which you would reasonably expect to get through a thorough international customs inspection.

In reply to The Corporation (msg # 18):

I'm already in South Africa, so do you mean when we cross the border into Ikhawu?

Is it safe to assume checked guns/knives/etc appropriate for a safari trip could be brought in via checked luggage?

Yes - 'Ikhawu' is a Xhosa word for 'shield,' by the way, not a place. You'll find out where you're going when you meet your employer face-to-face, Since you're already at the Carlton, you can ignore the parts about arriving by air and checking in to the Holiday Inn - you receive the same note as the others at your hotel on the morning of 1 June.


Yes, provided you are arriving on a tourist visa, which I assume all of you are.

Extra personal items: some cash, cigarettes & matches, paracetamol, washcloth and towel, a copy of 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy', which was read on the flight!

Could you post these in the Loadout thread, please and thanks? We'll use that as a sort of equipment thread.


LOL! Was Andy a fan of the radio show, too?

Sure.



He once heard an episode. When packing for the trip he recalled something about it being important to take a towel on your travels. At the airport shop he spotted the paperback, and decided the flight would be a good opportunity to find out why!

Guys, am I dominating proceedings too much? Should I be allowing more time for others to respond to the Corporation's posts first?

I think it's going fine so far, Andy.

In reply to Andy Wilson (msg # 25):

Nah it's best to have someone moving things along rather than having dead space in my opinion.

No worries here - I'm giving everyone a chance to reply, pose questions, and what-not, but if nothing's said, I'll move along.

Remember, this is everyone's chance to gain information - and remember as well, characters don't always have all the facts, and they may have agendas of their own.

In reply to Andy Wilson (msg # 25):

No problem, I'm playing a guy who hardly ever speaks.

Originally, not having played Merc before, anything online, or even any rpg really since the 80s, I planned to play Andy as the silent type and let someone else take the lead, but then I got the feeling that perhaps that's what everyone else was doing.

 So I decided to make him more vocal and opinionated, even though I suspect by doing so I've increased the likelihood that he won't survive the contract, as he'll piss off the people he's working with/for!
This message was last edited by the player at 16:51, Thu 03 Aug 2017.

To Paddy, that's just an Englishman being English!

In reply to The Corporation (msg # 31):

I think it's pretty safe to say Paddy's not alone in having that view of Englishmen!
This message was last edited by the player at 11:48, Fri 04 Aug 2017.

We're in the middle of moving this weekend - I'll have another post up later today, hopefully, so don't feel you need to respond to Paddy unless you have questions about armaments or travel.

At some point I will likely go dark for a couple of days while we get the computer and router installed.

No problem...the last weekend of August I'll likely be offline entirely as school starts for my kids on the 28th and we're going to Disneyland the Saturday and Sunday before that.

This question is a bit tangential, but I was just looking through the mission briefing thread, and the base compensation offered was 250 bucks US/month...after that it said that's equivalent to 270 bucks in 2017 dollars? That seems...off. Isn't inflation between 1980 and 2017 higher than that?

It's $250 for the MISSION, which works out to about $780 for three months or roughly $250 as month. Remember, this is more an artifact of the rules than he reality of mercs in 1980.

I'm about to break down my computer - see you in a couple of days so we can really get this party started.

I've been trying to carry on online discussions on my phone - talk about a pain in the ass! Our intretubes - remember, it's not a big truck - are connected once again, so look for another briefing post tonight or tomorrow.

Great!

Is everybody in the Jeep?

In reply to Janco van Apeldoorn (msg # 39):

I am.

I

Steve is. He's wondering when the show's gonna start. :)

I'm not completely convinced the Corporation had concluded the briefing.

BV has been active on the RPGSite forum since the last time he was on here, so I've sent him a message over there to ask if he is unable to access this site.

 I've heard back from BV:

He's struggling to get uninterrupted time on the computer, and having to make do with using his phone.



So, it looks like we shouldn't be heading off to paint the town red just yet.

So...the jeep broke down after driving a few blocks? :)

In reply to Steve Heron (msg # 44):

"Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it."

"Not an auspicious start to our little endeavor."

Just a reminder, as I mentioned up in #34, this weekend I'll be offline as we're going to Disneyland. Feel free to carry on with out me with the understanding that Janco will go along as needed if anything happens.

In reply to Janco van Apeldoorn (msg # 47):

How was Disneyland?

In reply to Cameron Salizar (msg # 48):

Fun. My son basically wants to just keep going on Star Tours over and over again and my daughter just wants stuffed animals. I think their favorite part was seeing fireworks for the first time for real (usually they are asleep by the time fireworks start).

We spent the night at a hotel in Anaheim so we got to go to Disneyland Saturday afternoon and about 6 more hours on Sunday before driving home that afternoon. I also made 100 miles in about 90 minutes coming home thanks to incredibly light traffic on the 5 Freeway.

Sounds like a good time. :)

In reply to Steve Heron (msg # 50):

Here's a suggestion for next time you go. There is a little motel right next to I HOPE at the entrance to Disneyland. It's relatively inexpensive and as close as you can get to the park.  I managed to leave a line to go back to get jackets, come back and change a diaper all before we got through the line.  It's got to have been built about the time the park originally opened but the place has been maintained and updated so it's actually a nice place to stay.

In reply to Cameron Salizar (msg # 51):

When was that? I ask because as far as I know there is nothing near the entrance anymore since they took out the parking lot and put in California Adventure...

In reply to Janco van Apeldoorn (msg # 52):

February 2017

In reply to Cameron Salizar (msg # 53):

What street was it on?

In reply to Janco van Apeldoorn (msg # 54):

The Park Vue Inn  |  1570 S. Harbor Blvd  |  Anaheim, CA

In reply to Cameron Salizar (msg # 55):

Cool, I'll have to check it out next time we make it an overnight thing.

If this ever gets up and running, can someone send me a message at therpgsite? I'm kinda burned out on checking here to see.

Sure, mate.

Wow, this was three years ago? I'm sorry I let this drop.