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.