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Prompted by Initiate's thread on developing stories for individual marines, posted here, I thought I'd post with some musings on 'promotion' in the Chapter.
I realise it's very long, and I won't be at all offended if people don't want to read it, but if you do stick with it, please tell me if you think this more or less right, way off, right in parts or whatever, and most crucially where you think I'm goin wrong.
I make a few pretty crucial assumptions from the start which are: no-one is ever demoted - if you make sergeant in the scout company, you don't become a 'normal' SM at any later stage; everyone starts the same - each scout begins their combat experience at the same point, with the same training and weapons - this I've assumed to be bolter, though there's definately a case for pistol and ccw instead; it is during early combat experience in the scouts that the recruits are differentiated by 3 qualities I'll call ferocity, accuracy and leadership. (I've also completely avoided the question of bikes, speeders and other vehicles, because I wanted to finish typing today.)
So if a scout shows particular ferocity, they'll switch to pistol and ccw (or possibly shotgun, tho' I've never seen any marine player ever use them).
If they show particular accuracy (which also includes steadiness under fire), they'll be given a sniper rifle and/or missile launcher (all you need for a heavy bolter i feel is a bit more strength than average, I don't really count this as a specialisation).
If they show particular leadership, they may make sergeant.
Right, now there are four kinds of marine (and we're still only on scouts); 'normal'/bolter/H bolter scouts; 'ferocious'/pistol/ccw scouts; 'accurate'/sniper/ML scouts; and 'leaders' ie sergeants.
My hunch is then promotion to the reserve companies. Ferocious marines to 8th, accurate marines to 9th, normal marines to 6th and 7th; sergeants go where their talents are best fitted; if they are 'slightly more accurate' they'll become a dev company sergeant etc. On the other hand, scouts destined for the dev company, who show 'slightly more leadership', may become dev-squad sergeants (though my feeling is that sergeants are transferred from the scout company, but dev scouts become dev marines, and then become dev sergeants afterwards). It is at this stage where 'accurate' marines get to try out lascannons, 'ferocious' marines get to try out flamers and plasma pistols etc. Following some time (years?) in the reserve company, the marine is then promoted to a battle company. Their squad will of course be determined by their specialisation.
After the battle company the Veteran company. Of course, veteran sergeants can become so while still serving in a battle company - or maybe, posted 'back down the line' into the reserve companies? Even whole squads in the battle companies may be veteran squads - say, the first squad in each battle company could be a veteran squad, a 'holding area' for company veterans waiting for a space to become available in the First Company- not at all an inconceivable notion I don't think. I certainly reckon this makes more sense for command squads with company champions etc than the current way GW is organising this.
One point about this is tat sergeants start to 'float' after the reserve companies. They may reach veteran status in the reserve company; they may be posted on to a battle company; they may then be posted back to a reserve company; they may not even make sergeant until they have reached the battle company, then made veteran, then been posted to the reserve, then the First. It's all quite hard to map by now.
So that seems a good time to stop.
:cyclops:
I realise it's very long, and I won't be at all offended if people don't want to read it, but if you do stick with it, please tell me if you think this more or less right, way off, right in parts or whatever, and most crucially where you think I'm goin wrong.
I make a few pretty crucial assumptions from the start which are: no-one is ever demoted - if you make sergeant in the scout company, you don't become a 'normal' SM at any later stage; everyone starts the same - each scout begins their combat experience at the same point, with the same training and weapons - this I've assumed to be bolter, though there's definately a case for pistol and ccw instead; it is during early combat experience in the scouts that the recruits are differentiated by 3 qualities I'll call ferocity, accuracy and leadership. (I've also completely avoided the question of bikes, speeders and other vehicles, because I wanted to finish typing today.)
So if a scout shows particular ferocity, they'll switch to pistol and ccw (or possibly shotgun, tho' I've never seen any marine player ever use them).
If they show particular accuracy (which also includes steadiness under fire), they'll be given a sniper rifle and/or missile launcher (all you need for a heavy bolter i feel is a bit more strength than average, I don't really count this as a specialisation).
If they show particular leadership, they may make sergeant.
Right, now there are four kinds of marine (and we're still only on scouts); 'normal'/bolter/H bolter scouts; 'ferocious'/pistol/ccw scouts; 'accurate'/sniper/ML scouts; and 'leaders' ie sergeants.
My hunch is then promotion to the reserve companies. Ferocious marines to 8th, accurate marines to 9th, normal marines to 6th and 7th; sergeants go where their talents are best fitted; if they are 'slightly more accurate' they'll become a dev company sergeant etc. On the other hand, scouts destined for the dev company, who show 'slightly more leadership', may become dev-squad sergeants (though my feeling is that sergeants are transferred from the scout company, but dev scouts become dev marines, and then become dev sergeants afterwards). It is at this stage where 'accurate' marines get to try out lascannons, 'ferocious' marines get to try out flamers and plasma pistols etc. Following some time (years?) in the reserve company, the marine is then promoted to a battle company. Their squad will of course be determined by their specialisation.
After the battle company the Veteran company. Of course, veteran sergeants can become so while still serving in a battle company - or maybe, posted 'back down the line' into the reserve companies? Even whole squads in the battle companies may be veteran squads - say, the first squad in each battle company could be a veteran squad, a 'holding area' for company veterans waiting for a space to become available in the First Company- not at all an inconceivable notion I don't think. I certainly reckon this makes more sense for command squads with company champions etc than the current way GW is organising this.
One point about this is tat sergeants start to 'float' after the reserve companies. They may reach veteran status in the reserve company; they may be posted on to a battle company; they may then be posted back to a reserve company; they may not even make sergeant until they have reached the battle company, then made veteran, then been posted to the reserve, then the First. It's all quite hard to map by now.
So that seems a good time to stop.
:cyclops: