Mercenaries

[Dark Mistress]

Ok I was wondering if anyone could help me out. I am planing to run a game soon(DnD) where the focus of the story will be about a mercenary company that the players are part of. Anyone know a good book for running a mercenary eventure or web pages ect that you can point out please do.

 

[diaglo]

solider of fortune magazine.

 

[Belen]

You should really get AEG's mercenaries book. It's a great resource.

 

[Voadam]

I don't have it, but AEG has a whole hardcover book about d20 mercenaries called _Mercenaries_. I'd check out the reviews on it.

 

[Voadam]

Glen Cook also has a series of novels on a fantasy mercenary band.

 

[Psion]

I don't have it, but AEG has a whole hardcover book about d20 mercenaries called _Mercenaries_. I'd check out the reviews on it.

Don't waste too much time looking for it... the described book doesn't exist. Mercinaries is a softcover.

At any rate, it's pretty decent, but definitely has a fantastical twist to it. There's actually quite a bit more in there than mercenaries.

 

[Dark Mistress]

Yeah I have the AEG book and it is usefull but doesn't have really how to run a mercenary company as a campiagn it is more for using or having your PC's hire them.

And as for Glen Cook's books the Black Company. Well what do you think inspired me to do this?

 

[Voadam]

Don't waste too much time looking for it... the described book doesn't exist. Mercinaries is a softcover.

My mistake. But I doubt you will find Mercinaries in either
format.

Another fantasy story read is Feist's Serpent Queen story. In there a mercenary company is a cover for a spy mission. Feist's stuff is very D&Dish so there could be some good inspriational reading.

 

[Tonguez]

I've always assumed that the average Party of Adventurers was a Mercenary Band. Really the only difference between Adventurers and Mercenaries is that Adventurers will do anything for a coin or two whereas Mercenaries have a few more morals

Seriously though the hardest part is going to be the simulation of Warfare (which is kind of implicit in a mecernary campaign) and fitting the PC Mercenaries into that overall scenario

Ergo - the PCs can be
1. an elite special forces team sent in behind enemy lines to wreak havoc (probably the easiest to run since the Warfare can be background) and heaps of source material eg Metal Gear Solid, Dirty Dozen, Rambo, The A-Team, Grunts (by Mary Gentle - about Orc Mecernaries)

2. Guards for an important NPC (maybe even the monarch - see the Swiss Guard in the Vatican for inspiration)

3. Leaders of a Unit of Soldiers on the frontlines (this is doable but not easy)

4. Common Grunts sent to the frontlines and having to fight the encroaching hordes (I'd advise against this as running wars in DnD is way hard)

 

[Dark Mistress]

I suppose what I am more looking for is, how a mercenary company operates(logistics), rank and structure with in a group.(talking profesional military group) and just indeals.

I know how the PC's will fit in, I know how I will run it as a game. Just having trouble on details to bring the mercenary life to full blown color for the PC's to experince.

And while adventures are similiar to mercenaries they are fairly diffrent. Adventures do what they want for personal game rarely cause they are hired to perform a task. Mercenaries typical will work for someone to accompish a task who they may or may not like and may or may not like the task they are doing but they are profesionals so they do it anyways.

Anyways i am sure i will muddle threw I was just seeing if anyone had any good advice, sites or books that might help.