Oh, you mean the group made of former soldiers, betraying their jobs to listen to their only petty interests ?
Those who have no sense of ethic, responsibility, durability or whatsoever ?
I once had a “private security contractor” give me a recruiting pitch while on break between rounds of a miniatures game tournament. The part about the pay sounded great, I could manage the physical training, and I already know how to handle a gun, but that bit about being obligated to act as a human shield for customers (kevlar or not) wasn’t very appealing. To his credit, he seemed very professional and honest (hence the whole “human shield” part). And no, he wasn’t with Blackwater.
As Flushmaster said, the PMCs that survive have as official policy a set of professional standards that basically cover all the ethical standards a government military would have; if your soldiers do, in fact, have “no sense of ethic, responsibility, durability or whatsoever” then they’ll quickly make your company look bad and you end up losing all your customers. Also, there’s a tendency for not asking questions to result in your employees being killed or incapacitated by unexpected surprises such as your client hiring four men to storm the White House and assuming this will be enough.
TL;DR not having any standards besides how much something pays is bad for business.
” that basically cover all the ethical standards a government military would have”
Sorry, but I feel like saying bah humbugs for this one. When did a merc ever faced a court for crimes (s)he committed ? How many times did it happen for real, governement soldiers ? Much more often. That would mean the mercs, real angels, care more about laws and ethics than govt soldiers, real demons ? Yeah, right. Likely story.
“if your soldiers do, in fact, have “no sense of ethic, responsibility, durability or whatsoever”” Excuse me, but PMC armed personnels are NOT soldiers. They are merely guns for hire.
“not having any standards besides how much something pays is bad for business.”
That would be true, if those who employ mercs had any idea of what standards besides money are.
If those mercs are so good, how come we didn’t have them replace our standing armies ? Sure, it’s like having a totally or mostly corporate security and defence could possibly go wrong., right ? We already see the magnificent wonders of a totally free-market in various sectors, like the railways in the UK …
Being a soldier is not about joining a company just for the pay. It’s about defending something that most, if not all, companies simply do not give a damn about. Companies see states as mere sites of production and sells. Armies see states as territories, populations, interests to protect.
I know I sound harsh, brash, etc. and this is no place for such a polemic. Rest assured that I do not point fingers at anyone personally, just for the heck of offending someone. It might not be worth much, but my readings and watchings made me a somehow anti-merc person.
Oh yes, a standing private army of mercenaries funded by government, but with minimal regulation or oversight. This couldn’t possibly be misused, exploited, or used for illicit purposes!
Whereupon it shall be renamed ‘Militaire Sans Frontieres’ then change again to ‘Outer Heaven’, where it will establish New Fightopia and launch it’s new bipedal tank, Metal Cog…
“… also, if you don’t agree to our terms, you might discover that I’m called Byron the Berserker for a reason. Sometime, ignorance is bliss. And safer.”
…and for just 0.02 copper a day you too can help to save the life of an Adventurer. Everyday hundreds of newbies die at the hands of low level mobs in an effort to make it to level 2. Their heart warming tales of suffering at the hands of *large brown rabbit* will fill you with a sense of joy, that with just a small donation a day will let them be able buy *hardened accurate spork* to be able to achieve the next level.
So please, how can you not look into the eyes of these poor newbies and not help? Just for a meager 0.02 copper a day you can make the difference for someone that just might one day return your generosity by *quest: slay angry troll pillaging farm* for just 0.02 copper a day.
I’m thinking they’re gonna give him less. It’s gonna turn out he’s supposed to start with the expensive request, then haggle down to what he really wants or something.
Kinda reminds me of Gearhead RPG. In every Greenzone city worth its salt there are two major law/enforcement infrastructure buildings (and potential quest sources): the Guardians HQ (police station) and the [bounty] Hunter’s Guild building. The two have a great symbiosis going and a few of the quests they give are almost identical, but there are still major differences in how they operate internally.
And so the ‘Blackwater’ Adventurer’s Guild was born. Hooray for paramilitary organizations.
Oh, you mean the group made of former soldiers, betraying their jobs to listen to their only petty interests ?
Those who have no sense of ethic, responsibility, durability or whatsoever ?
I once had a “private security contractor” give me a recruiting pitch while on break between rounds of a miniatures game tournament. The part about the pay sounded great, I could manage the physical training, and I already know how to handle a gun, but that bit about being obligated to act as a human shield for customers (kevlar or not) wasn’t very appealing. To his credit, he seemed very professional and honest (hence the whole “human shield” part). And no, he wasn’t with Blackwater.
As Flushmaster said, the PMCs that survive have as official policy a set of professional standards that basically cover all the ethical standards a government military would have; if your soldiers do, in fact, have “no sense of ethic, responsibility, durability or whatsoever” then they’ll quickly make your company look bad and you end up losing all your customers. Also, there’s a tendency for not asking questions to result in your employees being killed or incapacitated by unexpected surprises such as your client hiring four men to storm the White House and assuming this will be enough.
TL;DR not having any standards besides how much something pays is bad for business.
” that basically cover all the ethical standards a government military would have”
Sorry, but I feel like saying bah humbugs for this one. When did a merc ever faced a court for crimes (s)he committed ? How many times did it happen for real, governement soldiers ? Much more often. That would mean the mercs, real angels, care more about laws and ethics than govt soldiers, real demons ? Yeah, right. Likely story.
“if your soldiers do, in fact, have “no sense of ethic, responsibility, durability or whatsoever”” Excuse me, but PMC armed personnels are NOT soldiers. They are merely guns for hire.
“not having any standards besides how much something pays is bad for business.”
That would be true, if those who employ mercs had any idea of what standards besides money are.
If those mercs are so good, how come we didn’t have them replace our standing armies ? Sure, it’s like having a totally or mostly corporate security and defence could possibly go wrong., right ? We already see the magnificent wonders of a totally free-market in various sectors, like the railways in the UK …
Being a soldier is not about joining a company just for the pay. It’s about defending something that most, if not all, companies simply do not give a damn about. Companies see states as mere sites of production and sells. Armies see states as territories, populations, interests to protect.
I know I sound harsh, brash, etc. and this is no place for such a polemic. Rest assured that I do not point fingers at anyone personally, just for the heck of offending someone. It might not be worth much, but my readings and watchings made me a somehow anti-merc person.
Oh yes, a standing private army of mercenaries funded by government, but with minimal regulation or oversight. This couldn’t possibly be misused, exploited, or used for illicit purposes!
And to top it all off they get to pass laws and such … wait … you aren’t talking about Congress?
Whereupon it shall be renamed ‘Militaire Sans Frontieres’ then change again to ‘Outer Heaven’, where it will establish New Fightopia and launch it’s new bipedal tank, Metal Cog…
Dude, spoilers.
C’mon.
Oh man, Best is going to make such a bitchin’ Revolver Ocelot when he turns out to be behind the entire thing.
Wait, I’m Hannah have to say ‘called it’ somewhere down the line?
Dammit, I hate using Internet memes.
Erm yeah, replace Hannah with ‘gonna’, stupid phone autocorrect…
D’awww at young Byron training with Bayen and Brayen.
That’s not his mother on the left? O_o
Braggadocio – how do you do the tire stepping when you can’t see your feet?
By floating over them, of course. As you can clearly see.
The Big B goes to the Princess Toadstool school of platforming.
…Ladies and Gentlemen of the senate, we are entering a new age in Gastonia’s history. The Guilded Age.
“… also, if you don’t agree to our terms, you might discover that I’m called Byron the Berserker for a reason. Sometime, ignorance is bliss. And safer.”
Ah! New tutorial level! Time to roll a new toon!
…and for just 0.02 copper a day you too can help to save the life of an Adventurer. Everyday hundreds of newbies die at the hands of low level mobs in an effort to make it to level 2. Their heart warming tales of suffering at the hands of *large brown rabbit* will fill you with a sense of joy, that with just a small donation a day will let them be able buy *hardened accurate spork* to be able to achieve the next level.
So please, how can you not look into the eyes of these poor newbies and not help? Just for a meager 0.02 copper a day you can make the difference for someone that just might one day return your generosity by *quest: slay angry troll pillaging farm* for just 0.02 copper a day.
I’m thinking they’re gonna give him less. It’s gonna turn out he’s supposed to start with the expensive request, then haggle down to what he really wants or something.
Sounds like he asked for full funding in his pitch, which might be pretty expensive.
The key is making it sound less expensive than NOT throwing money at the problem.
Kinda reminds me of Gearhead RPG. In every Greenzone city worth its salt there are two major law/enforcement infrastructure buildings (and potential quest sources): the Guardians HQ (police station) and the [bounty] Hunter’s Guild building. The two have a great symbiosis going and a few of the quests they give are almost identical, but there are still major differences in how they operate internally.
You know those adventurers. “They get by with a little help from their friends.”