Traveller Career books are often very hard to review because of the inevitable blowback of “I don’t want to play a XYZ” or “what does it matter because I am retired anyhow”. Classic Traveller solved this problem quite elegantly with Mercenary – posturing the future would be run by small bands of semi-professionalized soldiers to fight in small wars and leaving the big wars to a vague notion of planetary & imperial armies bisecting with the omnipresent – Imperial Marine. Perhaps, it is the effect that Warhammer had on Traveller or just the fact that many servicemen (women) do play Traveller they wanted to see their experiences and stories told. There was finally a half-hearted attempt with GURPS Traveller Ground Forces and a smidgen gets …show more content…
mentioned in the various discussions of the Imperial Navy. Thus, it is into this murky water that the ATU of the Clement Sector now treads – how to do justice a future military and honor those who serve now. Haldeman, Heinlein were early pioneers, but, since then there has a venerable explosion of Military SF – notably with David Weber which basically is the Napoleonic wars in Space.
And, given that Traveller is often touted as the Second Age of Sail, it might be natural for authors to follow Weber’s lead. I am very happy to report that was not path taken by GKGs. Here is an honest to goodness account of modern warfare told from the perspective of those who have “boots on the ground”. GKG has the right measure of enhancements from the Traveller rulebook with the default Traveller background (generic SF) and a future-present feel to the book and done in the economy of a small press imprint. Nice transitions with purple prose make a great alteration between just dry Tables & Charts or dreary rules. Great art and well thought out rules/supplementary materials make this a worthy addition to any Traveller campaign. Although, firmly grounded in the ATU of the Clement Sector – it could be expanded perhaps to include a 2300AD milieu – it does work best only with the …show more content…
ATU. That said, it is very much an economy product, in spite of weighing in at 104 pages, there is little frills but on the more positive side there is little wasted space. For not only do we get a history of the regiments (including, the continuance of the Black Watch – though screeching German accented men in kilts bobbing over the cratered moonscape of an unknown world has been played out in countless Traveller campaigns – at least – once) but enough of the history of the Hub Federation that any first time buyer would feel well acquainted with the milieu. We are treated naturally to the Expanded chargen along with hooks to bring players together as a party. Wonderful vehicles are lovingly described from a gravtank to a glorified troop carrier. The art of the vehicles is really top notch, but, in keeping with the overall economy and signature look of GKG – poser art is used for the characters. Clearly they are improving their portrayal of characters all the time, as the art is showing more and more a slicker and professional look – it being computer generated still does not have the gritty realism of some digital art that is overlaid by a painter but it’s getting there. And, given how difficult future character art is (because it straddles past, present and future) GKG is doing a remarkably good job. Where the product does have its shortfall is to give the reader a really an in-depth feel of the change of battlespace’s that has occurred with the ubiquitous of portable mass communications and satellites entering into the arena of war. For that would require a more exhaustive look at NATO and the Russian and Chinese training manuals and clearly that was not really done here. It rather has a modern feel – right up to Vietnam – but even smaller armies say of Slovenia or Argentina or Mexico would provide a useful counterweight. Heck even the German or British Army manuals might offer some of these insights. Even though these smaller armies do have readily the ability to launch satellites – they still must operate in a battlespace that does have an orbital component to it and merely the orbital drop capacity – but what militaries call the full spectrum dominance. Furthermore, a great opportunity was lost when it did not detail rules and situations for mutiny, as each of these historical armies have a grand standing tradition of revolt. Either as an Officer Revolt or swelling from below. There have been many historical precedents whereby the revolt has a dynamic of its own, including, Science Fiction riffs, such as Clarke’s Songs of a Distant Earth. Mutinies also are sometimes instrumental in setting up new regimes. Classic Traveller hints at this through the concept of a mercenary ticket. However, sometimes, the point of a mutiny is correct an alleged wrong by one’s superiors or to change an existing order with soldiers acting as the catalyst. Perhaps, GKG will address this in a book of adventures dealing with soldier’s tales. Also, missing were comprehensive “Wet Navy” or “Air Forces” rules, for Traveller at higher tech levels with the wider use gravitics does postulate a merging of vehicles, scarce mention of how that would affect military tactics is absent.
For some it heralds the return of the uber-warrior where battle dress is a man-sized mecha a la Warhammer 40K or is more Battlelords with sleek vehicles that reconfigure for different world conditions. The whole idea of a standing army also means what to do during peace times and this is scarcely addressed; and on the converse side – is the Hub Federation engaging in all-out war with a foe larger than pirates? For the Third Imperium was founded upon many successful anti-piracy raids combining with new technology. Is the Hub Federation moving toward the Third Imperium model – then it would mean that war is around the corner. Or is it moving toward the TNE model many small human polities waging war against each other as much as they war among themselves. Time will
tell. That aside, this is a very good and comprehensive book from GKG and a welcome addition to any Clement Sector campaign. However, in porting these rules into other settings, it has to be remembered that the Hub Federation is very small – smaller than the nascent Third Imperium of Milieu 0 which is another reason that it might fit well with more 2300AD. Although, the 2300AD is much harder and would be better served with a separate ground forces supplement. So this is a nice introduction to Ground Forces, notable for what it includes than what is excluded from a small press for a small milieu. A thoroughly enjoyable primer to Ground Forces of the Hub Federation, noteworthy for what it takes in than what is omitted from a small press for a small setting.
Martin Blumesfield's writing of this book is a very interesting book. His way of writing really gets the point across and makes you think like you there. He uses many rhetoric devices to enhance his writing and get what he's trying to do. He uses many similes and figurative language to back up his point of him being there. He has many of Patton's paper and he actually can relate to whats going on through his interpretation of the "Patton Papers." Many say this is the greatest Patton book out there and I agree. The way Blumesfield makes you feel is so real, you can appreciate a good writer when you find one like Blumesfield.
This book would lure the audience of a young adult readers looking for an adventure. It is also a great wilderness and survival book. The author emphasizes the journey that Christopher takes. “Two years he walks the earth. No phone, no pool, no pet, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road.” p.163. This can relate to the audience because, some people choose to live without extra amenities.
Tim O’Brien’s book, The Things They Carried, portrays stories of the Vietnam War. Though not one hundred percent accurate, the stories portray important historical events. The Things They Carried recovers Vietnam War history and portrays situations the American soldiers faced. The United States government represents a political power effect during the Vietnam War. The U. S. enters the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam. The U.S. government felt if communism spreads to South Vietnam, then it will spread elsewhere. Many Americans disapproved of their country’s involvement. Men traveled across the border to avoid the draft. The powerful United States government made the decision to enter the war, despite many Americans’ opposition. O’Brien’s The Things They Carried applies New Historicism elements, including Vietnam history recovery and the political power of the United States that affected history.
In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, the readers follow the Alpha Company’s experiences during the Vietnam War through the telling’s of the main character and narrator, Tim. At the beginning of the story, Tim describes the things that each character carries, also revealing certain aspects of the characters as can be interpreted by the audience. The book delineates what kind of person each character is throughout the chapters. As the novel progresses, the characters’ personalities change due to certain events of the war. The novel shows that due to these experiences during the Vietnam War, there is always a turning point for each soldier, especially as shown with Bob “Rat” Kiley and Azar. With this turning point also comes the loss of innocence for these soldiers. O’Brien covers certain stages of grief and self-blame associated with these events in these stories as well in order to articulate just how those involved felt so that the reader can imagine what the effects of these events would be like for them had they been a part of it.
...post-colonial literature (Bader). The theory of flight gives the characters hope and allows them to try to free themselves from their past.
YORK, LORRAINE. "Wars, The (1977)." Oxford Companion To Canadian Literature (1997): 1168. Literary Reference Center. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
Some may argue Behar is truly in danger and his survival instincts are awakening... But what separates Behar's instincts from the instincts of the bonafide imperialists he condemned earlier in his article? Behar subtly pokes fun at the actions of “European explorers [who] headed for new lands,” saying they “often traveled with a throng of soldiers in tow, just in case” (Behar, 4). Yet, similarly to European explorers, curiosity and riches
In this interview my interviewee was my grandfather Roy Gene Lakin. In the interview I asked him multiple questions over what he did during his time in the war. We talked about his rank and about what life was like in Vietnam and where he has been during that time. This interview will give you information about what people did during the war. My grandpa told me things about what he did and about what his job was as a U.S. Marine.
If you were someone like Sydney Bradshaw Fay who wrote it not to long after the war ended if more likely to have more experience of what actually happened in the war. You can’t expect someone like Niall Ferguson to actually have lived during the time and experienced the “different” dilemmas that later let to the
The Vietnam War was a traumatic experience for everyone that fought on the ground. American soldiers were up close and personal with the Viet Cong (enemy) which made them live in constant fear for their lives. They never knew how they would die or when they would take their last breath, and this thought was always in the back of their minds. The Vietnam War was very brutal, and the amount of death from both sides was enormous. Tim O’Brien’s story “The Things They Carried” is an accurate description of the Vietnam War. He paints a good, yet brief, description of what the war was like for the American soldiers who fought on the front lines.
What if your son or daughter was in a war and his leg was blown off or his skin was burned up, would you want help? Many troops go out and defend the country that we live in every day and many get very injured. These troops that are mentally or physically injured deserve help for risking their own lives for ours. There are many who get injured and have to deal with their injury for the rest of their life. Even these types of injuries can get help dealing with it.
I watched the people board the train as I stood in silence in line with the other soldiers. My breath was held suspended as I saw my very own best friend, Josh smiling at us and waving. These innocent people looked so happy, probably imagining of the nice new homes that they would be placed in . Little did they know. I followed the president's instructions which were to make sure nobody escaped and to not make eye contact or interact. Goosebumps trailed up my spine as I thought of what Josh and the others would have to go through in the next hour or so. A single tear slid down my face as I thought of losing my best friend, and not being able to do anything about it.
This sensational novel is an adventure novel consisting of an enterprising Englishman touring the globe. Woven within are historical facts, such as the British Empire and colonies around the globe, as well as historically accurate locations.
Military life offered the exciting adventure of traveling around the world. For example, in my first five years, I was only in the states one time. During my army career, I traveled to Kuwait, then to Egypt, then to Ireland, to Germany, to Saudi Arabia, and finally to Korea. In the states, I have lived in California, Hawaii, Maryland, Philadelphia, Florida, South Caroline, North Carolina, New York, and Virginia. My orders will tell me where I will report to and whether it is state side or to another country....
... executed in order to set off into the world alone. The influence that independent travel has on an individual is a splendor upon riches because it does so much for a person, and provides humans with a sense of the world. How a person can makes new friends and learn about new cultures and accept other people’s way of living. With its educational purposes traveling alone can bring, offers an endless amount of living data that tops any history book or internet page. Traveling is concrete history that is continuing around everyone. It can provide people to look through different lenses and experience aspects of life that they know they will never experience again in their lifetimes. Traveling alone provides an endless journey and an empty page in the minds scrapbook that is waiting to be filled with new memories and the endless amount of true belonging and bliss.