A military force has many unique roles within it. There are the officers who have command, the medics who care for the wounded, and the backbone of any army in the form of the infantry. Any role within the military is vital, but today I am just going to focus on three types of soldiers that you can include in your Fudge game as either friends or foes for the PCs to encounter.

The descriptions are written in such a way as to make them suitable for any genre of game, but you will probably have to tweak them a bit to make them a fit for your game.

The Scout

Where the front line is going the scout has already been. This soldier is trained to enter enemy or contested territory in order to find resources and routes to be used by the forces that will follow. The scout also constantly searches for signs of the enemy not to engage but to observe. Scouts report their findings to intelligence officers who use the information to plan tactics, adjust strategies, and to evaluate the situation. A good scout can tell you the size of an enemy force, its strength, its morale, and how best to attack or avoid it.

Offensive Damage Factor: +1

Defensive Damage Factor: +1

Special Skills: Observation (Good), Stealth (Fair), Tracking (Fair)

Equipment: The scout is armed with the standard weapon of his or her military force. The scout has enough provisions to survive for several days on his or her own, but these are for emergency situations. Most scouts travel no further than a day out from his or her military force.

The Cavalry

Fast and powerful, the cavalry is built to infiltrate an enemy position quickly so as to deliver a devastating attack in order to end a conflict. This makes the cavalry very deadly, but it also gives it a significant weakness in that the cavalry needs to be mobile in order to be effective. Cavalry are teamed up with some form of quick transport for this purpose. Cavalry answer to a field commander who uses them as a surgical tool to cut out enemy forces that threaten other troops and resources.

Offensive Damage Factor: +3

Defensive Damage Factor: +1

Special Skills: Charge (Great), Flank (Fair)

Weakness: A cavalry member that is unable to move, or that is significantly slowed, loses its Offensive Damage Factor and cannot use its Charge skill.

Equipment: Special lightweight weaponry and armor. A form of quick transportation used for charging.

The Artillery

The safest place to attack from is one where the enemy cannot reach you. Artillery specializes in attacking from a distance, and when properly deployed the artillery can also amplify the fighting power of other troops. Yet the artillery is reliant upon other troops to provide a barrier between themselves and the enemy force which they engage. Artillery reports to a field commander who uses them to provide cover for infiltrating forces, or to weaken particular strong enemy fortifications before deploying other troops to overrun the territory.

Offensive Damage Factor: Face-to-face, zero. Ranged, +3.

Defensive Damage Factor: Face-to-face, zero. Ranged, +2.

Special Skills: Bombardment (Good), Support Fire (Good)

Equipment: Artillery forces have standard weaponry for their military force, but their primary piece of equipment is in the form of a long range weapon that can fire over their own forces with great accuracy to strike at the enemy.

Enjoy!

As with all of the materials that I am posting this week feel free to use them as you see fit. If you have any questions about these character types feel free to ask them by leaving a comment below.