 March 22, 2009 - 3:40am | Maybe its just because of my youth spent on military installations where they had alphabet soup labels for everything: SPS- Security Police Squadron, AMS Avionics Maintenance Squadron; explains my fondness for acronyms in my rpg setting. For my GM background and Corporate Division Reports in my Volturnus Revisited project I've developed these: RAD- Resource Acquisition & Development a division within Streel tasked with acquiring planetary and or system resources for the exclusive exploitation by Streel. PEST- Prospecting Exploration & Survey Team - the department of Streel that does what its name says but has been under funded of late with the policy shift toward aggressive acquisition of resources in developing systems rather than discovering new one. This policy has lead to accusations of underhandedness, extortion, and even terrorism. (it has also led to RAD's involvement with a certain clandestine mining operation on Volturnus) PAC- Pale Aerospace Command- the division of the Pale military that is concerned with all things involving space- the space navy (the militia), ESO- Exploration & Sciences Organization, ESO- a small department within PAC that is tasked with exploration (they discovered the Zebulon system) and with mapping & cataloging of Traune's Star's planetary, asteroid, and cometary bodies I'm particularly proud of RAD and PEST- since some of the PC will start as part of PEST they probably will find it easy to switch allegiances latter in the campaign. Anyone else have and interesting sounding acronym? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 March 22, 2009 - 5:22am | Special High Intensity Training: because you just can't acquire enough ____ in life! Seriously though, about the only repeating one in my game is SDA: Sovereign Domain Authority, the upstart authoritarian militocracy that eventually wrests control of the Frontier in my game. And funny thing, there's a local private security company here that uses the same designation. Everytime I see them at work (they get hired out in our convention center) I'm instinctively reaching for my blaster... |
 March 22, 2009 - 8:22am | SPS- Security Police Squadron Now, of course, they're all SFS—Security Forces Squadrons—since an Air Force reorganization or two ago. Then again, they do more now than just base security anyway—the 116th SFS(USAF/GA ANG) are/were deployed in Iraq to serve as convoy escorts, urban security and general grunt work(as well as security for their parent unit, the 116th ACW), as were the 19th SFS before the 19th ARG was inactivated...I think the 78th SFS's(78th ABW) deployed as well, since the last time I visited Robins(last summer), all I saw was DoD Security rent-a-cops on base. Now, as for acronyms, there's the elite Frigate Unit Delta Golf of the Pale Aerospace Command, assigned as first-responders to any threat to Truane's Star space. When the PCs transmit intel of an impending invasion of Volturnus, FUDGPAC were the first to answer the call.... When ground action proved imminent, however, it was up to the gropos of the Special Naval Assault Fighting Units to help save the day on Volturnus. Many brave beings of the SNAFU gave their lives willingly so as to ensure the existence of Volturnus' native sentients....  "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
 March 22, 2009 - 2:05pm | I don't have any good acronyms translated into my game. Maybe that's because I work for NASA, the home of the TLA (three letter acronym), and I get enough of it at work. Our documents typically have a 2-4 pages acronym list at the back of each document so that you can decipher them. Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
March 22, 2009 - 3:52pm | Only 2-4 pages?! Huh! The military has y'all beat.... "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
 March 22, 2009 - 4:19pm | The old Steve Jackson game "Car Wars" used to have a lot of organizations in it that had funny acronyms. In the military you can tell if the troops like a command, or not, by the way they change its acronym. We used to change USAFE to UNSAFE (to better reflect our living and working conditions). We used to change EURARMY to URINEARMY (to better reflect the quality of up-rank leadership). I once received 4 hours extra duty from my section NCO for using the second acronym in a report summary.  |
 March 22, 2009 - 4:39pm | Only 2-4 pages?! Huh! The military has y'all beat.... lol. dude. that is PER document. How many pages in a "typical" document? Most Field Manuals (FM's) that I read on the Army side have 2-4 pages of acronyms per FM. Looking at 250 + pages per FM. U.S. ARMY = Uncle Sam aint relieved me yet (read it backwards)- yes my retarded ass signed up Time flies when your having rum. Im a government employee, I dont goof-off. I constructively abuse my time. |
 March 22, 2009 - 5:32pm | Yeh I became familiar with a lot of acronyms when I was in the U.S.M.C or Uncle Sam's Masturbation Club. At least I got to scare an alien rabbit thingy...... |
March 22, 2009 - 6:31pm | Yeh I became familiar with a lot of acronyms when I was in the U.S.M.C or Uncle Sam's Masturbation Club. Uncle Sam's Misguided Children Uncle Sam's Monkey Club I heard one more when I was in The Corps, but can not repeat it here. |
March 22, 2009 - 6:38pm | Oh, our docs are typically only 30-40 pages. I haven't dared look at the 400 page docs yet .Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
 March 23, 2009 - 12:38am | Only 2-4 pages?! Huh! The military has y'all beat.... A NASA document's 2-4 pages is just the stuff not in the 20-page master list in 4 col 8pt.... :) Seriously, though, a lot of NASA documents only become intelligible by taking the 2-4 page 10pt 2 col list, and treating it as a decryption key. Copy the document into your WP, start with the acronym list, and do find&replace with each... it often adds more than 50% to the length of the document. One one-page paper had a half-page acronym list, and when "decrypted" was expanded to 3 pages long... and still filled with acronyms not on the list... Like NASA, JPL, LSW, ISP, ?V... How the NASA types keep it all straight is beyond me. As for Car Wars... most of those acronyms were local chapters of the AADA (American AutoDuel Association), the actual CW Fan Club... |
March 23, 2009 - 5:20pm | Yeh I became familiar with a lot of acronyms when I was in the U.S.M.C or Uncle Sam's Masturbation Club. Uncle Sam's Misguided Children Uncle Sam's Monkey Club I heard one more when I was in The Corps, but can not repeat it here. And, of course, the only one I've heard for the Navy is Never Again Volunteer Yourself. Government docs can be pretty thick. And they do love their acronyms. "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
March 23, 2009 - 5:26pm | As for Car Wars... most of those acronyms were local chapters of the AADA (American AutoDuel Association), the actual CW Fan Club... There were two other acronymous organizations which come to mind...BLUD(Big League Unlimited Duelling)were the opponents of the AADA. And, of course, the Anarchist Relief Front, unfortunately known as ARF. Crap! Wait, there's one more, and I feel stupid for almost forgetting the AADA's other recurring acronymous nemesis: The Eastern Driving Safety Enforcement League, aka EDSEL. (The Brotherhood, of course, didn't need no steenkin' acronym....) "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
March 23, 2009 - 5:32pm | Now, as for acronyms, there's the elite Frigate Unit Delta Golf of the Pale Aerospace Command, assigned as first-responders to any threat to Truane's Star space. When the PCs transmit intel of an impending invasion of Volturnus, FUDGPAC were the first to answer the call.... When ground action proved imminent, however, it was up to the gropos of the Special Naval Assault Fighting Units to help save the day on Volturnus. Many brave beings of the SNAFU gave their lives willingly so as to ensure the existence of Volturnus' native sentients.... Oh, and the Star Fighter Corps' elite special tactics and rescue squadrons are the Corps Assault NAvigation Rescue Intelligence Evacuation Squadrons, the CANARIES. (Yes, I watch too much Red Dwarf....) "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
March 23, 2009 - 6:56pm | In one of the Osprey books on the French Foreign Legion, IIRC, the special operations company of the 13th Demi-Brigade had a title (in French) whose acronym was CRAP. |
March 13, 2011 - 1:48pm | Astro Survey Service- I created this one then realized what it added up to- wonder how many will volunteer to be one. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 March 15, 2011 - 6:26pm | Special High Intensity Training Memo follows, If you are easily offended please dont read it. TO: ALL EMPLOYEES FR: MANAGEMENT RE: SPECIAL HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING In order to assure the highest levels of quality work and productivity from employees, it will be our policy to keep all employees well trained through our program of SPECIAL HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING. We are trying to give employees more S.H.I.T. than anyone else. If you feel that you do not receive your share of S.H.I.T. on the job, please see your manager. You will be immediately placed at the top of the S.H.I.T. list, and our managers are especially skilled at seeing that you get all the S.H.I.T. you can handle. Employees who don't take their S.H.I.T. will be placed in DEPARTMENTAL EMPLOYEE EVALUATION PROGRAMS (D.E.E.P. S.H.I.T.). Those who fail to take D.E.E.P. S.H.I.T. seriously will have to go to EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE TRAINING (E.A.T. S.H.I.T.). Since our managers took S.H.I.T. before they were promoted, they don't have to do S.H.I.T. anymore, and are all full of S.H.I.T. already. If you are full of S.H.I.T., you may be interested in a job training others. We can add your name to our BASIC UNDERSTANDING LECTURE LIST (B.U.L.L. S.H.I.T.). Those who are full of B.U.L.L. S.H.I.T. will get the S.H.I.T. jobs, and can apply for promotion to DIRECTOR OF INTENSITY PROGRAMMING (D.I.P. S.H.I.T.). If you have further questions, please direct them to our HEAD OF TRAINING, SPECIAL HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING (H.O.T. S.H.I.T.). Thank you, BOSS IN GENERAL SPECIAL HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING (B.I.G. S.H.I.T.) The bombing starts in five minutes. |
