 August 18, 2013 - 10:59pm | Names for Frontier militias: Royal Marines is a fairly flashy name and no doubt some of the others have some of the same flash but some wont. I like the unoffical Lossend Space Rangers introduced in the FE zine. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 August 19, 2013 - 5:48am | Names are actually very important to describing the function of unit especially different branches of the same unit. the Royal Marines are the smallest branch of their militia but probably the most familiar. We should also not forget nicknames for units. The Green Berets are not their name. But ask yourself and others what their real designation is. Go ahead I'll wait. And while you are at it ask them what the mission of the Green Berets is. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
 August 19, 2013 - 10:54am | Agreed. The planets of the Frontier have mixed political systems that would reflect their respective militia fleets. The name alone would describe the kind of uniforms, ranks, etc. they would have. The KH book notes the colors of each force (black or white on some hue), but they never give any icons to work with. For the most part, we have much latitude with how we create the militia fleets. |
August 19, 2013 - 12:22pm | Jaxom did a write up of the Kanzah' Kit Militia abr: KKM which works for me in that the vrusk langauge is so different to the rest of the core four. This is simply a straight Pan Gal translation with no attempt at being colorful. However, this militia could have a nickname as Rat T suggests: something like the "Scarabs" and their symbol is an orange and black sylized beatle which just happens to be a major aggricultural export of Kenzah Kit which is raised primarily for its protien value in the vrusk diet but is edible by the rest of the core four. It is however an aquired taste especially scarab sushi. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
August 19, 2013 - 1:46pm | While we are at it and since most of you know I am a Civil War buff which was especially in the beginning fought by militia units and individual state units. Here are a couple of notes from history. The armies of the Civil War were not always Blue and Gray. The Confederate troops especially in the Western Theater wore tan uniform when they even had uniforms. The Naval forces of the Confederacy especially the officers were mostly former Union Naval Officers who refused to wear the unnaval color of gray. They continued to wear their blue uniforms but sewed on Confederate buttons. Before the war many militia units decided to copy the bravest units of soldiers in the world; the French Zouves. They wore Fezs and bright red baggy pants and a vest like shirt. These units on both sides wore these uniforms to the war and through out the war. In today's US military, where once everyone wore the BDUs of the same pattern and style, now each branch has a differing color scheme of the same pattern. So my point is the colors of a military unit can have a long and varied history or reasons that they are taken up which makes no sense to outsiders. While we have been given some colors of militia units from the KH we do not necessarily need to limit ourselves to them and the reasons they are used can be very interesting. Sounds like a great job but where did you say we had to go? |
August 19, 2013 - 2:20pm | Zoaves units were also raised as a way to speed recruitment. The Zoave units were considered to have a more flashy uniform. this lead to organizing a zoave unit as, at least in the early days before the number of casualties began to register it was often easier to sign up men for a zoave unit though this is probably true more in the North than the south. RE: examples of changes in uniform and color: Note on flashy uniforms, one of my favorite units particularly from the late 19th century is the Italian Bersaglieri units. Originally organized by an Italian duke that lacked good access to horses. Thus he trained the Bersaglieri units with a focus on physical conditioning (they run everywhere a bersiglieri will never let an officer or NCO catch them walking) and marksmanship as an analogue to other noble's cavalry units. They played roles in the unification of Italy, Boxer Rebellion and the abortive 19th century attempts at building an Italian colonial empire in Africa (with bersaglieri units wiped out at the battle of Adowa) . During WW1 some were issued bicycles and an intense rivalry develop between them and other elite units like the Arditi and the Alpini. They still exist today. The defining element of the Bersaglieri uniform, except for a brief time during WW1, is the jaunty cockrel feathers attached to the side of their helmets (hats pior to the development of helmets). This was a sign that they were an elite unit but during WW1 they were ordered to remove them from their helmets by higher command and moral plummeted till the order was sent for them to re-attach them. Hostorically their uniform has gone from blue and red wool to white with a pith helmet (China and Africa deployment) to khaki with a metal helmet to modern looking camo BDU with modern equipment but the dark cockrel feathers remain. http://italianmonarchist.blogspot.com/2012/07/elite-italian-bersaglieri.html http://www.qattara.it/60-131-bersaglieri.html http://www.esercito.difesa.it/Concorsi/voglio_fare/IlBersagliere/Pagine/default.aspx I'm sure rattraveller could name a few American Civil War units that had similar hat badges/ornaments as well; the bucktails come to mind. I simply point out the Bersaglieri as a unit with a history spanning centuries with some very distinct changes in uniform during that time and a simple defining element that crosses the timeline in tact. Plus its a personal fav. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
