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Introduction

Hello, my name is Greg Foster, over my time in Obsidian Fleet, I have played a number of different Marine characters across a number of different simms and I can safely say that they are the most fun characters for me personally to play. Before you think “oh gosh a Jarhead nut” I would like to point out that I also Command a vessel of my own and am the R&D Department Director, as well as having two other Starfleet characters on simms in Obsidian Fleet.

So why play a Marine?

I’m sure that all of you have heard the negative stereotypes about the Starfleet Marine Corps and the players that choose to simm with Marine Characters, the stupid Jarhead stereotype, all Brawn and no Brains and the simmers who play Marines are nothing more than imbecilic simpleton’s incapable of playing real characters.

Nothing could be further from the truth, while a minority of Marines play the Gung-ho gun nut Marine, most have well developed and well written characters. Indeed I personally believe that because of the almost non-existent cannon information on the Marine Corps after the foundation of the Federation it is probably one of the most difficult departments to choose, because to play a Marine well, you need a real imagination and a lot of common sense.

What are the Positions?

While this is already explained on the Obsidian Fleet Database, I feel that for those of you who are a little bit too lazy to go and have a look I should go over them here.

Marine CO

The Marine CO is responsible for all the Marine personnel assigned to the ship/facility. The CO can range from a Second Lieutenant on a small ship to a Lieutenant Colonel or in extremely rare cases, higher on a large facility or colony. Charged with the training, condition and tactical leadership of the Marine compliment, they are a member of the senior staff.

The Fleet’s closest equivalent position would be a Departmental Head, such as the Chief Medical Officer, or Chief Engineering Officer

Marine XO

The Executive Officer of the Marines, works like any Asst. Department head, removing some of the work load from the Marine CO and if the need arises taking on the role of Marine CO. S/he oversees the regular duties of the Marines, from regular drills to equipment training, assignment and supply request to the ship/facilities Materials Officer. The Marine XO is always ranked lower than the Marine CO, so for example, if the Marine CO is a Captain, then the Marine XO will be ranked as a First Lieutenant. In this case the Marine XO will also likely command a Platoon of troops.

Marine First Sergeant / Sergeant Major

The First Sergeant is the highest ranked Enlisted Marine. S/He is in charge of all of the marine enlisted affairs in the detachment. They assist the Company or Detachment Commander as their Executive Officer would. In larger Marine Detachments, the First Sergeant is often a Sergeant Major, this only occurs when two or more companies of Marines are deployed on one facility or station.

They act as a bridge, closing the gap between the NCO's and the Officers. The closest Fleet position to this is the Chief of the Boat.

Marine Fighter Pilot Element Leader

The senior flight officer of the Marines on any ship. S/he is in charge of all things related to the Marine Fighter Wing, such as been responsibility for all the personnel assigned to the department on the ship/facility and assuring that maintenance work is carried on the craft by Engineering. They are also capable of serving as reserve Flight Control Officers if need be.

The Marine Element Leader answers to the Marine Commanding Officer and is not a member of the senior staff.

Marine Fighter Pilot

Specialized Marine pilot, trained in all areas and aspects of fighter combat. While the Marine pilot is still a marine, their combat skills are more geared towards the use of the space craft rather then ground weapons. However due to the Marine Corps “everyone a rifleman” policy, should they be downed or required to they can fight as standard riflemen. They are also familiar with standard shuttles and runabouts.

Answers to the Marine Fighter Pilot Element Leader.

Marine Company Commander

The Company Commander is responsible for all the Marine personnel assigned to his/her company. S/he is required to take command of any special ground operations. They supervise the training of the men under their command and are often very respected by their soldiers. The Marine Company Commander is often only found on starbases, colonies and Starships with a large Marine Complement (more than 300) for practical reasons. As such, this position is a rather rare one. The Company commander reports directly to the Marine Commanding Officer.

Marine Platoon Commander

The Platoon Commander is responsible for all the Marine personnel assigned to his/her platoon. S/he is in required to take command of any special ground operations. Working closely with a Company Commander or Marine CO, depending on the size of the Marine detachment, they supervise the training of the men under their command and are often very respected by their soldiers. The most experience or highest ranking Platoon Commander is also the Executive Officer for a Company. Assisting the Company Commander in any way necessary or needed, the a First Sergeant can also fill in for a Platoon Commander should s/he be killed or wounded. A Marine Platoon Commander will, depending on his seniority (in Companies with a full three Platoons of fifty men) hold the rank of either First or Second Lieutenant, the senior commander will hold the rank of First Lieutenant the junior, Second Lieutenant Answers to the Marine Company Commander

Marine Combat Engineer Officer

The Marine Engineer repairs Marine specific equipment as well as constructing fortifications and often he is also used as an auxiliary Engineer on Starships. The Combat Engineering Officer commands a Platoon or larger unit of Combat Engineers, whose task it is to mastermind large demolitions, construct defences, lay mines, repair equipment, lay bridges and establish Field Command Centres as well as Marine Bases on the ground. Usually only large Marine detachments, Battalions or larger contain more than a handful of these specialised troops, because they are classed as Support Troops and assigned at the Battalion level. The Marine Combat Engineer Officer reports to the Marine CO.

Marine Combat Engineer

The Marine Engineer repairs Marine specific equipment as well as constructing fortifications and often he is also used as an auxiliary Engineer on Starships. The Combat Engineer is tasked with carry out large demolitions, construct defences, lay mines, repair equipment, lay bridges and establish Field Command Centres as well as Marine Bases on the ground. Usually only large Marine detachments, Battalions or larger contain more than a handful of these specialised troops, because they are classed as Support Troops and assigned at the Battalion level. The Marine Combat Engineer reports directly to the Marine Combat Engineer Officer

Marine Medical Officer

Marine Medics serve on the frontlines and behind the frontlines providing Medical Care to Marines. Medics serve in a wide variety of capacities and locations, including shore establishments such as hospitals and clinics, aboard ships as the primary medical caregiver for Marines while underway, or with Marine Corps units as battlefield medics. A Marine Combat Medic Officer is a position found only with Battalion sized units because these are the only units large enough to require significant Medical support. They are either Medic Commanders, directly, commanding Field Medics, run Medical based operations on a Marine Base. There are also Nursing Officers and Surgical Officers. The Marine Combat Medic Officer reports directly to the Marine CO.

Marine Combat Medic

Marine Medics serve on the frontlines and behind the frontlines providing Medical Care to Marines. Medics serve in a wide variety of capacities and locations, including shore establishments such as hospitals and clinics, aboard ships as the primary medical caregiver for Marines while underway, or with Marine Corps units as battlefield medics. A Combat Medic will often be attached to troops on the Squad Level and double as a rifleman, they are found universally with Marine detachments, with their purpose being to stabilise patients so that they can be transported for further treatment. Combat Medics Report to the Combat Medical Officer

Marine Intelligence Analysis Officer

This position is uniquely found with units of Battalion size or larger. The Intelligence Analysis Officers job is to collate all intelligence collected by Starfleet ships, Starfleet Intelligence and Marine Units on the ground and advise the Marine CO and XO accordingly, in order to better assist them in their mission planning. Intelligence Analysis Officers report directly to the Marine CO

Marine Squad Commander

The Marine Squad commander is often a Sergeant, or if the senior Squad Leader in a Platoon they may hold a Warrant Officer Rank, just as Gunnery Sergeant or Staff Sergeant. Their job is to command a squad of 11 other Marines and to take individual decisions on how to proceed with orders in the best fashion.

Marine Specialist

Marine Specialists are the hands on expertise of the Marine Corps. They provide valuable skills on the Squad, Platoon or Company level, as well as functioning as a normal rifleman. To this extent all Marine specialists carry a Phaser Carbine as their standard arm. Specialisms can include:

• Communications • Encryption • Snipers • Heavy Weapons Operators

To name but a few, they are directly responsible to their unit commander, be that their Squad Leader, Platoon CO, Company CO or Battalion CO.

Marine Rifleman

Marine Riflemen are the backbone of the Corps. They perform a valuable function of being the bulk of Marines; they have no specialisation and are not required to think on their feet, just to follow orders. They are often colloquially referred to as Grunts. Marine Riflemen are directly responsible to their Squad Leader.

How to name Marine Units

The Marine Unit you are a part of is one of the most important part of your character, mainly because it defines your role and what special skill your men have.

Types of Marine

Light Infantry – These units form the bulk of the Marine Corps, they travel light and perform standard combat operations, they often have small mobile elements and little in the way of heavy fire support.

Heavy Infantry – These units consist of Marines who carry much more specialised rapid fire, heavy weapons and fire support units, such as Mortars, Close Support Aircraft and Artillery.

Armoured Infantry – These units are entirely mounted in Armoured Personnel Carriers, they are used to cover large areas of ground quickly transporting men and materiel with them. Because of the size and logistics needed for these units they are rare.

Air Assault Infantry – These infantry are specifically designed to attack targets from the air. They are trained in tactics such as HALO (High Altitude, Low Opening) and LAO (Low Altitude and Opening) parachute jumps from Shuttles, insertion via drop pods, and rapid deployment from hoppers into hostile areas.

Force Recon – These are the elite forces of the Marine Corps; there are only four battalions of these troops in the entire corps. They are trained in Special Infiltration tactics, as well as the use of a wider range of ranged and close combat weapon and techniques. They work in groups no larger than a squad and are never assigned in units larger than this. This means that regardless of the size of your Marine detachment, you can only have 12 of these men.

Medical – These units are, assigned to individual regiments however on this occasion they are administrative formations only.

Engineering - These units are again, assigned to individual regiments they administrative formations only.

Support – Once again, assigned to individual Aerospace Squadrons however they are administrative formations only.

Aerospace – These units are the administrative formations of the Air Corps. They are found individually on any ships or bases which contain an entire Marine Air Squadron; otherwise these units are for administrative purposes only.

Marine Regiments have 2 – 4 Battalions attached to them, numbered sequentially.

For Example, First Battalion, Second Battalion etc.

In turn each of these Battalions has 4 Companies attached to it, which are Lettered, A-D for First Battalion, E-H for Second Battalion, I-L for Third Battalion and M-P for Fourth Battalion.

For Example Alpha Company, 1st Battalion or Foxtrot Company, 2nd Battalion.

Platoons are also lettered,

For example The Platoons of Alpha Company 1st Battalion would be Alpha Alpha, Alpha Bravo and Alpha Charlie. Whilst the Platoons of Foxtrot Company would be Foxtrot Alpha, Foxtrot Bravo and Foxtrot Charlie

For those of you with really small Marine Detachments then you add the numbers 1 – 3 to this for each squad, in the same way as with Platoons, non-sequentially.

For Example a typical Marine Detachment may be, Echo Charlie Platoon, Echo Company, 2nd Battalion 9th Marine Light Infantry Regiment.

In addition you also need to add your brigade. This is then determined by your ship’s Task Force, for Marine CO’s in IFO, this is 1st Brigade, for Task Force 21, this is 21st Brigade, Task Force 47, 47th Brigade and finally Task Force 72, 72nd Brigade.

Hopefully you should now know all you need to know about creating Marine Characters.

How to Write as a Marine

The Marine Corps is not all about killing people. Marine characters only do what they show in Hollywood, during times of war. Most of the time, Marines will be training, running simulations and assisting with the ship’s mission.

When simming, please try to remember that your Marine will not spend all of his time in the Firing Range. He will have to do fitness training, close combat practice, clean his weapons, participate in simulations of situations, assist security, attend briefings. He will also get free time, just like everyone else, so have your Marine doing things utterly unrelated to his job.

Furthermore it is a good idea to give your Marine a second skill, for example, if he is a Medic, he can assist in Sickbay, if he is an Engineer he can assist in Engineering. Marine CO’s and XO’s will have to discipline their Marines. Vary your posts a lot!

This will help you avoid the “I am a gung ho Marine who kills anything that moves and shoots lot’s of guns simultaneously, polishes his boots and shaves his head all of the time stereotype.” It’s really not that interesting to read and really boring to write, so just don’t do it.

Good Luck and Enjoy the Marine Corps for you Marines and for the rest of you, I hope this page was informative.

Semper Fi

By Greg Foster Aka

Marine Captain Jarkel Dashar Marine CO, Combat Informations Officer, Joint Second Officer USS Chimera

Marine Captain Srth Kala Marine CO USS Sentinel