The Codex: Repliforce is NOT presently "authoritative". This is for two reasons:
1) We are awaiting the authoring (by Templar, probably) and approval of a "Purpose and Spirit of the Codex: Repliforce" note, which is meant to point out and forbid some abuses and misconceptions about the Codex - such as using it as a book to throw at someone. ESPECIALLY NOT ADMINS, WHO HAVE SUPERIOR AUTHORITY. Yeesh. ^_-
2) We are awaiting a new review and modification of the Codex, by Libra, Scorpio, General, and Colonel. Until then, the Codex has no authority whatsoever. I would reccomend holding mostly to it, though, since I don't anticipate a complete overhaul.
The following are the sections of the Codex: Repliforce that were selected as valid by Sunstar. Please see Point 2 of the above note. The full 'draft' Codex can still be viewed at http://www.oocities.org/templarperson/codexrepliforce.html, for reference.
1st Topic: On Training
QUESTION 1-1: What do 'training facility battles' represent?
Reploids are using a 'Star Trek'-style holodeck, with 'safeties'. Reploids being blown up, etc. are just well-crafted illusions.
QUESTION 1-2: Why bother with training?
One fundamental difference between reploids and 'traditional' robots is the role of the programmer. The sheer size of reploid AI is staggering, and extremely complex. Rather than having a programming team laboriously fine tune (with their relatively poor human capacities) every aspect of the reploid's code, the programmer simply creates a 'seed' or a framework. The self-modifying AI refines and expands itself through a method requiring some trial and error, based on what it finds effective - adapating to its environment. Although they learn much much more quickly than a human, reploids are forever enhancing themselves. This is why they can indeed be 'veteran'. Why not take Zero or X's programming and input it into all the reploids, making them unstoppable elite warriors? As reploids grow, their program deviates farther and farther from a standard. From the onset of their 'childhood', they select (based on their 'seed' program, their environment, etc.) various syntaxes and methods, effectively making their own language. Just like a fingerprint, this individual language varies tremendously from reploid to reploid. Although they are used to providing standardized output, etc., a reploid looking at the code of another would probably see meaningless gibberish. This is why you cannot reprogram reploids. It is also why they tend to rapidly outgrow any restrictions placed on them (like Asimov's Three Laws) - such restrictions tend to become more brainwashing than anything - and reploids are not always (in fact, rarely) in total, robotic control of their emotions. Training battles enable reploids to enhance their programming and become more profecient fighters through empirical experience, similarly to humans.
QUESTION 1-3: Do Repliforce computers create simulated Mavericks/Robot Masters/etc. for training purposes?
Yes. From their various encounters, Repliforcers have compiled a database of the rough capabilities of various enemies, and routinely use them (along with semi-randomly compiled 'insta-'ploids') in their simulations. For instance, a particularly ambitious 'hero'-type 'ploid may take on a simulation of Bass or Sigma.
2nd Topic: On Organization, Etiquette, and Other Standards
QUESTION 2-1: Is there a Repliforce Uniform?
No. A uniform is seen as wasteful and unnecessary. Reploids often (very often) bear Repliforce insignias, but other than that, they fight in their 'custom' equipment. (Like Robot Masters or Mavericks)
QUESTION 2-2: What are the ranks?
A listing of current PC officers can be seen at: the Repliforce Officer Roster.
In ascending order:
******* RANK 0 *******
Private
Corporal
******* RANK 1 *******
Sergeant
Sergeant Major
******* RANK 2 *******
Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
******* RANK 3 *******
Captain
Commander
******* RANK 4 *******
Major
******* RANK 5 *******
Advisory Panel Member
QUESTION 2-3: What do the ranks/rank numbers mean?
0:
Private: The bulk of the army.
Corporal: Elite soldier, often assigned a portion of a squad on a temporary basis (if a squad is splitting up in combat, for instance) or otherwise used as an adjutant to the Sergeant.
1:
Notate Bene: Officers above Sergeant('basic' grade) have, in addition to their command responsibility, a single squad which functions as their bodyguard. They function as the Sergeant of that squad. In general, the higher the rank, the higher the ability or 'performance index' assigned to them - hence, a Major's squad is extremely elite. Sometimes, officers will show up alone, or more likely, with their bodyguard but without their full command responsibility. This allows a high-ranking, capable officer to arrive and assist with a situation without dragging in a large detachment. Repliforce is flexibile in many regards.
Sergeant: Commander of a squad of 10 soldiers. The squad is the most basic unit of organization in Repliforce.
Sergeant Major: Commander of a detachment of 4 squads. This is a rather heavy-hitting force; enough to deal with most raids.
2:
Second Lieutenant: Commander of a detachment of 10 squads.
First Lieutenant: Commander of a detachment of 20 squads. A First Lieutenant and his or her command is often enough to operate a powerful defensive fortification.
3:
Captain: Commander of a detachment of 50 squads. This size force is almost never seen in action in 'modern' times - the Battle of the Congo is the only recent incident.
Commander: Commander of a detachment of 100 squads.
4:
Major: Commander of a detachment of 500 squads. Although tiny compared to a high-ranking officer's command in a 'campaign army', many believe that this is excessive for Repliforce's present role. A South African campaign would be the only likely exercise of such force.
5:
Advisory Panel Member: Sits on the advisory panel. Coordinates broad strategy.
Off the scale (Marked at Rank 5):
Colonel: Executive Officer of Repliforce. Helps carry out General's broader orders. Futilely attempts to maintain Iris' chastity.
General: Commanding Officer of Repliforce. He runs the whole merry band. He also models a wide variety of hats and risque evening wear.
QUESTION 2-4: What are the 'rank' procedures?
i) Higher ranking officers are saluted according US military manner (that is, as to 'proper times' for saluting), and referred to as 'sir' or 'ma'am' as appropriate. Soldiers are expected to remain at attention until an 'at ease' signal is given (e.g., salute is returned). The salute itself is Roman-style, or Nazi-style if you like. That is:
a) Make a fist.
b) Bring fist to chest, knuckles facing outward.
c) Open hand and extend arm just about straight out, elbow unbent. The arm should be slightly elevated.
d) Shout, "AVE, CAESAR!" ... or actually, don't.
ii) Officers of the same or lower rank may or may not be saluted. They are referred to by their name or rank or both.
iii) Rank distinctions are not made between Cadets, Privates, Specialists, and Corporals - although Corporals are often given command authority over the others in combat situations, they are not saluted, nor in any other way considered 'higher ranking' as outlined in point i.
QUESTION 2-5: How rigidly are procedures such as saluting enforced?
Etiquette is highly specific and almost always enforced. Failure to salute a high-ranking officer, for instance, may lead to a relatively harsh punishment (given the seemingly trivial nature of the offense) or sharp chastisement. As an elite military force, Repliforce troops are expected to behave with impeccable discipline. Pragmatic considerations do exist, of course - 'hotshots' often get away with a few infractions, although it may be damaging to their career. In addition, some officers simply don't care about the regulations, and let soldiers get away with a very casual tone.
QUESTION 2-6: What are division XOs/COs/Advisors?
XOs: Hugs and kisses. I mean Executive Officers. They serve as a go-between for the troops commanded by a CO and the CO him/herself.
COs: Cosine. Er. Commanding Officers. They head a division.
Adivsors: Members of the Advisory Board who loosely control each division. Although they have authority over COs, it is general policy for them to avoid directly controlling the division. They merely report to the Board and coordinate the Division's broader actions.
As for the positions themselves, they are NOT separate ranks but simply 'addons'. Anyone of Second Lieutenant rank or higher may be made an XO (they are appointed by the CO), and anyone of Major grade may be made a CO. An XO may command another officer in the same division, even though that officer may be higher ranked, because the XO is presumed to be acting in the name of the CO, who will always be at least as high ranking as any other officer in the division. COs have command authority over anyone in their division.
COs and XOs retain their original rank, and command the alotted segment - a First Lieutenant XO is still responsible for his or her 20 squads (plus bodyguard).
Question 2-7: How big are the divisions?
NOTE: Not quite sure on these.
Marines: 4.4 Million
Aerial: 2.75 Million
SecDef: 2.2 Million
MSE's 'battlefield personnel': 1.65 Million
Third Topic: On Repliforce in General
QUESTION 3-1: How big /IS/ Repliforce?
11 million combat troops; 8.5 million support troops.
QUESTION 3-2: What do the divisions of Repliforce stand for?
i) Marines: The infantry; all-inclusive. Some are garrisoned in cities, others are held in reserve for additional 'reinforcing' deployment.
ii) SecDef: Security Defense. These are the troops who fortify the numerous Repliforce outposts - somewhat different from garrisoned Marines. They also handle internal security, and often have 'military police' training.
iii) Aerial: It would be slightly inaccurate to say that this includes all troops capable of flight; after all, many divisions contain such Reploids. The distinction is that Aerials are selected as having particular aptitude for aerial combat.
iv) SpecOps: This broad but elite division includes hackers, communications experts, force reconaissance, infiltration, demolitions, etc. Granted, the latter three can be found in other divisions, like the Marines. The situation is similar to that of the Aerials: Special Operations personnel are completely focused on their area of expertise.
v) MSE: Medical, Science, and Engineering. This division consists of medics, scientists, and technicians who keep Reploids and vehicles operational. There is also an experimental science section - with all the exotic designs coming into Repliforce, it only makes sense to exploit the opportunity and compile these techs, perhaps 'springboarding' from them. Many designers send their creations to Repliforce in the hopes of their tech being 'picked up'. By the same token, many aspiring scientists, etc. join this division to work at the cutting edge.
vi) Command: The leadership of the Repliforce. This squad not only includes General and Colonel , but also the advisory board and the heads (Commanding Officers) of each division: Marines, Aerial, SpecOps, SecDef, MSE.
QUESTION 3-3: It's all about the Zenjamins, baby. How much do Repliforcers get paid?
Repliforce consists of volunteers yes, as does almost every armed force in the world. However, they also get paid. Their wages are much higher than that of your average labourer due to the danger they are continuously in. To summarize, they are paid moderately - not enough to retire, probably, but not quite the bare minimum either.
QUESTION 3-4: What is Repliforce's status internationally?
Repliforce has "military police" jurisdiction throughout the globe. They have "Justice of the Peace" status; enabling them to deal with not only military but also criminal matters. This makes sense because, as neither the Robot Masters nor the Mavericks are recognized as legitimate governments, there is no "war" with them - rather, they are simply a criminal conspiracy in legal terms.
QUESTION 3-5: How does Repliforce stand with the UN Army?
Both the UN Army and Repliforce exist. However, Repliforce is FAR larger. The UN Army is mostly a token force, handling more police work than actual military confrontation.
Fourth Topic: On Crime and Punishment
QUESTION 4-1: How are infractions dealt with?
There are several methods of punishment employed by Repliforce:
1)
Superior officers have direct, on-the-spot jurisdiction over any 'misdemeanor' level offense. Officers have the right to assign 'custom' punishments for any offense, even one not specifically required(by the 'written' law): 'I don't like your tone; a week in a holding cell'. The only restriction is that officers /are/ answerable for their treatment of troops - if they are found to be overly brutal, they may be punished and/or removed from their command.
2)
More severe crimes are handled thusly. A superior officer may make the 'arrest'. They retain habeus corpus-esque rights, and are (at least supposedly) guaranteed an expedient trial without undue delay in enactment or completion. Trials are dealt with in something of a 'vice-admiralty court' situation, where a suffeciently ranked officer (Major or above) selected by random methods (again, at least supposedly) hears arguements and reviews evidence, then sentences based upon a fairly rigid (equivalent to US courts) scale. The right to appeal exists, and in that case, a panel of officers may be called upon to make a jury-esque decision.
QUESTION 4-2: How is desertion/unordered flight dealt with?
Those who flee a battlefield, or desert from a 'marching' army, or similarly leave against orders, are punished fairly harshly. Any upgrades or other military technology on their person are removed, they are publicly humiliated, and dishonorably discharged from Repliforce. (OOC Note: PCs will very likely not desert. As any other faction-shift, it would require administrator approval.)
5th Topic: On "Newbie" Matters
QUESTION 5-1: Are there any humans in Repliforce?
No. Most reploids are far superior to humans in just about every military sense, and the additional squeamishness/problems/weaknesses/needs of humans have led Repliforce to actively ban their entry.
QUESTION 5-2: What are the requirements for joining Repliforce?
Entrants must pass two main rigorous examinations (both performance-related and technical), one before boot camp, and one after boot camp. The first is mostly a scanning over to determine if the Reploid has the proper physical capacities - motor systems, processor speed, power core, sturdiness, etc. The second test, after boot camp, tests for aptitude in the skills acquired during boot camp - marksmanship, handweapon profeciency, athletics, maneuvers (formations), etc. Boot camp is the "break their spirit"/"whip them into shape" phase where basic skills and procedures are drilled into the troops. It lasts for three months.
Once boot camp is completed, Reploids in need of them are given system upgrades suffecient to bring any traits not of military grade up to snuff. The exception would be noncombatant personnel.
QUESTION 5-3: How does the "sorting" process work?
A committee intended for that purpose examines new recruits much as a college entrance board, and assigns them to a division. Once that's done, it's a fairly automatic process of assigning them to a particular squad, although some consideration of balancing/pros-and-cons are considered. More often, it's simply which squad is below-numbers, due to fatalities, resignations, etc.
QUESTION 5-4: Where do Repliforcers come from?
There are two methods of entry:
1)
They volunteer and make it through boot camp.
2)
They are created by Repliforce/the United Nations. To expound: The United Nations manufactures Reploids to swell its ranks. These are mostly humanoid models. They are not, of course, identical in appearance or personality - for the same reason that the UN bothers to put synthflesh on them. It'd be, well, 'creepy' otherwise. And we can't have our legions of fascist death-machines looking non-photogenic, can we? These Reploids are free, of course, as per the law, but the UN employs the same 'methods of persuasion' as mega-corporations like Aegis Defensive Technologies: something along the lines of "Join Repliforce or you might have an accident in that big dangerous outside world *wink wink*" or "Gee, we're the only ones who manufacture that one vital, quickly wearing-out part you need. But you're free to leave. We just couldn't sell such a part to a private citizen - consider security." There's also the 'conditioning' and 'preprogramming' route - no, the UN isn't above 'bending' it's own rules. Now that I'm done sarcastically villifying Repliforce ... keep in mind that a significant portion of Repliforce is produced by the UN.
6th Topic: On Munitions
QUESTION 6-1: Does "Standard Issue" gear exist?
Yes. A small range of sturdy, cheap, dependable items are assigned to Repliforcers based upon their division, function, profeciencies, etc. Refer to Question 3-3 for financial issues; perhaps the upkeep of the items is another one of those 'percentage-of-salary' charges. Some of these items are produced by the UN or Repliforce, but others are made by corporations like EIT or ADT. A shot in the dark at specifics:
i) Weapons:
a) Rifles
Ranging from rank 2 to rank 4, ranged energy(plasma)/fire( 'heat' plasma)/blade(armour piercing)/blunt('real guns')/explosive('real guns' with explosive ammo)/sonic/etc. Some have Area(especially rapid fire, designed to sweep targets, or 'shotgun' dispersal). Semiautomatic/fully automatic models available. Many have vibrobayonets - rank 2-3 melee blade/blade+fire(ones like Templar's Xiphos, with thermal capacitors on the blade)
b) Pistols
Ranging from rank 2-3, ranged energy(plasma)/fire('heat' plasma)/blade(armour piercing)/blunt('real guns')/sonic/etc. Both semiautomatic and fully automatic models are available, but the 'Area' addition represents a faster rate of fire than even the best standard pistols can really provide.
c) Non-explosive Launchers
Ranging from rank 2-4, ranged blade(flechettes or gauss ballistae)/fire(flamethrowers)/etc. Area represents broad dispersal. Stun represents (usually) a net or some such thing.
d) Explosives (^.^)
Mostly Fire and Explosive types, although the rare flash grenade, etc. can be found in some older models. Hand-grenade-sized things range from rank 2-4, and may have Area. Some have Stun capacity. Smoke grenades are not just a visible-light screen, but rather a complete sensor disruption mist (so as to be effective against Reploids), and are usually rank 0 ranged misc stun (and often have area).
e) Explosive Launchers (Rowrr)
These are generally 'rocket launcher' shoulder weapons. Almost always at least rank 4, can go up to rank 6, ranged explosive. (occasionally area)
f) Melee weapons
Vibroknives (with or without thermal systems, which generally add 1 rank) - rank 2; riot-club-type-things (some with electric shock capacity) - rank 2, electric shock adds 1; a few 'lightsaber' style weapons (energy/blade) - rank 3-4. Note that these ranks are for the usual usage of the blade; a single swing or whatnot, and funkycool swordplay, etc. (Sabre Frenzy, Triple Strike, Inverted Quarter Spin Overhead Underhand Flipping Mega Hyper Ultra Death Obliviating Anihilator Poke, etc.) may be higher or lower.
ii) Armour
NOTATE BENE: Ranks are, during chargen, only done in the 'tens' slot - the ones digit is randomly chosen. Thus, total up the number, and truncate it to the nearest ten before considering the impact it would have upon the character's 'chargen stat'.
a) ./~ Seeeeeeee my, VESTS! See my VESTS! ./~
+(5-10) Endurance. Generally light composites, used to augment internal armour for reploids who lack it in suffecient quantity.
b) 'Heavier' Armour
+(10-15) Endurance. Suits with arm and leg additions. Tend to be heavier, thicker material than that used in vests. May have helmets. Some helmets have enhanced viewscreens/targeting. (add Dexterity, Enhanced Senses ability, etc.) May be pink. (add Pissed_Off_MSE skill)
c) Shields
+(5-10) Endurance. Sheets of heavy but durable alloys/composites used to ward off blows and provide 'carryable armour'.
iii) Other Equipment
a) ./~ I am the voice inside your head, and the eyes in your RADIO ./~
Although most Reploids have basic built in transmission capacity, Repliforce provides several better systems. New recruits often have their hardware modified to transmit/recieve stronger signals over greater distances, and given encryption hardware/software. Separate units that are carried/worn are rare but not unheard of...communications experts in particular often need backpack-sized systems to handle all their field needs.
NOTATE BENE: Due to OOC reasons, PC usage of armory items should be noted in their app. The assumption is that a PC is suffeciently elite to have already specialized in their favorite equipment.
QUESTION 6-2: ./~ All I really want is tanks, doo doo doo doo doo doo ... ./~
Repliforce possesses a large number of tanks/ride armours/aircraft, and has entire "Panzer" units of such craft, driven by Reploids. Ride Armours are rarer, since they require a lot of specialized programming/hardware to operate - the reason the ability is so rare is not because you need to teach them controls (any Reploid could do that in minutes) but rather because they require a certain 'knack', or level of processing effeciency.
7th Topic: On Other Factions
QUESTION 7-1: What is Repliforce's relation to the Maverick Hunters?
They are 'allied', and both factions try to stay on good terms due to a common cause. There is however no formal setup aside from a piece of semi-vague legislature granting the Hunters permission to operate as a 'militia' force.
QUESTION 7-2: When are Mavericks/Masters/telemarketers etc. (Henceforth 'hostiles') engaged?
Hostiles are to be arrested and detained. If they resist arrest, force may be used - a clause that results in the majority of Repliforce/hostile encounters. This being said, if a hostile is not posing a direct threat to property/Repliforce/civilians, and attempting to detain them would likely lead to it, they are usually left alone (although shadowed).