[GZG] re: Mercs and "Realism"

> From: "John Atkinson" <johnmatkinson@gmail.com>

> The final category of is that much-loved by by authors both

Probably the best examples can be found in Renaissance-era Italy.

Another example is small, elite forces, such as those providing personal and
facility security in lawless situations like contemporary Iraq (or New
Orleans, where Blackwater mercenaries served after Hurricane Katrina).

> These units would consist of the desperate and the sociopathic

1) Surely killing and avoiding being killed are rewards enough.
Most of those people would do it for free -- even pay for the chance.
That's good, because it allows the colonels to pay their troops very little,
increasing the profit margin of the unit.

2)  Some mercenary units only take assignments against non-humans.
Are they still psychopaths? Probably.

> Stop worrying about "realism", and put together whatever

Agreed!

> These units would consist of the desperate and the sociopathic

My understanding is that a lot of mercs--eg historically Scots, Irish,
Swiss, etc--enlist because there are more men than jobs and the farmland
available isn't worth working. This is particularly the case when a nation
takes a "peace dividend" and draws down the military. You get men who've been
soldiers for ten years, are used to being soldiers, have skills which don't
easily transfer to the civilian market, and just want to ply their trade.

> On 10/20/06, laserlight@verizon.net <laserlight@verizon.net> wrote:

Yeah, I'll grudgingly concede the term 'desperate' for them.

Although a large number of the Scots and Irish worked for the French in the
outside hope that they would end up fighting the English.