FactionList

Through the course of my research, I've come across some real-life factions that might be appropriate for our game. Please add your own ideas below!

The Drug Cartel

The Columbian government's attempt to assassinate Pablo Escobar by hiring mercs is one of the most fascinating mercenary stories ever told.

Pirates

From the NYTimes: "They travel on speedboats, not galleons. And they steal jet fuel and aluminum, not doubloons. Modern piracy ranges from desperate fishermen pulling off petty larcenies at sea to highly organized syndicates slaughtering crews to steal multimillion-dollar vessels. Most piracy is of the mugging-at-sea variety. The pirates just zip up in a speedboat, point a rocket launcher at the hull and demand money."

Entrepreneurs

Fascinatingly enough, whenever mercenaries get hired to topple a third-world government, they've usually been hired by a private businessman trying to protect or create his future interests. See: Godfrey Osei's CIA-and-Argentine-backed attempt to overthrow Ghana dictator Jerry Rawlings in the late eighties, or Mike Hoare's legendary failed attempt to overthrow the government in Seychelles, which ended in him escaping by hijacking an India Air passenger jetliner.

The Diamond Cartel

This is probably more approrpriate of the game is set in Africa. But back in the day, the DeBeers diamond cartel (the number one reason why my special ladyfriends will never, ever wear South African diamonds) hired Executive Outcomes to guard its mines, offering EO a stake in the diamond profits. So what did EO do? They immediately went off and hunted down the rebel factions, "acquiring" rebel-held mines for the gentle and saintly DeBeers concern.

The UN

Yeah, we' already know these guys. But something interesting I found while reading Mike Hoare's "The Road to Kalamata" (about mercs working at the behest of the Belgian government in the Congo during the 60's) was that the UN Security Council passed a resolution BANNING all mercenary operations from the area. Because the resolution was so vaguely worded, many UN personnel (whom Hoare depicts as assholes) took it upon themselves to wage all-out war with mercenaries. Hoare eventually found himself in a classic standoff with UN personnel, and was given a choice: Surrender, be taken prisoner, and live. Fight and die. The UN in Hoare's book is a much more menacing and belligerent faction in Hoare's book than it is in Mercs 1.0. Something to think about.

The Official Police

South American police forces are MEAN. Rio PD killed 358 people in 1996, more than were killed by all police departments in the United States COMBINED. Sixty-one percent of victims had bullets in their heads. Add to the human rights violations a healthy dose of corruption, and you've got yourself a faction to be reckoned with.

The Unofficial Police

Did you think that only the government was allowed to maintain a police force? You are so naive. It turns out that all you really need to be a police officer in this day and age is a big gun. In Angola, these fellas are known as the Rapid Intervention Police (RIP). Their nickname is "The Ninjas". They're armed with helicopter gunships, mortars, and APCS, and they're dedicated to committing human rights abuses full time.

The Insurance Company

If an oil CEO is kidnapped and held for ransom, or insurgents blow up a pipeline, or a tanker spills a million barrels of crude, someone has to pay for it. That would be your friendly neighborhood insurance company. Becaues of the cost of settling increasingly large claims, insurance companies have become just a bit more, uh, PROACTIVE, over the years. They'll often hire PMCs to protect oil pipelines, or K&R (Kidnapping and Ransom) specialists to negotiate with kidnappers.

Guerillas

You know 'em, you love 'em. Dedicated to destroying capitalist imperialism the globe over. Che Guevara shirt and warm showers not included.

The DEA

These guys LOVE mercenaries because they establish "plausible deniability." After all, it's technically illegal for our government to invade other countries, blow up cocaine labs, burn coca fiels, and coordinate aerial eradication programs. Much easier and more convenient to hire a PMC to do it for you, and then say that they weren't acting under your orders.

The CIA

The CIA loves anyone they can use the further their agenda, and mercenaries are easily used.

(Actually, I feel the CIA should love mercenaries, and not the DEA. The DEA should be a faction that is trying to do the best they can while undermanned and underfunded. They may turn to questionable activies for the to support their goals from time to time, however. -chad)

Other Merc Companies

Other merc companies operating in the area can provide gameplay and story opportunities for us:

• The player could be on a contract where he must protect/destroy something and another company is trying to do the opposite/same. First to do it wins the money!
• Other companies allow the player to discover where his own company lies on a moral compass. For example, we might have one company that kills indescriminitely and one that strives for a zero body count. The player can then discover on his own how he's doing.

---

Please add your own ideas!