Time Out! is designed as a way for players to step away from the game for a minute and think about strategy and teamwork. Like a coach advising his team from the sidelines, I hope that the people reading this will gain a mental edge as they head back into the game. In each installment I will dispense my sage advise by comparing an in-game situation to a real world situation. Sports analogies will be used often but not exclusively.
The purpose of this column is to provide a little guidance to those looking to outfit and equip a monster hunting team in a horror or modern sci-fi setting. The problem with this type of game is you never know exactly what you’ll run into. The fun part is trying to make sure your group is ready for everything. In order to shine some light on the problem we are going to look at the gear carried by people in other dangerous professions. There is a direct and easy utilize correlation between supernatural slayer and other combat oriented jobs like soldier or policeman.
If you had the capacity to carry an unlimited amount of gear then there would be no problem. You could pack one of everything and be done with it. However, in a modern setting you not only have the problem of limited carrying space but there are other considerations. Resources and availability can’t be ignored. A .50 caliber heavy machinegun is a powerful weapon but this thing is not only hard to procure, it is very loud and very illegal. Attracting attention from the authorities and the media is something that the PCs will want to avoid (unless you WANT the game to turn into a rip-off of Grand Theft Auto.) On top of everything else this type of weapon is bulky, heavy and requires a lot of ammo.
So you don’t know for sure what you need, you can’t carry everything and you can’t carry certain things in certain places. So what do you pack? The first thing we need to remember is that no two jobs are alike and you need to customize your gear for the situation at hand. It’s dangerous to over-specialize but if you know that there are going to be vampires then remember to bring sharpened stakes. If you don’t know what to expect then you’ll need a good multi-purpose weapon. Very few creatures are completely immune to fire, so an incendiary device, like a moltov cocktail, will work on just about everything. It’s also cheap, easy to make and easy to use. However, firebombs are messy and unstable, making them as dangerous to the person who made them as anybody else.
In order to make your gear more adaptable, you have to break down what you might need and figure out how to carry it. When you decide how much and what kinds of gear you need there are several things to consider. First, you don’t have to carry everything you own on your back. A good stash spot will be full of silver bullets, wooden stakes or whatever, as well as the equipment needed to make more. In this genre characters will often have to make or modify their own gear. Having a wide variety of weapons at your disposal gives a monster hunter an edge. Whatever the target’s weakness is, odds are you’ve got one back at home base. I’ve seen an often-used plot device where the PCs don’t know what they’re up against so they get their butts handed to them by a small group of vampires or whatnot. The characters escape only to return better prepared and ready to kick undead tail.
The Car Trunk
Besides a stash spot, a car trunk is the best place to toss the stuff you don’t want to carry. The trunk capacity will vary greatly from vehicle to vehicle and you should be careful not to overload it. The police will sometimes pull you over and search your vehicle if the rear end sags. Speaking of the police, the trunk of a police cruiser is stuffed full of useful gear. Open a cop’s trunk and you can find stuff ranging from an assault rifle and ammo to riot gear and a host of melee weapons and less-lethal weapons. You’ll also find tools, trauma kits, door breakers as well as odd and end items like highway flares. Some police officers carry drop guns and small bags of drugs to plant on suspects. This tactic is used to thwart investigations into bad shootings or questionable arrests.
Drug dealers and other criminals also know how to get good use out of a car trunk. Hidden compartments can easily be built into the trunk to conceal an illegal weapon or two. A smuggler’s box big enough to hold a few bricks of drugs will also hold a few bricks of C4. When it comes to body armor the PCs would do well to keep the really heavy, bulky sets in the trunk and only pull them out when needed, like a bank robber might. A car trunk is also a great place to transport a body, as long as certain precautions are met. Keep a box of industrial size trash bags and some waterproof tape handy just in case.
Many policemen carry evidence bags and basic investigative gear to collect evidence at crime scenes when the forensic specialists aren’t available. Supernatural investigators might make use of a similar set up in their vehicle. The modern slayer may also need to carry bleach and other chemicals that can be used to clean up evidence at a crime scene. A dead vampire or zombie often looks suspiciously like any other dead body and an even an evil cult member can’t be murdered with impunity. A team of monster hunters should plan ahead in order to prevent an appointment with a judge and jury.
Street Gear
If a group of PCs were investigating supernatural activity in a given neighborhood, they could chose to patrol the area in an armored SUV packed with explosives and heavy weapons. They could chose to dress in full tactical gear and trench coats while strapping themselves down with every weapon known to mankind. However, this is a recipe for disaster. Smart characters would roll around in a rental car that matched the cars in the neighborhood, such as a newer car in a high rent area. They’d chose their clothing the same way. They’d wear kevlar under their shirts and carry pistols, knives, etc. A hand grenade is also easily concealed if you insist on packing military grade weapons. With the trunk of the rental loaded up in the manner we’ve already discussed then the characters should be ready for anything.
Communication is a key element when you are doing undercover observation. Cell phones work to a certain point but walkie-talkies are a better choice. Some people like to go upscale and get scrambled transmitters that come with a cool earpiece.
As a player, you need to be creative when it comes to your street gear. For example, a cane topped by a silver ball has an anti-werewolf weapon at one end and an anti-vampire weapon at the other. This weapon is also totally inconspicuous. A fist covered in thick, silver rings also works to some extent. Another idea is to take an empty pint of liquor as fill it with holy water. As a thrown weapon it does damage from the glass breaking over the target’s head coupled with the effect of the holy water.
Lock and Load
There are times when the PCs locate a whole nest of supernatural baddies or they have to go out and unhaunt a house. With a specific target comes the opportunity to focus greater force upon the enemy. Such as mission requires more than just street clothes and pocket guns. Before entering the decrepit old mansion, sewer tunnel or abandoned factory, the characters need to strap on some serious gear. Heavy body armor is a must during any building assault. Experience has taught me that a monster hunter’s best friend is a butcher’s apron or rain suit. Medical supply stores sell something for your face called a blood splatter shield, a clear plastic mask that comes in handy. Night vision is invaluable when your enemy likes to fight in the dark. Also, everyone in the party should carry a basic first aid kit and know how to use it.
Of course the point of all this is to kill horrific flesh-eating creatures so you’re going to need a weapon. Matching the right weapon to the right job is important but so it finding a weapon that suits the character. The person who is best at stealth should equip himself with silent weapons. The character who is the worst at ranged combat should consider a shotgun. If you aren’t going to be proficient with many weapons then a shotgun is the one to pick. Any firearm is going to need ammo and that means additional weight. Every different firearm you carry requires a different kind of ammo so be realistic about weapon choices. One main arm and one side arm should be enough.
Some creatures aren’t much bothered by guns and that means you’re going to need a machete, fireman’s axe or something similar. In the modern military, knives and bayonets are rarely used items. In this genre of game you’ll be hard pressed to survive without them. Sledgehammers, axes and chainsaws are multi-purpose because they can be used as melee weapons in addition to breaking downs doors and barricades. Of course certain creatures require specialized weapons. Crossbows provide a way to stake vampires from a distance, silver bullets are expensive but easy to craft.
Diversifying Gear
On a military fire team there are people who have specialized roles and, therefore, they are required to carry different gear. In some special ops units every member of a squad will carry a unique kit. Our monster slayers would do well to copy this model when everyone starts gearing up for battle. Characters who can safely use explosives should be the only ones carrying them. When team members use the same kind of weapon it allows them to share ammunition but it reduces the options you have in terms of firepower. A team of four characters could have a sniper, a machine gunner, a guy with a silencer and a character armed with assault rifles. This mix guarantees that the team will always have the right gun for the right job but no one can share ammunition if a teammate gets low.
Some teams might have a martial artist or melee weapon expert. Another may have a weapons expert with limited hand to hand skills. The capabilities of a single character can greatly influence the flavor of a group. A smart team is one that works to the best abilities of each member and specialized gear is one way of playing to a character’s strengths.
Often a team will have another kind of specialist, some one who is good with vehicles or computers or who has knowledge of arcane lore. These PCs play a vital role because some problems cannot be solved through brute force. A demon that cannot be harmed by normal weapons might be sealed away by the proper incantation. These non combat types tend to get loaded down with miscellaneous gear so they do better with a light weapon, something that doesn’t eat up a lot of ammo.
Improvising
One genre standard we need to address is survival horror. These games essentially feature "normal" people who are trapped in unbelievable circumstances. In this situation the PCs have to scavenge for weapons and equipment and are often forced to use makeshift items. Again we can look to the professionals for inspiration. During the invasion of Iraq, members of the Marine Expeditionary Force found themselves in the middle of the desert lugging around swim fins and other amphibious gear. Soldiers once had to weld scrap metal to their Humvees because the vehicles were not properly armored. The point is to do what you can with what you have available. Troops in Iraq are issued a lot of anti-tank weapons. Since the insurgents do not use military vehicles, the soldiers have found other ways to use these heavy weapons, such as firing them at suspected enemy positions.
Using a little imagination mundane items can be transformed into deadly weapons. Butcher knives become spearheads and broom handles become spiked clubs. An air compressor can be used to fire homemade projectiles. A pillowcase stuffed full of cans will pack enough weight to split someone’s cranium. A character that fills his squirt gun with flammable liquid can hose a target down before a second character can throw a highway flare at it. This tandem attack gives the characters an effective flame weapon that is fairly safe to use.
Survival Kits
Aside from body armor, characters may require special protective gear. A team that used a lot of incendiaries might seriously consider outfitting themselves with fireproof suits. Just getting to the bad guys is often a challenge that might require climbing gear, cold weather suits or wilderness survival kits. An extended journey bring increased logistical requirements as the characters have to bring their own food and water on top of long range radios and other supplies. If they are traveling in vehicles, the team will also have to lug around fuel, an assortment of spare fluids, extra belts and fuses, tools and spare tires. All of these items mount up to additional weight and additional space. You always want to cut back as much as you can on bulk and weight without leaving out anything important.
Summing Up
The important thing is for everyone to work together. The team needs to continuously talk to each other, in game, about what their characters are carrying. By using teamwork the group can avoid duplicated effort or unnecessary items. Members of the group can help each other figure out what works for each character. You also need to talk with other about gear that everyone in the group should be carrying.
All right, now get back in there and play!
