Mercenaries and the Imperium?

Mercenaries do serve a niche market even in the 40k Universe. I see no problem with including mercenary groups, as long as they are chartered or under contract through some Imperial agency.

These also do not need to be hired troops, on Feudal worlds, they could be forces that owe vassal duty to an overlord. part of the way that they work off this duty is in military service. These forces could be contracted out to guard mining facilities or other small security jobs or as security on board merchant ships.

Such mercenary forces might be consolidated onto one planet, where war is the major commodity. The world might be garrisoned by Imperial guard or have an Imperial base in orbit that could blast the planet if there were ever any trouble. The Imperium is in effect holding the mercenaries' families and homes hostage for their continued good conduct.

This is not to say that there are not other mercenary bands out there. this merely represents the Imperial chartered organizations. They might also have an Imperial advisor or some one on staff that monitors the actions of the organization....similar to a political officer of the former Soviet Union.

These groups might also be called up to active duty in the Imperial Guard if the need arises.

I see no reason why a mercinary group would be banned from buying/renting a private vessel in the same way as any other (wealthy) citizen or group of citizens, but I don't see the Imperium lettaing them away with anything like a real warship. Of course, illegal mercinary groups will have less problems with breaking the law (by definition), but they will also be excluded from most of the highest-paying jobs (particularly long-term jobs like supplimenting PDF forces).

I see no reason ;D why it could not be both. For those persons who are opperating only on their own world, they are a local matter and are ignored by the Administratum unless it threatens the world's stability. In order to act on other worlds, and transport arms and military equippment, you would need a lisence from the Administratum central offices on the capital world of the sector.

As for armaments? I see the restrictions on ground armaments as being anything that they can buy, so no Titans or the like as the Mechanicus would not sell them. Any ships would, as per normal, be restricted to "grade IV defensive grid or less, with defensive offence not exceding grade II. Both on the 289.M39 Cypra Mundai scale." In other words, light gunnery with which to defend the ship and perhaps undertake a few light (by starship standards!) potshots at ground forces.

A couple of thoughts come to mind about Chartered Mercenary Units.

1. The Mercenaries Code

We may want to consider drafting some form of Code that Chartered Mercenary Units must abide by. these are not only rules that bind the mercenaries, but also their employers. If a mercenary unit was to sign a contract in good faith and then their employer was to take some action against the imperium, there must be some language that allows them to breach their contract or protects them from Imperial retribution under the contract.

This not only serves as a basic contract for most hiring situations, but also as guidelines for any new member joining the mercenary organization. It could be called something like the Mercenary Compact...or perhaps replace Mercenary with the name of a famous historical mercenary group or for what they called mercenaries during the old roman empire.

2. Captured Weapons or Technology

The issue of what happens to any weapons or materials captured or confiscated becomes important as well. This could be stated in the Compact or perhaps in specific articles drawn up between an employer and the mercenary organization. If they are taking part in a battle that allows them to lay hands on high tech weapondry or weapons beyond a certain power level, there should be provisions for either handing this over to the proper authorities (for compensation of course) or licensing them through their employer.

3. Payment

I don't see all mercenary units working for just money. Even in the Roman empire money was not always the motivating factor. Land was an alternate motivating factor. The promise of freedom from slavery was another.

4. Training

Building a mercenary organization from the ground up would be very interesting in an RPG, but the idea also has merit for the wargame as well. Such a force would probably be set up using the Imperial Guard Codex.

Of course there would be a restriction on the use of tanks and some other units in such armies. Perhaps additional doctrines could be taken or added to offset the loss. One additional doctrine that comes to mind is buying up the status of your troops. Most mercenaries would start with stanndard IG stats. A doctrine allowing them to be made veterans and another to make them elites might add character to the army.

If you wish you could perhaps also take a doctrine that lowers the ranking of some units, allowing you to buy troops on the cheap. These would be comperable to the "White Shields" (can't remember their real name) from the Eye of Terror codex. Such massed troop attacks would be reminicent of the Human Wave attack style of the Chinese During the Korean War. Such a Mercenary unit might come from a world with high population, but with fewer high tech weapons.

Mercenary units should also be made to advance. Maybe something could be done with the rule from Necromunda to make a game where units could improve and advance with each battle they fought (perhaps opening new doctrines to them as they fight). They could perhaps start off as green troops and either advance or add other forces to their ranks. It might prove for an intersting scenario.

Why would this be a bad thing, it actually seems a very reasonable proposal.

I think it should be definatly rather than possibly,that idea has alot of potential i think

I'm not saying that there wouldn't be groups that did not abide by the mercenary code. You would in deed have small armies perhaps supporting organized crime or involved with protecting smuggling operations. The point I was trying to make is that there should be a broad spectrum of licensed and unlicensed mercenary organizations.

Companies that have their own internal security forces would probably be held to some standard by the Imperium. The companies might also subcontract some of their security work through a mercenary group. If that is the case, the code would provide some assurance to the company of the mercenary groups reliability.

The hiring of mercenary troops over equiping ones own security force has several benefits.

1. Balance of Power

The Imperium would probably favor the hirng of mercenaries over a company holding its own standing army. If the corporation has its own army, they might become too powerful and pose a threat to one or moreImperial worlds.

The command structure for a mercenary force would be seprate from the corporate structure. There would also be a more ready account of military assets and hardware than if the forces were internalized within the company. Chartered mercenary companies are responsible for strict accounting of men and material on hand.

2. Economy

The equipping, training, housing and care of a military force is expensive. It would cost a company less money to hire thrained mercenaries than to have to hire, train and field its own forces. It may be that companies could contract directly with the Imperium to hire IG units for what would amount to garrison duty.

Imperial Guard forces when not fighting are usually deactivated. This would send a large number of individuals back into the populace of one or more worlds, that might have difficulty adjusting back into general society (they've become institutionalized to the military lifestyle). Rather than deactivating the units fully, they might be hired out to work security for corporations with sensative contracts with the Imperium.

In this manner a pool of Imperial Guard units, that could be called up more readily than those dispersed back into society, would be available if the need arose, while saving the Imperium to cost of housing and paying them.

Another way to lower the cost of hiring a mercenary organization is through barter. Most mercenary organizations will probably nothave access to their own ships. Part of the trade off for working for a company or trading house might be transport for other assets of the organization to another world to take another job.

Any pirate organizations (human and xenos) works equally as well as mercs. So it might be possible for a group of non-sanctioned mercs to have a squadron of escort size vessels as well as a decent ground force.

I could see a Battlefleet being ambushed and basicly destroyed save a single escort. The Imperium records it as destroyed and notifies all the various naval docks and resupply bases of their destruction. If the ship approached the resupply bases or what not it may be seen as an enemy. However if it is not directly hostile towards the Imperium (save for the one time it tried to dock and was attacked), most worlds would not consider them enemies of the Imperium. To maintain the ship and continue to survive the crew might become mercs/pirates. There we have space mercs

I could see a unit of Imperial Guardsmen left for dead on some world, quiet possible. They somehow manage to survive/get off world but know they are considered dead. They do not however have any skills other than fighting. The platoon gains valuable experience and starts to do things similiar to what the above naval group would do. The unit most likely retains some of the associated papers about their unit and so could possibly seek passage on mercentile ships.

Now what would be really cool is when a group of these various small merc groups (both former naval and former guard or equivelent) join together, being a self sufficient merc unit. These units would probably lend aid to Imperial Commanders if allowed the chance. On a divided world (like a feudal world or the one out of Straight Silver) such a merc unit would find its services greatly sought and would get good money for their skills. Could you image the look on the other guys face when your communication asking for his surrender is followed by massive artillery on your capital (the escorts weapons)? Or the collapsing of the lord next door's knights under fire from a squad of the off worlds?

Fun time... think I might work on just such a unit...