OBT Forum

Yeah I think your right Irose. Power packs for energy weapons would be less efficient. Anything else we are missing?

Conventional Troops (HKSB – 3025 – pdf page 128)
   Soldiers in the army’s conventional branches (infantry, armored vehicles, artillery, and so on) wear a rugged, full-length, light tan jump suit. On the chest of the suit is the soldier’s branch pin. Shoulder and elbow padding keep the soldier from hurting himself when he falls or crawls around, or when he carries a heavy weapon on his shoulder.
   The conventional hat has a short visor and ear flaps, which may be turned down during cold weather or fierce winds. Artillery personnel have extra insulation in the ear flaps to muffle the sound of Long Tom artillery.
   Many infantry units, especially those that use flamers, are issued helmets, gloves, and thick jerkins to protect them from blunt weapons and flamers.
   Vehicle personnel also receive jerkins, but there are designed to absorb shocks from bumping around inside a vehicle. In addition, their helmets are designed to prevent injury to the head. Both have cooling elements inside them that help keep the confined crew comfortable.
   Because the color of the uniform is important in recognizing the soldier’s branch, conventional soldiers are not issued camouflage uniforms. They must wear their tans while on arctic worlds and jungle worlds.

Infantry (HSSB – 3025 – pdf page 112)
   The LCAF infantry wear a standard field uniform, combat vest, and a helmet. The standard field uniform comes in six colors: white, black, Skye green, camouflage-vegetation, camouflage-urban, and the standard grey-green. In addition to helping the soldiers blend into their surroundings, the colors have a symbolic use. Any of the three Royal Guards units in the Triad on Tharkad wear a ceremonial white uniform. Guards at the Honor of Skye are from a Skye Rangers regiment and wear uniforms in the dark emerald green of Skye. In the Duke of Tamar’s palace, the guards are from an Arcturan Guards unit and wear black uniforms.
   The infantryman wears a combat vest over his uniform. The vest provides some protection to the wearer’s chest as well as providing pockets for storing various items. The vest’s main function is to provide a simple frame to which large and bulky objects, such as a standard field pack or the battery of a laser rifle, can be attached. With its ample supply of Velcro strips, hookbars, eyes, and straps, just about anything can be secured to the vest. Worn around the waist is a belt with pouches for carrying food, water, and space ammo as well as any other objects the solder needs. The belt also supports a holster for the trooper’s sidearm, which is usually a slug-throwing pistol.
   The design of the infantryman’s helmet is effective. It has no flat edges to catch laser beam fire and is covered with a layer of shiny ablative material. An enemy’s laser bolt will usually either ricochet off the helmet or be safely absorbed. Beneath the shiny exterior is a thin layer of plastisteel, a synthetic material of great strength and absorbency. Inside the helmt, there is plenty of room for communication equipment, as well as a passive IR device to provide night-sight for the soldier. For all the protection it provides, the helmet is quite light.
   Unit insignias have traditionally been riveted onto the sides of the soldier’s helmet. Recent studies indicate that placing the insignias there compromises the effectiveness of the helmet, and so soldiers have begun placing their unit patches on the sides of their backpack instead. The center panel of the helmets are color-coded to the various units, which constitutes an insignia.
   White is for members of the Royal Guards. Blue means the soldier is from either a Lyran Guards or Lyran Regular unit. Green is the color for soldiers attached to a Skye Rangers regiment. Plae grey means the soldier is from an Arcturan Guards unit. Yellow is reserved for infantry units attached to Winfield’s Brigade. Mercenary units usually wear unpainted, dull brown helmets.