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{| align="right" style="width:310px;"
|-
|style="background: navy; color: white;" colspan="4" align="center"| '''Thug, Mook, or Goon'''
|-
|'''STR/STA ''' ||40/40 ||'''PS'''|| +2
|-
|'''DEX/RS'''|| 40/40 ||'''IM'''|| +4
|-
|'''INT/LOG'''|| 40/40 ||'''Ranged'''|| 20
|-
||'''PER/LDR'''|| 40/40 ||'''Melee'''|| 20
|-
|style="background: #eeeeee;" colspan="4"|'''Special Abilities:'''<br/>
''By Race, don’t forget ability score modifiers.''
|+
|colspan="4"|'''Skills:''' ''(Military PSA)'' <br />
''One weapon skill at level 1 (base chance to hit 25%)''
|-
|style="background: #eeeeee;" colspan="4"|'''Equipment:'''<br />
''Cheapest version of whatever weapon in which they’re skilled, one full magazine of ammunition, 2d10 Credits.''
|-
|colspan="4"|'''Notes:'''<br />
''Lacking the will to fight, a minion will be out of the battle after taking half his STA in damage (20 points). If more than half the number of minions who started the fight are gone, the rest will want to flee.''
|}

by [[Bill Logan]]

''Rinnar stepped into the diner, expecting trouble. He already spent the better part of the day defending himself against the minions of Dr. Givvins, whom he had angered one time too many. Rinnar wasn’t too worried, though... the mooks that Givvins sent after him were no match for a strong hand and a quick blaster... and were often bribable.''

''Minions play a strong role in role-playing games, but are not discussed effectively within the pages of Star Frontiers. Mooks, Goons, Thugs... whatever you call them: they’re minions and using them in game comes with some very specific guidelines.''

==Minion Guidelines==
===Loyal to Credits.===
A minion is paid for his services, and most likely
lacks the conviction to carry out his boss’ plans.
As long as he is being paid, he’ll do what’s asked of
him. It’s a simple rule to live by, and it can be exploited
by clever players with some extra credits to
spare. But how much is a good bribe?

According to the NPC Wages rules in the Alpha Dawn
game, most minions are going to be paid around 20-
40 Credits per day, assuming they have low-level
skill (see guideline 5). A bribe that comes equal to
or less than this will probably be ignored.

Bribing a minion with an amount equal to ten times
their daily pay might result in their knowledge that
you have a lot of money... and if you’re dead, you’ll
not be needing it anymore...

A bribe of 100-200 Credits might be enough to get
an unloyal minion to let you get away for now, but
there will be no promises that if he sees you again
later that he won’t put a bullet in your head!

===Afraid of their Boss.===
If a minion fails his employer, it often ends up
in death for the minion. This means that the
minion will have to be more afraid of the characters
than they are of their employer if the characters
want to be able to bribe them to walk away (see
guideline 1). It also means that any loyalty they
lack is made up for by fear... so don’t count on their
loyalty to Credits in every case. A clever player will
intimidate the mooks by a show of force, then offer
a bribe... “I could kill you, but bullets are expensive
and I’m not in the mood... what’s it gonna cost me
to keep me from wasting ammo by shooting holes in
your head?”

===Pack Mentality===
Minions are bolstered by the proximity of
other minions. They don’t practice tactics and
lack the proper training required to coordinate covering
their allies while those allies reload... but they
do operate best in numbers. A smart boss would
never send a single minion to accomplish anything;
they know the minion’s life expectancy is shorter
that way.

Alone, they lack much courage at all. When a group
of minions enters a battle, they will fight normally.
Once their numbers have been reduced to less than
half of what they started with, the rest will want to
run away.

So when your characters encounters minions, look
around for more. They’re not smart enough to hide,
but they just might be standing back and thumbing
the safety off their weapon.

===Non-uniformity===
Minions don’t look like minions. They don’t
generally wear uniforms or red shirts or carry
the same gear. Normally, they are hired because
they’re willing to do what others won’t (see guideline
8) – for the right price.

Players can use this to their advantage. It doesn’t
require much of a disguise to pretend you’re some
enemy’s thug. Just wear cheap clothes and hide
your best weapons (see guideline 9). Since they’re
non-uniform, you won’t need to take out a minion to
take his uniform or badge. Since they’re expendable
(see guideline 6), they’re used to seeing new
faces. Infiltration is easy when a boss uses minions.

===If they were better, they’d do something else.===
Minions don’t have much in the way of skill.
They’re probably unable to operate a computer.
They’re more likely to shoot at a robot than try to
reprogram it. They don’t know how to bandage
their own wounds. Bottom line: if they had any sellable
skill, they wouldn’t be risking their lives for low
pay.

This means their ability scores are probably below average.
Assume an average of 40 instead of 45 for all
scores. Minions shouldn’t have more than a level 1
skill in the weapon they’re using. In fact, many will
have no formal skill at all.

===They are expendable===
Minions know that their jobs could be automated
by robots with more accuracy and durability
than they possess. They know that if they die,
their employer won’t even blink... he’ll just send someone
to the streets to find more minions. Minions are
very expendable.

Characters can take advantage of this, especially if
they’re in a situation where they can effectively communicate
with the minion. Knowing they’re
expendable means they may be willing to listen to any
persuasive discussion that might result in them acquiring
money (see guideline 1) by some other means. Of
course, remember their fear of their employer – it does
factor in.

===They don’t really want to die===
Their morale is low, their skills are poor, they
know they could be replaced and that nobody
cares about them. With all this self pity and
lack of self-image, you’d think they all have a death
wish. Not so.

Minions tend to lay there and make noise when they’re
hurt. They lose the will to fight once they have their
own blood leaking down their dirty shirts. Few minions
will wish to fight on once they’ve received half their
STA in injuries. Since most attributes average around
40 for minions (see guideline 5), taking more than 20
points of damage is usually enough for a minion to
drop out of a fight... running or limping or crawling
away, often leaving their weapons behind.

It may be tempting to dispatch any mooks who lay
there writhing and screaming... don’t. Other minions
tend to grow more and more afraid as their numbers
dwindle (see guideline 3) and hearing evidence of that
over the din of a fight is quite effective.

===Morally Dysfunctional===
If they were morally capable, minions wouldn’t
kill people for money. Remember – these people
often don’t even know the cause for which they
fight (see guideline 10). They probably know they’re
going to hell – and fear their employer more than the
afterlife.

Players can take advantage of this. If running from
thugs, head into a church or public place of higher
wealth. They’re probably not very capable of getting
around in such a place effectively. Don’t head into
seedy taverns and slum districts – the goons will have
the advantage. Remember that not all forms of bribery
need be financial – to the morally dysfunctional minion,
a promise of all manner of pleasures and comforts
might be sufficient (an all-day pass for a night of debauchery
at Dashara’s Pleasure Palace? A bottle of
liquor? A tip on a race that’s going on down the
street?)

===They have the cheapest gear===
Minions aren’t paid that well – not in the grander
scheme of things. For the little pay they receive,
they tend to waste on frivolities (alcohol,
gentleman’s clubs, gambling, etc.).

When the players rifle through the gear of the minions
after dispatching them, they shouldn’t find too much
that would be helpful. Ammunition will be in short
supply – maybe even empty. Weapons will be in disrepair
and inferior to those the characters already
have. Defenses are completely absent. It’s doubtful
that they’ll even have more than 2d10 Credits in their
wallets.

===They don’t know much.===
Players can try to have their characters interrogate
a minion. They really can. But
other than who pays them their Credits –
they probably won’t know much.

Since they die so quickly and are loyal to the coin and
not the cause, minions are intentionally left in the dark
by intelligent bosses. Still, some of them will know
where a base is hidden, or might know a code number
to open the secure door of a skimmer they’ve been
given to run the characters over. When questioning
the minion, remember all the other guidelines. If they
are afraid of their employer, they probably will be
afraid to talk. If they think there’s nothing in it for
them, the will probably not talk.

==Random Minion Names==
{| style="width:350px; float: right;"
|+ '''RANDOM MINION NAME TABLE'''
|- style="color: white; background: navy; font-weight:bold;"
|align="center"|d100|| Name
|align="center"|d100|| Name
|align="center"|d100|| Name
|-
|align="center"|1 ||Bimlem
|align="center"|34|| Loddo
|align="center"|67|| Schatowe
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|2|| Bindun
|align="center"|35|| Loru
|align="center"|68|| Schert
|-
|align="center"|3|| Boffo
|align="center"|36|| Loss
|align="center"|69|| Secath
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|4|| Brils
|align="center"|37|| Lozar
|align="center"|70|| Shez
|-
|align="center"|5|| Buras
|align="center"|38|| Lulridge
|align="center"|71|| Shilt
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|6|| Byrid
|align="center"|39|| Lutt
|align="center"|72|| Shyqs
|-
|align="center"|7|| Catar
|align="center"|40|| Mansel
|align="center"|73|| Sif
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|8|| Chaff
|align="center"|41|| Milfo
|align="center"|74|| Siggard
|-
|align="center"|9|| Chenton
|align="center"|42|| Nasroth
|align="center"|75|| Sladon
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|10|| Chryn
|align="center"|43|| Nelit
|align="center"|76|| Smuz
|-
|align="center"|11|| Chups
|align="center"|44|| Nem
|align="center"|77|| Snirk
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|12|| Cikban
|align="center"|45|| Nichckach
|align="center"|78|| Sockque
|-
|align="center"|13|| Cinds
|align="center"|46|| Nig
|align="center"|79|| Sonds
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|14|| Clum
|align="center"|47|| Nolloque
|align="center"|80|| Sulrad
|-
|align="center"|15|| Crodusk
|align="center"|48|| Non
|align="center"|81|| Sylden
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|16|| Donack
|align="center"|49|| Norc
|align="center"|82|| Sylphin
|-
|align="center"|17|| Dozer
|align="center"|50|| Numir
|align="center"|83|| Sytinn
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|18|| Drednal
|align="center"|51|| Packer
|align="center"|84|| Theb
|-
|align="center"|19|| Drent
|align="center"|52|| Pagwar
|align="center"|85|| Thellum
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|20|| Drit
|align="center"|53|| Pesat
|align="center"|86|| Thrik
|-
|align="center"|21|| Dyrik
|align="center"|54|| Phete
|align="center"|87|| Thryfe
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|22|| Feghl
|align="center"|55|| Phidsak
|align="center"|88|| Tornys
|-
|align="center"|23|| Fothos
|align="center"|56|| Quikit
|align="center"|89|| Tova
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|24|| Goltwos
|align="center"|57|| Raddo
|align="center"|90|| Triddel
|-
|align="center"|25|| Hannat
|align="center"|58|| Ragroth
|align="center"|91|| Tunsia
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|26|| Hog
|align="center"|59|| Rant
|align="center"|92|| Tyck
|-
|align="center"|27|| Hyqus
|align="center"|60|| Retick
|align="center"|93|| Werbel
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|28|| Jamach
|align="center"|61|| Rickard
|align="center"|94|| Whament
|-
|align="center"|29|| Lavar
|align="center"|62|| Rith
|align="center"|95|| Whot
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|30|| Lendsam
|align="center"|63|| Rocher
|align="center"|96|| Ysntai
|-
|align="center"|31|| Lessard
|align="center"|64|| Rosl
|align="center"|97|| Zhild
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|align="center"|32|| Liddom
|align="center"|65|| Runk
|align="center"|98|| Ziqiss
|-
|align="center"|33|| Lith
|align="center"|66|| Rymd
|align="center"|99|| Zoder
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|colspan="4"|
|align="center"|100|| Zorner
|}

When you have your players encounter a bunch of
mooks, who wants to name them? I don’t. There
are many random name generators available all
over the web, but who wants to go web surfing in
the middle of a heated battle? What follows is a list
of 100 names – simply roll percentile dice and use
one. Some are silly – but come on, they’re mooks!

<div style="border: thin solid black; background:#eeeeee; padding: 0 5px; margin:0 5px 0 5px; width: 45%">
'''Editor’s note:''' Mook isn’t really a word, but I
looked it up on www.urbandictionary.com and the
popular consensus seems to be as follows (and
this is a quote – don’t blame me for the slang!!):

''MOOK''<br />
''A term coined by Douglas Rushkoff in an episode of PBS's "Frontline" entitled "The Merchants of Cool." Mooks are archetypal young males(teensearly 20s) who act like moronic boneheads. They are self centered simpletons who live a drunken frat-boy lifestyle (or are frat-boys). Examples can be found anytime someone watches "Jackass." Rushkoff claimed that the media glorifies this ideal and stifles natural self expression, however, some people might argue teenage boys have always acted like morons(its actually a long-standing stereotype). Nonetheless, standardized conformist dumbass-culture behind a veneer of exuberance is a scary notion indeed.''

''Opposite of Mooks are Midriffs; oxymoronic innocent “skanks” who are modeled after Britney Spears.''

''Although everyone likes to blame Jackass, anyone on that show is a model “Mook.”''
</div><br />

==Minion Cowardice==
As has been stated, a minion will generally be out of
the fight when he is reduced to half his maximum
STA score. But what does he do? Does he drop his
weapon and run? Hide and cower? Pee his pants?
Here’s a little table you can roll on for fun...

{|
|- style="color: white; background: navy; font-weight:bold;"
|d10|| When a Minion is reduced to half STA he will...
|-
|1|| Drop his weapon and run away
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|2|| Scream and fire his weapon in the air
|-
|3|| Drop to his knees and beg to be spared
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|4|| Run away (with his weapons)
|-
|5|| Lay down and scream, holding his injuries
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|6|| Pass out from the pain
|-
|7|| Writhe in his own vomit in agony
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|8|| Cower in fear
|-
|9|| Pee his pants
|- style="background: #eeeeee;"
|10|| Fight on, desperate to win
|}

==Minion Tactics==
Minions don’t tend to be careful with their ammunition,
and they don’t have a ton of it. A common
mistake of most minions is to shoot as often as possible
as quickly as possible... thus a smart player
can take cover for a couple of turns and then stand
up and shoot easily. Most minions won’t have a
second magazine on hand. Once their weapon is
empty, they will try to close on your character and
beat him up... or run away to get more guns!

Thugs, Mooks, and Goons - Revision history

Terl obar: Created page with ' Top:Star Frontiersman main page | Up: Star Frontiersman Issue 4 main index | Up: Adversaries…'

Terl obar: Created page with '
Top:Star Frontiersman main page | Up: Star Frontiersman Issue 4 main index | Up: Adversaries…'