Don't worry about it, most of them will be practically NPC's, the main character, at least in the beginning, will be Gregory, the rest will just occasionally pop up when he's around them. I'll be doing a full CS on him later. Otherwise, Raisa's the next likely candidate for a player character, but I'm having her be sick in the beginning so I can ease myself in with one character.

Okay then. I'm just saying, I joined an RP with 12 people, most of them only RPing one person, and no one has posted in two weeks. If you load yourself up with people, even NPC's, you could drown in them. I stand by the idea of running a small crew and later on picking up more people. You said yourself "...in case I need to use one for anything, I'll make a full character sheet for them." You're going to hammer out a whole new character sheet on the fly? That would be impressive if it works, but I think it would be easier to write a new person in at your leisure than kill a person off to reduce the workload.

As for ammo, yeah, definitely agree. I was worried and very hesitant about the numbers, so I'll probably knock each type down by two, at least, probably three. My logic is that the collector ordered it all using his influence and riches, maybe his own private shipping and with the world going downhill, so I'd venture that the government has less things to worry about than some eccentric rich dude riding tanks and shooting stuff on his private land

If I was in charge of the police, I would worry considerably about a rich dude packing a tank loaded for combat, because if things go south for him, he's going to be a much bigger problem than anyone else. You might want to look up the laws on possession of armored vehicles and weaponry before deciding on a load-out, is all I'm saying. Only having one shell would be interesting, because you would have a serious inner-party conflict on your hands: they only get one shot. You have to decided when to use that one shot very, very carefully, even against a serious threat. Worst-case scenario, the tank has no shells, which would be interesting because it'd be an excellent bluff, and you could end up with a very interesting standoff if you encounter guys who are willing to call that bluff.

Anyhow, as for the guns, Mosins are actually quite easy to find in surplus stateside (whether they're Russian, Finnish or anything in between) and quite cheap, the ammo is a pain to get however. The Makarovs, common in Russia, were brought by the Russian migrants, but once again, 9x18mm is a bit of a hard find stateside. I'm definitely going to lower the amount of ammo, though. With this much, it's way too easy.

Good points. You could make "Raisa fixing the Makarov" a task for her to work on so she isn't just on standby.

I'm not giving up on getting around this freakin' tank. It's too cool to just never notice IC. I'm going to add in a more aggressive character to complement Amie. Maybe at some point they'll stalk your tank, with him arguing to go rob from it and her arguing to get away from it. Let me know if you want to work out an interaction, because ultimately I'm not going to force that to happen.

3 years after @Section, so 2032?

If I was in charge of the police, I would worry considerably about a rich dude packing a tank loaded for combat, because if things go south for him, he's going to be a much bigger problem than anyone else. You might want to look up the laws on possession of armored vehicles and weaponry before deciding on a load-out, is all I'm saying. Only having one shell would be interesting, because you would have a serious inner-party conflict on your hands: they only get one shot. You have to decided when to use that one shot very, very carefully, even against a serious threat. Worst-case scenario, the tank has no shells, which would be interesting because it'd be an excellent bluff, and you could end up with a very interesting standoff if you encounter guys who are willing to call that bluff.

Good points. You could make "Raisa fixing the Makarov" a task for her to work on so she isn't just on standby.

I'm not giving up on getting around this freakin' tank. It's too cool to just never notice IC. I'm going to add in a more aggressive character to complement Amie. Maybe at some point they'll stalk your tank, with him arguing to go rob from it and her arguing to get away from it. Let me know if you want to work out an interaction, because ultimately I'm not going to force that to happen.

You know, I'm gonna take all your advice into account. One shell it is, one very important shell. I like the idea, I really like it. I'll even roll a dice to choose the type, whether it's a HE-FRAG which would be decimating to any group of people, to a APDSFS-T which would be pretty much useless in this world without many armored vehicles left. We'll just say it was hidden in the shipment, maybe the guy planned on bringing more in later, but stuck with one for the first one.

Also, technically, the cannon should have been deactivated, after reading some of the laws and rules on the site I got the idea of a Czech export from (mortarinvestments.eu). The guy would need a license and depending on the state, it would not be street legal. Thing is, I've seen a lot of videos on YouTube of people driving imported post-Soviet vehicles, in particular a BMP-1, which has a large enough cannon that it'd need to be deactivated (76mm, I think), and yet here it is, shooting stuff. So perhaps they're a bit lenient over that part? Even if there are laws against the gun working, we'll all have to see about letting it slide.

In general, I think I kind of had the wrong mentality, thinking it all over. If civilization and society is collapsing, laws wouldn't be more lax on imports of large military hardware, if anything, it would be MUCH more strict, as law enforcement would fight anything that could lead to rich people arming up and fighting each other, as you said. Machine gun ammo might get through (or be bought in the 'States), but the shell would need to be hidden, so one shell is probably it, as was your idea.

As for Raisa and her Makarov, now that I think about it, I might get rid of one of the Makarovs (the working one, actually) and have her give it to Gregory, as a bluff weapon. That's just an idea for now, I'm still thinking it over, but in any case, I still feel Ural's crew is too well-armed. I mean, why have Franklin guard the camp with a 10/22 when the tank has a machine gun which can fire bullets the size of small rodents? Might remove one of their guns.

Finally, as for the crew, I basically made the Tank Sheet as a way of people knowing who lives in the crew, what they look like (when I get around to finding pictures) and I probably won't actively play any of them except as side characters when the tank is on the move or when Gregory heads back to camp. Mostly, it's to help the other players interact with them, when it comes to it. Maybe think of it like a set of NPC's, except for the couple I make full CS' for?

I'm totally delighted with your idea though, it'd be a great way to get Raisa back on the action once she's recovered, especially if Grisha is out scouting. Interactions in general are fun. We'll talk. c;

You know, I'm gonna take all your advice into account. One shell it is, one very important shell. I like the idea, I really like it. I'll even roll a dice to choose the type, whether it's a HE-FRAG which would be decimating to any group of people, to a APDSFS-T which would be pretty much useless in this world without many armored vehicles left. We'll just say it was hidden in the shipment, maybe the guy planned on bringing more in later, but stuck with one for the first one.

I like it. Maybe you should name it, like you named the tank.

As for Raisa and her Makarov, now that I think about it, I might get rid of one of the Makarovs (the working one, actually) and have her give it to Gregory, as a bluff weapon. That's just an idea for now, I'm still thinking it over, but in any case, I still feel Ural's crew is too well-armed. I mean, why have Franklin guard the camp with a 10/22 when the tank has a machine gun which can fire bullets the size of small rodents? Might remove one of their guns.

Two things here:
1. Look up the ROF (rate of fire) on that machine gun. Some go through a hundred rounds in less than a minute. You don't want to accidentally burn through the whole belt.
2. A Ruger 10/22 is absolutely rubbish for guard duty. You can stop a .22 with a frying pan, and it won't stop an attacker unless you put one through their brain. That gun is a squirrel gun at best. You're way better off either using the Mosin (you can kill a deer at 300 yards with that cartridge) or picking a new gun.

Personally, I'm going to try to start with an M1903 30-06. It has ladder sights that are marked up to 2700 yards, and the 30-06 will Swiss cheese a person through a window without breaking a sweat.

I am interested. I always play a veteran, simply because I am one. What is our location? US, Europe? Or some place else?
I guess I'm just days late to the party. I finished reading through everything. At first, I was like, "Yea, I want to be part of Section's tank Crew" then I was like, "No, go for the APC or IFV. That would be so much better than a tank." I still feel that way about the tank, but Section made a crew of NPCs. I guess he doesn't like interacting with others? Or is he afraid others won't get along with his NPCs? Well, I am an old veteran and can write as though we get along or we are extremely hostile to one another, your choice. I'm pretty flexible and I don't have to be antagonistic. In fact, I prefer Co-operative Role Play.

@Section You might enjoy my WWII Tank Role Play.

I am interested. I always play a veteran, simply because I am one. What is our location? US, Europe? Or some place else?

North America seems to be our final decision. Glad to have you with us!

what the hell... I dont want an old guy... I need to remake my CS... be back later

*edit*

I cant find a good base photo for my survivor... anyone got any tips on what to look for?

I am interested. I always play a veteran, simply because I am one. What is our location? US, Europe? Or some place else?
I guess I'm just days late to the party. I finished reading through everything. At first, I was like, "Yea, I want to be part of Section's tank Crew" then I was like, "No, go for the APC or IFV. That would be so much better than a tank." I still feel that way about the tank, but Section made a crew of NPCs. I guess he doesn't like interacting with others? Or is he afraid others won't get along with his NPCs? Well, I am an old veteran and can write as though we get along or we are extremely hostile to one another, your choice. I'm pretty flexible and I don't have to be antagonistic. In fact, I prefer Co-operative Role Play.

@Section You might enjoy my WWII Tank Role Play.

Just saw what you edited, but dude, no worries, I can totally get rid of one of the minor passengers to make a place for you. They're mostly just NPC's to fill up place on it and make things look alive, I'm totally for interacting with people. Write up a character and we can discuss it all. However, it'll all be done after I get a night's sleep.

what the hell... I dont want an old guy... I need to remake my CS... be back later

What's wrong with old guys?
--said the old guy.

I can totally get rid of one of the minor passengers to make a place for you. They're mostly just NPC's to fill up place on it and make things look alive, I'm totally for interacting with people. Write up a character and we can discuss it all. However, it'll all be done after I get a night's sleep.

I'm working on a character now. He is a former Infantry soldier and yes, he is old. He would have been born in 1985 and served in Afghanistan in 2004 or 2005. I would rather not be part of the crew, but an armed passenger hanging on the outside.

@MatthiasAngel Marines now-a-days are only using .223's as regular ammunition and with this being future a bullet advance could have been made and possibly the .22 is strong enough now! My character is probably going to use a .22 .223 or simply an air rifle most likely, along with a spear or sword of some type *shrug* all im saying is that a .22 or .223 is an excellent marksman rifle.

@MatthiasAngel Marines now-a-days are only using .223's as regular ammunition and with this being future a bullet advance could have been made and possibly the .22 is strong enough now! My character is probably going to use a .22 .223 or simply an air rifle most likely, along with a spear or sword of some type *shrug* all im saying is that a .22 or .223 is an excellent marksman rifle.

Yes, Most US Army and USMC units use the M4 Carbine which takes a 5.56mm (.223 Caliber) round. Infantry units also use an upgraded version of the older M14 for a Squad Designated Marksman which fires 7.62mm (.308 Caliber) if you are looking for a heavier slug. Also USMC Training bases (Camp LeJeune, NC and Camp Pendleton, CA) have a ready supply of rifles that fire 7.62mm Ammunition. US Marines spend a LOT OF TIME firing these rifles on Known Distance (KD) ranges out to 800 Meters. The US Army? meh, not so much. Well, at least in my day the Army didn't spend a whole lot of time on the KD range. But a 5.56mm (.223) won't accurately engage anything at 500 to 800 meters.

OK, stop it, Gunther! Getting too deep in the weeds here.

@Gunther No I follow you but no one is going for sniper here... you need to be within shouting distance before you kill them i would think... I cant yell 800 meters... *shrugs*

There's a CS?

@RumikoOhara 4th page... right in the middle ish

I missed it when it was posted

@MatthiasAngel Marines now-a-days are only using .223's as regular ammunition and with this being future a bullet advance could have been made and possibly the .22 is strong enough now! My character is probably going to use a .22 .223 or simply an air rifle most likely, along with a spear or sword of some type *shrug* all im saying is that a .22 or .223 is an excellent marksman rifle.

Wh...the .22 is not going to be "strong enough." You can't just make a bullet stronger. The .22 is small, the lead is round, and the cartridge holds very little gunpowder. It's also a rimfire cartridge, which means it can misfire.

You can't wedge a .223 in with an air gun or .22. The .223 has a longer, sharper bullet, it's center fire (much more reliable) and it holds at least two or three times as much gunpowder. Air rifles hit targets and bounce off at a few hundred FPS. A .22 bullet is about the size of an air rifle BB, but it is heavier and clocks in at 1,400 to 1,800 fps. It'll go through skin and muscle but at medium to long range it won't do serious damage to organs and leaves very little blood. A .222 is heavier, pointier, and clocks in at 3,700 fps. It'll go through skin, muscle, and bone from hundreds of yards, and it turns organs into jelly (excuse the crude metaphor).

A .22 is a "marksman bullet" for training courses. You can stop a .22 with a cast iron frying pan. A .223, however, will blaze right through a bulletproof vest.

@Gunther No I follow you but no one is going for sniper here... you need to be within shouting distance before you kill them i would think... I cant yell 800 meters... *shrugs*

I never implied anyone would be a sniper. You misunderstood my post. Please read my PM regarding this.
@MatthiasAngel makes an excellent point regarding calibers. There is a huge difference between a rimfire .22 and a 5.56mm or what civilians refer to as .223 caliber. As in my post, your character can go with the .223. There is nothing wrong with that, but the heavier .308 or .30-06 is much better. I once owned a .358 Browning Lever Action Rifle which is an excellent hunting rifle and has a massive kick to it. My should hurt for two days after putting ten rounds through it.

<Snipped quote by Section>
I'm working on a character now. He is a former Infantry soldier and yes, he is old. He would have been born in 1985 and served in Afghanistan in 2004 or 2005. I would rather not be part of the crew, but an armed passenger hanging on the outside.

Sounds good to me! He'd be quite similar to the driver, Andy O'Keefe, in terms of age and experiences, I'd sure they'd get along great. In any case, I'm removing a character from the crew to make space for your guy and I'll revise the tank sheet to make clear who are NPC's and who are actually played and by who.

EDIT: Link to the tank sheet, since it's about a page back, now edited with the statuses of the characters (NPC, played by someone...)

@Gunther We may want to be careful about what rifles we want. It's easy to ask for a 30-06 for the range and stopping power, but that thing is 1. Very loud, and 2. Has a huge amount of recoil. Bad posture/handling can bruise you arms/shoulder, and you can cause permanent hearing damage if you fire it without ear protection.

@Vermillion For firearms, should we take hearing into consideration, or can we let that slide? It'll be harder to find ear protection, especially for Section and his crew. I'd be Okay with everyone being immune to how loud gunfire is.