So we have: * Bounty hunters as plausible deniability for covert ops in foreign jurisdictions, the Mexico or Pakistan scenario by Mike. The fact that they're freelancers means it is no act of war if they are caught. "If you are captured, the secretary will deny any knowledge of your mission."
That would require mil-spec ships, perhaps not quite the latest version but close, with the national insignia painted over and the paint still wet. Out of scope for me. * As above, but more small-scale and less specific. Nation X encourages freelancers to go into nations Y and Z in the 'lawless frontier' and to bring back criminals, but this is no real priority for them, and they won't spend much money. If they fry a passenger liner or a freighter, heads will roll, but there are always more freelancers where the last batch came from. The starship will be kind of military, but without much current secret stuff, and without a budget for big guns. * Bounty hunters as privatized national law enforcement for a society where most real cops are local, a bit like the real world in the US. Bounty hunters only make arrests in cases where the local law enforcement would make the arrest, too, if they were not too busy with other cases. Bounty hunters are made 'auxiliary cops' with limited rights and duties, but their role is recognized by the legal system. They are not like other citizens who make a citizens' arrest. That means their starships might have gear that is not allowed for other civilians, but not as many neat toys as a real cop. For me, the second option has the most gaming possibilities. Regards. _______________________________________________ GurpsNet-L mailing list <[email protected]> http://mail.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l
