TEAMS

Teams is a new line from Dark Quest Games and produced jointly with Sword's Edge Publishing. It offers a collection of NPCs designed around a theme and linked together as a group, much as a group of player characters might be in a campaign. This page highlights the Teams products and offers some extras.

Cover Teams: Hit Squad

Dark Quest Games and Sword's Edge Publishing proudly announce the release of Teams: Hit Squad, a collection of NPCs for use in any modern d20 game.

The Hit Squad can be used in various campaigns and their purpose and patron can vary. They may appear as opponents for the player characters. However, the Hit Squad or its various members may also appear in a way connected to the adventure but not necessarily in opposition to the PCs. For example, in an espionage campaign, the Hit Squad might be Department 7’s cleaner unit, sent to clean up messy entanglements. The Squad might be the Agency’s muscle, so that the PCs do the investigation and then in comes the Hit Squad to make the arrest, capture, or whatever. In a military campaign, the Hit Squad could be a Black Operations unit, involved in deniable missions. Their paths may cross with the PCs, sometimes working in cooperation, other times working at cross purposes. The existence and the patron of the Hit Squad may come to be a focus for investigation.

Whether used separately or as a team, the characters from Hit Squad offer a quick resource for modern campaigns .

Teams: Hit Squad is available at e23.

Some Great Movies with Tough Guys (not all Hit Squads)
1. Ronin: This is pretty much my favourite spook/heist/team movies. A huge part of that are the great performances, especially the relationship between Sam (Robert DeNiro) and Vincent (Jean Reno). Each of the characters has very specific skills and talents, each with a purpose and position within the team. Great tough guys, great team work, and great action.
2. Heat: The much hyped final meeting on-screen of Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro was a great crime movie and had two great teams involved, the cops and the criminals. Both groups are tightly knit, filled with uber-capable characters, and pretty much evenly matched, with an edge to the criminals because they not only get Robert DeNiro, but Val Kilmer, Danny Trejo, and Tom Sizemore. Now that is a freakin' crew!
3. The Usual Suspects: Yet another team of criminals, this time possibly closer to the Hit Squad in that they do have a pretty high body count (though I doubt they beat Neil McCauley's crew in total). This movie is all about loyalty, obligations, and secrets. It would make a great campaign, if everyone and their brother hadn't already seen it.
4. Predator: Pretty much science fiction, but as with most John McTiernan movies, this one has a team in which every member has a very specific niche. While this ends up being an Arnie movie, his black ops team is great, and I would have been happy to see a series of movies of their adventures before they all got smoked by that bug fugly alien.
5. Seven Samurai: Yeah, not modern, but this is one of the finest movies ever made, and has pretty spawned a genre in and of its self. Poor villagers gather together seven masterless samurai (see above for more ronin), each of whom has a speciality and can be seen as a facet of Bushido. Were this a list of the best movies, this would be at the top of the list. As its in reference to modern campaigns, it's at 5, but this list wouldn't be complete without it.

Cover Teams: SWAT

Dark Quest Games and Sword's Edge Publishing proudly announce the release of Teams: SWAT, a collection of NPCs for use in any modern d20 game.

The Special Response Team (SRT) is a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit within a law enforcement organization. This team includes a four person assault team and a two person containment team. In a large city, both teams would form the core of a much larger group, likely close to 60 with everyone in the field. In a small town or rural area, this might be the whole team, and in such a case, they might not even be full time SWAT. Rather, they would be regular police officers trained in SWAT tactics with their armor and weapons in the trunk of their vehicle, ready to switch from officer to operator at the flip of a switch. The team might even belong to a state or federal law enforcement organization, like the FBI.

Whether used separately or as a team, the characters from SRT offer a quick resource for modern campaigns needing that touch of special weapons skills. You'll also find descriptions and game stats for new weapons used by the SWAT.

Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

'd20 System' and the 'd20 System' logo are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and are used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 6.0. A copy of this License can be found at www.wizards.com/d20.

d20 Modern and Wizards of the Coast are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the United States and other countries and are used with permission.

Teams: SWAT is available at e23.

Teams: SWAT, the Blodcast. Number two in the ongoing series of designer blog/podcasts. This one is a bit big at just under 24 megs and clocks in at around 25 minutes. That's what happens when no one tells me to shut up.

Some SWAT Links
Listed below are a few links to websites that include information on SWAT teams, their tactics and equipment. Sword's Edge Publishing does not endorse these sites nor do we make any claims to their veracity. Please use these sites only for the purpose of game information and inspiration.

Wikepedia: This is Wikipedia's entry on Special Weapons and Tactics, which includes history, training and equipment. Wikiepedia is a pretty fun and useful site, but because it has no set critical review, errors and fabrications may be present.

SpecialOperations.com: Special Operations.com has a lot of information on various military special operations forces throughout the world, and now has a page for SWAT as well. Check out the photo gallery. The web site is run by enthusiasts--much like us--so it is possible some of the information may be based on conjecture.

LAPD site: From the people who brought you the original SWAT team, this is the official website of the Los Angeles Police Department. This page gives a little history of LA's SWAT team. Maybe look around a little while you are there.

FBI's HRT: This is official website for the US Federal Bureau of Investigation's Hostage Rescue Team, which is a version of SWAT. The HRT is part of the FBI's Tactical Support Branch.

Terrorism 101 - GSG-9: This is a quick look at Germany's elite police counter-terrorism unit, Grenzschutzgruppe 9. Always considered one of the top countert-errorism units in the world, it can certainly be argued to be the world's best SWAT unit.

Cover Teams: SAS

Dark Quest Games and Sword's Edge Publishing proudly announce the release of Teams: SAS, a collection of NPCs for use in any modern d20 game.

In the world of clandestine warfare, there are the special operations forces and then there's the Special Air Service. The first, and many would argue the best, the SAS is the United Kingdom's most famous and most capable special warfare unit. Presented here is 12 Patrol, 4 special warfare operators that can be dropped into any modern campaign. Need a scout? Sergeant August MacDonald is at the ready, though he'll likely say something to offend you. 12 Patrol officer Lieutenant James MacKay speaks five languages and has been known to take on plain-clothes missions. If you've been shot, Sergeant Daniel Allen may not have much of a bedside manner, but he can patch you up right after putting some lead down range. And if you need a shooter, there are few finer than Staff Sergeant Jack Lewis.

Whether used separately or as a team, the characters from 12 Patrol offer a quick resource for modern campaigns needing that touch of commando skills. You'll also find descriptionsand game stats for new weapons used by the SAS. It's all here in one nice little package, except for the color of the boathouse at Hereford. For that, you're on your own.

Teams: SAS is available at e23.

Teams: SAS, the Blodcast. This is kind of a designer's blog I've done as a podcast, ergo "blodcast." Yeah, silly name, but there you have it. This is the first one, looking at Teams: SAS.

An SAS bibliography
Listed below are a few books that will help give anyone who is interested in the SAS some information regarding their missions, organization, and history.

Connor, Ken. Ghost Force: the Secret History of the SAS. Written by someone in the know, this book chronicles the history of the SAS with insider information.
Davies, Barry. SAS: The Illustrated History. This is a good primer on the SAS, with plenty of visuals to give inspiration. The same author has written quite a few books about the SAS.
McNab, Andy. Bravo Two-Zero. Relating the story of an SAS mission into Iraq during Desert Storm that went horribly wrong. The veracity of this account has been questioned, but it still makes a great read.
Ryan, Chris. The One That Got Away. This is written by another member of the ill-fated Bravo-Two Zero mission. Like the book Bravo Two-Zero, this book may not stick rigidly to the truth, but it still offers wonderful insights into the tactics of escape and evasion.
Spence, Cameron, Sabre Squadron. Yet another view of the SAS in Desert Storm, yet this time by an operator not involved in Bravo Two-Zero.
Kemp, Anthony, SAS: Savage Wars of Peace. A post World War II history of the SAS by an outsider, a military historian.

Check back later. On the board is Teams Hit Squad.