These NPCs from my Firefly game were created to be used as recurring villains, although as things worked out I never actually re-introduced them to the campaign after their first appearance.
In that episode, the players were hired to ferry supplies-- military rations and first aid kits-- to the mayor's office at Silver City on Deadwood (detailed on pages 106-107 of the Smuggler's Guide to the Rim). Once there, the players discovered a city under military occupation; in the run-up to new mayoral elections, the mayor's office had hired a mercenary group called 'the Blue Tigers' to crack down on dissidents and opposition candidates, silence the press, and intimidate voters. Naturally, the players were drawn into events when they discovered that an old friend was on the ballot running against the corrupt incumbent.
The thing to understand is that the Blue Tigers aren't exactly evil-- but they are a mercenary company which doesn't ask a lot of questions when taking a job. In my game, the Blue Tigers turned a blind eye to many of the players' activities in Silver City and eventually refused to massacre its civilian population on election day-- but they didn't exactly part with the crew on the best of terms. In their view, the crew cost them a paycheck. If I'd ever gotten around to using the Blue Tigers again in my campaign, it would have been as recurring rivals, and not as the big bad heavies in an important story arc.
Colonel Jebediah "Jeb" Waybridge
Attributes
Mental D6
Physical D8
Social D10
Skills
Drive D6 (Hovertank)
Fight D6
Focus D10 (Discipline)
Influence D12 (Command) (Intimidate)
Know D6 (Military Operations)
Notice D10 (Tactical Awareness)
Operate D6
Shoot D6 (Pistol)
Sneak D6
Survive D8
Throw D6 (Grenade)
Distinctions
Mercenary Commander D8
I love the sound of orbital bombardment in the morning.
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
* Plausible Deniability. Gain 1 PP when you step up a Complication representing tactical challenges on the battlefield.
* Call for fire. Spend 1 PP to create an Artillery Barrage D8 Asset in a battlefield situation. On each of your following Actions, if you don't spend another PP to step this Asset up, it goes away.
Iron-Fisted D8
I don't give one gorram bit how dangerous it is. Get your men up on that ridgeline!
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
* Taskmaster. Double Influence when throwing the weight of your office around. At the start of the next scene, take or step up a social Complication that represents a backlash against your harsh manner.
Brilliant Tactician D8
I want Bravo Company to advance slowly. Keep the enemy engaged while second platoon flanks.
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
* Fortune favors the bold. When planning an attack, gain 1PP if you take or step up an Outnumbered D8 or Right Under Their Noses D8 Complication.
Jeb Waybridge is the spittin' image of a hard-chargin, sharp-shootin, square-jawed, high-speed military man. After fighting for the Alliance in the Unification War, he and a few comrades formed the Blue Tigers to avoid being taken out of the fight.
Captain Amalie Moran
Attributes
Mental D6
Physical D6
Social D6
Skills
Drive D8
Fight D6
Fly D12 (Combat Pilot)
Move D8
Operate D8
Shoot D8
Distinctions
Fleet Tactician D8
Sun Tzu was brilliant. After three thousand years we brought his doctrine to the stars.
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
* Bombard. When you give the order to fire upon an enemy ship, crewmembers following your orders may spend 1 PP to step up their Shoot on their next Action.
Mercenary D8
They don't pay you to look pretty. They pay you to shoot things.
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
Free Spirit D8
You go where the wind takes you.
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
* New Horizons. Step up or double Drive or Fly when you first take a vehicle somewhere new.
Signature Asset: Lucky rabbit's foot D6
Friendly and easy going, Captain Moran is one of the few Blue Tigers who can get away with sassing Colonel Waybridge. Truth is, she's the best combat pilot that Waybridge has ever seen in his long military career, and he trusts her implicitly. Whenever the Colonel and his Blue Tigers are deployed planetside, her command of the Tigress Two is unquestioned.
Major Alonzo Jessup
Attributes
Mental D6
Physical D6
Social D6
Skills
Drive D8 (Hovertank)
Fight D8
Fix D6
Influence D6 (Command)
Move D6
Operate D6
Shoot D8
Throw D6
Distinctions
Speed demon D8
I never lose a race. I only run out of laps, fuel, or time.
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
* Throttle Down. You may double Drive whenever you're racing at top speed. All dice that roll 1s or 2s count for Complications.
Mercenary D8
They don't pay you to look pretty. They pay you to shoot things.
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
* Time for some Thrillin' Heroics. Spend 1 PP to go first in any battle or combat scene. On your first Action, you may reroll any dice that come up 1 instead of accepting a Plot Point.
Ooh-Rah D8
There's nothing better than a good fight.
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
Major Jessup is a simple man. He signed up to fight in the Unification War so that he could play with the big toys used by the Alliance military. He loves to drive his hovertank, make things explode, and expertly play his part in complex military maneuvers. Although nominally second-in-command among the Blue Tigers, in battle Major Jessup is usually occupied with his pride and joy: command of the Tigers' heavy armor company.
Blue Tigers Armored Hovertank
Attributes: Body D12, Handling D6, Speed D6
Vehicle Signature Assets: Twin chain guns D8, Environmentally sealed D8, Armored D8
Blue Tigers Armored Vehicle Crewman
Traits: Young and dumb D8, Drive D8, Shoot D6
Captain George Chester Armstrong
Attributes
Mental D10
Physical D6
Social D8
Skills
Fight D10
Influence D8 (Persuasion)
Move D10
Perform D8 (Conspicuous Bravery)
Shoot D10 (Rifle)
Sneak D10
Distinctions
Combat Instructor D8
Step one-two. Parry! Thrust!
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
* Lead by example. When you are in a firefight with your students backing you up and you spend 1PP to avoid being taken out, spend 1 additional PP to give the Complication you acquire to one of your students instead.
Mercenary D8
They don't pay you to look pretty. They pay you to shoot things.
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
Special Forces D8
May God have mercy on my enemies-- because I won't.
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
* An army of one. Create a D8 Asset of your choice when you leave the safety of your group to single-handedly face a foe who has an overwhelming numerical advantage.
* Leave the sentries to me. Double Fight for one roll after successfully using Sneak to approach an unsuspecting enemy. Any dice which turn up 1s or 2s count for Complications.
Signature Asset: LARS-29 Alliance Assault Rifle with scope D8
Captain Armstrong is one of the few members of the Blue Tigers' command staff who was too young to have served in the Unification War, but he has nonetheless distinguished himself as an infantry commander and risen quickly through the ranks. Driven and ruthless, he sees Colonel Waybridge as a relic of the last war and despises Major Jessup's childish obsession with armored vehicles. Captain Armstrong believes that he is the only officer in the Blue Tigers who is truly worthy of its command, and seeks to distinguish himself by taking ridiculous risks and inflicting indiscriminate carnage upon whatever enemy the Tigers have been contracted to eliminate.
Blue Tigers Infantry
Traits: Sneak D10, Shoot D8, Disciplined D8, Fight D6
Tigress Two
Attributes and Skills: Engines D6, Hull D12, Systems D6, Crew D8
Distinctions
Higgins-Class Alliance Troop Transport
These medium-sized carriers were used to transport Alliance ground troops from world to world during the Unification War. They're filled with small double occupancy bunks and support compartments which include a galley, entertainment center, and gymnasium. The gym doubles as a mustering area for rapid deployment via a ramp that drops from the bottom of the ship. These vessels are well-stocked with weapons, ammunition, and military-grade explosives.
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
* So say we all! When transported soldiers are in combat, spend 1 PP to create an Esprit de Corps D8 Asset.
* It's the only way to be sure. Once per game session, you can launch high-intensity ordnance against a ground target. Any opponents who would be taken out by this attack cannot spend 1 PP to remain in the fight.
Battle-Scarred D8
Your ship proudly displays the scars of many hard-fought battles. * Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
Armed and Dangerous D8
When you're being attacked by pirates out in the black, the only ship you can count on is you. And if some sommbitch tries to bite you, well, you can bite back, too.
* Gain 1 Plot Point when you roll a D4 instead of a D8.
Antipersonnel Guns D8
Bomb Bays D8
Although the Tigress Two is only one of several ships operated by the Blue Tigers, it has been Colonel Waybridge's personal flagship since the original Tigress was damaged in a tough fight and had to be scuttled. The Colonel has accepted that the Tigress Two is Captain Moran's baby now, and and she is the only one of his officers that he feels comfortable trusting her with.
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