Rifleman

MARINE
Standard Marine	Difficulty: Medium Supervisors: Squad Leader Rank: Not defined Duties: Follow orders. Don't get yourself killed. Don't shoot your squadmates. Guides: N/A Unlock Requirements: Not available. Detailed Description: |__________| Not defined |__________|

"How do I get out of this chickenshit outfit?"- Hudson, Aliens
I don't know who you pissed off to get transferred to this unit, Grunt, but remember, you're in the United States Colonial Marine Corps. Follow your sergeant's orders and don't ask too many questions. Whether you've been to Hell and back or you're fresh out of Boot, you're expected to maintain a level of professionalism. Do your job, follow orders, and maybe you'll go home in one piece.

Cog In The Machine

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If you haven't read the Marine Quickstart Guide, read that first.

As a Standard Marine you will be assigned to one of four squads. Each squad has a color so you new guys won't get lost: Alpha is RED, Bravo is YELLOW, Charlie is PURPLE, Delta is BLUE. Got that? Good. You've just been kicked out of the deep freeze after a solid three weeks of sleep so don't go bitching about how you're tired. Your body will be stiff and you'll be hungry so head to the mess for a hearty meal courtesy of the USCM. Just don't ask what animal it came from.

This is my rifle

Did you git some food in your tummy? Good. Now move your ass and put on your damn pants, Grunt! Double time it to your team's locker room at the far end of the mess and open any locker and put on your uniform. Are you wearing your pants now? Check again because I swear if you aren't I'll shove my boot so far up your ass you'll have to shine it by gargling shoe polish, Grunt! Got your pants on for real now? Good. Use that thing clipped to your head to sound off to your squad and let them know you didn't do everyone a favor and just die in your pod. Now what the Hell are you standing around for? Get your ass to the gear vendors!

Now, as a the marine equivalent of whale shit at the bottom of the ocean, you have access to five firearms of your choosing, one primary, two secondaries, and two sidearms. In an ideal world, you'll be smart enough not to grab the whole arsenal so those jackasses you call squad mates don't have to deploy with rocks and the stapler from Requisitions. That means try to limit yourself to your M41 and your sidearm. Stop slapping the armor piercing ammo button and pay attention. There's two ways this can play out. Either you keep your mags in that backpack you woke up with and grab a holster for your sidearm or you ditch the ruck, carry your ammo in a bandolier, and pack a little more firepower on your back. Now, you're probably asking, "But, Sir! Why do you want me to carry the M41? Can't I carry the M37 or M39?" To that I say, "Don't call me 'Sir;' I work for a living." You should be carrying the M41A Mk.2 Pulse Rifle because it's a Hell of a lot easier to use than the M37 shotgun and packs more punch than the M39 submachine gun. The shotgun is better used as a secondary on your back and the SMG is best left for the people who need a free hand. Stop eyeballing the specialist's weapon, Grunt! You think you're Carlos Hathcock? You want a big shooty shoot too? Well you shouldn't have joined the Marines! You want logistics: join the Army.

• M41A Mk.2 Pulse Rifle: This baby's the workhorse and backbone of the USCM. It holds forty 10X24mm caseless rounds, takes a slew of attachment, has a live ammo counter, and sports an over-and-under 30 millimeter pump action grenade launcher. Take care of it and it'll take care of you.

• M37A2 Shotgun: These shotguns have been in service since Vietnam back in the 20th century and knowing our QM, the Sulaco's supply of M37s probably saw action there too. They're powerful weapons that can put a dinner plate sized hole in just about anyone you encounter, but that 18 inch barrel means that you won't be hitting anything outside of pissing distance. If you plan on bringing one of these, be sure to pack your M41.

• M4A3 Service Pistol: The saying that the only reason you should be firing your sidearm is if you're out of ammo or on your way to your primary holds true with the M4 series of pistols. It'll put a hole in unarmored targets, sure, but it'll just piss off anyone wearing more than a light sweater. It holds twelve 9mm rounds and you'll need every one of them.

• M44 Combat Revolver: So, what, you think you're Dirty-fucking-Harry? The M44's a beast and not just in firepower. Unwieldly, ugly, and mean; she's not the prettiest girl at the dance, but she'll turn a few heads. Then she'll keep turning 'em until they come off. It holds six rounds and God help anyone you manage to tag with one.

• M39 Submachine Gun: The M41 series's little cousin, the M39 fires 10X20mm caseless and holds 48 rounds per mag. As a Grunt, you shouldn't be looking at this except as a replacement for your sidearm. Other than that, leave it for the shrap-heads who know what they're doing.

Your Squad

See those chrome-domes, snowcones, and badass wannabes over there? Those ass-hats are your fellow squaddies. Stay near them and you might not go home in a box. Stay on comms and let your squad know if you see anything out of the ordinary. If you find yourself standing around with some other jackasses who aren't wearing the same color as you, you fucked up. Go find your squad. That hardass with the funny stripes on his helmet? That's your Squad Leader. The squad leader's orders are the will of God and should be treated as such. The moron with the big gun? That's your specialist. Leave the specialist alone. Don't fuck with the corpsmen and the com-techs and they won't fuck with you. Okay, Grunt, time for a recap. Do what you're told and don't shoot your squad.

Attachments

Now you may have heard of that mythical land where special equipment and weapon mods flow like it's motherfucking Christmas. That place is called Requisitions and it ain't no Mount Olympus and that sweaty guy over there ain't Zeus. He's the RO. Rule motherfucking one: Don't fuck with the Requisitions Officer. If he says you don't get attachments, guess what, Boot? You don't get attachments. You see the RO has been supplying whiskey to the MPs under the table and that means the MPs and the RO are best buddies. If he says so, the MPs will throw you in the fucking brig. So don't go screaming and trying to bash your way into cargo because you couldn't get a third red dot for the M39 you shouldn't have packed. Now, the RO answers to "On-High" and "On-High" has deemed it acceptable for you to request two attachments from Requisitions. To get these attachments you're treating like holy fucking relics, you must go to the requisitions line, located aft of the mess hall. Now, remember, Grunt, the RO has a low tolerance for bullshit so if you show up in your underwear he'll refuse to serve you. Then your "buddies" will throw your ass out of the line. Then the MPs will kick your ass out of boredom.

Alright, numbnuts, you've managed to wake up, eat breakfast, get dressed, let your squad leader know you exist, and wait in a single file line for a little over three minutes. Aren't you fucking special? Think again! Your ass is still bottom of the food chain so don't hold your breath over getting anything good but seeing as you're holding that M41, I guess there's still hope for you yet. Everyone's got their favorite loadouts but it all boils down to what you prefer. Trial and error is the best way to know what you like and don't like.

Center Mass For Fuck's Sake

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Look at you, Grunt. You're all geared up, you're well fed, and your squad probably even gives a shit if you die or not. Time to see if you remember anything from Boot Camp. You'll remember that the M41 only works if you hit what you're aiming at and not your buddy over there who's going home to his family in three weeks. You see someone who needs shooting? Aim dead center of their chest and keep pulling the trigger until they stop moving and then shoot them some more to be sure. You ain't Hathcock so don't aim for the head. Do I make myself clear? Spraying around your squad at head level's a good way to get a free boot up your ass and I ain't gonna be there to stop your squad from hog-tying you and leaving you outside the perimeter to see if there's any wildlife in the AO.

Standard Marine Tactics

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• Only take what you need. You're going to need somewhere between zero and one armor piercing magazine in the field for heavily armored enemies. For everything else, soft point ammunition is superior.

• Stick with your squad at all times, a lone Marine is a dead Marine.

• Follow the chain of command. If someone tells you jump, you'd better ask how high on the way up.

• Use appropriate titles. Your Squad Leader is Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, or Squad Leader. He's not an officer so don't call him "Sir" and he's not in the Army so don't call him "Sarge."

• Be useful. Offer to carry extra engineering, medical, or specialist supplies.Those guys are already carrying more weight than you'll ever be able to.

• Keep your superiors informed. Stay on the radio and keep the squad and command up to date on what's going on. Do you see movement outside the perimeter? Let your fireteam know. Did Private McFuckface blow his hand off playing catch with a grenade? Let your squad leader know. Did your sergeant just get his head taken off by incoming artillery? Let command know.

• Stay in the light. There ain't many things out there scarier than a Colonial Marine and they all like the dark. Keep your shoulder lamp on and pop a flare whenever you're stopped for more than a moment.

Follow this Guide and you might just survive until extract.