RE: [sg] platoon stuff and combat engineers

G'day,

> OK, so you're saying that if your riflemen are 100m
> from the enemy, they just swap warheads and all of a
> sudden every one of them is lobbing mortar round
> equivelants?

If there were enough warheads yes. Unfortunately the stuff required to
make
the mortar warheads is rarer than the stuff for making "normal rifle"
warheads and so its entrusted to a few families which happen to populate
the
"mortar squad".
      
> Nerve agents break down with sunlight and moisture. 
> But at any rate, it sounds like I'd not particularly
> want this crummy planet in the first place unless
> there's a really, really strong reason to take it.

Oh there is ;)
 
> And then I'm just about ready to drop rocks on it to
> deal with the damn biosphere and to hell with the
> humans.

Yes that has been toyed with by others in moments of frustration ;)
 
> The other option is to find some torqued-off locals
> who are willing to sell their sovreignty for a mess of
> pottage (and foolish enough to believe that assistance
> comes with no strings attached) and use them as local
> guides.

Possible too, though hasn't happened yet.

> Well, if my advance agents can walk into the corner
> drugstore and buy a bottle of OFF-equivelant, then I'm
> good.
> If every little old lady has their own recipie I may
> have to apply some interrogation techniques.

While its not EVERY little old lady (just specific ones) the later is
closer
to the way it would end up working... unless you're a nice friendly sort
then they may just adopt you and give it to you regardless ;)

Cheers