idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

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Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

That sums it up for me also Gadge.

Went as a Georgian Insurgent to a filmsim game at Tudds a couple of weeks ago, pretty much wearing what I would put together for this here Brit rebel thing. Jeans, black hoody, dark brown leather 'box' jacket, wooly beany-ish hat. I'd been dieing to break out that old leather jacket in a game and this was the perfect opportunity [edit] I had already looked up some Georgian/Chechen/Serbian irregulars for inspiration

The jacket worked a treat, and the loadout didn't actually feel as if I was just a noob turning up in what he had, yet I could still easily walk down any UK street in it. I wore no webbing, stuffed a few mags in the jacket pockets. It just worked for the role I was playing in.

I'm going to be wearing it again, without a doubt

I also grew a beard for it

[Nickona]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

The best source would probably be the IRA as mentioned before!

Although that would probably be a later stage thing

[-=256=-Swerve]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

I'm not sure I agree.

The were paramilitary and IRA had a 'look' which was based on tradition and the need to be recognised WHEN they want it. In order to project this image they made use of what was available at the time 30-40 years ago.

If you are looking at a broadly 'English' modern day counterpart, I'm not sure they would come up with the same look, and quite possibly would not want a visual association to the IRA. If anything, they would have more connection with groups like the UVF who seemed to favour all black, or green bomber jackets, jeans and the odd bit of camo

[Isolate]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

I quite like some of the pictures in dieselmonkey's thread above as ideas: It may not be British-specific, but people with general OD-coloured clothes and the occasional bit of camo webbing and (possibly stolen) foreign weapon makes for a nice mixed rebel loadout.

The beauty of this idea is that it doesn't have to be very well-defined; you could go from being a civvy in jeans and a leather jacket with big pockets, to a 'raider' of surplus stores or army bases in DPM and 90's era gear, with anything from a shotgun, a VSR, AK, SLR, to an L85, G36 or even something more exotic you could argue you had smuggled in! As long as you aren't in a plate carrier, Oakley gloves and with a pimped M4 covered in Magpul bits, you could probably make a case for it being in a Brit rebel scenario. :D

[-=256=-Swerve]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

A decent source film would be Children of Men

children_of_men_movie_image.jpgchildren of men scene.jpg

[loki7491]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

As long as you aren't in a plate carrier, Oakley gloves and with a pimped M4 covered in Magpul bits, you could probably make a case for it being in a Brit rebel scenario. :D

But all of the above stuff is available on eBay, surplus stores and airsoft shops... clearly i mean Zero One, therefore rebels COULD be decked out in all that rig. We are not a 3rd world country, our rebels will not be in flip flops with AKs and more RPG warheads than teeth. As it gains momentum and people warm to the idea they will have the chance to buy / steal stuff like this. You are never going to wake up one morning and find the civil population trying to over throw a government... it needs to gather pace and that's when the hoarding of kit will take place.

[-=256=-Swerve]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

You are right, however wearing such kit will immediately identify you as a threat, so unless you are holding territory and preventing government patrols you will just be marking yourself out as an obvious target.

Insurgents/rebels the world over for the last 100 years have often had access to kit that they learned not to wear if the battle is asymmetrical.

In a UK scenario though you would have a third faction - private security. Employed by corporations/individuals to protect person/property/materiel outside of government.

[Hawaiian Special Forces]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

You are right, however wearing such kit will immediately identify you as a threat, so unless you are holding territory and preventing government patrols you will just be marking yourself out as an obvious target.

For the purposes of airsoft I'd be fine with that. Airsoft is about overt fighting rather than asymmetrical warfare anyway.

I've said it before but I'd go with obvious rather than subtle and concealed. Syrians rebels in street to street fighting rather than IRA bombers or dudes in civvies holding on to cell phones and IEDs.

[-=256=-Swerve]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

well then you have a generic PMC-ish mixed with just turned up for first skirmish-ish vs Police loadouts and UK Armed Forces loadouts

...and that is your answer to the thread title

move along nothing to see here

[Gadge Europa]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

You also have to look at the *quantity* of and availability of this top end military kit.

Put it this way at the moment a small proportion of the population (airsofters) play in top end military kit and a small proportion of them at that. If you were looking at a 50/50 split population genuine civil war would 'zero in' have enough webbing and plate carriers in stock for everyone... as obviously nobody else sells this kind of thing

Also one 'martial law' had been declared sales of this sort of kit to anyone non military would be banned. People *would* have to make do with older stuff that was hanging around the attic or that they used to use to go fishing in.

You wouldnt be able to walk into a shop and say... 'excuse me sir, i'd like a vest capable of holding at least eight assault rifle rounds and some water bottles... if you've got any plate carriers too that would be great?'

I think you're going to go nowhere with this until you set a firm back story that is *yours* (as in the OPS) and you wont deviate from it. Then people can come up with an impression that credibly fits into your story. At the moment its too vague.... how big is the unrest, whats the split (civvy/gov or is it like the ECW and military/crown), is there an outside agitator/agent (chinese/americans/french) can these agitaors support overtly or is it like early soviet afghan when old kit has to be passed on to aovid being caught helping the rebels. Is britain freely trading, is there an arms/imports embargo. Are the UN in place dividing the sides.

Answering all thouse questions one way or another drastically effects what your rebel is going to be wearing and carrying.

[killacommy]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

Someone said something about south London ghettos (I live in one, it's really not that bad) and WANNABE gangsters getting involved. This wouldn't be the case, they would jump on the band wagon for a few months and when shit got serious, go home and play FIFA. The fighters would be the politically motivated so trying to look like your average hoodlum wouldn't do it for this loadout. Jeans, camo jacket, sporting rifle, Lee Enfield, G36C or L85, shot guns and 37, 58 or PLCE webbing are best. The riots are not a good example of what a rebel would look like, the people participating were doing it for free trainers, not overthrowing the government, they were wearing everyday clothes with a scarf thrown on (some not even that).

[SoCal67]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

Always interesting to read peoples perspectives on such discussions. Like the London riots doesn't take long for civil unrest to spread. If we're talking about loadout for a combatant in a civil UK war some years into the conflict then like all conflicts some will be privy to military equipment gained as spoils of war, black market imports, local market, defectors etc. Therefore the scenario is endless and subjective to setting the back story.

Like Hollywood / airsoft, your going for a look / style. Certain conflicts from our living history provide images of rebel fighters. Wearing a branded tracksuit top, or holding an AK instantly paints a picture. Every period of time has it's iconic clothing, and weapon. If we're attempting to create a look to depict a UK civil war fighter then pick some iconic clothing that symbolises a time in our history, and mix it up with some milsim accessories? Also you gotta consider if your going for a street fighter look, plus at what end of the market? Ghetto, hardcore bruiser, ex-miltary, etc. etc. Options are endless. I think if you create a loadout that doesn't have to be explained then people should get it?

[killacommy]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

Most of what you said is true, but what im trying to say is that most people from ghettos wouldn't fight as they lack the political motivation. Instead of trying to build the most stereotypically offensive London teenager loadout just maybe wear what you would everyday and throw a camo jacket on, there's a lot of them kicking about (especially now they're more fashionable). I am thinking more along the lines of as freedom fighter/terrorist loadout as that's how any revolution would start.

[SoCal67]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

Most of what you said is true, but what im trying to say is that most people from ghettos wouldn't fight as they lack the political motivation. .

Interesting comment, I don't think political motivation would be the catalyst and fuel for people from a ghetto, more likely better living conditions, equal rights, etc.etc.

[killacommy]

Re: idea: The British Rebel Fighter - What would they look like?

Have you ever actually been to a ghetto? Living conditions are not bad, certainly not great, but not so bad that people would risk their lives in a revolution to improve them. But I can see your point about equal rights, as poor and disabled people have been unfairly persecuted by the Tories since 2010, but if disabled people cause any trouble, I can see the government locking them all up in asylums. And poor people are always going to be poor, the government will do everything to keep them at the bottom, and keeping them in the dark about what's going on in their country seems to be working, and that is the reason why I said that people in ghettos/poor people lack the political motivation to fight in a revolution, they simply haven't been given political motivation. I'm sure if they were taught the ins and outs of politics they would be the first ones on the revolution band wagon, and that is the reason why kids aren't taught politics in school, instead they waste time with shit like RE and art because if poor people knew that socialism would be better for them, they would rebel.