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01-04-2011, 02:32 PM | #1 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 1,586
|
Am I the only one who think it is strange that certain Cobra troopers are designated Vipers and others have non-Viper names? There doesn't seem to be any clear pattern as to whether a Cobra unit is given the Viper title, and the anal retentive organizer in me has always thought this was odd. Even when I was ten and should have been too young to care about that stuff.
For example, there has never been a clear official explanation as to the differences between the Vipers and the Blueshirts. Also, why are certain environmental experts given Viper tags (Rock Viper, Alley Viper), while others are not (Snow Sepent, Desert Scorpion). Certain vehicle drivers get the Viper tag, but not all. And not all Vipers are even infantry - surely the Astro Vipers aren't recruited from the regular Viper pool? Most weapon specialists are given the Viper tags, but not all. Surely a highly centralized, control-freakish terrorist organization should have a little more order! In my own fictionalized version of Cobra, I think I'd reorganize the troops types along two paralell lines: Vipers, who are infantry specialized in a particular infantry weapon or technology, plus being cross trained on at least one land vehicle; and the Troopers, who are all-around multirole infantry that specialize in environments. Most soldiers would start as either a Viper or a Blueshirt, and move into a specliazation if they showed promise, and survive long enough. Viper Heat Viper Frag Viper SAW Viper Flak Viper Laser Viper Toxo Viper Flame Viper (replaces the Incinerators) Target Viper (Cobra needs dedicated snipers) Tele Viper Techno Viper Medi Viper Blueshirt "Trooper" Crimson Guard Snow Serpent Desert Scorpion Night Hunter (replaces Night Viper) Street Brawler (replaces Alley Viper) Cobra Ranger (replaces Range Viper) Mountain Ranger (replaces Rock Viper) etc Vehicle drivers and air/sea/space forces would be separate somehow. It makes little sense to me to recruit Snow Serpents from Eels. What do you think? Has anyone else come up with an alternate Cobra order of Battle? Or was there actually some order to the Cobra unit designations all along, that I've just been missing out on all this time? |
01-04-2011, 02:39 PM | #2 |
Sith/Jedi Hybrid
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Middle TN
Posts: 3,197
|
Blueshirts, CG's, Snow Serpents, Eels all came out before the Vipers. Starting with the wave when the Vipers were first released, all the new specialized guys became "so-and-so" vipers. So basically, all the non-viper guys you mentioned either came out before the original vipers, or came out after GI Joe became stupid for awhile (Eco Warriors, Just Say No Force, Street Fighter, Donkey Kong Commandos).
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01-04-2011, 02:50 PM | #3 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Home
Posts: 2,242
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fighting barrel throwing kidnapping injustice with a hop, skip, and a jump since 1990.
Sorry... derail over. |
01-04-2011, 02:52 PM | #4 |
Oktober Guard soldier
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Under the sea!
Posts: 5,468
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More figures to sell IMO. But once the Viper came out, he became the generic trooper. In my head...everyone starts out as a trooper. Best soldiers get promoted to Vipers. Then, depending on specialization, they become Rock, Night, Frag...etc...vipers.
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01-04-2011, 03:41 PM | #5 |
Hisstank Ninja
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Mint on Card
Posts: 8,956
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Quote:
Those that are given alternate titles besides "___-viper" are those Vipers which have graduated to even more extreme and skilled positions - Desert Scorpions, Snow Serpents, Eels, and Crimson Guards Officers are pulled from the troopers due to intelligence and leadership abilities, or are those who are specifically recruited for such abilities. They also go on to become CGs if they display the desired skill and personality.
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01-04-2011, 03:43 PM | #6 |
Crimson Nerd
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Virginia
Posts: 12,581
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Quote:
Sometimes folks can "skip" steps if they have a specialized skillset (You don't necessarily have to have been a "basic" Viper to be a Tele-Viper or a Medi-Viper, for example, and those with prior military experience can sometimes jump right into roles that suit their skills), but in my Joe-verse there are basically three "tracks" that Cobra "enlistees" can follow: 1. Blueshirt - Viper - Specialty Viper 2. Blueshirt - Eel - Specialized Eel (Snow Serpent, Para-Viper, etc...) 3. Blueshirt - Cobra Officer - Crimson Guardsman - Crimson Guardsman specialist (the "command track") |
01-04-2011, 03:45 PM | #7 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 1,586
|
Quote:
Blueshirts, CG's, Snow Serpents, Eels all came out before the Vipers. Starting with the wave when the Vipers were first released, all the new specialized guys became "so-and-so" vipers. So basically, all the non-viper guys you mentioned either came out before the original vipers, or came out after GI Joe became stupid for awhile (Eco Warriors, Just Say No Force, Street Fighter, Donkey Kong Commandos).
I suppose that depends on when you think G.I.Joe "became stupid", but what about the W.O.R.M.S., the A.V.A.C.s, the Sea Slug, the Incinerators, the Desert Scorpions, and others? If they had consistently made every trooper some kind of Viper after the first Vipers came out, I'd feel differently, but that isn't quite the case. As an interesting aside, I just realize now that the Tele Viper actually came out the year before the regular Viper. |
01-04-2011, 06:49 PM | #8 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Iowa
Posts: 151
|
I like to think of the different titles as an MOS or Military Occupational Specialty. You enlist either with a contract for a certain MOS or you get assigned to one after boot depending on your skill set and then you go on to your follow-on training and MOS school.
Here is an example using USMC MOS codes, Viper = 0311 (Infantry Riflemen), Saw Viper = 0331 (Machine Gunner), Techno Viper = 6433 (Aviation Electronics Technician) ect. Obviously some of the MOS's you can’t just go to right after boot, such as the Eels and Snow-Serpents, you would have to serve your time in another combat arms MOS and then go though their training as well. As far as the Crimson Guard, I don’t really think you can choose to become one of them, you are chosen. When it comes to Cobra Troopers vs. Vipers, I consider them more of a security or occupation force. (Maybe a parallel fighting force, like Army vs. Marines) Or a reserve force, like the National Guard. They are still able to move into other MOS fields. |
01-04-2011, 06:54 PM | #9 |
DeceptiGrenadier
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Broca Beach, MI
Posts: 12,187
|
Quote:
Am I the only one who think it is strange that certain Cobra troopers are designated Vipers and others have non-Viper names? There doesn't seem to be any clear pattern as to whether a Cobra unit is given the Viper title, and the anal retentive organizer in me has always thought this was odd. Even when I was ten and should have been too young to care about that stuff.
For example, there has never been a clear official explanation as to the differences between the Vipers and the Blueshirts. Also, why are certain environmental experts given Viper tags (Rock Viper, Alley Viper), while others are not (Snow Sepent, Desert Scorpion). Certain vehicle drivers get the Viper tag, but not all. And not all Vipers are even infantry - surely the Astro Vipers aren't recruited from the regular Viper pool? Most weapon specialists are given the Viper tags, but not all. Surely a highly centralized, control-freakish terrorist organization should have a little more order! In my own fictionalized version of Cobra, I think I'd reorganize the troops types along two paralell lines: Vipers, who are infantry specialized in a particular infantry weapon or technology, plus being cross trained on at least one land vehicle; and the Troopers, who are all-around multirole infantry that specialize in environments. Most soldiers would start as either a Viper or a Blueshirt, and move into a specliazation if they showed promise, and survive long enough. Viper Heat Viper Frag Viper SAW Viper Flak Viper Laser Viper Toxo Viper Flame Viper (replaces the Incinerators) Target Viper (Cobra needs dedicated snipers) Tele Viper Techno Viper Medi Viper Blueshirt "Trooper" Crimson Guard Snow Serpent Desert Scorpion Night Hunter (replaces Night Viper) Street Brawler (replaces Alley Viper) Cobra Ranger (replaces Range Viper) Mountain Ranger (replaces Rock Viper) etc Vehicle drivers and air/sea/space forces would be separate somehow. It makes little sense to me to recruit Snow Serpents from Eels. What do you think? Has anyone else come up with an alternate Cobra order of Battle? Or was there actually some order to the Cobra unit designations all along, that I've just been missing out on all this time? Umm, I thought Desert Scorpions were Vipers that were being punished and banished to this unwanted duty as punishment. Why would that make them higher rank? If anything, lower than a basic Viper I'd say.
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Rest in peace my son, Aaron Michael. You will always be in our hearts and prayers. 9/13/2012 |
01-04-2011, 07:34 PM | #10 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 1,586
|
I guess to me it isn't just about ranking in terms of promotion, but also in terms of organizational structure. To me, it seems the Vipers train for a particular weapon or technology proficiency and train to work and fight alongside other types of Vipers. But the Blueshirts, Snow Serpents, and Desert Scorpions tend to operate on their own - they're trained to perform a number of different weapon-specific roles, if that makes sense. If they need an anti tank trooper with them on a mission instead of bringing a HEAT Viper along, they'll just give a rocket launcher to one of their own (who may well have done time as a HEAT Viper in the past).
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