Ok so shoot me would you and save me the embarrassment please. I just started running final sanction and got to the part where they get out of their drop pod and walk into the fire fight. Their were some confusing rules questions and then we got to swinging and shooting at the two 30 mag mobs i dropped on my team. We break for the night since we have to get up for work when one of my players says "where the heck are the other two space marines?" I totally blanked on it. My party is made up of a BA Libby, a SW Tac, and i play a DA Dev. Because we were so short of bodies i threw in the two pre-made Tacs, brother Octavius and Gregor from the sanction set. The problem is that three space marines got out of the drop pod when it landed, their should have been five, what the hell do i do?

Wait... you ànd play a Marine as well? Well, that's the start of your confusion right there I'd say... stick to either playing or GM'ing for a start.

I would say that they were fixing a tank the whole time. Make it clear (via the NPC's) that they can only use it for one seen, then it will break down.

Meph said:

I have played with several GMs who have done this without any complants.

Turns out a second DP was launched just an instant before the explosion, it came down relatively close and the two marines set up with the PDF there until the five of you could make it back together. THen send them with the Inquisitor's Aide to hold down the PDF HQ. Done and done.

Just gloss over it. Their harnesses got jammed when the pod landed and they only got free after the firefight had ended. As NPCs you don't want them doing too mach for the PCs anyway. just have them float in the background ready to chime in if they have a needed special skill that none of the PCs have. Otherwise just assume there present but doing something importand like covering the rear or fighting off a second Horde that was sneaking up behind you only no-one noticed in the commotion of the main fight.

2nd pod ret-con job I would say. Have it land in some hostile territory and have the players fight to break it out

FatPob said:

Especially since the city is under smoke.

Alex

darkrose50 said:

And I'm sure that many others have seen the trust/compact between player and GM violated by doing this. Personally if a GM says that they're going to be doing this it sends up the warning smoke. My take is that you're the GM and you get to play the unwashed mashes (read: everyone else) so taking on the role of a single non-player character with the idea that they're a player character just seems... selfish. Treat 'em like an NPC, which means that they're the first ones to bite the dust if you need to point out that perhaps (just perhaps!) this situation might warrant more care.

Kage

Have the other two marines come in over the comlink and state something like this.

"En route. Just finishing off a mob of <alien species here> that hit us from the other side of the landing zone."

The fight occurred "Off Screen" while the current group was occuppied. Shouldn't cause too much of an issue. It's hard to run NPC's with the party in addition to running everything else. I usually recommend against a GM running NPCs as members of the group so they don't hog the limelight from the PCs, but I've been known to do it myself the past when we didn't have our full group of players.

Anyway, I hope this is plausible enough of an excuse for the next time this happens.

FatPob said:

I think i'll go with this, it could lead to a cool black hawk down moment.

Also i play a Devastator so that the party can have a decent heavy weapon against hordes since the other two are a tac and a libby who both like to melee. I do it to balance out the party, also hes a dark angel so he doesn't steal the spot light because he hardly ever speaks, mostly just nods.

Xie said:

I agree with Kage here- I'd use the Devestator as an NPC - make him part of the group, but just there to make it seem like more of a team, he stays in the back and doesn't do much unless they ask him to. And if it isn't to try and avoid the 'team of two' issue, I'd work extra hard at tuning the adventures to what the PCs are- a team of a tactical and a librarian. Just kind of reduce the number of big things that you'd need/want the devestator for, and remove him all together. Not trying to rain on the way you play/run your game, but I've personally had all kinds of issues with GM's playing characters (myself included in the list of GMs that didn't do that right).

And as for them loving the hand to hand, why isn't one of them an assault marine? Though if it is a team of two, tactical is probably a more versatile role...