Team Design Part 2

Military vs. Government vs. Private Organization

Your teams are generally going to fall into three types: military, government, or private. Each one has its own issues that need to be considered.

Military teams, even those that are independent (ie, "detached") have access to a certain baseline of supplies and support. Their equipment may not be the most modern, but it is likely to be well taken care of, the soldiers will have access to rations and ammunition, and they are likely to have access to some information. However, they will have little choice where they can go and have the possibility of being ordered into situations that they would have preferred not to deal with. They will also have to deal with a strict hierarchy and rules, as well as a lot of soap opera drama with potentially deadly stakes.

[This can substitute for a large private group, especially one with a strict hierarchy. This also works for a cult or other group with a similar organization. Characters that disobey orders or desert can either suffer limited repercussions or be in serious fear of their lives.]

Government agencies have a little more discretion as to which orders they have to follow, but the supervisor can still direct them, especially younger agents, as he sees fit. They may not have access to rations and ammunition, but they can be reimbursed for any costs as long as they are "mission-relevant"; however, even experienced agents are advised to not abuse the system. Interestingly, there is a direct relationship between danger and how much they can abuse the expense account; compare what Agents Mulder and Scully can get away with versus James Bond. They are likely to have little information on the situation they are heading into.

[This also works for most medium private groups. That is, groups that have some organization and reputation but are generally more likely to force their agents to investigate the situation on their own and deal with it. This is also great for academic institutions that seem to look into everything and seem to solve a lot of problems.]

Private organizations tend to vary in how much support they give their agents; note that this covers a team of vigilantes as much as it does a large organization. While larger groups have been mentioned, this usually applies to smaller groups, such as the mystery-solving group of friends and the solo vigilante. While the group has a lot of freedom, they also have no authority beyond their reputation and citizens can do with them as they pretty much please as they have no government backing.

To summarize: The military is great for major threats and when you need armed backing. A government agency is great when you need some sort of authority but not necessarily an armed response. A private group is best when you are trying to emphasize how alone the characters are, even in big groups. Figure out which one works for you and have fun with it.

Friends vs. Associates vs. Assigned

Making it even weirder is that a team can be created from friends, associates, or even those assigned to work together, and the relationships are going to be different, at least at the beginning, between the three. A team formed from friends is those who spent some time together before joining the team; the bonds are going to be tighter and they will know each other's strengths and weaknesses. However, because everyone knows each other so well, this is also the most dramatic; everyone will be pushing everyone else and they are less likely to hold back when they fight.

Conversely, associates have the loosest bonds; they are only part of the team as long as everyone else's goals line up with everyone else'. They joined the team to achieve some sort of goal, and once that goal has been accomplished or a better way of accomplishing it is found they will leave the group. These are usually short-term partners, but they can be easily shifted to friends. Of course, there is usually nothing preventing them from rejoining the group later on, depending on the reason for their departure and if they created any hurt feelings.

Characters that are assigned will be in the team only as long as the assignment lasts. They are also likely to be replaced if something happens to them, such as being killed or permanently handicapped. While they can become friends, some don't due to the situation; after all, they can be assigned elsewhere. This makes them dynamic and able to adapt quicker as well, as they can grab someone with applicable skills, and they sometimes have the greatest pool of potential team members depending on the organization backing the team.

It should be noted that individual members can shift between the three statuses depending on the situation. A friend can become an associate if he is seriously betrayed and so his interest in the team can wane. An assigned person can be friends outside of being on the team, and a friend can be assigned to the group. You can also mix and match: A team could consist of soldiers (assigned), an expert (associate), and the significant other of one of the soldiers (friend). As usual, just go with whatever works and you should be fine.

Forced Conscription vs. Volunteers

Characters can also be forced to join the team or volunteer. This is different from the last category in that someone who is assigned can always refuse the assignment; also, some organizations assume that a person will go where they are assigned after signing on voluntarily to the organization. The difference here is a forced conscription assumes that the person has no choice; they were blackmailed, threatened, or otherwise forced (such as by demonic contract) to join the team. These people may generally be working for the success of the team but unless their status somehow changes they will work against the group whenever possible.

Admittedly, a volunteer can also be working against the team, but the volunteer is usually working for the team but he can leave the team if he wants. This means that he can leave the team if he doesn't like the direction that the team is going, or if he feels that they are approaching the goal and he wants to try his way.

This status can change (a conscript can be freed or the threat keeping him on the team removed while a volunteer can have their freedom somehow revoked), but doing so is a major turning point in the story. As such, do such a moment s rarely as possible.

Five-Man Band

This is something that has been gone over by so many sources that not a lot of time needs to be spent on it. The basics are that the team has a leader, a lance, a brain, a tank, and the heart of the team.

The leader makes the decisions for the team and is usually the second-best combatant.

The lance is the rebel, or at least likes giving the leader a hard time, and is usually the best at stealth and combat.

The brain is the smartest person in the group and is best at finding solutions that the leader can them implement.

The tank is the strongest in the group and usually has the best mechanical skills in the group, including driving.

The heart of the team is the one who pulls the team together and deals with morale issues. She is also a pretty good fighter in her own right and is usually the team sniper. This character is usually the girl or a comedy relief character. If she's a girl, then the leader is usually her boyfriend, the lance is his romantic rival, and the brain and tank have crushes on her. If he's comedy relief, then he's usually best friends with the leader, a rival of the lance, effectively older brother to the brain, and younger brother of the tank.

This team is easy to build, has built-in drama, and is familiar enough to readers that the writer doesn't need to spend a lot of time explaining the relationships. As such, this is a pretty common configuration.