class

[Firefly]

I dislike "class" for an FPS. This is not WAR or WoW or Rift, this is Planetside. It's a shooter. A military-themed shooter. Sci-fi military, but military nonetheless. I chose MOS for that reason, and also just to be different than the gamers who say "class" or "specialty" or "role" or "cert".

"Class" speaks to me of being pigeon-holed into a specific set of givens - oh, you're a dwarf? Naturally you can only use axes and hammers. Oh, you're an elf? Guess what, thin little swords and a bow/arrow. Oh you're a human? You can do any goddamn thing you want. Oh, you're a healer? A stupid robe, a funny hat and not much else. Oh, you're a rogue? A cloak and dagger for you!

"Class" says, you can only do certain things and you can only use certain weapons. Frankly, that's stupid in my opinion. Yes, everyone in the military has a specific trade - but we cross-train. As an infantryman my job was to learn to shoot every infantry-based weapons system from pistols and bigger small arms up to crew-served weapons like fifty-cals, Mk19 automatic grenade launchers, the loud-as-fuck Carl Gustav recoilless rifle, and anti-tank missile launchers. Being a big infantryman meant I was singled out to carry the big guns, until they found out I was an expert shot and got to be a sniper. And guess what? I also got trained as a "Combat Lifesaver", which meant I was further trained in basic EMT tasks beyond what they taught in Basic, up to and including administering an IV. My job as the squad's CLS was to provide first aid and basic medical treatment for a wounded/injured soldier enough to stabilise him for transport for further treatment. So, my "class" went from tank to melee DPS to ranged DPS to healer, when all I'd enlisted for was 11B1PV (now called Option 40), airborne infantry Ranger.

When I reclassed (just can't escape that goddamn term) into the intel field, I was originally an analyst. I cross-trained on voice-intercept because they let me learn languages. And I was in a tactical intel unit so I taught my troops how to do basic combat infantry stuff. They cross-trained. When I reclassed yet again into voice-intercept, they had me doing analysis and database building and sysadmin bullshit. I quickly volunteered for other stuff that had no relevance to anything I'd been trained for.