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I’m going to run DoW sometime soon and began looking through it. One thing that was jarring to me was the ages of the troops. PFCs who are 33/34 years old? A Captain who is 43? These ages seem so off. Is there anything in the book that explains this?

Going by today’s USMC, if you join at 18 you can make PFC by 19, sometimes earlier. You can make Sergeant within 4 years, and Staff Sergeant usually within 7. For officer ranks the average age to make Captain is about 28 years old if you were a 2nd Lt. at 22.

This squad all just decide to join the USCMC in their 30s? I mean in ALIENS Corporal Hicks was probably 21, maybe 22. Sure, Michael Biehn was late 20s during filming but I think he is meant for Hicks to be younger. Apone makes sense in terms of age as well: Master Sergeant in his early 40s.

It’s just a strange choice to say the least. I suppose I can work it into backstories or something.

The history of the colony is one way to explain it ... as the colony declines, people join up to the only "employer" left in town.

Another is that these troops aren't really the cream of the crop is why they haven't really advanced and why they got "volunteered" for the project.

Personality Disorders are listed for them.

Wojick - her attitude about squad could have put her crossways with superiors over and over.

Carvalho - He could have been a bit "lax" about getting things done because he's just coasting until he can get back to sponging off his family to build a burger place.

Wright - Dangerous but paranoid ...

Reese - well ...

Another possibility is that by the 2180s - the USCM is more open to recruits joining late because it fills the ranks - and with the unpleasantness across the colonies, people find themselves in dire circumstances unexpectedly and join up to the one place with a paycheck waving.

You can only imagine how fun it is for the drill instructors having such an age range trying to get through boot?

It is also possible that they have spent considerable time in cryosleep during their career, being freighted to-and-fro various assignments.

Appreciate the answers. I have a crew who asks a lot of good questions about lore so I wanted to have some logical answers for it!

I’m going to run DoW sometime soon and began looking through it. One thing that was jarring to me was the ages of the troops. PFCs who are 33/34 years old? A Captain who is 43? These ages seem so off. Is there anything in the book that explains this?

Going by today’s USMC, if you join at 18 you can make PFC by 19, sometimes earlier. You can make Sergeant within 4 years, and Staff Sergeant usually within 7. For officer ranks the average age to make Captain is about 28 years old if you were a 2nd Lt. at 22.

This squad all just decide to join the USCMC in their 30s? I mean in ALIENS Corporal Hicks was probably 21, maybe 22. Sure, Michael Biehn was late 20s during filming but I think he is meant for Hicks to be younger. Apone makes sense in terms of age as well: Master Sergeant in his early 40s.

It’s just a strange choice to say the least. I suppose I can work it into backstories or something.

It is odd to see PFCs in their 30s and a Captain in his 40s, as this doesn’t match typical career progressions in the military. For example, in the USMC, you could be a PFC by 19 and a Captain by your late 20s. Maybe they all enlisted late, but it’s something I might adjust in backstories to make it work better.

Relativistic speeds (and cryosleep) play hell with tracking time and age.

Personally, I think the choice is deliberate, and made for two reasons: (1) These are experienced marines, not high-and-tight jarheads straight out of basic. Being experienced, it's easier to justify smarter and more independent character decisions. (2) At my -- ahem -- somewhat advanced age, I'm far more interested in, and comfortable with, playing full adults in the ALIEN universe, rather than adolescents. (And human adolescence can last until 25 years of age.)

Relativistic speeds (and cryosleep) play hell with tracking time and age.

Personally, I think the choice is deliberate, and made for two reasons: (1) These are experienced marines, not high-and-tight jarheads straight out of basic. Being experienced, it's easier to justify smarter and more independent character decisions. (2) At my -- ahem -- somewhat advanced age, I'm far more interested in, and comfortable with, playing full adults in the ALIEN universe, rather than adolescents. (And human adolescence can last until 25 years of age.)

How do you think age and experience influence character development in the ALIEN universe, especially with the impact of relativistic speeds and cryosleep?

How do you think age and experience influence character development in the ALIEN universe, especially with the impact of relativistic speeds and cryosleep?

I think that's an excellent and very deep question, and one that I'm not prepared to tackle, except to say that perhaps it could help explain why Colonial Marines might be in their late-20s and early-30s and still be low Enlisted ranks.