Wild Bill

F
Gd 10
A
Ex 20
S
Ty 6
E
Gd 10
R
Gd 10
I
Ty 6
P
Ex 20
Res
Ex 20
Pop
Sh 0

Health:
Karma:
46
36

Origin:

Like the vast majority of his fellow Joes, Wild Bill is naught but a normal human, altogether lacking any sort of arcane background, psionic schooling, or freaky mutant powers. However, he does have enough personality for ten men, and he's generally at the stick of advanced aircraft while on missions, so for all intents and purposes, I suppose you could consider him a high tech hero type of guy.

Known Powers:

(none)

Limitations / Enhancements:

(none)

Equipment:

Dragonfly Assault Copter XH-1: his first - and favorite - Joe vehicle, this two man helicopter is a veritable flying arsenal. Armed with a chain gun chin turret and six particularly effective air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, Wild Bill could use it to inflict severe casualties on any enemy, either alone or with the assistance of his standard gunner, Airborne. See the Dragonfly's entry for more information.

Knife: as do most military men, Wild Bill carries with him a blade at all times should he need to cut something in a hurry, or should he find himself otherwise unarmed. His blades are usually of at least Remarkable (30) material strength, and he can use them to cut through materials of like strength, or to inflict Typical (6) Edged Attack damage to living beings.

Twin Revolvers: carried more for style than anything else, these twin six-shooters are Wild Bill's preferred fighting pieces. Each of them can be fired to inflict Good (10) Shooting damage per deadly shot, and can be fired six times before they need to be reloaded. However, they're not too practical for extended firefights, as they don't utilize magazines; a reload takes a full turn to accomplish.

Quirks:

Likability: more than anything else, Wild Bill is an exceptionally friendly guy, and tends to get good reactions out of practically everybody he meets. When interacting with others, Wild Bill should receive NPC reactions that are one level more favorable, unless said NPC is already hostile to him (such as your standard Cobra operative). He's just that amicable.

Talents:

Aerial Combat: naturally, one of Wild Bill's greatest skills is his ability to fight in the air - usually while contained within some advanced aerial fighting machine, that is. Whenever he's piloting an aircraft, whether it be his beloved Dragonfly (or Locust) or any other helicopter (or airplane), Wild Bill makes any applicable combat FEAT rolls as though the statistic in question was +1 CS higher in rank.

Guns: a talent that Wild Bill was given during his basic training, and then honed through years of battle, this skill demonstrates his abilities with a gun. Whether he is using a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, he may do so as though his Agility score was +1 CS in rank. He'd rather not have to use this skill, preferring to rely on his aircraft in battle, but you never know.

Martial Arts type B: another talent gained through the Army, this skill describes Wild Bill's capability to defend himself should he find himself completely unarmed. Whether he utilizes a kick, punch, head butt, knee smash, elbow crush, or any other physical maneuver with his body, Wild Bill may do so as though his Fighting score was +1 CS higher than is listed above.

Military / United States: the skill that all his others are wrapped around, this background-style talent describes Wild Bill's origin as an Army operative. It provides Wild Bill innumerable Military contacts, as well as an innate understanding of military protocols. Furthermore, he can use this talent whenever attempting to lead a body of fighting men into combat.

Piloting: Wild Bill has been properly trained how to fly by the Army, and he's taken each lesson to heart from day one. He can fly any helicopter or airplane competently, and performs various airborne maneuvers as though his Agility or the vehicle's Control rating was +1 CS in rank - whichever is lower. He's never actually flown any fighter jets, however.

Contacts:

As one of the oldest Joes, and having known several of them before he even joined the team, Wild Bill can easily receive aid from the team should he need it, as he's saved their bacon more times than one can readily count. Furthermore, as a Vietnam vet and high ranking individual, Wild Bill can also rely on innumerable (and as of yet unnamed) military style contacts should he need to.

Costume:

Wild Bill's original Joe uniform consisted of a tan T-shirt covered by an Army green flight jacket, which itself was covered with a brown leather vest, and green gloves. He also wore a pair of green trousers, each leg of which had a brown leather pistol holster attached on the outside, brown leather boots, a brown leather belt, and a pair of silvered sunglasses - not to mention his trademark blue cowboy hat.

Personality:

Wild Bill is very amicable and slow talking, one of the friendliest people you'll ever know. He thinks of himself as a country-western singer, a general complement of his love for all things southern. He's totally honest in his personal life, though he's not above telling a tall tale or two to keep his friends entertained. As you can guess, Wild Bill is like every Joe's best friend.

Real Name: William S. Hardy, Grade CW-4 (Chief Warrant Officer)
Occupation: helicopter pilot, fixed wing pilot, air cavalry scout
Legal Status: American citizen with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: GI Joe, Tiger Force (GI Joe sub group)

Height: 5' 11"
Hair: red-brown
Eyes: blue
Weight: 165 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: William wears a thick, distinctive moustache

Story:

William Hardy grew up in the small town of Brady, Texas, where he acquired his love for country-western music, his characteristic Texas drawl, and his penchant for fantastic storytelling. During the Vietnam War, William signed up with the Army, and while on a tour of duty in that country, he participated in various Long Range Recon Patrol missions as a combat infantryman.

Once his tour was complete, William - who had since acquired the nickname Wild Bill - re-enlisted in the Flight Warrant Officer's school. Once he became a fully trained helicopter pilot, Wild Bill wound up flying missions in some of the most dangerous locations on earth, including a particularly deadly transport assignment for the brand new GI Joe team in the Middle East.

Though that mission itself wound up being a failure, Wild Bill impressed the Joe team's field leader enough that he earned a position on the team during its first expansion. In fact, Wild Bill's very first mission involved his flying several Joes to Alaska to relieve their fellows when Cobra tried to sabotage the Alaska Pipeline. After this operation, Wild Bill went on to participate in most Joe missions in some capacity.

Whether he's flying a Joe Dragonfly, one of the Tomahawk copters, or even the team's C-130 transport aircraft, Wild Bill has been an integral part of the team's air support, whether aided by Lift Ticket or the team's jet fighter pilots. Of course, he's also managed to crash more than his fair share of aircraft during his time with the Joe team, but then, he's obviously survived every single one of 'em.

Some of the more harrowing operations that Wild Bill has experienced include his participation in the Battle of Springfield, the Cobra Island Civil War, and the defense of the first Pit. However, he's seen far worse, having been involved with various skirmishes with the Oktober Guard concerning either defecting Soviet military men or recovered black boxes from a Cobra Firebat aircraft.

Probably the single worst experience Wild Bill's had with the Joes, of course, was when his C-130 transport was hijacked by Dreadnoks while he was waiting to pick up Hawk and Roadblock in the war-torn nation of Sierra Gordo's airport. Zarana and several Dreadnoks were fleeing from local insurgents, who were killing every Cobra they could find after growing tired of their puppet rule of the nation, and wanted out immediately.

Naturally, the plane was shot down shortly after Wild Bill took off, and this left the Joes and Dreadnoks - several of which were wounded - to fend for themselves in the nearby jungles while irate nationals were out for their blood. With luck, and somehow managing to work together, Wild Bill, the other Joes, and Zarana's Dreadnoks managed to escape by using their wits (and Thrasher's berserk rage).

Through all this, though, Wild Bill has stuck with the Joes, no matter how ugly things got - he's simply too stubborn to give up on the fight against Cobra and other, similarly evil terrorist organizations. Though the team was disbanded for a short while, he returned to the fold several years later, upon its reactivation. His first job: piloting the Locust, a desert modified Dragonfly!

(Historical Divergence)

Not to mention operating several other advanced vehicles, both air and ground based, depending on where the team needs him. He's happy to continue the fight against Cobra, though, and has done so through that organization's second and third major defeats. Now that they're on the run in the wake of World War III, Wild Bill is sticking with the Joes to help hunt down all of their fugitive members.

1992 Variations

Equipment:

Shotgun: for a time, Wild Bill carried an old fashioned shotgun around with him on missions, if mostly for effect. When fired, this rifle can be used to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage using birdshot, Good (10) Shooting damage wielding buckshot, and Excellent (20) Shooting damage when firing solid-lead slugs. While more of a close range weapon, it can often be used to hit multiple targets at once!

X-M 207 Hyper-Velocity Missile Launcher: whenever he feels particularly frisky on a mission, Wild Bill carries around a shoulder-mounted missile launcher, one that can fire small, yet deadly rockets at his foes; he usually saved this implement of destruction for especially hairy operations. Aided by an infra-red targeter (for a +1 CS to hit), these rockets have the following statistics:

C
Gd 10
S
In 40
B
Gd 10
Damage
Rm 30 Edged Attack

Talents:

Tracking: having learned how to hunt effectively as a child, Wild Bill has been encouraged by the Joe team to extend these skills into an official capacity on the job. As such, he can attempt to follow a body based on the trail they leave behind by passing a yellow Intuition FEAT roll, and once he locates their trail, he can track them unless they actively destroy said trail; this may require additional FEAT rolls.

Costume:

Wild Bill's second uniform was of a more... historic bent. He started wearing a blue, 19th Century US Cavalry officer's hat, a blue, classic desert commander's uniform shirt over a yellow, long-sleeved undershirt, a pair of black trousers, white gloves, brown, western-stylized desert insurgent's boots, and a US Cavalry style pistol holster and ammo belt in brown leather - along with yellow sunglasses.

1993 Variations

Equipment:

Shotgun: for a time, Wild Bill carried an old fashioned shotgun around with him on missions, if mostly for effect. When fired, this rifle can be used to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage using birdshot, Good (10) Shooting damage wielding buckshot, and Excellent (20) Shooting damage when firing solid-lead slugs. While more of a close range weapon, it can often be used to hit multiple targets at once!

X-M 207 Hyper-Velocity Missile Launcher: whenever he feels particularly frisky on a mission, Wild Bill carries around a shoulder-mounted missile launcher, one that can fire small, yet deadly rockets at his foes; he usually saved this implement of destruction for especially hairy operations. Aided by an infra-red targeter (for a +1 CS to hit), these rockets have the following statistics:

C
Gd 10
S
In 40
B
Gd 10
Damage
Rm 30 Edged Attack

Talents:

Tracking: having learned how to hunt effectively as a child, Wild Bill has been encouraged by the Joe team to extend these skills into an official capacity on the job. As such, he can attempt to follow a body based on the trail they leave behind by passing a yellow Intuition FEAT roll, and once he locates their trail, he can track them unless they actively destroy said trail; this may require additional FEAT rolls.

Costume:

Wild Bill's third uniform was basically the same as his second, though he did make a few cosmetic alterations to various elements of the ensemble. For instance, Wild Bill changed his classic desert commander's uniform shirt to a richer shade of blue, and he altered his trousers from solid black to bleached white. As usual, of course, Wild Bill kept his yellow-colored sunglasses.

2000 Variations

Equipment:

Locust Assault Copter XH-1: not to be confused with the earlier, much smaller variety of Locust helicopter, this aircraft is actually a slightly modified version of the Dragonfly that Wild Bill flew for so long in the service of the Joe team. It has the same basic capabilities, though it has been outfitted for rugged desert duty, and is described in a more detailed fashion in its own entry.

Talents:

Tracking: having learned how to hunt effectively as a child, Wild Bill has been encouraged by the Joe team to extend these skills into an official capacity on the job. As such, he can attempt to follow a body based on the trail they leave behind by passing a yellow Intuition FEAT roll, and once he locates their trail, he can track them unless they actively destroy said trail; this may require additional FEAT rolls.

Costume:

Once he hooked back up with the Joes, Wild Bill again assumed a uniform similar to his second one, though this, too, has several cosmetic variations. Wild Bill's classic desert commander's uniform shirt is still a deep blue, though the undershirt is now white in hue. His trousers are a dark gray with white racing stripes on the outside, and his gloves are now black, as are his sunglasses, belt, and holster.

2002 Variations

Equipment:

M-16 / M-203 Combo: a recent addition to Wild Bill's arsenal, this weapon is a combination assault rifle and grenade launcher. The M-16 portion of this weapon can fire a single shot to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage, +1 CS in a short burst, and +2 CS in a sustained firing pattern. The M-203 can fire a 40mm grenade which inflicts Remarkable (30) Edged Attack damage to all within its detonation area.

Talents:

Tracking: having learned how to hunt effectively as a child, Wild Bill has been encouraged by the Joe team to extend these skills into an official capacity on the job. As such, he can attempt to follow a body based on the trail they leave behind by passing a yellow Intuition FEAT roll, and once he locates their trail, he can track them unless they actively destroy said trail; this may require additional FEAT rolls.

Costume:

Wild Bill's fifth GI Joe field uniform is a whole new affair, though it still does a good job of reflecting his unique personality. This uniform includes a khakis colored pair of pants with a dark orange camouflage pattern dyed on, a white T-shirt under a brown leather jacket, brown leather boots, two gray ammo belts, twin holsters for his revolvers, silvered sunglasses, and of course a brown cowboy hat.

2003 Variations

Equipment:

M-16 / M-203 Combo: a recent addition to Wild Bill's arsenal, this weapon is a combination assault rifle and grenade launcher. The M-16 portion of this weapon can fire a single shot to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage, +1 CS in a short burst, and +2 CS in a sustained firing pattern. The M-203 can fire a 40mm grenade which inflicts Remarkable (30) Edged Attack damage to all within its detonation area.

Missile Storm Copter (v1): a new craft that Wild Bill had the pleasure to try out, the Missile Storm Copter is a one-man flying arsenal. A miniature vehicle on scale similar to the old Locusts, the Missile Storm Copters have missile launchers and Gatling cannons, all on a flying vehicle about the size of a VW Beetle. The Missile Storm Copter is described more fully in its own vehicular entry.

Talents:

Tracking: having learned how to hunt effectively as a child, Wild Bill has been encouraged by the Joe team to extend these skills into an official capacity on the job. As such, he can attempt to follow a body based on the trail they leave behind by passing a yellow Intuition FEAT roll, and once he locates their trail, he can track them unless they actively destroy said trail; this may require additional FEAT rolls.

Costume:

Wild Bill's sixth costume is similar to his fifth in composition, though it involves a drastic recoloring. It includes a dark gray pair of pants, silvery leg holsters for his gear, a dark gray T-shirt under a dark gray leather jacket, dark gray knee pads, black leather boots, two gray ammo belts, twin silvery holsters for his revolvers, silvered sunglasses, and a dark gray flight helmet instead of his normal cowboy hat.

His seventh uniform is again similar to his fifth, and worn when Wild Bill is palling about with the Tiger Force. It consists of khakis colored trousers with a black 'tiger stripe' pattern on them, a brown leather jacket, grass green holsters for his revolvers over his jacket and gear pouches on his legs, brown leather boots, black fingerless gloves, gray ammo belts around his hips, and his brown cowboy hat.

2004 Variations

Equipment:

M-16 / M-203 Combo: a recent addition to Wild Bill's arsenal, this weapon is a combination assault rifle and grenade launcher. The M-16 portion of this weapon can fire a single shot to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage, +1 CS in a short burst, and +2 CS in a sustained firing pattern. The M-203 can fire a 40mm grenade which inflicts Remarkable (30) Edged Attack damage to all within its detonation area.

Missile Storm Copter (v1): a new craft that Wild Bill had the pleasure to try out, the Missile Storm Copter is a one-man flying arsenal. A miniature vehicle on scale similar to the old Locusts, the Missile Storm Copters have missile launchers and Gatling cannons, all on a flying vehicle about the size of a VW Beetle. The Missile Storm Copter is described more fully in its own vehicular entry.

the Night Force Grizzly (v1): for a short time Wild Bill was placed a bit out of his element, and was assigned to the operation of a Night Force Grizzly - when he himself was a member of that elite, nocturnal group. Though he's generally a pilot, Wild Bill is well-versed in the use of high-power weaponry, and enjoys using it. The Night Force Grizzly is described in its own vehicular entry.

Tiger Storm Copter (v2): a minor modification of the Missile Storm Copter, the Tiger Storm Copter is a one-man flying arsenal. A miniature vehicle on scale similar to the old Locusts, the Missile Storm Copters have missile launchers and Gatling cannons, all on a flying vehicle about the size of a VW Beetle. The Missile Storm Copter is described more fully in its own vehicular entry.

Talents:

Tracking: having learned how to hunt effectively as a child, Wild Bill has been encouraged by the Joe team to extend these skills into an official capacity on the job. As such, he can attempt to follow a body based on the trail they leave behind by passing a yellow Intuition FEAT roll, and once he locates their trail, he can track them unless they actively destroy said trail; this may require additional FEAT rolls.

Costume:

Wild Bill's eighth costume is essentially the same as his sixth in composition, itself a recoloring of his fifth. It includes a dark gray pair of pants, silvery leg holsters for his gear, a dark gray T-shirt under a dark gray leather jacket, dark gray knee pads, black leather boots, two gray ammo belts, twin silvery holsters for his revolvers, silvered sunglasses, and a dark gray flight helmet instead of his normal cowboy hat.

His ninth is also similar to his fifth, though again with a completely different, desert color scheme. It consists of light brown trousers, twin gray ammunition belts around his hips, gray leg holsters for gear, a light brown leather jacket over a brown T-shirt, gray chest holsters for his two revolvers, black leather boots, black leather gloves, and a brown flight helmet with a black visor.

Wild Bill's tenth costume is an all new ensemble, though evocative of his earlier uniforms. It mainly consists of a grass green vest with a GI Joe logo that he wears over a white tank top, roomy, comfortable blue jeans, a brown leather belt with a brass belt buckle, brown and light orange leather flight gloves, brown leather boots, and twin brown and green holsters to hold his twin revolvers.

2005 Variations

Equipment:

M-16 / M-203 Combo: a recent addition to Wild Bill's arsenal, this weapon is a combination assault rifle and grenade launcher. The M-16 portion of this weapon can fire a single shot to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage, +1 CS in a short burst, and +2 CS in a sustained firing pattern. The M-203 can fire a 40mm grenade which inflicts Remarkable (30) Edged Attack damage to all within its detonation area.

Talents:

Tracking: having learned how to hunt effectively as a child, Wild Bill has been encouraged by the Joe team to extend these skills into an official capacity on the job. As such, he can attempt to follow a body based on the trail they leave behind by passing a yellow Intuition FEAT roll, and once he locates their trail, he can track them unless they actively destroy said trail; this may require additional FEAT rolls.

Costume:

Wild Bill's eleventh GI Joe uniform is a variation on his tenth, though a minor one at that. It mainly includes a grass green vest with a GI Joe logo that he wears over a white tank top, roomy, comfortable tan trousers, a brown leather belt with a brass belt buckle, brown and light orange leather flight gloves, brown leather boots, and twin brown and green holsters to hold his twin revolvers.

2008 Variations

Equipment:

Flight Helmet: for those instances when he's flying a plane or helicopter and has a good feeling he may be crashing soon, Wild Bill wears a flight helmet (instead of his normal cowboy hat). This headgear protects him with Good (10) ability from non-facial head shots or other impacts that hit him while it is worn, and the visor gives him similar screened senses (vision).

Talents:

Tracking: having learned how to hunt effectively as a child, Wild Bill has been encouraged by the Joe team to extend these skills into an official capacity on the job. As such, he can attempt to follow a body based on the trail they leave behind by passing a yellow Intuition FEAT roll, and once he locates their trail, he can track them unless they actively destroy said trail; this may require additional FEAT rolls.

Costume:

Wild Bill's twelfth Joe uniform consisted of a gray T-shirt covered by a blue flight jacket, which itself was covered with an orange leather vest. He also wore a pair of blue jeans, each leg of which had a blue-green leather holster attached on the outside, blue-green leather boots, a blue leather belt with a 'steer' belt buckle, and a pair of black sunglasses - not to mention his trademark blue hat.

2009 Variations

Equipment:

Flight Helmet: for those instances when he's flying a plane or helicopter and has a good feeling he may be crashing soon, Wild Bill wears a flight helmet (instead of his normal cowboy hat). This headgear protects him with Good (10) ability from non-facial head shots or other impacts that hit him while it is worn, and the visor gives him similar screened senses (vision).

the Tiger Rat: a fully competent helicopter and aircraft pilot, Wild Bill tried his hands at one of the GI Joe team's venerable institutions this year. When the Joes took some of their old Tiger Rats out of mothballs and upgraded them with modern electronics, Wild Bill was the guy who was chosen to fly it into battle! The curious Tiger Rat is described in its own vehicular entry.

Talents:

Tracking: having learned how to hunt effectively as a child, Wild Bill has been encouraged by the Joe team to extend these skills into an official capacity on the job. As such, he can attempt to follow a body based on the trail they leave behind by passing a yellow Intuition FEAT roll, and once he locates their trail, he can track them unless they actively destroy said trail; this may require additional FEAT rolls.

Costume:

Wild Bill's thirteenth Joe uniform consisted of a green T-shirt beneath a green flight jacket, which itself was covered with a black and yellow leather vest. He also wore a pair of green trousers, each leg of which had a brown leather holster attached on the outside, brown leather boots, gray gloves, a gray leather belt with a 'steer' belt buckle, and a pair of mirrored sunglasses - not to mention his trademark brown hat.

Extra Goodies:

Wild Bill Universal Heroes Text File Download

Wild Bill Imagery

GI Joe directories featuring a version of Wild Bill:

1983 1992 1993 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2008 2009

* Note: 2003 saw two versions of Wild Bill released (Versions 6 and 7), while 2004 saw three (Versions 8, 9 and 10).

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