Outback
| Strength 6c |
Agility 4d |
Intellect 5x |
Willpower 7b |
| Hand Size: Edge: |
4 (25) 2 |
Origin:
Like most of his fellow GI Joe operatives, Outback lacks special powers of any variety. He is, however, a highly accomplished survivalist, and can easily get by in the wilds with absolutely zero trappings of civilization to back him up, no matter how fierce the climate.
Powers:
(none)
Hindrances / Augmentations:
(none)
Equipment:
Flashlight (i): Outback carries one of these military-style flashlights on him while in the field. It can cast intensity 6 illumination within near missile range, focused on whatever he points it at. It also has additional filters (red, green) for special situations.
Heckler and Koch Rifle (a): his favorite weapon, Outback can wield this to deadly effect in battle. It may fire a single shot for his Agility +4 in damage, a semi-auto spread for his Agility +5 in damage, and a full-auto hail of lead for his Agility +6 in damage.
Knife (s): Outback carries a tough blade with him on all occasions - he even sleeps with it! This implement is built from m.s. 13 metals, and can be used to either cut through items of like m.s., given enough time, or to inflict his Strength +2 damage in melee.
Survival Gear (w): while most of it tends to fall apart under his use, Outback nonetheless carries a ton of survival gear with him on missions (why start from scratch if you don't have to?) It includes emergency rations, a compass, water canteens, matches, and so forth.
Skills:
Boxing (s): something every grunt learns in basic training, Outback can defend himself easily, even without a weapon in hand. Outback may divide his pre-card play action score between two unarmed melee attacks, the last of which will occur as a contingent action.
Education (w): in addition to living the life of a survivalist, Outback knows how to impart his knowledge onto others. He has worked in two different Army schools over the years, and can instruct others in various matters with a reduced difficulty
Guns (a): a standard military skill, Outback is well-versed in the fine art of gunplay. Whether he's holding a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Outback may wield it at one difficulty level lower than is normally required.
Military / United States (w): the source of most of his talents, this skill serves as an 'origin' of sorts for Outback. It describes his indoctrination into the Army Way of Thinking, his understanding of the SOP, and his ability to function in a combat group with ease.
Skill / Knives (s): perhaps even more than his rifle, Outback relies upon a blade for personal defense - even while on the job! He may attempt offensive actions with such weaponry at one difficulty level lower than would otherwise be required of him.
Survival 2 (w): Outback is a consummate survivor. A next level survivalist, he easily get by in most any climate on earth - even when left bare-handed. The man knows the wilderness and how to get by in it, and knows what to do - and what not to do - to persist there.
Contacts:
The Joe known to his fellows as Outback can readily rely upon the GI Joe team for assistance in a pinch (well, all of them except Leatherneck, perhaps). He also has numerous other military contacts, as he has trained countless Army working stiffs in the fine art of wilderness survival.
Calling:
Explorer, with a secondary calling of Mentor: Outback loves to enjoy wild places, those untouched by man. He's truly at home where no one has gone before. Furthermore, he enjoys sharing the wild with others, helping them to survive outside of civilized society.
Costume:
Outback's first GI Joe uniform is simple and practical. It includes a white T-shirt with SURVIVAL printed on the front, a pair of green camouflaged pants, a green head band, a brown leather belt, gray leather gloves, black leather boots, and a brown boot sheath for his blade.
Personality:
Outback is all business, all the time. He's constantly thinking about his next meal and what the immediate future holds, but then he's a survivalist by nature. He knows that the flimsy trappings of civilization are the last thing you want to depend on in a pinch.
Real Name: Stuart R. Selkirk, Grade E-5
Occupation: survival instructor
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: GI Joe, Night Force (GI Joe sub-group), Tiger Force (GI Joe sub-group)
Height: 6'
Hair: red
Eyes: blue
Weight: 160 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Outback always wears a full beard and moustache. He occasionally grows his hair out long, as well.
Story:
Outback got his start as a survivalist long before joining the Army. They definitely put his skills to good use, though, and before you knew it Outback was an instructor at the Army Survival School and the Jungle Warfare Center. The man knows his nature.
He was so good at teaching others how to get by out in the wild that the GI Joe team thought it prudent to procure him for their own ends. They quickly recruited the man, who is always eager for a challenge, and put him through the GI Joe entrance exam.
Surviving that, as he does everything else he tries, Outback then joined the Joes officially. His first job for them was to test out a bunch of new survival gear for the team, which he quickly broke and wore out, and then spent the rest of his mission time living off the land.
Outback's second mission saw him joining Stalker, Snow Job, and Quick Kick on a trip to Borovia, to free someone the government there was holding hostage. Little did the Joes know that another arm of the government had already secured his freedom, making their mission moot.
Nobody bothered to tell the Joes, though. When his allies were captured, Outback was ordered to make his way back to the States, to let them know what was going on in that country. This was harder than it sounded, what with the entire country's military mobilized against him.
Outback nonetheless made it back and informed GI Joe command what had happened, though several Joes took exception to his returning without the others. Leatherneck especially disliked it, and physically demonstrated such - only to get a knife pulled on him as a result.
His teammates eventually came around (Leatherneck notwithstanding) when his Borovian mission partners were finally freed by Snake-Eyes and his Arashikage cohorts, and Outback got on with his job - namely, instructing the Joes on proper survival techniques.
He continued to do this, whether on his own or as a part of GI Joe's Night Force team, for the duration of his time as a part of the team's original incarnation. When the Joes disbanded for a while in '94, Outback returned to his conventional Army work.
(Historical Divergence)
He's since come back now and then when the Joes have required his expertise, as they did during the second Cobra Island Civil War, and during World War III itself, where he helped the Joes stop Cobra from first conquering, and then destroying, the entire planet!
1988 Variations
Costume:
Outback's Night Force uniform is similar to his original. It is comprised of a green T-shirt wore under a gray tank top with SURVIVAL printed on the front, gray trousers, a dark green head band, a black leather belt, black leather gloves and boots, and a black boot sheath for his blade.
1993 Variations
Equipment:
Grenade (i): complementing his pummel gun, Outback has started carrying this explosive device of late. He can fling it anywhere within near missile distance to inflict intensity 10 damage to all uncovered targets within near missile range (better duck).
Helmet (s): with the explosives he now carries about, Outback felt it prudent to adopt some headgear. His 'metaloid' hard hat can protect his cranium from conventional injury with intensity 8, or +2, ability, which is good against stray bullets or falling rubble.
Pummel Gun (i): a huge upgrade to his offensive capability, Outback has adopted this missile launcher to inflict serious damage on Cobra's more dangerous armor and critters. It fires projectiles that inflict intensity 11 damage to all within near missile range of where they hit.
Costume:
Outback's third GI Joe uniform is different than his first. It includes a blue collared, short sleeved shirt under orange web gear, blue and yellow jeans, black leather boots over blue wool socks, black gloves, an orange belt, orange wrist bands, and a big yellow helmet.
His fourth uniform is similar, with somewhat more subdued colors. It is comprised of a green collared, short sleeved shirt wore under orange web gear, tan jeans, black leather boots over blue wool socks, blue gloves, a blue belt, tan wrist bands, and a big black helmet.
2008 Variations
Costume:
Outback's fifth GI Joe uniform, a variation on his first, consists of a black tank top with SURVIVAL printed on the front, a green camouflaged pants, a green head band, a black leather belt, black fingerless gloves, black leather boots, and a black thigh sheath for his blade.
2009 Variations
Costume:
Outback's sixth GI Joe uniform is similar to his first. It includes a white T-shirt with SURVIVAL printed on the front, worn under a green vest, green camouflaged pants, a green head band, a brown leather belt, gray gloves, black leather boots, and a brown boot sheath for his blade.
His seventh uniform is closer to his second, Night Force ensemble. It includes a gray T-shirt with SURVIVAL printed on the front, worn under a tan vest, green trousers, a black head band, a black leather belt, black leather boots and gloves, and a black boot sheath for his blade.
2014 Variations
Equipment:
Communications Gear (i): this back-mounted affair allows Outback to keep a command center appraised of the situation on the ground while working against the victims of Cobra's Compound Z. It has intensity 5 communications range (25 miles), even in an urban zone.
Hatchet (s): when a bit more force is needed than his dagger can provide, Outback brandishes a hatchet. He can use this weapon to inflict his Strength +3 in slashing damage while engaged in melee, or fling it to inflict like damage against his target at range.
Khukuri (s): the trademark weapon of the Gurkhas, Outback's khukuri is one of his favorite weapons. Functioning like his regular knife, listed above, it has numerous uses both in and out of combat, making it a utilitarian dream for this master survivalist.
Shotgun (a): useful for close range combat, Outback can fire birdshot from this weapon to inflict his Agility +4 in damage in a sixty degree arc, buckshot to inflict his Agility +5 in damage to adjacent targets, or slugs to inflict his Agility +6 in damage to a single foe.
Costume:
Outback's eighth costume consists of a white T-shirt with SURVIVAL printed on the front, worn under black web gear and a gray vest, green trousers, green wrist wraps, gray gloves and thigh pads, black leather boots and belts, a black left knee pad, a gray cap, and red goggles.
2016 Variations
Costume:
Outback's Tiger Force uniform includes a bright orange T-shirt decorated with a tiger face pattern, brown camouflage trousers, gray leather boots and gloves, brown knee pads, a brown leather belt, a brown knife sheath, brown web gear, and a bright blue head band.
His tenth field uniform would've been right at home in Night Force. It is comprised of a black shirt with SURVIVAL printed on the front, worn beneath a sheath-laden black vest, black trousers, black leather boots and knee pads, a black leather belt, and a black headband.
Extra Goodies:
GI Joe directories featuring a version of Outback:
| 1987 | 1988 | 1993 | 2008 | 2009 | 2014 | 2016 |
Note: Outback had two figures released in 1993 (Versions 3 and 4), as he did in 2009 (Versions 6 and 7), and 2016 (Versions 9 and 10).
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