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Tactics


Ragitsu

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Re: Tactics

 

1. The widespread assumption that flash suppressors on rifles meant your targets couldn't see you fire.

2. Not ensuring a downed enemy is permanently down.

3. The player mindset that they must be heroes, and not soldiers or police. This leads them to doing crazy stunts that often get them killed.

4. "I'm in charge, so I get to be the first through the door." No, the SWAT officer is full armor is the first through, and only after he clears the area does your weenie manager ass enter the building.

5. Letting the villain hold a gun to a hostage while negotiations are done. The correct response is to shoot the villain first, talk later.

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Re: Tactics

 

Forgetting that the order of operations is Flash then clear a room. Making everyone blind/dazed/disoriented is unhelpful...as is using any explosives in an enclosed environment.

Those smart enough to take cover popping their head up in the same place twice.

Forgetting that bullet-proof vests might be improperly named...especially when it comes to rifles.

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Re: Tactics

 

Never attack where the enemy figures you would.

Hit hard and fast with all you got. Flash/bangs and bullets are useless when still in the gun or your webbing.

Once you are detected, you are a target. Move and make it harder on them.

Sound suppressors and flash suppressors suppress and don't eliminate.

Silenced weapons need subsonic ammo.

If everyone else is dressed to go to the moon, your badge will not protect you.

You can't just reset the game if you are shot.

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Re: Tactics

 

1. The widespread assumption that flash suppressors on rifles meant your targets couldn't see you fire.

2. Not ensuring a downed enemy is permanently down.

3. The player mindset that they must be heroes, and not soldiers or police. This leads them to doing crazy stunts that often get them killed.

4. "I'm in charge, so I get to be the first through the door." No, the SWAT officer is full armor is the first through, and only after he clears the area does your weenie manager ass enter the building.

5. Letting the villain hold a gun to a hostage while negotiations are done. The correct response is to shoot the villain first, talk later.

 

3. Depends on the tone of the game. If I am playing true Dark Champions, yes. If I am playing action movie or pulp, no.

5. The real way this is handled is to talk, talk, and talk some more unless there is active shooting going on. The goal being to tire out the villain and get him to give up. You only shoot to attempt to save lives, and even them there are no guarantees that it is going to go well.

 

Those smart enough to take cover popping their head up in the same place twice.

 

The Hero System does not penalize you for this to my knowledge. Is there a specific example for this, or am I forgetting a rule.

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Re: Tactics

 

5. Letting the villain hold a gun to a hostage while negotiations are done. The correct response is to shoot the villain first' date=' talk later.[/quote']

 

If that's how it's going down, the VILLAIN is displaying poor tactics as well. You use the hostage as a human shield and shoot THE HEROES.

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Re: Tactics

 

The Hero System does not penalize you for this to my knowledge. Is there a specific example for this' date=' or am I forgetting a rule.[/quote']

 

Popping up once gives the opposition a position to aim at. Popping up the second time results in getting popped yourself... in real life, anyway.

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Re: Tactics

 

Popping up once gives the opposition a position to aim at. Popping up the second time results in getting popped yourself... in real life' date=' anyway.[/quote']You can choose to aim where he pops out. In game terms, the shooter COVERs that spot, then when he goes to fire, BAM! And because you covered, no Dex roll needed.
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Re: Tactics

 

Ignoring in-game chain of command. In most other kinds of campaigns, who is leader and how much power that leader has is negotiable between the players. But if we're a SWAT or SpecOps team, and my character is specifically in charge, then I expect my players to follow orders. And they don't (or do so rarely). It's very frustrating the few times we play such games (mostly Battletech), and I can't find a solution to the problem. Any punishment of the character is completely ignored, and any punishment of the player just draws the "But I'm playing in character" response. No, you're not. You're a member of a military unit and you're disobeying or ignoring direct orders.

 

The funny thing is, the one time I managed to enforce my authority and carry a planned tactic all the way out, everyone was surprised by how effectively we defeated our opponents. The only casualty we had was from a freak critical shot to the head and a couple of damaged mechs. I still don't think anyone has made the connection.

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Re: Tactics

 

I think it's in some players' makeup that they'll do what they want to do (which is usually go on some random walkabout) no matter what. Some will refrain when yelled at. And when they get into a situation where they cannot be yelled at because of breakdown of in-game tactical communications, they go just apes**t on their random peregrinations, poking every beehive with a stick as they pass.

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Re: Tactics

 

Ah' date=' the eternal struggle of whether or not anyone should be "leader".[/quote']

 

I gave up the hope of having a tactical "leader" in RPGs long ago. Nowadays I'm happy if there's just no callous disregard for teammates or innocent bystanders in combat, e.g. with AOE weapons or environmental concerns.

 

"I shoot Baddie Dujour with a napalm bomb."

 

"But he's fighting Lightly Armored Karate Teammate! In front of a day care!"

 

"'Fore!'"

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Re: Tactics

 

How about the mentalist, wizard or techie taking point or getting too close?

Never enter the effective range of the enemy if you can fight from outside of it. ie Don't go hand to hand when you have range weapons and they don't.

Focus fire to drop target quickly rather than all taking different targets. The enemy shots back 5 times, next round 4, next round 3 as the heroes continue to be full.

Have the high defense guys keep the enemy separated so they can't concentrate fire on individual heroes.

Take the fight to the enemy so they need to go defensive and you have all your combatants on top of them dealing damage as they wait for reinforcements or help to arrive.

Take out enemy in order of area attackers, multiple fire attackers, range attackers and hand 2 hand last. If they can't get to you to do effective damage, they are doing you a favour. Take care of the real threats first. A single dodging target can keep a hand 2 hand combatant busy and away as the team deals with all others.

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Re: Tactics

 

The Hero System does not penalize you for this to my knowledge. Is there a specific example for this, or am I forgetting a rule.

 

In theory, once they see you pop your head up they can use the suppression fire rule on the hex. I'd have to go back and look to see if it would really work, though. Of course, they could just use suppression fire without your popping your head up - popping your head up just tells them which hex to zero in on.

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  • 8 months later...

Re: Tactics

 

Ignoring in-game chain of command. In most other kinds of campaigns, who is leader and how much power that leader has is negotiable between the players. But if we're a SWAT or SpecOps team, and my character is specifically in charge, then I expect my players to follow orders. And they don't (or do so rarely). It's very frustrating the few times we play such games (mostly Battletech), and I can't find a solution to the problem. Any punishment of the character is completely ignored, and any punishment of the player just draws the "But I'm playing in character" response. No, you're not. You're a member of a military unit and you're disobeying or ignoring direct orders.

 

The funny thing is, the one time I managed to enforce my authority and carry a planned tactic all the way out, everyone was surprised by how effectively we defeated our opponents. The only casualty we had was from a freak critical shot to the head and a couple of damaged mechs. I still don't think anyone has made the connection.

 

I had this problem once.

 

We were playing FASA's "Star Trek", and all of the other players elected me captain of the ship.

 

However, the first ship-to-ship encounter we had, my captain started giving orders, and the players started getting pissed that I didn't ask them for their input first.

 

This was set during the TOS era, so there was no reason for them to expect my character to call a huddle like TNG in its worst moments.

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