GhostDancer

And 30 years ago today, the Berlin Wall opened.

Today the Eddystone Lighthouse was lit for the first time., November 14th 1698. And as Google are celebrating it and it protects my home town, I post it.
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddystone_Lighthouse
It is also the birthdays of Bernard Hinault, the last French man to win 5 Tours de France born November 14 1954 and Prince Charles born November 14 1948

It was 44 years ago today that the Edmund Fitzgerald was being loaded with 26,000 tons of iron ore, prepped for what would become her doomed final voyage.

It was 44 years ago today that the Edmund Fitzgerald was being loaded with 26,000 tons of iron ore, prepped for what would become her doomed final voyage.

And four years and a couple of days later, Lord Cornwallis surrendered himself and his army at Yorktown to the American and French forces under Washington and Rochambeau, the last major military action in the American Revolution, and led to the British government seeking negotiations to end the war.

I remember that event.  I was here in Seattle, had the TV on to watch the World Series, and the phone rang and a good friend (who was in Arizona) had called me in deep distress (she'd just learned she was pregnant, and this was in no way a happy event in this case).  The conversation lasted well over an hour, with me paying no attention to the TV.  Finally I got her over the immediate dismay ... there really wasn't anything I could do about the root issue, but emotional support I could ... and glancing at the muted TV, I slowly deduced that they were in "an earthquake just happened!" mode.
 
Also, my boss was in Berkeley at the time, but he reported the next day that he was ok.  I had relatives in Santa Cruz as well, and it took longer to hear from them, but they too came out OK.

On this day in 1777, English General Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga, a pivotal point in the American Revolution.  The victory was enough to draw a treaty of alliance with France, who declared war on Britain in March of 1778.

On this day in 1571, the Battle of Lepanto was fought between the galley fleets of the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League (Spain, Venice, the Papal States), ending in a crushing defeat of the Turkish forces, one from which their Mediterranean naval power never really recovered.  The Ottoman fleet by itself never regained the ability to strike into the western end of the Mediterranean, though their land forces engulfed the entirety of the south shore, and they continued land campaigns through the Balkans, and Venice continued to lose ground against the Ottomans in terms of territory, wealth, and influence.  But the operations of galley warfare was critically dependent upon experienced, highly-skilled officers in the galleys, and all but a few of these were lost at Lepanto (not least because any who were captured were identified and executed by the Christians after the battle; Philip II of Spain commanded the victorious admiral to do this, who coolly replied that the orders had already been given).  By the time another generation had mastered those skills, Western sea technology and tactics had changed and left the galley in obsolescence.

...but that's not important right now.
 

I'm Cancer, and I was born in California, and I approve of this message.

This day in history, 1975, Pink Floyd's concept album Wish You Were Here reaches #1 in the United States and goes on to sell 13 million copies. Wanting to deliver an album that was as innovative as The Dark Side of the Moon, they decided to return to their experimental roots. The concept Pink Floyd settled upon was to use no traditional instruments at all - no guitar, no bass, and no drums. After frustrating months of sessions on "household objects," most of the band was ready to move on from the idea. But out of these ashes, Wish You Were Here was born. 
  Wish You Were Here
 
 

Pegasus40218- a board member came up with tactical notes mostly like this-
 
A character can stand up as part of an Abort ("Get to one's feet" being a 1/2 Phase Maneuver that has the defensive benefit of improving the character's DCV from 1/2 DCV for being Prone).    Ask the GM to fully describe the SFX, any "wind up" for various maneuvers, various "tells" required by activation Limitations on their abilities, and similar in-game details pertaining to the opponents' actions not only informs tactical decisions, it also results in a much better described and higher quality mental picture of an encounter. And that's just beneficial to good roleplaying, plain and simple.   Similarly that amount of detail makes opponents far more memorable and is particularly advantageous and enriching to the game in the case of reoccurring NPC's.   KNOW THE TERRAIN   The terrain is either your greatest ally or your greatest enemy. More battles have been affected by terrain and environment than any other consideration. Pay attention to the details of the battleground du jour, taking full advantage of sight lines, cover, concealment, avenues of approach, useful objects, and high ground. Use it to your own advantage, deprive advantages to the opposition, and be mindful of hazards. Ask the GM to describe the scene in detail and if not playing on a battlemap, draw a quick abstract sketch and ask the GM if it's accurate. Understanding where things are at in relation to each other is very important, particularly for highly mobile characters.   MAINTAIN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS   Pay attention to events in play. Be aware of where characters are in relation to each other, who has yet to act in a Phase, who has acted in a Phase, and be particularly alert to unexpected opportunities that transpire.   TIMING   Combat is all about timing. Doing the exact same move with the exact same rolls can be brilliant or stupid, all based upon timing. Assuming you Know the System, Your Character, Your Enemy, and the Terrain, you have a plethora of tools in your character's toolbox at your disposal, but without understanding when it is a good idea to use which one it amounts to naught. Some players have a tendency to find one or two actions that work for them and then just blindly apply them to every situation regardless of whether it is appropriate or not. Don't get hung up on a particular stunt or trick. It's not a question of Holding, or Aborting, or Maneuvering, or Alpha-striking, or what have you. All are good options for characters of various designs, but only when timing favors them. Similarly some players have abilities that are only useful in certain circumstances, but they try to use them in situations where they are not appropriate, or success with them is not auspicious. Growing frustrated by failure, the player then disregards the ability and never uses it again. It's like getting frustrated when a wrench fails to drive a screw, and subsequently never using the wrench even when presented with a bolt that needs to be tightened. A good chunk of solid tactics is simply using the right tool at the right time.   RISK MANAGEMENT   An important corollary to tactics is managing your character's risk. Blindly charging about doing dangerous things without a commensurate potential for payoff only works for so long. It's all well and good to take risks, but remember to Cover Your Ass (CYA). Understand when the situation is conducive to employing an all out attack, when it is conducive to holding back, when an all out defense is necessary, and when you should gain space to recover. In a larger sense you should also consider risk to your character's teammates and allies, if any. Sometimes the best thing to do in the bigger picture is to "take one for the team" to protect a crucial teammate, or to set another teammate up. OPPORTUNISM Sometimes events occur that are irregular, unplanned for, unpredictable. It is often worth extra risk to capitalize on these unexpected opportunities. In militaristic jargon this is known as "targets of opportunity". When opponents unexpectedly lower their DCV, turn their back to the character, suffer a fumble, take an action early in a Phase (and thus briefly lose their ability to Abort), have to change clips, or otherwise suffer a momentary impediment it is tactically sound to exploit the opportunity. Characters with "Code of the HERO",  "Honorable", and similar Disadvantages may not be able to capitalize on such boons, but other characters certainly can.   TACTICAL TENETS   Tactics are essentially fluid and situational so it is basically impossible to codify them into  inviolate strictures without rendering them counterproductive. For tactics to remain viable they must remain flexible and agile. However, there are some general rules of thumb that will serve you well in a HERO System combat.   DON'T BE A ROCK EM SOCK EM ROBOT   Do not have your characters just stand around hitting and getting hit. Not only is this boring, it uses like 1% of the Combat System. You might as well just roll dice randomly to kill time, if that's all you want to do. Move around, use Manuevers, Abort to defensive actions intelligently, use things in play to springboard off of, get creative. Combat doesn't have to be a race to the last hit point.   HOLD YOUR PHASE 12 All HERO System combats start on Phase 12. This gives everyone a chance to go in the same Phase and prevents slower characters from getting bent over a barrel before they get a chance to do anything. It is all too tempting to start off the combat with a bang and rip loose with an all out attack, but unless you can totally devastate the opposition or have defenses that are so good you can weather the return fire it is a mistake. Hold your action and be prepared to take evasive / defensive action if necessary. Let your opponent show their hand first, and if possible counter punch after they have committed themselves to something.- EXCEPTION: PREEMPTIVE STRIKE
 
If your character happens to know that the opposition has an attack that is so powerful allowing them to use it results in something between an unfavorable trade and total catastrophe, then by all means take them out first even if it means going in Phase 12.
 
EXCEPTION: HIGH ENDURANCE COST ABILITY If your character has an attack that has a non-negligible Endurance cost, then use it before the end of Segment 12 if possible so that the free Post Segment 12 REC will help defray it's cost.
 
ONE IN THE HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH aka "Kick em when they are down"
 
A lot of players are used to games without a clean "STUN" concept, and once opponents go down they stay down. Not so in the HERO System. While "agents" or "mooks" might stay down at the GM's option, notable characters get Recoveries and will stand back up again if allowed to regain their composure. It's amazing how even players that have been playing HERO's for a while seem to forget this. When a tough opponent gets staggered or goes below 0 STUN hit 'em again to make sure they stay down (unless it runs against your character's roleplaying of course). LOW DCV = SWEEP, HIGH DCV = OTHER OPTIONS Once they are exposed to the idea and see how it works, many a player becomes enamored of Sweep and Rapid Fire (same mechanic), and proceed to use the Maneuver every chance they get without recourse to the consequences. This is a mistake that they are easily made to pay for as their DCV drops to half and they subsequently get drubbed by return fire. Which isn't to say that Sweep and Rapid Fire aren't good options. They are fantastic options in general, but they favor characters that have lower DCV and higher OCV via combat levels. The lower the character's DCV to begin with, the less impact dropping to 1/2 DCV is. Characters with high DCV should pursue other options to increase their volume of attacks such as Multiple Power Attacks, Autofire, or taking advantage of Two Weapon Fighting to reduce the DCV penalty of Sweep / Rapid Fire. For some characters Spreading is another useful option for affecting more than one opponent, but this has bigger ramifications and is discussed independently below. SEGMENTS (1, 5 ,7, 11) According to the Speed Chart that drives combat's flow, fewer SPD values get actions on Segments 1, 5, 7, and 11 making these Phases ideal for taking Held Actions, particularly if your character has a follow-up action in the Segment immediately following. Its also useful to set up Haymakers to end in 5, 7, and 11 (not so much 1 due to crossing Post-Segment 12). Hold to the end of 4, 6, or 10 and start a Haymaker, and let it land in 5,7, or 11.  
 
TWO-FOR-ONE SPECIAL
 
Using one action to take out two opponents, particularly in a case where one is adjacent (in HtH range) and the other isn't, is a very effective tactic. There are several ways to do this.
 
KNOCKBACK RICOCHET Not in the main rulebook, but clarified in the Rules FAQ and later publications (such as the aforementioned Combat Handbook), a character can Knockback an opponent in such a way as to hit a third character. This requires a to-hit roll using only the attackers base OCV vs. the third character's DCV.
 
PITCHING ENEMIES
 
Similarly, though not as efficiently, it is possible to throw an opponent that has already been grabbed in a previous Phase at another character.
 
SHOVE
 
The Martial Maneuver Shove is quite useful in this regard -- you can Shove one character some distance and into another, also gaining some movement yourself. It is also one of the easier ways to move opponents around against their will, and all in all a very under utilized Maneuver.  
 
MARTIAL MANEUVERS AND MULTIPLE POWER ATTACKS
 
Martial Maneuvers built on different bases can be used together as a Multiple Power Attack to pull off very efficient actions like Nerve Strike + Take Away + Leg Sweep and other such devastating combos. If one is prone to watching Kung Fu movies, a lot of the crazier stunts seen therein are most closely modeled in the HERO System via creative combinations of MPA'd Martial Maneuvers.
 
SPREADING
 
A frequently overlooked gem of a rule, Spreading allows a character to either trade damage classes for extra OCV, or more commonly to trade damage classes to make a non-AoE attack into a small AoE. I've seen innumerable players with characters that could spread their attacks never use the option. There is even an option to allow characters to Spread their Strength, which is a very useful trick. Beg your GM to allow it, but beware the opposition using it on you.
 
KEEP YOUR ENEMIES WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM aka "don't turn your back on a loaded gun"
 
If possible, try to position your character so that no enemies are behind them, particularly if the character has a high DCV and lower defenses.
 
DEFENSE MANEUVER
 
Failing that, if it is at all justifiable for your character's concept, get Defense Maneuver IV. It's just about the best spent 10 points you'll likely have on your sheet.
 
TARGETABLE FOCI aka "How many points did you save with that Focus again?"
 
Don't forget you can target Foci. Even if a Focus is indestructible (most aren't), you can knock it loose if it's Accessible and thus deprive an opponent of whatever abilities were purchased via the Focus.
 
CONCEALMENT
 
When using the Terrain to ones own advantage, Concealment is often available. Use it.
 
SHIELD OF OPPORTUNITY
 
If the situation presents itself and your character is taking ranged fire, feel free to rip up or grab some appropriately useful object and use it as a Tower Shield to provide concealment and if the GM is kind some extra DEF. INTERPOSING In a situation where some opponents are close in to fight in HtH, and other opponents are standing off to use Ranged attacks try to maneuver in such a way to keep the closer HtH opponents between your character and the ranged opponents.
 
DROPPING PRONE
 
When receiving ranged fire, and assuming no opponents are inconveniently close to melee range, don't forget that you can Drop Prone as a 0 Phase Action, which is combinable with an Abort to Dodge or similar. This is not exactly the same as Dive For Cover, though you do go to 1/2 DCV for being prone. The advantages of doing so are three fold; first off unlike D4C there is no DEX Roll involved, secondly if you don't abort to it but do it on your own Phase it can be combined with other Actions (such as Full Move, Drop Prone), and finally you benefit from any Concealment which can either impose an OCV penalty on a shooter or even prevent them from firing at your character at all if they can no longer see you.
 
AERIAL SUPERIORITY
 
Ideally you want to keep enemies on the ground and your character or allies that have the capability off the ground. It is almost always a smart tactical move to ground an opponent or to get oneself or an ally off the ground.
 
ALTITUDE
 
An efficient tactic for characters able to gain altitude via some fashion is to get above an opponent and shoot from above them, seeking to do downward Knockback. This gains three things if successful; firstly the opponent takes damage from the initial attack, secondly they lose altitude at a disfavorable rate (it takes 2" to go up 1" for most forms of movement, but Knockback is 1 for 1), and thirdly enough Knockback will put them into the ground for more damage (and if they are Flying, Gliding, or Swinging they take an extra d6 of Knockback).
 
FMOVE IS YOUR FRIEND
 
Full Move (FMove) Maneuvers are great because they frequently allow your character to take three or more 1/2 Phase Actions in a single Full Phase. That's just good Action Economy no matter how you slice it. The three FMove Standard Maneuvers (Move By, Move Thru, and Grab By) are all decent, but the FMove Martial Maneuvers are all worth their weight and several are among the best Maneuvers in the game.  Whether your character has the Martial versions or must rely on the Standard ones, get familiar with them and apply that knowledge liberally.
 
CLUSTER****
 
This probably goes without saying, but if your character has a respectable AoE or Autofire and several opponents clump together in nice tight little kill radius, it might be a good idea to shift gears from what you were planning on doing that Phase and taking advantage of the opportunity to punish them for it.
 
CHANNELING
 
Similarly, it is possible to arrange a battlefield to force opponents to clump up for AoE's, and it is also possible to push them together over time via intersecting lines of fire that leave a seemingly safe pocket somewhere. The opposition naturally finds their way into this pocket and then blammo. In games with more unusual abilities this can also be accomplished by using abilities like Force Wall, Darkness, and Change Environment to render areas undesirable or off limits, forcing foes to group up. Knockback and Throws can also be used to cluster opponents; several allies could all deposit an opponent into a tight area to set a blaster or equivalent up for a big finish, for instance.
 
SWITCH UP
 
Often a GM will present a group of opponents that are individually well suited to facing off against one or more PC's. If the GM then engages the PC's individually with these mini-nemesis and the PC's get stuck in with them accordingly, it can make for a long fight. Let the GM have a little fun, but after about a TURN or so consider having your character deliberately disrupt the pairings. Cheapshot an opponent that is giving a comrade a hard time of it, freeing your ally to either finish them off or in turn helping out another ally (maybe even you). This is good tactics (it's never smart to fight your enemies battle), but on the other hand it can be frustrating to the GM, so use responsibly.
 
DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO
 
If for some reason you aren't sure what to do, or no particularly worthwhile target is presenting itself then 1/2 Move and Hold a 1/2 Phase. Consider it your filler action of choice. If you frequently find yourself with nothing to do it's possible you need to reevaluate the character and either get an ability that takes time to use like Find Weakness or Aid so that you can translate all those extra actions into something useful, or perhaps lower your SPD and recoup some points. Alternately you might just be indecisive, which you are on your own to resolve.
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Today is the day that Snoopy’s birthday is celebrated. His birthday was first celebrated by Charles M.Schulz on August 10, 1968, but the comic strip launched in October 1950. Happy Birthday, Snoopy! 🎂 🎉 🎁

On the other hand ... (the one in the back is like 'Dammit, Carl, we're supposed to be majestic and s**t, stop f***ing around.")