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Re: SG II Paradrop, orbital drop

From: Los <los@c...>
Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2000 19:39:06 -0500
Subject: Re: SG II Paradrop, orbital drop

Well since this kind of stuff is up my alley I'll take a crack at it.

First off you have several types of drops.
(Note none of this particularly applies to power armor)

1.  What's known as a Mass Tac. This is a company, bn, brigade level
drop. Air
support, follow on reinforcements, lots of people. Normandy, Holland,
Kolwezi,
Grenada, Panama. These are either drops directly on the target ala Point
Salinas or the Panama drops (or the Haiti drop that was called off at
the last
minute),  These are done knowingly under fire. Or they're dropped away
from the
target (1st UK Abn at Arnhem, Russian Paras at the Georgian border in
Chechnya). The loss of al percentage of people isn't going to hinder a
damn
thing. If someone doesn't make the RP (Rally Point) at the right time
then it's
off everyone goes. In fact Combat SOP in US Army for assaults (not
airborne
insertions, we're talking stuff like airfield seizure etc) is that you
don't
even wait for everyone. If it looks like there will be a delay, once 15
percent
of the force is assembled off they go under command of the highest
ranking man
towards the objective.	If sarge is shot or injured the platoon will not
even
go for him, that's compnay or battalion that will take care of
stragglers on
the LZ. These are essentially large conventional operations probably
above the
scope of most SG games (but within the scope of DS operations).

These next two are more clandestine...
2. A smaller platoon-sized insertion (example many WW2 Merills Marauder
type
operations or ranger "type" other ops, many SADF and other African brush
fire
ops-Portuguese, Rhodesians etc)  These ops never drop near the objective
at
all, it is a big mistake or screw up if they are under fire since they
don't
have the strength to fight through it.

3. Special operations insertions. Secret or clandestine insertions by
smaller
teams. They're compromise on landing is virtually unheard of due to the
effort
put into their insertion planning.

In any case I'd argue against suppression results against the squad on
landing
for X period of turns. (Though certainly the individual would take them)
The
guys know they will be landing outside of command radius and are
essentially on
automatic pilot until they reach the RP.  The first thing that's going
to
happen after landing even in contact is that everyone will make or fight
their
way to the rally point as individuals. However I would say that once two
guys
get into normal SG command radius of each other (2') then they take
suppression
results as a group. And it continues as more guys hook up.

Particularly in drop types two and three, if they don't reform first
everyone
is dead or gonna die. A wounded man would be aided by someone within
sight or
radius of him. Most likely that person will go to him and provide cover
while
the rest of the squad reforms and then starts working as a single
entity.

If it's a non-fighting injury, (and or noone knows where the guy is) 
the first
priority is still to rally as a squad, then send someone after the guy.
Without
establishing control and security first. particularly in enemy
territory, then
the small insertion squad or platoon is in grave danger.

So let me summarize how I would game a SG drop by, lets say, a platoon.
(based
on real world experience)

1. Troops placed on the map via  the current landing and scatter rules.
However
prior to drop the  dropping player should have secretly designated a
rally
point or points for his troops.

2. All individuals must begin making their way towards the rally point.
Once
they come within two inches of each other, the figures now operate as a
single
group.

3. IN order to fire at targets that haven't fired at them, individuals
must
pass a quality die check.at one level  higher than their squad's normal
check
(i.e. a 1 squad would need a 2 to shoot a someone other than anyone who
shot at
them)  UNLESS the target is within range band one, then they may fire
normally.

4. Once the squad has either reformed on the way to the RP or at the RP
it
performs normally.

Anyway I'm just making this up as I type. Step 3 keeps people from
choosing to
turn a SG game into an FMA game. feel free to make changes.

Los

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