Re: [sg] Starting Forces

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On Thu, 22 Mar 2001, John Atkinson wrote:

> 
> --- Derk Groeneveld <derk@cistron.nl> wrote:
> 
> > Umm. Which optional rules exactly? And I'm guessing
> > PSG = platoon
> > sergeant, and PL = platoon lieutenant? Anyway, what
> > you describe makes
> > sense.
> 
> PL is Platoon Leader (we don't have commanders until
> the company level).  I saw them on a web page a couple
> years ago and liked them so much I've been using them
> ever since.  It's pretty simple--if you're running an
> army that has a tradition of high-quality long-service
> NCOs (US, UK, Germans, FFL) then you can opt to allow
> the PL to only use 1 action to reactivate a unit, and
> the PSG can use 1 action to do this as well.	First
> yutz to try to sell me on the ESU doing that is gonna
> get shot, though.

Nice ideas :) Ever considered putting them up for the stargrunt.com
site?
 
> > This absolutely makes sense, but I'd MUCh rather see
> > less counters on the
> > table. Then again, one could tick this off on a unit
> > sheet, assuming the
> > figures are numbered.
> 
> That's a better way.	My pet peeve is keeping records.
>  Yours is counters on the table.  It's the same
> technique spun for different pet peeves.

Well, I don't much like keeping record, either.... Could use a tray with
the counters in the tray or something like that :)
 
> > Mmm. Again, makes sense. I'll have to think on this
> > :)
> 
> FISTs (US Army FOs--stands for FIre Support Team) are
> four-man elements with a modified M-113.  There's an
> officer, an NCO, and 2 EMs.  The officer works at the
> company TOC or moves in the company commander's track,
> coordinating fire support.  The NCO and 2 EMs drive
> around in the track, or dismount to actually spot for
> the fire (a dismounted team would be an NCO and an EM,
> since someone has to stay with the track).  They
> belong to the Headquarters/Headquarters Battery of the
> Field Artillery Batallion that supports that brigade. 
> That way they can train in FIST stuff together, then
> get chopped out whenever their maneuver unit goes out
> for training or on a deployment.  (Why yes, I did hang
> out with a lot of FISTers--pretty nice guys and the
> only non-Engineers I could respect on the entire
> depot).

*grin* I deal a lot more with navy folks than army folks, so I wouldn't
know. And that'd be a well-trained navy, for the most of it (dutch)
 
> Sniper teams are found in batallion Scout Platoons,
> Brigade Reconaissance Troops, and divisional Long
> Range Surveillance Detachments.  They are far more
> useful going out and scouting than hanging around with
> line troops.	

Of course. I mean, those line troops are just noisy useless louts that'd
just give them away, anyway ;)

Also, as you know from all SF movies, line troops walk along ridgelines
and such, nicely silhouetting (SP?) themselves.
 
> What the Russians try to do is have a sniper per
> platoon.  But since they can't possibly get everyone
> to proper training, it's just another draftee who has
> a scoped sniper rifle.  Hopefully he can actually
> shoot.

Or the french, who have a long rifle not so much as _sniper_, but more
as
a long range rifleman.

> > Then again, with special forces, you could make a
> > case for running them as
> > 8 individuals.
> 
> Depends on the situation and the type of special
> forces. A commando is just a very high quality light
> infantry unit.  SAS-style or USSF-style units should
> be able to combine or detach elements at will to
> represent flexibility.  Sometimes you'll want them
> each doing something seperate and crazy, other times
> they'll all be pouring fire into the onrushing hordes
> of highly upset fileclerks or whoever they ran into
> that gave them too much fight (I heard about a Team
> Spirit once where US Rangers attacked the dining
> facility run by 2nd ID's Divisional HHC, having
> recieved faulty information about the location of the
> divisional CP.  The Rangers lost.)

LOL. Love the anecdote. What HHC, though?

Cheers,

  Derk
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