On War: A Pretentious Clausewitz

[ComradeCorbyn]

Clausewitz is quoted as saying, "war is a continuation of politics." First of all, fuck that, and second of all, I just needed a quote to start with. This will be a continuation of my "On [X]" series, going into detail on how real-life strategy and small unit tactics can be applied to the Aurora, whether it be the Security team or the Emergency Response Team. 

 

So, here you are. Either your a Head of Security, Lead Trooper, Mercenary, or god forbid Prefect. Wondering how to make your team of grunts and people with dents in their brains better. You've come to the right place. Learning military tactics, small scale units is important as well - but let's be honest, we're not really to the level where those 70-page manuals with text as small as a fucking spider a mile away apply.  Let me preface these statements by saying that in most situations: don't be overkill and tactical. This is best when applied when there's a massive shootout or hostile borders. This is to maximize quality, not quantity - and the NSS Aurora is a research station, not some Sol Gov military vessel off floating. Don't expect many security officers to be happy when you institute some massive overhaul or change to the way they operate.

First off, organization and strategy itself matter much more than tactics. Being robust has often been defined in many servers as having the right equipment, at the right time, with the right team, and the right mouse. Although that last one doesn't really apply to what I'm saying, know that your odds to win are higher than average before the battle by picking the right people for the team, and the right leaders. For instance, sending a team of three relatively skilled players, one team leader for small-unit leadership, two armed with carbines, one armed with a lethal laser rifle, maybe even a medic, all armed with .45 pistols, is a good example of picking the right people. Know what equipment you have beforehand, and know who is experienced in what. Make sure your people in said teams have good cohesion, working well and looking up to whoever you select to lead their fireteam. 

It's a wise decision to have multiple teams, each with either at least two people with good equipment or the entire team. Having multiple fireteams allows for manevours to occur, such as flanking, surprise attacks, and et cetera. These are usually what instantly turn the tide of the firefight on the Aurora. But to do these, you don't need to have two or more groups - you can also use deception as a tool, such as pretending you're in one place while you're in another.  Although, this doesn't work well when you've got a keen AI. 

 

Secondly, fight the battles that you know you could win - not the ones where you know you would lose. I see more often than not a Security team who decided on engaging the hostiles, flaunting their laser rifles and carbines on lethal towards the enemy. Negotiate, talk, and roleplay. These are the fundamentals of a good security force, like them or not. Proper escalation is required regardless of the circumstances. It also goes on a tactical sense, while surprise attacks are still allowed in this doctrine - you just need to have a reason before. And, good players won't just attack and obey your commands like a chained dog, they'll want to know why and most of that time it is common sense - however, if you fail to uphold these fundamentals it's likely they won't go through with it.  

Plan and plan some more. This is a rough guide on combat and how to strategize for it, and more will be added with suggestions or just ideas from myself.