A Gamer's Guide to Small Unit Tactics

[Oldwolfe]

(This is something that I wrote many years ago. I decided to post it here in case some people may enjoy it.)

 

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"A Gamer's Guide To Small Unit Tactics".

 

The following manuscript is compiled and edited from a series of postings in a PBeM (Play by Email) role-playing game.

 

Sergeant Johnathon Wolfe is my character in an "Aliens" based PBeM game. He is a Colonial Marine of the old school-been everywhere, done everything. During the game I posted a series of classes for my squad leaders. Interest has been so high that I have compiled them into this manuscript. They have been edited to apply to a broader set of circumstances. The intent is to be short, clear, and an enjoyable source of information for people without much military experience, and want to play characters that have that experience. I hope I hit my mark.

 

I have just touched on the surface of small unit tactics here; it is by no means a comprehensive tactical textbook. It is simply to help players to feel a bit more comfortable in their chosen roles and to increase their enjoyment of gaming.

 

This is a public domain document that includes no copyrighted material. Please feel free to pass this document to whoever you feel may enjoy it.

 

Enjoy!

 

WOLFE'S TACTICS

 

CHAPTER ( I ) DEFENSIVE POSITIONS

When setting up a defensive position there is a handy acronym commonly taught to remember the key elements. This is OCOKA.

O = OBSERVATION and FIELDS OF FIRE Make sure that you set up with good visibility and any attackers do not have any cover to hide behind.

C =COVER and CONCEALMENT Cover stops incoming nasties, Concealment hides you - try to have both. Sometimes you can't but take what you can get.

O = OVERHEAD COVER Lots of things fall from the sky. Bird crap. Sniper rounds. Grenades.

K = KEY TERRAIN You have to position yourself with your mission objectives in mind. You don't always have to be sitting on top of the objective, just as long as you can defend it effectively.

A = AVENUES of APPROACH Keep in mind ALL the routes that the enemy can attack you from. Cover them. Leave a few nasty surprises.

Once a position is set up get your people hunkered down in them and walk out front. Take a long hard look at what the enemy will see. You'll be surprised. Private Smelly's butt sticking up, that wisp of cigarette smoke, whatever. Set up secondary and tertiary positions to fall back on and drop into if you're overrun. ALWAYS leave yourself a back door and establish a rally location BEFORE you have to pull back. Plan for the possibility.

 

WOLFE'S TIP: The OCOKA techniques work pretty good when moving too.

 

CHAPTER ( II ) MOVING TECHNIQUES

There are four basic moving techniques, all of them based on the inverted "V". In the inverted "V" pattern each squad will form a wedge facing the enemy. Squads follow each other with the Section Sergeant and Lieutenant in between the squads to keep command and control. Spacing within the squad will vary depending on the mission and terrain but squad members will ALWAYS stay at least five meters apart from each other - so a single grenade cannot take out more than one person. The four moving techniques are: Travelling, Travelling Overwatch, Bounding Overwatch, and Fire and Maneuver.

 

TRAVELLING Used when contact with the enemy is unlikely and is the quickest way to cover ground. This double wedge formation has each squad member in the wedge primarily covering one particular area and creates interlocking fields of fire. (IE- the areas they cover overlap.)

 

TRAVELLING OVERWATCH Used when contact with the enemy is a possibility. This is a lot like Travelling except the second squad hangs back and follows from a distance. If the first squad makes contact with an enemy the second squad is responsible for laying down covering fire to allow them to maneuver and keep them from being pinned. This prevents the entire unit from being caught in an ambush. We'll get to ambushes in a minute.

 

BOUNDING OVERWATCH Used when contact with the enemy is not only possible but expected. It works a little like Travelling- except much slower. Both squads hunker down into good firing positions. Then the first squad moves forward into another good firing position, going no further than the second squad can effectively cover them. Then they stay put and the second squad moves past and through them to the next set of firing positions within first squad's firing range. Repeat ad infinitum.

 

FIRE AND MANEUVER Used when contact with the enemy has already been made. This is like Bounding overwatch except nobody moves until the covering squad starts pouring fire into the enemy's positions, and nobody stops firing until they're in their next position. This is your classic "Cover me!" from cop shows except an entire squad is moving at once, in unison - unless they want to take turns as targets.

 

WOLFE'S TIP: Put your heavy squad weapons on the far edges of the formation, both while moving and when in defensive positions. VERY beneficial- the heavy/automatic weapon(s) can fire across the entire front of the formation without having to swing all the way back and forth.

 

CHAPTER ( III ) AMBUSHES

This one covers ambushes; how to avoid them, setting up a simple "L" ambush, and escaping from them.

AVOIDING AMBUSHES This was covered a bit in moving techniques. By spreading your unit out and moving in two groups one half of your troops can cover the other half. A unit set up in ambush may even decide that you are not worth the risk and let you go without attacking if you are well prepared. (I know, we did a few times in Nicaragua!) Also- whenever you reach a choke point where movement is restricted/channelled or a large open area, STOP! Hunker down and send a scout forward to check it out. Once he gives you the all clear, THEN send your unit across in small groups - this minimizes the amount of personnel you put in the kill zone at any one time. "L" AMBUSH This is called an "L" ambush because of the formation the unit sets up. This works best at a bend in the road. Set up your riflemen along the roadway leading up to the bend and place your heavy weapon just around the corner facing back down along the road. From here he can rake grazing fire down its length. It looks something like:

 

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l141/Oldwolfe/Ambush.gif

 

(Where "X" is the heavy weapon and "V" are your riflemen.) The "open" part of the fan, (draw imaginary lines out from each "V" leg), is the angle that each person is responsible for. The area where everyone's field of fire crosses is called the "Kill Zone". You'll be jumpy as they approach but don't open fire until the main body of the enemy is in that zone. It works particularly well if you are on a hill alongside the road and firing downhill. If there is a ditch on the far side... it just became perfect. Put some mines in the ditch for when they jump in to take cover. Just close your eyes for a moment and imagine THAT meatshredder! The diagram also helps to illustrate what I meant earlier by interlocking fields of fire and anchoring your flank with the heavy weapon.

ESCAPING FROM AMBUSH The answer to this one is really very simple - but it seems incredibly stupid until it's explained. Rush their position. YES! Run right into their guns. You see, the way an ambush is designed is to keep you in their sights as you run away. Makes your back itch doesn't it? Diving for cover isn't such a hot idea either if the ambushers are any good. IE- remember the mines from our ambush? If you run right at them and pass through their formation then you are in their "kill zone" for the shortest length of time. Once past, rally your troops and hit them from behind - turn the tables.

 

WOLFE'S TIP: Treat an ambush like any other defensive position when you set it up. Remember OCOKA.

CHAPTER ( IV ) S.O.P.

I'm shifting gears a little, to cover some Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for tactical operations in the field. Before I begin let me define some terms. Tactical Operations refers to any time that you are in or possibly in a hostile environment. Administrative Operations are those times when it's safe to relax. The rules for each are VERY different, TACOPS has a whole different flavor than when you're back at base.

When you are in a tactical environment:

1.Stay in position. You NEVER leave your squad unless told otherwise. If you gotta take a leak, don't go off all by yourself. Take a buddy- he'll turn his back if you're modest.

2.If you are Mechanized (In a vehicle or APC) do not get out until told to do so. When you do, the section will immediately secure the area and rally awaiting further instructions.

3.Do not gather in groups of more than two within five meters of each other. Remember grenades?- or incoming artillery.

4.Do not salute officers or stand at attention in their presence. If the sniper wants him make HIM figure out which one of you it is.

5.Keep you weapon with you at all times, or at least within arm's reach. You live to regret that one only if you're lucky.

6.Make no more noise than you must. No signal flares okay?

7.NEVER leave behind any evidence of your passing. Let them gather their own intelligence- no hints.

8.Don't question orders. Just do it, questions can come over a cold one later. In Administrative Operations, questions are acceptable and suggestions welcomed - but in Tactical Operations there is not the luxury of time. Sometimes orders given may seem crazy, but failure to follow them will result in death. Remember how to escape an ambush? You want to hang out in the middle of the road and chat?...

 

CHAPTER ( V ) ASSAULTING DEFENSIVE POSITIONS

With the exception of Urban Combat there is no tactical operation more deadly than assaulting a prepared position. As I run through this remember the chapter on how to prepare a defensive position. Knowledge of both, assault and defence, enhances understanding of each of them alone. This is a long one, but that's the only way to cover it.

The first step in assaulting a prepared defensive position is the reconnaissance. The person's or person doing the planning MUST look at the position with their own two eyes - at a safe distance of course. Take a minute. They're not going anywhere.

When planning an assault consider what you would do yourself if you set up the defensive position. Once again a solid knowledge of defense is essential. Remember OCOKA! These are the things that you must overcome. Complex plans almost never work, and the more coordination required the more likely the failure. Remember the KISS principle - Keep It Simple, Stupid!

During the execution stage things tend to fall apart very quickly. I would recommend a plan that puts your soldiers in place and then runs by itself. Getting the troops in the best placement possible before fighting is absolutely essential. There is an old axiom: No plan ever survives first contact with the enemy. Have a plan that puts your troops in place and leave the fighting to them.

 

WOLFE'S TIP: Remember that grenade launchers have an arcing trajectory that can be used to drop them into foxholes - or into your hiding positions as well.

 

To make all of this a little clearer, I'll run through a sample assault plan. Let's say the plan is to assault a dug-in platoon set up on the top of a hill at night and the assault has three platoons at its disposal.

Third platoon will be the overwatch platoon. Their job is to move onto an adjacent hill overlooking the objective and at 0100 hours start firing onto the hill. First and second platoons will be the assault group. It's their job to sneak up to the base of the hill and begin their advance once third platoon starts firing. They will crawl up a conveniently located ditch (how'd that get there?) that ends halfway up the hill. It may be mined so they'll take it slow and careful and remove mines as they go.

When the assault group reaches the end of the ditch first platoon will start crawling up the hill. Second platoon will stay put and begin giving covering fire for the first platoon. First platoon will attack the left flank. Just before they do though they will fire a green signal flare. This signals both second and third platoons to shift their fire to the right flank.

When first platoon has established a toehold they will fire a white flare signalling second platoon to make their way up and join them while they provide the covering fire. Once second is up top with the first platoon they will fire a red signal flare to let third platoon know to cease all fire while they finish clearing the opposition off the hill.

As you can see the above plan primarily puts the soldiers in place to do their job, requires little communication that can be misunderstood, and is easy enough for the simplest soldier to understand. It also is not dependent on any single person for success and makes good use of fire and maneuver.

 

WOLFE'S TIP: The defender ALWAYS has the advantage. To attack a prepared position against troops of equal quality and equipment the attackers should outnumber the defenders by at least three to one. If you don't - AVOID ATTACKING. Call for reinforcements, go around, call an airstrike - anything. BUT- if you have to anyway, remember everything we have discussed and I wish you luck- you'll need it in spades.

 

CHAPTER ( VI ) INTELLIGENCE REPORTING

It is one of the most common laments of the Infantry that more soldiers are killed by poor intelligence than from enemy bullets. While it may be true there is a flip side - Intel only knows what the Infantry tells them. Good reporting is essential to keeping yourself and your fellow soldiers alive. Here comes another acronym: SALUTE.

S = SIZE How may of them do you see? If you can't count 'em all make an educated guess.

A = ACTIVITY What were they doing when you saw them?

L = LOCATION Where were they?

U = UNIT If you cannot recognize the unit describe what you can. Patches? Markings? Colors?

T = TIME Time and date. VERY important if you cannot see them at the moment and it's now become military history.

E = EQUIPMENT What do they got for vehicles, artillery, or in their hot little hands?

Here's a sample report:

+"Sergeant Wolfe to Lieutenant Ellison - I have a contact report for the Captain. I have spotted an enemy unit of approximately company strength breaking camp on hill 4327 and one of their platoons was starting to move off to the northwest, apparently recon.+ +"I don't recognize the unit, but they had some kind of shoulder patch, red triangle in a blue circle, looks like a corporate logo. Looked like straight-leg standard issue troops, with the following additions: A lightly armoured tracked recon vehicle with a chaingun and small cannon, and a wheeled scoutcar with a communications satellite array mounted on top.+ +"Contact was at 0700 hours on 03 July. Please acknowledge."+

WOLFE'S TIP: On any very serious communications transmission ask for an acknowledgement. Ain't nothing worse than wasting your breath.

 

CHAPTER ( VII ) URBAN COMBAT

Urban combat is, without question, the most dangerous form of warfare in existence. There is no way I can do it justice within this limited format. However, I can give you a few tips to help increase your chances of surviving. 1.Learn to shoot with your off side. This reduces your exposure around awkward corners.

2.If you are absolutely sure there is no danger of harming friendlies use a grenade or a flamethrower on a hostile room before you enter it.

3.When you enter a room or hallway leave someone in the doorway or around the corner to provide cover. The Hi-Low approach from the cop shows works - IF you have a third man to cover them. It is NOT a two man operation. All it takes is one hostile in an adjoining room with a shotgun to take them both out with one shell.

4.Remember, you can fire through most walls and floors. And so can they...

5.Have your people spaced well out when you use stairwells. Some types of grenades roll downhill real well.

6.Avoid elevators. If you have to, then send people up two at a time. Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket!

7.Window tracks make excellent guillotine rails. Check before you stick your head out for a look.

8.Any wall can become a doorway if someone wants it to be one bad enough.

 

WOLFE'S TIP: Never go prone or lean against a wall while playing hide and seek in closed in areas with no cover. Low velocity projectiles hitting a hard surface like a wall or the ground will tend to follow along the surface. This is a technique taught in every combat shotgun class, shooting in front of your target instead of straight at them. You hit them almost every time.

 

Once again, I hope you have enjoyed this and feel free to pass it around to whoever else may enjoy!

 

Robert Xxxxxx, formerly:

(SSgt Robert Xxxxx, C/3/75th Infantry, US Army Rangers, Building Clearing Team)

[Oldwolfe]

Here's a few related thoughts that I posted when rambling on late one night in another forum:

 

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I've used guns as a soldier all my adult life and even used a suppressed (not silenced, an MP5SDA3) one for awhile in my job. However, I am aware of the drawbacks of them and how nearly impossible it is to silence a powerful round. On a cool cloudless night, just the clacking of the bolt in my MP5 sometimes sounded thunderous and carried a further distance than you'd want to practically shoot, anyway. Even very soft sounds can carry 100 yards or more with no background noise (like crickets, wind, etc.) to muffle them. The idea of silencing a fifty cal makes me laugh. I remember in one game, someone was trying to explain to me that they really saw silenced hand grenades. (groan)

 

One of the few cartridges that makes itself suitable to silencing is the .45 ACP. That's because some of the standard loads for it are already subsonic, or on the edge of subsonic. You don't lose much power by silencing a .45 auto. Otherwise, if you REALLY want to be quiet, you need to bring along specially made (read in WEAK) ammo. Many silenced pistols are actually made to be manually operated one shot at a time so you can't hear the automatic ratcheting of the slide.

 

There's actually two ways of quieting a weapon. Silencing (which involves subsonic ammo), and suppressing. Suppressed weapons are still supersonic and you CAN hear the crack of the bullet. The advantage of suppressing is since you can't hear the shot from the gun itself, you have problems determining where the shot came from. They have another problem, suppressors and silencers foul up with the carbon from the expanding gasses pretty quickly. You have to take your suppressors apart and clean them out pretty regularly.

 

Any long range sniper rifle that has that big cylinder on the end is only suppressed. If it was fully silenced the bullet would have lost so much velocity that it couldn't maintain good long range accuracy. Some snipers carry subsonic rounds for close-in work like taking out sentries within say 75 yards or so.

 

Believe it or not, the Navy played around with silenced shotgun shells that actually worked. They were supposed to be for use by downed pilots in dangerous territories. They were very expensive to make as the powder was contained in a separate compartment of the shell that expanded as the powder fired. The compartment wouldn't leave the shell. Basically it pushed the pellets out of the shell like a piston. It lowered the power of the shotgun pellets dramatically, but they were lethal, and it was a practical item when they finished developing it. Just way too expensive to put into use.

 

Honestly I think that except for very specific applications, silencers are more trouble than they are worth. One of the drawbacks of having practical experience is that a lot of the "cool" stuff in a lot of games stretch my believability too far. I need at least a little sense of realism.

 

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Here's a few thoughts on combat and weapons (from an individual level, not group level) from someone who has survived being active in combat zones for about 28 months at various times in various places throughout the world. Also, my thoughts will probably offend some people. Those who love all the gadgets.

 

Probably 80% of all deaths in combat come from two things. The bullet you never saw coming, or simply not being the first person to put the rounds on target.

 

The bullet you never saw coming, not much to address that. At least in this format beyond saying: Stick to cover and keep your head down.

 

Not reacting fast enough, that we can address.

 

As far as I'm concerned, there are two types of shooting in combat. Aimed shooting, and point shooting.

 

1) Aimed Shooting: This is the type of shooting taught to all soldiers in the military. Looking through your sights and taking your time to squeeze off a good shot. The time to do this is when you have good cover, range, and the luxury of taking your time. I call this Offensive Shooting, and it includes sniping.

 

2) Point Shooting: Unfortunately, this is usually only taught to Rangers, Recon, Special Forces, Seals, etc. I'm not talking about movie style shooting from the hip. But keeping the buttstock in your shoulder, spinning quickly and firing down the barrel of your weapon without using any sights at all. If you have ever done any shotgun based skeet shooting, this is EXACTLY the same thing. If you do skeet shooting you know that if you try to aim, the clay pigeon will be gone before you get the shot off. In combat, in this sort of situation, if you take the time to aim, YOU will be gone before you get the shot off. Honestly, skeet shooting is the BEST sort of practice for what I call: Self-Defense shooting.

 

I don't know how many kids I've seen die over the years because they were struggling to aim at someone who was coming in quickly at close range. More than I care to think about.

 

I'm not talking spray and pray shooting either. But accurate, fast, un-aimed shots. I say it over and over. Go try skeet shooting sometime.

 

Gadgets: Aimpoints, iron sights, so called "quick" scopes of any variety, and lasers. As far as I am concerned, junk them all when time is of the essence. At CLOSE range nothing is faster than just looking down the barrel of your weapon. For my main battle rifle, I don't want a scope of ANY type obscuring my view of the barrel. The person NOT using one of these will probably be the winner. Even while lasers are fast, they have ENORMOUS drawbacks. First of all, unlike in games, you can't see the beam without special equipment. So you are looking for a tiny dot on your enemy. Various clothing textures and even wrinkles in the cloth can hide the laser dot. This loses you precious time in trying to hit your target, when you can least afford it.

 

Back in the early 80s I was issued what was called the absolutely apex of technology. It was sort of like a laser, but infra-red and could only be seen with IR goggles. But it was big, clunky, and it slowed down my weapon. It was about half the length of my entire MP-5. First chance I got in the field I took it off and stashed it for later turn-in. And I can think of twice that removing it probably saved my life. Because if I had been just a FRACTION of a second slower, I would have been dead.

 

A lot of the time my team would stash all the surplus equipment we were issued the moment we were out of sight. There's an old Bill Mauldin cartoon from WWII that sort of sums it up. Willie tells Pete to remove the jokers from his deck of cards as they are simply excess weight.

 

Most times in combat, follow the KISS principle. Keep It Simple, Stupid!!!

[Oldwolfe]

Oh, lasers on a gun. I think they have one absolutely FANTASTIC use.

 

But it's not in combat. For this purpose you don't even have to sight it in. You can just tape a cheap laser pointer to a gun.

 

When practicing shooting, mount a laser on a gun if you have one. Aim at a spot on a wall and dry fire (shoot an unloaded gun). See how much the laser dot jumps around. Most people will be amazed at how much it jumps around when they pull the trigger.

 

Practice dry firing with the laser on until you can do so without the laser dot jumping all over the place.

 

To my mind, that is the single best use of a weapon mounted laser.

 

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee11/Conan_Lon/SW642-3.jpg

[Oldwolfe]

Choosing a personal handgun:

 

This is only part of the selection process, not all of it, but many people don't know about this trick.

 

Hold the handgun in your normal firing position, WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED. Aim at some point on a wall as if your eyes were open.

 

Then open your eyes.

 

Are the sights lined up naturally?

 

If yes, add it to the list of choices.

 

 

Are the sights cockeyed and pointing off in some other direction?

 

If yes, then start looking at other handgun makes and models.

 

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Try this at LEAST five times with each possible handgun you are considering.

 

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Different handguns fit different people differently.

[bben46]

Looks like very good advice from someone who has 'seen the elephant'.

 

Or said another way. Always shoot first. It will spoil the other guy's aim and may even ruin his entire day.

There are not many things more distracting than a face full of dirt from a near miss.

 

Unfortunately, in games it dosn't spoil their aim. Some of the things you learn to do to win in games will get you killed in real life combat, and vice versa. However one lesson you will learn from games is you MUST shoot quickly and accurately.

[Oldwolfe]

Always feels nice to see a moderator tip their hat to a posting. Thanks for the comments.

 

Edit:

 

A miss spoiling the guy's aim? That all depends on how many times he's been around the block.

 

Example: A guy once kicked me in the crotch, then he lowered his guard and stood there watching to enjoy his handiwork. I slugged him in his throat, and then I curled up into a fetal position and did my best to vomit my toenails up.

 

The guy who wins is the guy who refuses to lose.

 

And on top of that, adrenalin plays a role too. There are times when someone gets shot and doesn't even notice until someone else points it out to them.

 

There are things you never want to rely on. Take advantage of, oh hell yeah. Every chance you get.

 

Rely on, no.

 

Of course these are just my personal opinions. When all is said and done, I'm just a dumb grunt. Many people far smarter than I am have different opinions.

 

PS. Yeah, I've seen the elephant. A few times it even came in pink polka dots and spoke.

 

I don't get drunk anymore.

 

PPS. I used to ask my new trainees where they fell in the pecking order of their siblings. Younger sons have a flinch habit that has to be overcome. Older sons rarely do. Oddly, bullies, even ones that are used to getting their way, flinch.

[Oldwolfe]

Two more notes on silencers:

 

1) It has always amazed me that I have never seen a silenced Semmerling LM4. It's an ultra-compact .45 acp backup weapon that functions sort of like a semi- but by design it MUST be manually operated. You push forward the slide after each shot. Part of it's design concept was a powerful but tiny gun for off-duty and undercover cops. It always seemed to me it was almost designed for silencing, but I have never seen a silenced one.

 

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l141/Oldwolfe/LM4.jpg

 

It holds four rounds in the magazine and is typically carried with another round chambered. Since you rack the slide forward, not rearward, to load it any silencer would probably have to include an extender so the slide didn't bump the silencer itself. (Unless the barrel also moves forward, I don't know. I've never fired or held one. But it would have to move forward at least the distance of a bullet.) Pic of slide in the forward position is below.

 

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l141/Oldwolfe/sliderack.jpg

 

 

2) To be truly realistic, any silencer on any gun should be a completely separate coded item in a game with it's own health, far lower than that of the weapon. So it wears out much faster than the gun it is mounted to, and loses effectiveness as it does so.

 

I once saw a silencer on a rifle blow up in a special forces guy's face. Apparently he bumped it against something just hard enough to bend the silencer slightly. But not enough to see it with a casual glance. As the bullet passed through the silencer it started digging into the baffles and ripped the silencer apart. This was during a live fire demonstration, not in combat.

 

It bloodied up the guy's face, he turned out to be okay, luckily. If it had been in combat, say trying to take out a sentry, it sure would have alerted all the bad guys in the area.

 

It's also possible that it was worn enough on the inside that part of the baffling came loose and created a blockage. Not quite as likely though. Most silencers only have pin-holes leading up into the baffles.

 

Cheap silencers are also known to blow up, but for a different reason. A silencer works by diverting the expanding gasses into chambers that slow down their release from the weapon. Since they exit the weapon at a slower speed, this reduces the sound.

 

Here's a picture of the first patented silencer, made by inventor Hiram Maxim. ( who also invented the Maxim Machinegun )

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ac/Maxim_patent_drawing.png

 

Diverting all those expanding gases puts an enormous amount of pressure on the outer "can" of the silencer. If it is cheaply made, it can be too much pressure, resulting in an explosion.

 

The higher quality modern silencers don't screw on anymore. They have a click-on and off type of mount.

 

 

LATER EDIT: Many silencers can be disassembled for cleaning. Many silencers (usually cheaper ones but not always) cannot. If it cannot be disassembled, you have to soak it in a solvent bath, usually overnight. Then, you have to be absolutely certain it's dry again before you use it. You don't want some liquefied sludge to come dripping out of the baffles and hardening up in the bore. (Or even not hardening. Liquid sludge would still be enough to cause an overpressure explosion).

 

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Sorry for rambling away in all these different directions. But this IS the off-topic area, and I hope that someone finds at least some of this interesting.

[Oldwolfe]

A few words on taking damage, real life vs. games:

 

It's very difficult for a game to accurately reflect the myriad of responses a body MAY have to trauma. There's just no telling.

 

It runs the whole gamut from shrugging off amazing amounts, to dying from the tiniest of wounds.

 

And on top of that, adrenalin plays a role too. There are times when someone gets shot and doesn't even notice until someone else points it out to them.

 

I know of a case where a lady stubbed her toe and fell over dead. (shock)

 

I know of a case where a cop took six rounds from a 44 magnum in his chest, took the gun from the perp, hit him over the head with that gun, called an ambulance, and climbed into the ambulance himself when it got there.

 

I could list a ton of really weird examples, but this isn't the place to be that gross.

 

Perhaps the most accurate damage system I have ever seen in a game was in one called "The Morrow Project". Any damage had a percentage chance of causing shock, unconsciousness, or death. The more damage, the higher the chance. Varying body zones could increase the chance. But there was a maximum percentage of a wound causing an instant effect. If someone was lucky, they could shrug off a lot of hits. They had to be REALLY lucky though. Although enough damage to a limb would cripple it, and enough damage overall would simply tear them apart.

 

A bullet ALWAYS did the same amount of damage. It's effects were determined by where it hit you at. And they had a very simple mathematical formula to determine a bullet's in-game damage by it's velocity and it's diameter. I was about to list the formula, but I think it might be copyrighted, so I won't. But it did make it so you could add any gun to the game if you knew it's bore diameter, muzzle velocity, clip size, weight, and effective range.

 

On top of which, for realism, you'd also have to add a percentage chance for dazing. A second or two of grogginess.

 

A character may have perks to be able to do thinks like resist grogginess or unconsciousness. (Morrow project didn't have that, I was just expanding on the idea).

 

I thought the damage system The Morrow Project had was pretty cumbersome for a pen and paper RPG. I admired the accuracy and the thought that went into the combat system. I didn't like the fact that a five minute fight would take an hour and a half of consulting charts, graphs, and formulas to play out. I made my own modified system for when I played it.

 

However, I always thought it would make a heck of a system if driven by a computer.

 

Honestly, while that may be the most accurate way to put damage into a game, a lot of players would probably find such a system frustrating.

 

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I'm not going anywhere specific with this.... just rambling again.

[wogz187]

Still reading...

[Oldwolfe]

Still reading...

 

 

Hehe, I've run out of steam.

 

For the moment.

 

Any questions?