OOC and MIA

[shaidar]

From your experience, when would have regular briefs? Morning and evening?

[joertexas]

Perhaps I need to push more on regular/official briefings IC. Or at least make it clear what information discussed with Frank gets briefed out to others even if we don't actually do the brief IC.

As a person with military experience, it drives me nuts to see "military" games that make no military sense at all. It warms the flinty shards of my old heart to see players work to make a military game look like a military event. That said, I think we as a group may be breaking into stuff that a lot of players haven't experienced. Count me in for briefings and drills!

I few it like the cultural games we play; pseudo-historical Japan, far flung space merchants, or sword in hand fantasy. None of us will get it perfect, but the flavor will be significantly enhanced as we work "in character".

This is a sobering look at the sheer amount of planning and coordination that goes into a military operation. People complain about screwups, but it's easy to miss something.

[Leitz]

From your experience, when would have regular briefs? Morning and evening?

Morning briefings for the larger group for standard events. For example, the current ops would have been talked about, as much as they get talked about, the day before, and everyone would be taking care of whatever they needed to do for the op. In Jess' case, the officers would be briefed that someone would be "outside the wire" and Frank would read in anyone who needed to be. In this case, Jakob would be told to stay in comms with Jess and Prerna since they were "outside the wire" but on a classified op. The entire group would be briefed on Jakob's mission since it is not covert at all.

That evening, there would be a last minute conference by the mission leads and officers, and another in the early AM before everyone headed out. These would be short, unless there were major details changed.

The biggest key is "commander's intent". So Prerna and Jakob would brief each of their teams on Frank's intent, and how they would implement it. That lets the troops get engaged in solving the right problem and ensuring their on the spot decisions match the commander's intent.

[shaidar]

That certainly makes sense, avoids confusion and ensures everyone knows what they need to. No doubt honed over the centuries.

We certainly need to aim for this, or the intention of it.

I'm not sure how much we could 'hand-wave' as done by our professional characters, at the least we'd have to be clear what is overt and covert actions and what info is and isn't briefed. I'm not trying to dismiss or avoid all the above, just trying to strike a balance and not bog us down in too much minute, and I'm happy to go with whatever consensus we come to.

[Leitz]

Honestly, doing stuff "in character" is a great start. Every PC has a solid military background, even if the Army pukes have to sign out their crayons before giving a briefing. Since the PCs have been training hot and heavy for weeks, I don't see a big issue in how the team will communicate IC, we just need to track it a little better.

[Tiglath]

I’m all for enhancing the "military flavour" in a military campaign of the campaign but I’m prepared to make some assumptions about the more mundane aspects of information sharing lest they become burdensome in the PbP medium.

As ably illustrated by Leitz above the in game situation with the merc officers having a working knowledge of "what the unit is doing today" is a situation where I believe the assumption that information would have been shared is proper.

As it goes my background (for the latter part of my police career) was in Intelligence. The unit I ran briefed for reactive shifts as they came on duty (and also for specific operations) while the other “half” of the unit managed information coming in and gathered Intel directly.

In situations in game where you have options to share info with NPCs I've (to the best of my knowledge) usually asked players direct.

Rule of Thumb: Merc unit Officers & SNCOs (PCs & NPCs) will share daily operational info.

However, I won't assume you share any other info outside the unit unless you tell me - this includes non merc "allied" NPCs (Liv and Captain Cabral are examples).

Hopefully the above will allow you to focus on RP, fathoming the plot and making tactical choices as to whether to share (plot specific) Intel while having no worries about being "caught out" by not posting that you've shared more mundane information within the unit.

[joertexas]

Rule of Thumb: Merc unit leaders (officers & SNCOs) (PCs & NPCs) will share daily operational info.

However, I won't assume you share any other info outside the unit unless you tell me - this includes non merc "allied" NPCs (Liv and Captain Cabral are examples).

Hopefully the above will allow you to focus on RP, fathoming the plot and making tactical choices as to whether to share (plot specific) Intel while having no worries about being "caught out" by not posting that you've shared more mundane information within the unit.

Good deal

[Tiglath]

Happy to help!

Of course the option of framing IC actions in and around briefing is no doubt sound and adds flavour as stated above.

I keep beasting you with your lack of starship know how for all being military so it's only fair that you can all claim to instinctively brief/debrief.

As an illustration of briefing brevity I'll share my favourite after action debrief / Intel update:
"Landed. Killed Germans. F***ed off". Maj. Anders Lassen VC MC, SBS.

[shaidar]

Lol,

Sounds like a plan!

So, the info about the black ops unit out there somewhere falls inside or outside daily operational info?

[Leitz]

However, I won't assume you share any other info outside the unit unless you tell me - this includes non merc "allied" NPCs (Liv and Captain Cabral are examples).

Yeah, Jakob would have a difficult time translating some of his "talks" with Liv.

[Tiglath]

Lol,

Sounds like a plan!

So, the info about the black ops unit out there somewhere falls inside or outside daily operational info?

Oooooh, that's waaaay outside!

I'll need you to specify who you tell about that.

[shaidar]

I thought it probably was.

Once Jess is back I think I will call a top-secret, for your-ears-only, debrief for the PCs to cover Jess's mission and the black-ops resource.

I decided to tell Cabral about the black ops team because I thought he would me a more dangerous lose cannon if I didn't.

[shaidar]

I just had the thought that maybe the Captain has taken Frank for a mug. Oh well, if he's that good an actor...

[The Bindoner]

My laptop is back. It didn't need any work, just a holiday. Seems whatever had crawled into the socket to prevent the connection had left/fallen out by the time it got to the workshop.

Apparently they see a lot of computers with a sense of humour.

Good job I didn't buy that replacement...

[Leitz]

Gimme a sec for the Jakob response. He would have alerted Prerna as soon as he realized the Col wasn't going to back off, so she had a heads up.

[Tiglath]

Well that is good news!

Maybe it just fancied a furlough?

So all data preserved and right as rain?

[Tiglath]

Gimme a sec for the Jakob response. He would have alerted Prerna as soon as he realized the Col wasn't going to back off, so she had a heads up.

Absolutely.

I'd actually just pressed "pause" at this end to allow everyone to take stock catch up.

[shaidar]

My laptop is back. It didn't need any work, just a holiday. Apparently whatever had crawled into the socket to prevent the connection had left/fallen out by the time it got to the workshop.

Apparently they see a lot of computers with a sense of humour.

Good job I didn't buy that replacement...

Good news indeed. Do you have all your data backed up anyway?

[Leitz]

Gimme a sec for the Jakob response. He would have alerted Prerna as soon as he realized the Col wasn't going to back off, so she had a heads up.

Absolutely.

I'd just actually just pressed "pause" at this end to allow everyone to take stock catch up.

Does Jakob have a side-arm? I am assuming he has some of the grenades?

[Tiglath]

Does Jakob have a side-arm? I am assuming he has some of the grenades?

If you want to carry one that's an officer's perrogative and being "informal" mercs anyone can likely take one (as a private purchase not "issue") so no reason at all not to have one.

The unit doesn't issue them though so I'm more than happy to retcon a purchase - the "go to guys" are autosnub pistol (HEAP ammo Pen 6) or gausspistol (Pen 4 but with autofire - useful if you are so banged up/desperate that you've drawn a handgun). Autosnub = 300 Cr (inc three mags) Gausspistol = 700 Cr (inc five mags).

Just cross off the cash and note it on your sheet.

I'm not sure of your standard load out but I'm sure you have hand grenades issued (likely HE, fewer HEAP and smoke). Someone in the squad will have one!