From: Tom B <kaladorn@g...>
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 11:14:39 -0400
Subject: Change of Orders II
Edward makes a couple of interesting points. The information about the relationship of corporal and Lt. was just meant as interesting fluff (for the RPG types). The fact the corporal's squad has a 3 Leadership reflects his sullen and objectionable nature as much as anything. He's just a guy that's seen too much and has gotten more than a little bit too cynical. As to the other point raised, you've obviously never played one of my scenarios:) (I say that because although I don't waste the players' time, many times they end up in odd situations where they have to work with the other players at least in part, where allies are actually enemies, or where the enemy is a referee run thing and both sides end up fighting it together). My latest thought was that you'd instruct the lead blue player that they are going out on a patrol as an exercise, he'd tell his troops that there may be enemy around (the other blue players) and he'd secretly suspect that the base CO might send out another reforming unit to act as enemy force. So Blue Leader's first requirement upon meeting Red would be to identify them (he'd quite possibly think they were another local unit) before allowing his troops to open fire. They, of course, would think there might be some kind of exercise on or that it is a real enemy (perhaps you let some of them think one way, some the other, to create a division in how they should respond). The whole theme of Change of Orders (1...n) is that you don't always have the right troops for the job, the job your given often isn't the job you end up having to do, the intel your given is often wrong intentionally or by accident, and a lot of the time the enemy is just as confused.