From: Richard Kirke <richardkirke@h...>
Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 14:24:05 -0000
Subject: [SGII] Leader Loss/ Leading from the Front
Hi, Well I have stirred things haven't I! I have been away doing exams otherwise I would have posted earlier. Leading form the front In SGII the massive advantage of being able to automatically transfer orders (when within 6" of the squad) is so useful that I tend to want my command squad relativiely near the front (usually behind a peice of cover near to my point of attack). In real life, I don't imagine it is particularly good for morale to see your commander skulking at the back (morale modifier?) and better still to see him up there with you. As for the Para's in the Fawklands, IIRC the commander who was killed because he led an attack from the front (also known as being stupid) was declared dead during an exercise a month or so earlier, this was untimely and ill-advised behaviour, not heroism. What he in fact did was to deprive his troops of a commander for rather negligable gain. In fact the 2IC asked the enemy to surrender, and they thought that he must know something that they didn't, and did so. The Para's have had a good deal to prove since then and very little chance to do so until that covert raid recently (Somalia, I can't remember). I don't think that it is advisable in the hi-tech warfare for the commander to be in the front line, he has too high a chance of being killed (Unless he is 12ft tall where's a large banner on his back is armed with a "Power Claw" and a Super-Mega-Blaster-cannon with chainsaw bayonette at which point he probably should be!). Just FYI I do not know that all the fact above are accurate, I have no intention of insulting or offending anybody (particularly Paras! I have an imense respect for all those in the Brittish armed forces, in particular the Army), I do not know if the Para engagement that has been mentioned is the same as the one detailed above, but the one above did occur. My information source is my father, who is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Artilery (he is not here and does not check my spelling, sorry I know it is terrible). Leader Loss: If you read the rules and take them purely at face value then the loss of any unit leader invovles a Confidence Test at threat-level 3, an extra suppression, and then a new commander is appointed. This is very harsh, and has problems like did they all know, BUT if the Sgt screams over the radio "F**** the LT bought it" then I wouldn't start chearing! Perhaps if the LT or other commander does buy it, anyone within 6" is takes it like there own commander is dead, anyone who gets in Radio contact with the command squad then they take a less brutal test, and before any orders can be transferred, the test must be taken. This is something along the lines of what Jon Tufley began to make up when I asked him. BTW thanks for the reply about Support weapons.