Welcome! These forums will be deactivated by the end of this year. The conversation continues in a new morph over on Discord! Please join us there for a more active conversation and the occasional opportunity to ask developers questions directly! Go to the PS+ Discord Server.

OIA Tac Squad

7 posts / 0 new
Last post
Kojak Kojak's picture
OIA Tac Squad
I'm putting together an OIA Tac Squad (10 squaddies plus the ground truck), and I'm trying to decide the appropriate level of equipment to give them. They'll be attacking the players from the "How to Beat a Tank" thread while they're in the midst of trying to repair the spider tank they brought down in the last session. All I know is the stuff from this blurb: "OIA Tacticals are incredibly well-trained and well-equipped given they’re living in the most dilapidated city on the planet. Reason is the space elevator and the city’s close proximity to the TQZ. OIA Tacs get issued the tools for taking down hostile war machines and swarms, and a full squad of ten’s got an infosec spec and a nanowarfare spec on it. While there’s never been a confirmed TITAN/exsurgent incursion into Olympus, the Tacs’ve seen action many times in Fuxingmen when black bag research projects got out of hand and somebody’s artificials went technical." Any suggestions re: equipment? I'm trying to find a good balance without going full milspec. I've got some ideas, but I'm curious to see what you guys think, y'all always have such great ideas...
"I wonder if in some weird Freudian way, Kojak was sucking on his own head." - Steve Webster on Kojak's lollipop
UnitOmega UnitOmega's picture
I'd say maybe ARs or SMGs (as
I'd say maybe ARs or SMGs (as GM you can always softball BF or FA for bonuses to hit and not adding 3d10 DV), and then add an Underbarrel Seeker with a few fun toys. Keep in mind, EMP works wonders on nanoswarms, doesn't usually fluster players much (but could if you try hard enough). Since reflexive perception is free, you can do things like "You see the squad guy in back switch the load on his seeker. It looks like Plasmaburst" kind of thing, keep them guessing or play with their focus in the fight.
H-Rep: An EP Homebrew Blog http://ephrep.blogspot.com/
SquireNed SquireNed's picture
Though I would like to point
Though I would like to point out that full military is probably not too far off, though they might not be wielded by quite military-spec operators. One thing I would expect to see is an increased emphasis on stealth. They're going to hit the players as hard as they can, preferably from a long engagement distance. I'd suspect that you're going to see at least three or four designated long-range operators if there is a clear avenue of fire, with a handful of short-range operators. Long range is likely for a couple of reasons. First, it allows a positive balance of the initial engagement (e.g. you shoot first). Seekers are nice, powerful, and very long-range, so they're a perfect "go loud" weapon. Seekers can also be fired indirectly based on a forward observer or sufficient surveillance data, allowing the engagement to begin before hostile operators can pin down their targets. Nanowarfare also tends to work better at longer ranges, allowing for more chances to take down a swarm with EMP weapons. While it's likely that there are a lot of team-members who have weapons designed for CQC due to the uban nature of the unit, it's also likely that a weapon might be used that has some sort of adjustable power. Alternatively, leveraging transhuman morphs and AF 10 technology, they may be wielding weapons that are designed for multiple effective engagement ranges: bullpup weapons, seekers, and sidearms would be standard issue, especially wrist-mounted launchers (though they might not have the sort of seeker loadout that helps against Firewall operators). Keep in mind that in Olympus you're going to see some heavy munitions. These are the guys who'd be stopping a rogue warbot.
UnitOmega UnitOmega's picture
Well, you have to be careful
Well, you have to be careful about engagement range. OIA probably doesn't care about collateral, but this is still densely built (if not populated) urban blocks. Olympus is also ambiguously capped or sealed, there could be environmental hazards to look out for with watching where you shoot. Especially if your backstop ends up toward rather than away from the elevator in the center. Even if it's not an actual risk you don't want to be the guy who loses a badge because he accidentally blew a chip out of probably Mars' single most important piece of economic infrastructure. I'd expect probably tiered or staggered responses based on what they know. If there's a police drone with a camera looking right at the PCs fixing a giant multiped tank in the middle of the street or whatever - they're not sending a truck. UAV's will flatten the block with a missile. If they just know some guys probably ran off with some serious hardware then probably a smaller fireteam or fire-and-maneuver team will push up first, engage only if attacked and attempt to recon, probably spot-and-mark and guide in a heavy assault from the serious weapons back at the truck. If there isn't a ceiling on Olympus you can probably use seekers like a mortar and get a vertical strike pretty easy. Again, collateral wouldn't be a concern. If they just know people are causing trouble in the neighborhood (I/E a giant tank fight happened) then probably more cautious, more measured? They'd sweep and clear the area and while serious firepower would be around it might not be on them. They'd be prepared to engage infantry in close quarters - and then they can get a round of seekers if say, they bump into a tank in a garage. But this informational picture takes a backseat to what the GM is trying to do. If this is just a verisimilitude thing - trying to present the realistic response for a situation then you have to drop the hammer. PCs don't win against a SWAT team if they're doing things that call SWAT teams. Not even if you're 6 Exhumans running a Fenrir in some shitty slum in Remembrance or the Jovian Republic. But in that case you almost shouldn't be rolling dice because the bullets will just catch up to them eventually. If this is more meant to be a kind of obstacle either as a complication to their actions or the next step in the scenario then reasonable expectations can be stretched. You can catch the projected single team of guys off guard and disable them long enough to get away or finish some project or whatever. Given how brutal combat is most of the time and the PCs will likely be out numbers, just automatic weapons and the possibility to engage with seekers of certain flavors, wrapped in the full heavy combat armor with probably some safety mods will give most groups pause. The Trained Military profile in NPC File is just a Railgun AR and armor 20/18 (Heavy, Helmet and Ablative) - and you might count the pistol from the original Security Trooper profile.
H-Rep: An EP Homebrew Blog http://ephrep.blogspot.com/
MrWigggles MrWigggles's picture
I dont see why the OIA
I dont see why the OIA wouldnt be MilSpec. They are meant to stop possible Titan WarMachines from wondering into the most economic important city on Mars. I would arrange it that they're able to break up into two teams of five. Each team has their own InfoSec specialist. The InfoSec is the weakest combatant, so they then double up as Medic or Drone Operator. I would then give each time one 3speed or 4speed heavy combat specialist. The CO, I would also give mental speed 3 or 4, along with the the XO so they can manage and cross coordinate. If the PC they are tracking down are known for their InfoSec hijinks, then these groups would be communicating via laser mics only within the squad and a quantum encrypted LAN between the two groups. If the OIA Group is meant to take the PC in a live, then I would have them operate for one close in group one moderate range group. The close in group would be armed with Freezers as their primary and Rail SMG as their back up with deadly ammo. The moderate range group would be armed with under barrel seekers. PRobably some sorta rail rifle. They would shoot the group with Overload Seekers, and EMP grenades (to lock down their Infosec and inter group communicating). The Moderate Far group hits them with EMP and overload. Then the close group moves in and hits them freezers. Then they cover everyone up in security masks. If they're task with just muderfucking them all. Then it depends on tactics. They can try to split the group up. One of the OIA is meant to get them to split up while the other is meant to get the separated person. Five v One, would more then likely be a one round fight. The other tactic is to several ambush locations pre arranged and drive them into one of them. The ambush locations, are armed with thermobaric grenades/mines. They then sweep in, and double tap the head or base of the spine then remove the stacks.
ThatWhichNeverWas ThatWhichNeverWas's picture
Official Motto: "Fire Is Always The Answer"
I suppose it really depends on what you consider MilSpec - to me, that really means "don't get fancy". As they're supposed be be focused on Warbots and Swarms, I'd say lots of plasma and AoE weapons but little in the way of rapid fire stuff - so no Railguns or Kinetics. I'd say 2 groups of three (Close Quarters, Standard, Support) one of four(Close Quarters, Standard, NanoTech, InfoTech). - Close Quarters - Battlesuit with a riot shield and mounted Plasma Cutter. - Standard - Battlesuit with Seeker rifles loaded with accushot plamaburst micromissiles*. - Support - Battlesuit with Combined Freezers/Torches, and Seeker Pistols firing EMP Micromissiles and/or Homing Splash filled with guardian nanoswarms. Also carrying tools for stackpopping and Nanobandages. - NanoTech - As support, plus: Synth (to taste) with Built-In General Hive loaded with Guardians, Saboteurs, Disassemblers, Fixers, Injectors, and whatever else you want. - InfoTech - As support, plus: Synth with Brainbox, possibly built into the Truck. Standard Infosec gear, seeker rifle loaded with EMP minimissiles. All armor has the Immunogenic System, Fireproofing, Refractive Glazing and the Faraday Armor Mods, and uses encrypted Laser coms. --- Battlesuits with Fireproofing and Refractive Glazing have an effective armour vs Plasma of 36, which is the (theoretical) maximum a Plasmaburst Micromissile can inflict without bonuses from good rolls, making them functionally immune to friendly-fire/close-range detonations (no attack roll = no bonus damage or armour bypass). If having the whole team using vanilla battlesuits seems too much, then use Crasher-, High-dive- or HardSuits for the non-Close-Combat members instead. *Accushot-Plasma-Micromissiles - moderate max damage with means less risk of instakill for the PCs and less risk to the team should a member become compromised, Accushot makes them equally viable at all ranges, Plasmaburst are equally good against armor and swarms, and because they're seekers they're very forgiving if you miss. All together, they're simply a solid choice against most targets under most circumstances. The main downside is the ammo cost, which doesn't apply to NPCs - if you need a justification, they have their own dedicated Maker.
In the past we've had to compensate for weaknesses, finding quick solutions that only benefit a few. But what if we never need to feel weak or morally conflicted again?
Kojak Kojak's picture
Okay, based on you guys'
Okay, based on you guys' comments I've put something together (ThatWhichNeverWas' last comment heavily informed a lot of what I did here). Tell me what you think; any constructive criticism would be helpful and appreciated. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BziPp_CvWNf4N1ZsdEJTbjBDN3c
"I wonder if in some weird Freudian way, Kojak was sucking on his own head." - Steve Webster on Kojak's lollipop