7734
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Yep. Getting the words right on heraldry is bloody annoying, but at least nothing here is planned to have the really dipshit features like flanking unicorns or something.
Situation Foxtrot (SAO/Foxhole) [COMPLETE]
- Thread starter 7734
- Start date
- Crossover
Yep. Getting the words right on heraldry is bloody annoying, but at least nothing here is planned to have the really dipshit features like flanking unicorns or something.
Operational Mechanics v.1
7734
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So, it's time to explain operational mechanics. This is a bit messy, and the author hasn't had time to get the formatting 100% down, so this is what we've got for now.
Bonuses and Maluses
Bonuses and Maluses come in two flavors: operation-wide, and stack. Operation wide maluses affect every unit in the operation, while stack maluses or bonuses only affect units up-stack of them. Below are listed the various bonuses and maluses.
Operation-wide
Bonuses
-Good Planning (+1) (Stacks per turn taken doing planning)
-Talented Officers (+1) (Stacks per Red or greater regiment in the operation)
-Prototype Supplies (+1) (Only applies to Armor, Artillery, or Mechanized regiments)
-Revanchism (+1) (Only applies when retaking territory that has been held for 10 consecutive turns)
-Strategic Artillery Support (+4) (Does not stack, an operation is supported by Storm Cannon fires)
-Wet Concrete Denial (+1) (An operation is attacking wet concrete)
Maluses
-Under-Organized (-1) (Caused by not having enough Logistics Regiments from plan outset)
-Poor Officers (-1) (Stacks per Yellow regiment in a frontline role)
-Incompetent Officers (-2) (Stacks per Green regiment in a frontline role)
-Conscripts (-3) (Stacks per White regiment in the operation)
-Blockaded (-2) (Caused by not having a supply line to a depot area on grand supply network)
-Forlorn Hope (-1) (Unit cannot stage out of bunker or relic base)
-Concrete Breaking (-1) (Unit is attacking a fully operational concreted base)
Stack Effects
Bonuses
-Critical Rollover (+1) (A unit down-stack rolled a 10 or higher, applies to any phase of stack)
-Armor Support (+1) (Stacks, a unit is supported by an armored formation that passed their role)
-Artillery Support (+1) (Stacks, a unit is supported by direct-fire artillery)
-Heavy Artillery Support (+2) (Stacks, a unit is supported by indirect-fire artillery)
-Player Port (+1) (A water logistics unit has built an operation to allow freighter use)
-Vehicle Superiority (+1) (A mechanized infantry unit has more or better vehicles. Does not stack with Prototype Supplies)
-Grenadiers (+1) (A unit has an explicitly large supply of anti-bunker munitions)
Maluses
-Out of Supply (-1) (Stacks with every Logi regiment that failed their supply roll)
-Munitions Shortage (-2) (Does not stack, only effects unit with dedicated logistics that fails)
-Tank Shock (-1) (Unit is combatting enemy armor without dedicated weapons to counter)
-Encircled (-2) (Unit is engaged on multiple fronts)
-Trench-breaking (-1) (Unit is engaged in pushing through prepared enemy positions.)
-Landing Operation (-1) (Unit is establishing a beachhead and is not in position to get local resupply)
Order of Operations
In this system, the target number is 6. Rolls under 6 are failures, and above are successes. The severity of failure or scale of success is determined by the delta from 6:
To determine stack bonuses and maluses, several things must happen. First, QRF must roll in order to protect the supply corps. There can be any number of potential QRF units, but only one unit needs to pass its roll in order to count the supplies as protected. If QRF fails, then all Logistics units take a -1 penalty. Logistics must then make its rolls. Each failed Logistics roll generates one instance of Out of Supply malus to combat arms. In addition, if a unit that requires a dedicated Logistics Regiment has said Logistics Regiment fail, they incur an additional -2 to their rolls from Munitions Shortage.
Once any instances of Out of Supply and Munitions Shortage are calculated, the combat rolls then progress. Rolls will be done as standard clean, without modifiers tied to the roll. This is to prevent typographic errors. Note that rolls will generally be done in reverse stack order: combat arms, then supply, then QRF.
Once rolls are completed and the math is done, results will be posted.
Combat Arms Special Rules
Combat Arms units are the only units that can have roll-over successes, and cannot suffer cascading failures. In addition, several Combat Arms units have inbuilt bonuses, listed below.
Armor: Gives Armor Support to itself and two other regiments, requires a dedicated Logistics Regiment
Light/Direct Fire Artillery: Gives Artillery Support to itself and two other regiments, requires a dedicated Logistics Regiment
Heavy/Indirect Fire Artillery: Gives Heavy Artillery Support to itself and two other regiments, requires a dedicated Logistics Regiment
Mechanized Infantry: Gives itself and two other Regiments access to local anti-tank weapons, preventing Tank Shock, and a role to see if it has Vehicle Superiority.
Pioneers: Gives itself local anti-tank weapons, or the Grenadiers tag otherwise.
Motorized: Can serve as either a Logistics Regiment, or as a Combat Arms Regiment.
Logistics Special Rules
Logistics regiments can each supply two regiments that do not need a dedicated Logi Regiment. In operations with three or less Logistics Regiments, each Logistics Regiment can maintain organic supply for its own vehicles and manpower. However, in operations with more than three Logistics Regiments, an additional Logistics Regiment must be added per two Logistics Regiment (as if Logistics were Combat Arms units) in order to provide supplies to them and additional basing. In addition, at three or less Logistics Regiments, the Out of Supply debuff does not apply to Logistics Regiments.
Logistics regiments cannot have roll-over successes, and can suffer cascading failures. In addition, there is a small number of inbuilt bonuses, as listed below.
Motorized: When serving as a Logistics Regiment, can only supply one Combat Arms regiment, but does not suffer penalties from QRF failure.
Engineering: Provides bonus Bunker Bases, and organically possesses CVs and Cranes for Player Ports and Water Logistics
Water Logistics: Can, if a Port Facility is available, support up to five Logistics Regiments for Large Operations. Player Ports count for this.
Landing Rated Logistics: Can supply one Regiment through a Blockaded area without receiving penalty.
Integrated Supply Chain: Can cue production to supply outside of stockpiled equipment in case of Technology Unlocks
Researchers: Can resupply Prototype Vehicles.
QRF Special Rules
QRF- Quick Response Forces- have one singular, solitary job: to protect logistics. Each and every QRF unit is immune to Out of Supply debuffs, and is not effected by items later in the stack. However, QRF units cannot donate buffs to the rest of the force, and are otherwise isolated from the rest of the engagement. Otherwise, QRF units count as standard Combat Arms units for purposes of supply, and have no special rules.
Bonuses and Maluses
Bonuses and Maluses come in two flavors: operation-wide, and stack. Operation wide maluses affect every unit in the operation, while stack maluses or bonuses only affect units up-stack of them. Below are listed the various bonuses and maluses.
Operation-wide
Bonuses
-Good Planning (+1) (Stacks per turn taken doing planning)
-Talented Officers (+1) (Stacks per Red or greater regiment in the operation)
-Prototype Supplies (+1) (Only applies to Armor, Artillery, or Mechanized regiments)
-Revanchism (+1) (Only applies when retaking territory that has been held for 10 consecutive turns)
-Strategic Artillery Support (+4) (Does not stack, an operation is supported by Storm Cannon fires)
-Wet Concrete Denial (+1) (An operation is attacking wet concrete)
Maluses
-Under-Organized (-1) (Caused by not having enough Logistics Regiments from plan outset)
-Poor Officers (-1) (Stacks per Yellow regiment in a frontline role)
-Incompetent Officers (-2) (Stacks per Green regiment in a frontline role)
-Conscripts (-3) (Stacks per White regiment in the operation)
-Blockaded (-2) (Caused by not having a supply line to a depot area on grand supply network)
-Forlorn Hope (-1) (Unit cannot stage out of bunker or relic base)
-Concrete Breaking (-1) (Unit is attacking a fully operational concreted base)
Stack Effects
Bonuses
-Critical Rollover (+1) (A unit down-stack rolled a 10 or higher, applies to any phase of stack)
-Armor Support (+1) (Stacks, a unit is supported by an armored formation that passed their role)
-Artillery Support (+1) (Stacks, a unit is supported by direct-fire artillery)
-Heavy Artillery Support (+2) (Stacks, a unit is supported by indirect-fire artillery)
-Player Port (+1) (A water logistics unit has built an operation to allow freighter use)
-Vehicle Superiority (+1) (A mechanized infantry unit has more or better vehicles. Does not stack with Prototype Supplies)
-Grenadiers (+1) (A unit has an explicitly large supply of anti-bunker munitions)
Maluses
-Out of Supply (-1) (Stacks with every Logi regiment that failed their supply roll)
-Munitions Shortage (-2) (Does not stack, only effects unit with dedicated logistics that fails)
-Tank Shock (-1) (Unit is combatting enemy armor without dedicated weapons to counter)
-Encircled (-2) (Unit is engaged on multiple fronts)
-Trench-breaking (-1) (Unit is engaged in pushing through prepared enemy positions.)
-Landing Operation (-1) (Unit is establishing a beachhead and is not in position to get local resupply)
Order of Operations
In this system, the target number is 6. Rolls under 6 are failures, and above are successes. The severity of failure or scale of success is determined by the delta from 6:
To determine stack bonuses and maluses, several things must happen. First, QRF must roll in order to protect the supply corps. There can be any number of potential QRF units, but only one unit needs to pass its roll in order to count the supplies as protected. If QRF fails, then all Logistics units take a -1 penalty. Logistics must then make its rolls. Each failed Logistics roll generates one instance of Out of Supply malus to combat arms. In addition, if a unit that requires a dedicated Logistics Regiment has said Logistics Regiment fail, they incur an additional -2 to their rolls from Munitions Shortage.
Once any instances of Out of Supply and Munitions Shortage are calculated, the combat rolls then progress. Rolls will be done as standard clean, without modifiers tied to the roll. This is to prevent typographic errors. Note that rolls will generally be done in reverse stack order: combat arms, then supply, then QRF.
Once rolls are completed and the math is done, results will be posted.
Combat Arms Special Rules
Combat Arms units are the only units that can have roll-over successes, and cannot suffer cascading failures. In addition, several Combat Arms units have inbuilt bonuses, listed below.
Armor: Gives Armor Support to itself and two other regiments, requires a dedicated Logistics Regiment
Light/Direct Fire Artillery: Gives Artillery Support to itself and two other regiments, requires a dedicated Logistics Regiment
Heavy/Indirect Fire Artillery: Gives Heavy Artillery Support to itself and two other regiments, requires a dedicated Logistics Regiment
Mechanized Infantry: Gives itself and two other Regiments access to local anti-tank weapons, preventing Tank Shock, and a role to see if it has Vehicle Superiority.
Pioneers: Gives itself local anti-tank weapons, or the Grenadiers tag otherwise.
Motorized: Can serve as either a Logistics Regiment, or as a Combat Arms Regiment.
Logistics Special Rules
Logistics regiments can each supply two regiments that do not need a dedicated Logi Regiment. In operations with three or less Logistics Regiments, each Logistics Regiment can maintain organic supply for its own vehicles and manpower. However, in operations with more than three Logistics Regiments, an additional Logistics Regiment must be added per two Logistics Regiment (as if Logistics were Combat Arms units) in order to provide supplies to them and additional basing. In addition, at three or less Logistics Regiments, the Out of Supply debuff does not apply to Logistics Regiments.
Logistics regiments cannot have roll-over successes, and can suffer cascading failures. In addition, there is a small number of inbuilt bonuses, as listed below.
Motorized: When serving as a Logistics Regiment, can only supply one Combat Arms regiment, but does not suffer penalties from QRF failure.
Engineering: Provides bonus Bunker Bases, and organically possesses CVs and Cranes for Player Ports and Water Logistics
Water Logistics: Can, if a Port Facility is available, support up to five Logistics Regiments for Large Operations. Player Ports count for this.
Landing Rated Logistics: Can supply one Regiment through a Blockaded area without receiving penalty.
Integrated Supply Chain: Can cue production to supply outside of stockpiled equipment in case of Technology Unlocks
Researchers: Can resupply Prototype Vehicles.
QRF Special Rules
QRF- Quick Response Forces- have one singular, solitary job: to protect logistics. Each and every QRF unit is immune to Out of Supply debuffs, and is not effected by items later in the stack. However, QRF units cannot donate buffs to the rest of the force, and are otherwise isolated from the rest of the engagement. Otherwise, QRF units count as standard Combat Arms units for purposes of supply, and have no special rules.
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Operation: Logistics Union into Nevish Line
7734
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Logistics Unit Operation into The Nevish Line
Note: rolls are done in reverse order here
Operational Bonuses and Maluses
-Under-organized
QRF stage
LU QRF rolled 7, -1 for under-organized, total 6. QRF sucedes.
Logistics Stage
LU Logi Regiment 1 rolled 5, -1 for under-organized, total 4. Logi 1 fails, 1x stack of Out of Supply incurred.
LU Logi Regiment 2 rolled 4, -1 for under-organized , total 3. Logi 2 fails, 2x stack of Out of Supply incurred.
Total: two stacks of Out of Supply, -2 to all Combat Arms rolls.
Combat Arms Stage
LU Inf. Regiment 1 rolled 10, -1 for under-organized, -2 for Out of Supply, total 7. Success of +1
LU Inf. Regiment 2 rolled 8, -1 for under-organized, -2 for Out of Supply, total 5. Failure of -1
LU Inf. Regiment 3 rolled 5, -1 for under-organized, -2 for Out of Supply, total 2. Failure of -4
LU Inf. Regiment 4 rolled 3, -1 for under-organized, -2 for Out of Supply,, total 0. Failure of -6
LU Inf. Regiment 5 rolled 5, -1 for under-organized, -2 for Out of Supply, total 2. Failure of -4
Operation Conclusion
1/5 regiments achieve goals. Remaining four regiments disposition as follows: 1 regiment supporting successfully, two regimental collapses, one regimental annihilation.
End Result
There is now a narrow Warden salient into The Nevish Line at Unruly, holding the Relic Base against steady enemy pressure.
Note: rolls are done in reverse order here
Operational Bonuses and Maluses
-Under-organized
QRF stage
LU QRF rolled 7, -1 for under-organized, total 6. QRF sucedes.
Logistics Stage
LU Logi Regiment 1 rolled 5, -1 for under-organized, total 4. Logi 1 fails, 1x stack of Out of Supply incurred.
LU Logi Regiment 2 rolled 4, -1 for under-organized , total 3. Logi 2 fails, 2x stack of Out of Supply incurred.
Total: two stacks of Out of Supply, -2 to all Combat Arms rolls.
Combat Arms Stage
LU Inf. Regiment 1 rolled 10, -1 for under-organized, -2 for Out of Supply, total 7. Success of +1
LU Inf. Regiment 2 rolled 8, -1 for under-organized, -2 for Out of Supply, total 5. Failure of -1
LU Inf. Regiment 3 rolled 5, -1 for under-organized, -2 for Out of Supply, total 2. Failure of -4
LU Inf. Regiment 4 rolled 3, -1 for under-organized, -2 for Out of Supply,, total 0. Failure of -6
LU Inf. Regiment 5 rolled 5, -1 for under-organized, -2 for Out of Supply, total 2. Failure of -4
Operation Conclusion
1/5 regiments achieve goals. Remaining four regiments disposition as follows: 1 regiment supporting successfully, two regimental collapses, one regimental annihilation.
End Result
There is now a narrow Warden salient into The Nevish Line at Unruly, holding the Relic Base against steady enemy pressure.
Yes. But we are not involved in the operation above. Its in the completely opposite side of the map than us.
So the offensive ended up being a utter clusterfuck with only a little gain in exchange for massive losses.
So about what we expected.
They did...sort of okay? Armchair tacticians, can you guys expand on this?
Uh they fucked up totaly and are now sitting ducks in a salient ripe for a counterattack. Probably also throwing rocks by now, if the logistics rolls are any indication.
7734
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This is the current status of the boys in Unruly right now.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGQmOpSXzNE
No I will not elaborate.
It seems very strange that having Logi that failed is worse than having no logi at all, which is what the mechanics imply.
They sent them spoiled b rats instead of bullets so they are down to chucking rotten beans at the colonials?
7734
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If you don't have logi at all then nobody even gets to the jumping-off point and the operation tanks out the gate. That's one of those "I didn't write it down because it's silly" moments.
One of the cardinal rules of writing: just because it is 'obvious' to the author who came up with it doesn't mean it is obvious to a reader.
From the mechanics presented there seems to be no advantage in having logi. Even with this additional information it seems actively detrimental to have more than the absolute minimum logi required, as every additional roll is a chance to get a maluse for no benefit.
7734
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That's half by design- extra logistics should be avoided, due to just the cost involved and how it affects the 3 logi regi break point- and half by accident, since I wrote most of the rules at like 2am.
- Location
- Texas
Jesus christ, what a fucking massacre.
They are not sourrounded yet. So retreating isnt really a problem. But, unless they widen the salient to have more depth, they could have some real problems. On the other hand if they can hold the salient they have a good jumping off point for further offensives.
7734
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They're not total wipes, but yeah: most of those frontline regis are looking at about a dozen dead players, except for the 0 regi, which is Significantly Higher. Highball estimate is closer to 120~ dead permanently, though.
Silver lining is that if our offensive succeeds then more people will listen to us rather then go tearing off like that.
I'm guessing that from the hints in the updates if your allies are unable to recover your dog tags/name tags you will die in full. So if you attack a place and are driven back, if you don't have dedicated casualty recovery people recovering tags from the dead you will lose however many people whose bodies you've had to abandon.
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IIRC, it was explained in the opening chapters.
Morgen's Haven Operation pt. 1
7734
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[X] Plan The Center Must Hold
-[X] Warden Angel Device in field
-[X] Warden Colors (Argent and Azule, changing field to azule and bend sinister to argent)
-[X] Change font of all lettering and numbering to Fraktur font
-[X] Operate on the Center Front: You don't trust your people to have the ability to stand a long, grisly war of attrition- even from the back, where the danger is least. A short, sharp deployment will be easier for them to handle.
-[X] Take some time to build up coordination with your front leader. Good planning saves lives and material- and in this game, the two are the same thing.
-[X] Warden Angel Device in field
-[X] Warden Colors (Argent and Azule, changing field to azule and bend sinister to argent)
-[X] Change font of all lettering and numbering to Fraktur font
-[X] Operate on the Center Front: You don't trust your people to have the ability to stand a long, grisly war of attrition- even from the back, where the danger is least. A short, sharp deployment will be easier for them to handle.
-[X] Take some time to build up coordination with your front leader. Good planning saves lives and material- and in this game, the two are the same thing.
After joining the War Bureau, you had a lot of things to get to work on. Using the liveries system, working out your roll in the upcoming offensive, warming your regiment up to the concept of frontline service, it was a lot of work. Fortunately, or unfortunately, you could still keep in contact with the War Bureau High Command back in Kirknell without too much trouble. This meant coordinating, which in turn meant doing accounting.
So much fucking accounting. You had to figure out average gas use per patrol- 45 liters-, average bullet use, medical supplies use, uniform use, soldier supplies expenditure, bunker and garrison supplies use, what parts of the bunker you used most, what patterns you would need to use most, general other item tracking, and even how many pens and tanks of typewriter ink you needed! The answer to that last one was significantly higher than what you'd started with!
Still, despite this you were making regular calls to Hooker. While you couldn't free up the time to actually go talk to him in person, and had to rely on 65 Signals and the newly-founded 136 Courrier to get the mail moving to him out in The Moors, it wasn't hard to keep him apprised of everything. If it wasn't for your constant need to be a patrol driver loaded to the gills with medical supplies, you'd probably have sealed the deal on some actual training time, or at least a visit.
That didn't happen, though, as you got woken up by your telephone next to your bunk at four in the morning one Saturday.
"Colonel Orr speaking," you growled. "What is it?"
"This is Colonel Hooker."
Oh fuck. "Thought we both worked first shift?"
"We would, but the Logistics Union started their push at midnight. I don't know where they got five regiments of troops, but that's what Border Patrol reported to our outpost in Callum's. Everyone's rallying to Esterwild or The King."
"Need me to do any trucking?"
"No, we've got everything pre-positioned."
"I'll start turning out the troops, then."
It took a solid two minutes to get your uniform on, sliding a loaded pistol into its holder and your dirk where it went. For once, you weren't in a Physician's Jacket, but rather a standard infantry battle dress. Ringing the 'all hands' alarm twice, it was easy to watch the troops rattle out into the bunker core, battle rattle on and guns at port arms.
"Ladies, gentlemen, both, and neither," you began, to a slight chuckle, "we just got the call in. Somehow, the Logistics Union found five regiments worth of desperate idiots to attack the Nevish Line. The Colonials are no doubt shifting resources to respond to the issue. We, therefore, will conduct an offensive against Morgen's Crossing with the rest of the War Bureau in order to secure a far more reasonable logistics hub."
Utter pandemonium reigned, until Coatl and Bathroy managed to bludgeon some sense into everyone. With that done, you continued. "We will be operating out of War Bureau bunker bases, and even the Border Base in Morgen's. I understand most of you are noncombatants, but this is the safest assignment I could get us, and we need to make an aggressive move. For this operation, I'm therefore assigning non-combat personnel as medics and drivers, so that we can free up more fighters for the truck shifts. Considering the close degree of cooperation we enjoy with 46 Sustainment, I have no doubts as to the speed of corpse recovery and respawn for this operation."
That, at least, settled everything out. "In addition, we'll be having four persons stay behind to man the comms. This bunker base is an important backup in the radio command chain, as 11 Infantry's training center doesn't have an inter-hex radio system and it'll be a while before we can build one in Morgen's. Please gather your personnel effects, draw a weapon from the stockpile and standard war load, and mount your vehicles."
It was two hours later you got to Esterwild, before you got your taskings. Most of the partisans you'd need to worry about would actually be in Viper's Pit, or naval raiders hitting the beach where a player port was getting assembled by 46 Sustainment to avoid The King's infamous traffic circle. Then, you waited.
The worst part about the waiting was the lack of calls, as dozens of trucks rolled past you- until they did start coming, pouring in even.
It was hectic- half the time, you were manning the guns as lookouts called in approaching Colonial landing ships, the other half of the time spent building up the temporary bunker base. Most of them never landed, though- instead, choosing drive-by attacks on your own landing ships with sticky bombs. In desperation, you took a team on one, waiting for the sound of another Aquatipper coming out of the mid-morning fog.
"We're destined for the Marines, you sure you want to stay on?" the bargeman yelled over the diesels below.
"Uhlans get shit to the end!" you shot back- before another marine diesel sounded. "All guns, port rail!"
The tipoff was the empty back. Every lander was coming and going with a truck, and as your Sampo started firing, the enemy started peaking up over the bulwark to start returning fire. As a pair of Pitch Guns opened up, you growled as a round cut through your hair. Slamming the operating lever forward, you responded to their full auto fire in kind, heavy rounds slamming into the Aquatipper's guardrails.
"Mihey, grenade!" you yelled, as they drifted closer. A few Argentis were shooting, but a few Argentis didn't scare you as your pilot undertook evasive maneuvers.
"Harpas away!"
Continuing to juke, you watched the pinaple bomb fly through the air, and into the enemy barge. The explosion was worth a chuckle, as the enemy pilot frantically started fleeing. Most of his troops had to be bleeding out: good.
"They'll start bringing Bomastones now," the pilot remarked, glaring at the retreating battle barge.
"We've got a field medic, and you'll be fine."
"I ain't warning me, I'm warning you," he said, as you crossed the hex border. It was a slightly unnerving feeling, and as soon as you were past the line your gun came up, instinctively scanning. Chuckling, the pilot grinned at the nerves of you and yours. "They don't attack us in this hex- the raiders are coming up out of Rime."
"You're certain?"
"That's where they're crossing the boarder. Here, we've got to worry about the coastal gun. If they've got spotters on it, we're in trouble."
This trip, the coastal gun didn't fire- but you saw, as clear as day, a half-dozen transports that hadn't been so lucky. You could protect the supplies, but you couldn't protect the water logistics- and it was water logistics that this operation hinged so heavily upon.
The 27 Naval Infantry beachhead was a crowded place, with a half-dozen shellshocked troops hanging around with guns at high ready and several old, bandaged wounds. Getting out as they swapped the full truck with an empty, you grimaced. It was easy to hear the cracks and scything machine-gun fire in the distance, a cacophony of war in the distance. As you re-boarded your barge, an explosion sounded in the distance- not that anyone cared. It could have been an empty bunker, or it could be twenty bodies in the dirt for construction teams to dig out. It could be Warden, it could be Colonial.
As the barge left, you just watched as the snow began to fall.
///
Back at the beach, the port was still bustling with that calm, steady energy you found so unnerving after watching the carnage of the beach. Topping off your magazine, it wasn't long before you were in the bunker base, accepting a mug of coffee and a bowl of borscht and some elk jerky with a kaiser roll. In the mess, Hooker was sitting with Martel, grimacing at a map.
Sitting down with them, you nodded once, before starting to eat. The jerky was cold, so you just it in the soup; before following with the bread. As you ate, the two other colonels just growled at each other.
"We can't punch through, Hooker," Martel, the colonel of the 11 Infantry, said. "The machine gun bunkers are too tight, and even shitty one-by-threes will work when they're stacked nine deep. Even if we break a bunker, they'll squat in the corpse and the night assaults aren't enough."
"Then I'll send you the ISGs and I'll make do with Mammons- they didn't have the ridgeline fortified nearly heavily enough."
"ISGs won't help, this channel is too damn fortified. The gun teams I already have are getting scythed down!"
Shrugging, you kept eating- right until Martell banged the table. "You, Colonel… Black?"
"Melanie," you corrected. "What is it?"
"The front is too tight to try anything right now," Martel said, grinning, "but Hooker and Tepes have both blown past their goals. Waste of time putting horsemen on the water- what say you give him a little help?"
"By 'A little help', he means having you learn how to mouse-hole out bunkers. They're trying to set up a line of cheap-ass… what did you call that pattern, again?"
"Les Aimants. Magnets."
"Je vous comprend la première fois," you muttered around some beef jerky. "J'parle francais un piu."
You could feel Martel's smile as he looked at you, as Hooker groaned. "Great, well, I don't French, so let's not."
"Right," you grumbled, continuing with your borscht.
"Either way, Fort Yankee is far less of a shitshow than Fort Echo or Alpha, so we want you to go up and down the defensive line they're building between Fort Zulu and Fort Victor and try to do a little slap–and-tickle to keep 'em uncomfortable. Those discount bunker bases won't stand up to much, and as long as you keep them repairing they're not digging a trench line to connect the front."
"We're QRF, not frontline troops."
"And I'm not asking you to run in the front, I'm asking you to just… consider it quick response knockdown duty. We give you a pair of the ISGs, go ham, come home. Two trucks, just have your greenies stay around here helping dig in."
"Or she helps secure the line for Tepes, I know he's worried about someone getting wrapped around the sides."
Hemming and hawing for a moment, you looked at Hooker. "My people will be worried- not many of them are rated for this. They've already got their nerves up."
"It's not safe on the front. They'll toughen up after a few successful thunder runs, and then it won't be an issue," Hooker assured you. "Better than sitting in a base all day."
"I concur," Martel said, grumbling.
"Why aren't you too on the front, anyway?" you asked pointedly.
"I will be in a few minutes," Martel said, poking a cold roll. "I needed to get the mail and status on logistics."
"I needed to touch base, and the Border Base doesn't have a telegraph," Hooker shot back with a bit more heat. "You?"
"I wanted food, and this is my duty station," you grumbled. "Also, the goblins are using battle barges now."
"Fuck." Martel muttered. "They read our wiki."
////
Operation Post to come soon.
GENERAL OPERATION RESULTS: Massive operational gains. Complete victory in the north, Eversus captured, north road blockaded, bunker base being installed to control "Mailman's Cross" intersection. Enemy main lines of resistance formalizing around Fort Zulu south to Bastard's Block, Quietus invested except for small enemy salient at Fort Uniform. Moderate success of Marine Landings at "Inchon", with friendly bunker base being established and lines between Fort Golf and Fort Oscar cut. Fort Echo destroyed in total, Fort Yankee now invested from the north and west, with a bunker base breaking the lines of communication between Yankee and Alpha. General failure to press and hold Fort Alpha, which is still being resupplied through Quietus.
MAP KEY: Blue lines are Warden main lines, blue triangles/pentagons indicate new Bunker Bases on the front line. Pink lines represent Colonial main lines of resistance.
VOTES
[] Stick with Hooker, and start teaching your people how to do mouseholing. Will involve front-line combat. (1d6 troops promote risk grade by 1, 2d6 troops retire from the regiment)
[] Take Martel's advice, and work on lateral security with Tepes' force. Will involve mobile warfare. (1d4 troops promote risk grade by 1, 1d6 troops retire from the regiment)
[] Continue doing local QRF and garrison work.
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