What is the Folk ARPS platoon?

What you really need to know about Folk ARPS and ArmA 2
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fer
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What is the Folk ARPS platoon?

Post by fer »

Is this going to be another question and answer thing?
Kinda, but less snappy and with more text; and possibly some lists and diagrams. Oh God, here comes the text wall!

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What is the Folk ARPS platoon constructed from?
There are 3 basic element types within the platoon:
  • Leadership element
  • Fireteam element
  • Attachment element
Tell me about leadership elements
There are 3 types in each platoon:
  • Commander (CO) element
  • Deputy commander (DC) element
  • Squad leader (SL) element
These are 2-person elements, with the CO/DC/SL accompanied by a medic. ''Or personal physician''. Whatever. I think he has some bandages.

Tell me about fireteam elements
Up to 9 in each platoon (although you can have more if you're feeling greedy), each consists of 4 players:
  • Fireteam leader (FTL)
  • Automatic rifleman
  • Assistant automatic rifleman
  • RPG rifleman
The fireteam is the basic building block of the platoon, and is patterned on the fireteam concept described in Dslyecxi's excellent TTP2. Fireteams are grouped into squads.

Tell me about squads
A squad groups together 3 fireteams under the command of a squad leader. There are up to 3 squads in each platoon (although, again, you can have more), named: Alpha, Bravo and Charlie. The fireteams in each squad are numbered and identified by their squad, e.g. Alpha 1, Charlie 3 etc.

Tell me about attachment elements
These are 2-man elements that can be used to add a specific type of special weapon to the platoon, such as:
  • Medium machinegun 1 (MMG1)
  • Medium anti-armour 1 (MAT1)
  • Sniper team 1 (ST1)
Not every mission will feature these attachments. You can also invent other types of attachment: vehicle crews, mortar teams, civilian affairs outreach teams with ''Hello Kitty'' stickers on their helmets (even).

How is the platoon organised?
If no attachments or vehicles are being used, the three squads are under the command of the CO.

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What if there are attachments?
As their name suggests, attachments can be added to existing squads (coming under the command of the relevant squad leader), or act independently. In some cases, a CO may choose to place one or more attachments under the direct command of the DC, creating a new, specialist squad. Here are some examples:

Example: In this example a medium machinegun (MMG1) attachment has been added to Alpha squad.

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Example: In this example, the mortar (MTR) attachment is acting as an independent element.

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Example: In this example, the CO has asked the DC to take control of the medium AT (MAT1) and heavy AT (HAT1) attachments to form a special squad.

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Hey, this looks a great deal like the platoon in Dslyecxi's excellent TTP2
Comrade! How can you say such a thing? Allow us to demonstrate the difference with a visual metaphor:

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The way that the Army / Marines / Jehovah's Witnesses organise their platoons is still better!
They have ''way'' more people than Folk ARPS. And that level of organisation still makes us afraid.

So, how do comms work in the Folk ARPS platoon?
Excellent question, comrade. Before proceeding further, please ensure you have read Getting started with TeamSpeak 3 (for ArmA2).

Okay, I've read that thread - let's do this! Who should be talking on Channel Commander (CC), and when?
The only people who should be talking regularly on CC are the CO, DC, squad leaders and leaders of independent elements.

Example: In the platoon set-up illustrated below, in CC, the five voices you should hear almost exclusively are: CO, DC, and the SLs of Alpha, Bravo and Charlie.

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Is it okay to listen in on CC?
Yes, this is okay and even recommended for anyone who knows they are likely next in line to command a squad or independent element. However, if you fall into this category please avoid talking on CC until you actually assume a leadership role.

Example: In the platoon set-up illustrated below, the FTLs of Alpha 1, Bravo 1 and Charlie 1 might want to listen to CC.

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Is it ever okay to talk on CC when you are not a squad leader, but the situation is an emergency?
Yes, but please exercise common sense. If a friendly tank is about to reverse over a party of toddlers and CC is the only way to reach the tank commander, then by all means jump on CC, say "break break break", and help us avoid an expensive court case. If you spot some dangerous looking characters in the next valley (teenagers wearing t-shirts featuring the characters from Twilight), relay your concerns up the chain of command instead.

Who should be talking on TeamSpeak, and when?
Usually, a TeamSpeak channel will be shared by the elements in a squad (e.g. the squad's fireteams, plus any attachments assigned to that squad). The only people who should be talking on the TeamSpeak channel are the element leaders (e.g. squad leader, FTLs, attachment leaders).

Example: In the platoon set-up illustrated below, in Alpha squad's TeamSpeak channel, the five voices you should hear almost exclusively are: Alpha SL, the FTLs of A1, A2 and A3, and the leader of MMG1.

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Is it ever okay to talk on TeamSpeak when you are not an element leader, but the situation is an emergency?
Yes, but again the key is to exercise common sense. If what you have to say affects the whole squad and needs to be communicated instantly (for example, if you have noticed an enemy Shilka preparing to fire on your group hug), feel free to speak up on TeamSpeak. If you just want to tell a person in your fireteam that you've stopped to take a drink from your bottle of vodka, use Group VON.

Who should be talking on Group VON, and when?
Everyone should use Group VON when talking to others in the same element. This applies whether you're an element leader (e.g. FTL), or a regular member (e.g. Assistant Automatic Riflemen).

Example: In the (by now pretty familiar) platoon set-up illustrated below, the FTL of Charlie 1 uses Group VON to ask his men to stay in formation, and they use Group VON to laugh at his commands.

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What about the other types of VON (Direct, Vehicle, Side)?
Please avoid using Side or Global VON. For Direct and Vehicle, you can use these where appropriate but they are entirely optional - for example, if a fireteam is travelling in an IFV the crew will at best be in the same squad (and hence TeamSpeak channel), and at worst the FTL and IFV commander will be able to communicate via CC.

What if Group VON, and perhaps all flavours of VON, are borked for me?
That's a fair challenge, and if you find your VON is completely broken then you'll need to make sparing use of your squad's TeamSpeak channel.

This sucks, I have a better plan for communications.
Every approach to large-scale communications has its drawbacks, and preference is subjective. The hosts are always on the lookout for new ideas so please feel free to drop them a PM. Comrade Tigershark, in particular, likes it when handsome young comrades approach him for a conversation about ACRE. However, for now this approach is what we've chosen to use and we ask that you abide by it.

Yeah, what about ACRE?
Sadly, ACRE requires addons ... and main Folk ARPS sessions do not.

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