[Sun] 03 Aug 2014 (Competence will be punished)

How we died (in the future)
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Tigershark
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Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2010 5:56 am

[Sun] 03 Aug 2014 (Competence will be punished)

Post by Tigershark »

Missions:
  • Waging War
  • Cratesistance
  • Idiots
  • Inter_IV
After-Party:
  • Halfway 2 A 3 Way
  • Raidolo
  • In Denial
  • Karts (BeyondLife Wins!)
Thanks to the 40+ comrades who came to play tonight and the efficient slotting (that Zitron enjoyed so much). We were scarily competent on Waging War and won it for the first time.

As ever, please post your thoughts, feedback, screenshots and video here - comrade YouTube Hero SuperU doesn't just produce our video idents, but provides leadership and guidance to propaganda artists. We also have a new YouTube channel that he manages so if you have any content you think should feature then let him know and he will sort you out, for more info check out this thread!; more guidance on video editing for Folk ARPS is provided by comrade Ferrard Carson. Posts in the AAR threads really help us (the hosts and mission makers), both with understanding how we can improve the experiences, and showing potential comrades what our sessions are like.
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Sticking feathers up your ass does not make you a chicken.

zitron
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Joined: Sun May 27, 2012 10:18 pm

Re: [Sun] 3 Aug 2014 (Competence will be punished)

Post by zitron »

Well, I got promoted from Blufor ASL to Opfor AAR :siiigh:

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Ferrard Carson
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Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2012 6:08 am

Re: [Sun] 3 Aug 2014 (Competence will be punished)

Post by Ferrard Carson »

Are we all here? Good, we have quorum on our After Action Report. So, as our first action item, I'd like to move that we officially call tonight's achievements:

"BRAVO SQUAD IS BEST SQUAD."

Waging War
Deployed as Best Squad Leader
The convoy is trundling along, and our newly enfeebled bodies were barely able to get Bravo Squad in cover and concealment away from prying eyes towards the tail end of the convoy. The plan was for us to wait for HAT to shoot, then for Bravos 1 and 2 to sally forth at point-blank range and exterminate everything wearing hex-camo while Bravo 3 swung around east to take everyone from the flank.

We waited. The convoy arrived. We waited. The convoy left. We waited. The convoy drenched Alpha in a hail of bullets and HE shells, and we sprang into action... for all of the convoy to be around Alpha. So we piled out into the field and took a southern hook, coming up behind the convoy. Mopping up the remaining resistance, it turned out that of all the bullets directed at us, over half of them were from Alpha.

"Check fire, Alpha, you're shooting at everyone in Bravo who isn't in defilade from you!" :argh:

In the meantime, Gaius's Bravo 2 had charged right up a creekbed to clear it out after Alpha reported enemies there (in retrospect, they were probably reporting Bravo 2 as they moved into the creekbed). When I sounded the all-clear for Bravo, they came tumbling back without their esteemed leader. "Tripped over a bramble and hit a rock on the way down..." I heard some of them mutter.

So at this point, we consolidated, formed a nice, compact line ready to move, and reported in to the CO.
:clint: : "Audiox, Bravo is ready to move."
:v: : *cricket*
:clint: : "Audiox?"
:v: : *cricket*
:clint: : "Aqarius, can you check on the CO?"
:dance: : "Wait one... Yep, he's dead."
Turns out, when Alpha took about 40-50% casualties, our CO was one of them. So with our Glorious Leader dead, and Aqarius trying to herd a bunch of leaderless cats, I stepped up to the plate with my 13-man squad. Sending HAT and MAT to Alpha to form an uber-Base-of-Fire element, I pointed Aqarius at the nearby Hill 114 to provide overwatch as Bravo advanced along the road.



From 500 meters out, Alpha, MMG, MAT, and HAT poured fire down into the compound while Bravo fanned out in a loose line, using B1 and B3 on small hillocks to leverage B2 ever closer to the AAF checkpoint. I, of course, was in front (in retrospect, probably the single worst place for our acting-CO to be).

Thankfully, the avalanche of fire from Alpha ended up netting us the majority of the win, with Bravo 2 sidling up and capping the last few stragglers as they lay wounded and... uh... resisting arrest. Yeah. We shot them while they were resisting arrest.

*cough*

Cratesistance
Deployed as AAF / AttackFor Best Squad Leader
In we HALO'd, our 'chutes opening above a very worrying set of trees. "Don't land on a tree," I said totally un-helpfully. "Don't crash into me either!" I screamed like a little girl as I and another brave paratrooper nearly faceplanted into one another mid-air.

Finally, we were landed and formed up in one piece, and we set off to our overwatch point above Cache #4. As we listened to Alpha's panicked screams engagement far to our north, we performed a textbook Find, Fix, Flank, Finish fire and maneuver plan on the four hapless AI guarding the cache. Bravo 1 detached their SAW gunner, The Red Sniper to join B2's fire element, and B1's three riflemen moved onto the site under a fusillade of covering fire.

By this time, I'd spotted something very interesting. A Lone FIA man, ensconced in a destroyed hut in the center of the AO. Convinced that this was the enemy's CO, I ordered B1 to continue their movement through the valleys to assault this shattered hut from which there was no retreat. FIA must have noticed the burning pyre that was their 4th stack of watches, for some scattered contacts tried to open fire on us - B2's outsized fire element beat them into submission through sheer volume of fire. At this point the game was up in terms of sneaking B1 closer to the lone man, and I ordered B2 to pin our victim in place in his shattered hut - if he left, he ought to be cut down.



Unfortunately, the lone man got reinforcements in the shape of three more dudes. Who were then beaten into submission by B2's outsized fire element through sheer volume of fire. While they were doing this, however, they were not able to keep B1's three man maneuver element from being cut down to one guy trying to wriggle his way forward. I screwed up and had left them too long without close supporting fires.

Determined to link back up with the survivor from B1, I prodded B2 to move forward even as they traded a steady stream of fire out towards some contacts almost 600 meters off. This running firefight was inconclusive, given the ranges, but B2 was still able to press forward through relatively open terrain, and we reunited with B1's lone survivor at the very house that we had set out to assault.

Interestingly, the contacts we had been trading fire with were silent. I looked up at the hill they'd been perched on and saw nothing. Looking at the terrain, I immediately lighted on the valleys to our East. "Bravo 2, as you move up and establish security, watch our right flank - I suspect they're trying to maneuver on us..."

Not two minutes later, as Alpha was beginning their assault on the central cache, a Bravo man said, "Gunfire to the East!" I came to his position and looked to the East, just in time to see a man duck into defilade in the valleys below. Ordering Bravo to consolidate south, I checked the range and then grinned like a cat while flipping up the sights on my UGL.

An AR tried to sling some rounds my way. One of our ARs replied in kind and forced him back. I landed GPs in the valley, around the enemy AR's cover, and everywhere I could, finishing with a smoke to obscure the enemy AR's vision. As more fire began coming our way, I ordered everyone to disengage back northeast, at which point Alpha's successful assault culminated in an explosion, raining burning watches down across the landscape while we blazed into the air with victory fire.



Idiots
Deployed as Platoon Commander
I don't know if I've ever made a simpler plan: Land the platoon wedge in the paradrop zone, then drive that wedge right into the middle of the enemy. Alpha, with the most men, takes the middle and rams its way to a high hill in the center. Bravo on the right guards the flank and then clears the northern zone. Charlie on the left guards the flank and screens against any enemies on the southeastern hill.

We landed, we proceeded in, my UAV operator Blip began marking targets, and then a chopper came in from the East. "Ignore it," I told the SLs.

It landed right in front of me and Blip. :eng101:



A trio of panic grenades and a magazine of autofire did nothing. Instead, what saved the day was Alpha doing an abrupt about-face and mowing down Greenbacks as they poured out of the chopper. The Merlin Mohawk took off, a bit rattled from the high-velocity death that had been delivered to its passengers immediately upon exiting the chopper.

I ended up winged, standing amidst six or so corpses, proof that flat out "ignoring" choppers might not have been the best idea in the world.

The rest of the mission went off with few additional hitches. Bravo sent their SPAAG sky high, then Alpha assaulted right into the town. As Tiger said, the objective wasn't to take the town, but I've never seen an urban center I didn't immediately want to get a foothold in.

Bravo looped around to steal the HQ vehicle kill right out from Charlie's noses, and the last few men from Alpha managed to blast the remaining SPAAG into orbit.

And then Kaze shot me in the face as I was yelling, "Friendly, friendly, friendly!"

The show-trial shall be swift. :commissar:

Inter_IV
Deployed as CSAT / AttackFor Best Fire Team Leader
As a single fireteam of Bravo, we were given the unenviable task of attracting the enemy's attention so that Alpha could assault from the hills to the northwest. It didn't work. We had a hell of a time finding an appropriate vantage point from which we could even lay fire into the town, and by the time we did open fire, the enemy was all geared up to greet Alpha with lead.

We did, however, manage to bound very successfully across some wide open fields, somehow crossing completely flat, coverless terrain with no casualties. Embedding ourselves in the south of town, Bravo began clearing house-by-house while trying to 1) not friendly-fire Alpha, and 2) not be friendly-fired by Alpha.

Both were harder than you'd think, but in the end we pulled out the victory! :dance:

:clint: ~ Ferrard
"Take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turnin' of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurtin' before she keels... makes her home."

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boberro
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Re: [Sun] 3 Aug 2014 (Competence will be punished)

Post by boberro »

Waging War, A1 RAT
We waited for the convoy to come in one of the buildings, and as ordered I opened up at the tank - hit! As I hid to reload my launcher, our flt Bones got killed with retaliation fire from its mg... It took me a while to find a tank to send another rocket at it, as it moved behind one of the buildings, but somehow noone shoot me when I ran into the street to send my last rocket (another hit). After that tank casually strolled into the base, and A1 was down to two men.
With alpha decimated, and tank escaped, we were ordered to move to the hill and put some lead on the checkpoint, that tank moved to. Rest of the mission was like "bang bang bang" and then "pew pew" and then launcher thieves bravo moved in and mission ended.

Cratesistance, Defenderfor, A1 AAR
A1 was told to defend deathtrap crate placed on top of a bald hill, with no cover nor concealment. I looked around and decided to move to the hilltop in the middle between us and bravo, but it looks like I can't read the map, because I ended up at bravo position. AAF attacked from the south, so A1 was ordered to move forward, and since I detached from the group, I stayed at our crate. And that was more or less this for me...

Idiots, C1
We were tacticool, we only lost one person when parachuting. We ignored helicopter that was flying above us and just made 180 degrees turn to kill velocity.
As we moved into the town, I stumbled upon enemy fireteam, 50 meters from me, that wasn't aware of our presence:
"There's a fireteam to the south, pretty close"
"Mark it"
"But it's just on us"
"Mark it, we're moving away from them"
So we moved firther west, and started providing cover fire as alpha (bravo?) moved into the town. And then two enemy fireteams started shooting at us from the position I marked before... :commissar:

Steavie Wonder Inter_IV, attackfor
So I made a screenshot from that mission, and checked it at other computer at work. It looks like I'll need a new display...
It was pitch-black, so I had to use st_hud to run, then someone opened at us, so I returned fire, and then died.
Delete this marker please. You're scaring the tank.
My screenshots are being added using Steam Screenshots Sharing Script™. You'll need Tampermonkey (Chrome) or Greasemonkey (Firefox) On Opera should be good to go..

Aqarius
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Re: [Sun] 03 Aug 2014 (Competence will be punished)

Post by Aqarius »

Waging War
FIA ASL
The CO decided to ambuh the covoy, judging the platoon AT assets sufficient. Our company, augmented by a Charlie fireteam and MMG, took up a cluster of buildings beyond the bridge, where I picked cover positions for individual elements. Bravo, along with our AT assets, was on the other side, ahead of us. Just as we got into cover, the convoy was spotted, and I assigned targets. The ambush was to be sprung by HAT, but they had difficulties with their equipment. As the convoy was passing us, shots rang out, and we engaged.
Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick! :psyduck:
The IFVs went out first, at least three elements were pounding on the tank, I sunk all my UGLs into the peeps around the truck, but the fire was so heavy i just told everyone without AT to duck and hide. Someone from CC asked about the tank, I stood to look and saw it turn and run away :shock: . With the tank gone, Bravo moved on the bridge to clear out any infantry stragglers. The chaos was so complete I ended ordering a total hold fire for fear of blu-bluing Bravo. By the time it was all over, I had to do a headcount by having everyone get on the road and literally count the people with heads still attached. Turns out CO was dead, I had MMG, 1+1/2 fireteams and two or three guys who had no idea what their unit is. BSL generously offered up to take lead, what with him not losing half his men in a firefight so intense it made a tank run away.

Anyway, Alpha got the rest of the attachments and set up on hill 114 to cover Bravo. Along the way, we spotted the tank from earlier literally cowering behind the checkpoint wall :v: . I sent Charlie to take a bunkered hill, and we let loose. In short order, I ran our of rifle ammo, and, pistol drawn, ran to join Charlie, while Bravo waltzed into the checkpoint under a hailstorm of various small- and not-so-small-arms-fire, courtesy of the A-team.
:jihad:

Cratesistance
FIA BSL
Bravo was guarding the east, when the attack came from the west and took out CO. As fate would have it, my 'net had a brainfart and dumped me out exactly long enough to not hear that. I jumped back in just in time to hear varoius sucessive ASLs bite it. Whilte trying to figure out just how many enemies are out there, I glanced at a hill some 1km south and saw what can only be described as Carson(tm) brand suppressive fire. Figuring that's where everyone is, I ordered Bravo to follow me into the valley, intending to flank the AAF. Turns out 'Bravo' meant 'Dan' :v: . Anyway, I had Dan take a small ruined building, and I drove around behind the enemy. Unfortunately, by the time I managed to get some shots off, the satchel had already been planted.
[/allegedly]

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Ferrard Carson
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Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2012 6:08 am

Re: [Sun] 03 Aug 2014 (Competence will be punished)

Post by Ferrard Carson »

Here's another look at one particular part of Crateresistance. "Fire Superiority - a.k.a., what happens when you stick both your ARs in the covering element."



...a brief glimpse into the mind of an acting-CO in Waging War...



And a look at the most entertaining part of Idiots!



:clint: ~ Ferrard
"Take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turnin' of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurtin' before she keels... makes her home."

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Issus
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Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2012 8:24 pm

Re: [Sun] 03 Aug 2014 (Competence will be punished)

Post by Issus »

A more relaxing session for me this time, with 100% less invisible death.

Waging War
Bravo 1(?) AAR (FTL: Croc)

As our valiant BSL has already pointed out, his initial plan to throw us at the enemy from close range and clog their barrels with our corpses was plagiarised by Alpha, forcing him to re-spin our miraculous survival as something he had intended from the start.
:clint:

Apart from the initial heavy engagement (with a healthy pinch of FF from Alpha thrown in for good measure), this mission was pretty much plain sailing for B1. Considering that the last time I played this mission I was flattened by the checkpoint tower collapsing (with me inside it), this run-through was completed with completely dry underwear, which is always a sign that we've grown too competent for our own good.

I'm also worried about Croc, Bravo 1's FTL. Now, I've always been a big fan of his leadership style: laid-back and highly professional ticks all of my boxes, baby. But recently I've become concerned that he's fallen victim to PTSD. Firstly, he spent large portions of this mission insisting that he could hear a phantom helicopter somewhere in the distance. Secondly, he seemed unwilling to carry his weapon into battle, preferring to brandish his rangefinders in a mildy-threatening way towards the enemy.

When questioned about this new tactic, he replied that he thought the running animation made him appear much more attractive to onlookers. Having hiked over several kilometres behind him, I have to admit that I like the way he moves. His manly gait and rigid back were nothing if not inspiring, and may have been a contributing factor in Bravo 1's ultimate unscathed victory. That said, the fairly big drawback to Croc's new groove is that he is now incapable of stepping over obstacles more than 60cm high. (Apparently the 'V'-key doesn't work when you're holding rangefinders. Who knew?)

Cratesistance
Alpha Medic (ASL: Homercleese)

I don't think Homercleese likes me anymore. As the lone medic in the entire AAF force, I had offered to stay back and protect both him and the CO from any cloaked enemy vehicles that might sneak up on us. Homer quickly declined this offer, ordering me to the front lines with a parting "...it's not you, it's me". Oh Homer, why did it have to end this way? :cry: *single tear*

Despite lacking the necessary medical equipment to heal a broken heart in the field, things seemed to go well for Alpha. Our canny ASL had wisely decided not to drive us into a river, instead cutting across country to deliver us to the insert waypoint unscathed, dry, and pretty much unnoticed. One of the Alpha fireteams kept the enemy reinforcements at bay whilst the other was sent in for a daring close-quarters clearance of Cache 1. As luck would have it, Bravo detonated Cache 5 mere seconds before Cache 1 went up in smoke, so only Cache 3 stood between AAF and victory.

Contrary to Ferrard's Bravo-ist propaganda, Alpha made it through the initial engagement mostly intact, only losing one guy to a disconnect. A bit of confusion in loading up the truck probably gave FIA more time to recover from the one-two sucker punch than we would've liked, but soon we were on our way south to support Bravo and push to the final objective. I'm always a big fan of this mission when AAF command uses the trucks to disengage and relocate forces rather than just fighting through in a wave of attrition.

Sadly, although Homer believed separating himself from me (both geographically and emotionally) would prevent him from dying a horrible lonely death, it wasn't long into our second offensive that I noticed my STHub vanish. After repeated attempts to raise him on VON, I had to announce that a job vacancy with excellent benefits had opened up at squad level. I spent at least 30 seconds trying to find his corpse to perform traditional Altian last rites (the ritual Stealing of the Binoculars), but in the end I joined up with the rest of Alpha and the CO to push on the cache and establish sufficient fire superiority for two brave comrades to rush and exploderise the supplies, ensuring the second victory of the evening.

Idiots
Charlie 2 Dude (FTL: Croc)
"Guuuuys, what happens if you fly into someone else whilst parachuting?" - Me, hurtling directly towards Headspace's face at speed
Charlie 2 was clearly designated as "special squad" in this mission seeing as we spent the duration on the periphery of the fighting; providing fire support, overwatching, and fending off some confused patrols that wandered in from the uncleared hills to the south and east. Even our plaintive cries to be allowed to assault the HQ vehicle were met with silence, forcing us to witness the indignity of Bravo ambling up from their position in the rear to steal our glory.

Croc Watch 2014 Update:
  • Piloted his parachute into power lines "to see what would happen"
  • Constantly vigilant for ghost helicopters, but orders us to "ignore" the actual AAF Mohawk landing troops in our midst (possible conspiracy?!?)
  • Continues to provide fire support using only binoculars
  • Attempted to convince CSL of the existence of "Charlie 3", in order to fraudulently claim their wages/rations/girlfriends
Conclusion: Croc is showing a cavalier disregard for his own personal safety, along with increasing paranoia and a preference to look at things through optics rather than shoot. Recommend a promotion to Squad Leader at the earliest possible opportunity. :hist101:

P.S.
Thanks to all the comrades who had kind things to say about last Tuesday's AAR post. The truth is I'm in awe of the many gifted writers here who are able to combine illuminating writing on the events and tactics of the session with a healthy dose of wit (Ferrard's efforts above are a prime example). Add to that the talented video editors amongst our ranks, and I increasingly have to resort to writing 2,000 words of utter bollocks in the hope that people find it (a) funny and (b) divorced enough from reality not to start defamation proceedings.

Also: Thanks to Tigershark for being a gracious host and a good sport. I am extremely relieved he didn't forcibly slot me in a punishment battalion or as his own personal physician (seriously, the F3 Medic loadout never contains enough rubber gloves or handwash for all the "special procedures" he wants me to perform in the field).

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Scotto6UK
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Joined: Thu Jan 16, 2014 12:24 pm

Re: [Sun] 03 Aug 2014 (Competence will be punished)

Post by Scotto6UK »

I recorded a little of Waging War.
In this video, I feel that I remained calm, collected and not at all worried at my proximity to the convoy throughout.... Whilst my playtime was short, I like to think the grenades made a difference. Thanks to everyone involved and I hope you enjoy!


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