Hypothetical Marine Tactics

[completelynewguy]

A thread of ideas and discussing if it's worth applying in one round. I'll start.

Point-men
The general concept of point-men is basically an edited copy of the real life idea of taking point.

• Bring a weapon that is easy to prepare and quick to fire.
• Shoot and suppress at targets you have a clear shot at.
• Be prepared to call out targets on General Comms and Squad Comms.

Ammunition Management
Reduce, reuse, recycle.

• Reduce the amount of ammunition magazines you drop. If there's a lull in the battle and you're fine, take the time to pick up your empty magazines.
• Reuse any partially-used magazines if your inventory is full of empties.
• Recycle your magazines at the Marine vendors, or at Cargo if you managed to hold onto special ammo.

Spreading Out
United we stand, divided we fall.
The simply put, spreading out as a squad or group. Recommend spacing is 3-5 tiles.
Pros:

• Larger light coverage.
• Decreased likelihood of being affected by a AOE attack or Ravager charge.
• Ability for marines to cover the area with more fire - and in correlation be able to cover downed marines.

Cons:

• Friendly fire likelihood increased.
• Increased likelihood of being picked off.
• Without throw-able/disposable light sources, marines in front risk being injured or picked off.

[Desolane900]

A great tactic is to not walk around with your gun weilded to keep a misclick from shooting someone.

A fun little term I like to yell is "LoF" which stands for Line of Fire. Basically your LoF is where your bullet will travel before hitting a target. Check your LoF for other marines and walls before pulling the trigger.

Stay moving. If you stay still to fight, your enemy will find a weakness and get you. Always be on the move and on the lookout for an enemy.

[Caryl]

It's not just about spacing, you as a squad member, trained for combat, should know where and when to place/position yourself in the event a firefight happens. Specially during the times where runners and hunters get pounce/leap-happy at your fellow buds.

[completelynewguy]

Bumping with more things I've thought up and based on ideas from the above posts.

Encirclement
Encircle the enemy and put them under a high volume of fire.

Pros

• Easier to take down Xeno Castes that are meant for attacking and taking ground.
• Effective against Xenos that have just used their ability.

Cons

• Increased likelihood of Friendly Fire.
• Possibility of other marines backing off and not taking initiative.

Emergency Dispersal
Scatter! Break formation in the event of a surprise attack. Can be used in conjunction with the above tactic.


Pros

• Reduces the effectiveness of an AOE attack or a charge.
• Scattered marines can easily form into an encirclement, stay-behind unit, or simply reforming.

Cons

• Scattered marines likely to be picked off.
• Squad or formation is likely to become routed if leadership is assassinated.

Stay-behind Flank
A fusion of the two other tactics. Scatter and head into a location where you know you'll be hidden in the heat of battle. When the enemy pushes, you move to cut off or blunt their assault. Best used with small units or competent individuals.

Pros

• Can prevent a push or prevent it from covering a large amount of ground.
• Can cut off an attack and form an encirclement.
• Increased likelihood of taking out higher castes - Crushers, Ravagers, Boilers, etc.

Cons

• Very risky. Stay-behind team may be wiped.

[driecg36]

Dont forget the classic firing line.

Pros: No ff, maximum amount of fire down range
Cons: only possible in wide open spaces, vulnerable to flanking and AOE attacks
Difficult to pull of offensively, easy in a defensive situation, especially with cover.

[Renomaki]

The thing about marine tactics is that without trust and respect from your marines, you are unable to accomplish the most basic of tasks.

It is very easy to imagine these complex formations and tactical moves, but you gotta walk before you can run, and to do that, you need to get known.

Get vocal, play a back-to-back marathon of SL for a week or so, and learn to get into the head of the common marine, and then you'll have an easier time creating formations and conducting advanced tactics.

If you ask me, the most basic tactics a leader will need to know is setting up rally points, flanking attacks and job assignment. Once you get used to performing these actions, then you can get more creative... Well, once you get a small following anyways.

[Karmac]

If your building a defensive position, be sure to make it as easy to maneuver as possible while still making it difficult for an enemy to bypass it, and remember not to clutter up the marines LoF with girders or false walls, try to minimise loss of sight due to barricades.

[Marcus Jackson]

Leap-Frogging: First squad holds a position of either advance or retreat while laying down suppressing fire, and the Second squad advances forward or backward before taking over the Firsts squad's role, rinse and repeat.

PROS: Easy to advance into or out of heavy combat, lots of fire power going into the enemy, marines are less likely to get snatched or ripped to shreds.

CONS: FF is a HUGE concern, having an ammo surplus is very important for this to work, 2 SL's must maintain constant communication, If the entrenched squad pulls-out the moving squad is bound to be decimated.

[completelynewguy]

Time for another set.

Foraging in the Colonies
Why ask cargo for MREs and to send down extra ammo when you can reduce, reuse and recycle?

• Rather than requesting for food to be sent down from cargo, collect and use the nearest snack vendors to provide nutrition for marines on extended deployments.
• Collect ammunition magazines wherever you can. If there's one cartridge left, then replace it with any empty magazines in your inventory.
• Instead of asking cargo for flares and flashlights, investigate to see if you can utilize any planetside facilities that can produce portable light sources. IE, autolathes that the Squad Engineers can (probably) use.

Pros:

• No need to hassle cargo with requests for food or light sources.
• Partially-used magazines can be utilized more frequently.

Cons:

• There is a strong possibility of running out of food in the vendors; or outright having no vendors at all.
• Very unlikely for the colony to cover the logistics of explosive weaponry.
• Cargo still relevant outside of using the autolathes for flashlights and vendors for food.

New York Reloads
Occam's solution to reloading on the fly.

To perform a New York Reload, simply have a secondary firearm, ready to draw in an emergency.
Holsters of any kind are recommended; and there are a variety of ways to wear them.

• Wear a belt holster.
• Wear a suit holster. Would not recommend to marines that are corporals and above, unless you know what you're doing with your inventory space.
• Keep your secondary in your exo-suit storage slot or in your backpack.
• Wear a M4A3 holster in your exo-suit storage. Can make you look cool and allows you to wear an ammunition belt at the cost of losing storage space for your main weapon.

WARNING: THE USE OF THE FOLLOWING TACTIC IS ONLY OKAY WHEN THE MARINES HAVE DISCOVER THE PURPOSE OF FACEHUGGERS; AND A CHEST-BURST IS WITNESSED AND RELAYED UP THE CHAIN OF COMMAND AND CONFIRMED.

► Show Spoiler

POW Denial
If you have been captured by xenos and there is a likely chance that you will not survive, do the following:

• Relay as much relevant information as possible.
• Ensure you have an effective means of suicide. A knife sheathed in your boot or, with medical knowledge learned from a professional, a chemical that will ensure death upon overdosing.

If you are ready, then perform the following:

1. Say goodbye to your comrades and create an impromptu will.
2. Take off your armor and uniform.
3. Unsheath bootknife or other means of denying your capture from the Xenomorph hoards. Aim for head for maximum impact.
4. Pray to deity if you have one for committing a sin.
5. Perform the ultimate sacrifice. Ensure it actually happens, whether it happens over time or almost immediately.

[Slacker]

Wait, we are suppose to have a plan?! I though the marine combat code of conduct was to spray and pray that one bullet will hit the giant lizard!

In all seriousness though, very interesting tactics that squad leader and regular marines should know. This would probably be a very good starting strategies for new players who are new to CM, or a good reference for people developing their own tactics.

[Nick123q23]

Marines are at their best when the environment suits them
Having a shitton of marines, like having more marines than OPFOR has forces, works best in big, wide open fields like between the buildings in Big red.

Having not as many marines work best in dedicated defensive positions, where they can fire at enemies trapped in a killzone, maybe a maze or a long uninterrupted corridor.

[completelynewguy]

Two new tactics inspired by the events of a round where I was instrumental in killing a Queen.

Fighting as a Cripple
So you've just lost a limb or two, so what do you do now?

Assuming you've lost an arm or hand:

• Keep calm. Be mindful that you're now limited to one hand.
• Make sure you have access to a one-handed weapon. Until your lost limb is restored, you will have to rely on them.
• Use firearms with the New York Reload principle.
• If you're forced to use melee weaponry, make sure you have a second weapon ready.
• Utilizing the throwing knife belt won't hurt. Unless you have bad aim.

Assuming you've lost a leg or foot:

• Keep calm. Be mindful that speed is essential in SS13's combat.
• Make sure everyone knows about your disability. No one likes to be surprised about a liability.
• Make yourself useful by taking up low-intensity jobs. IE, acting as a lookout for the FOB until the dropship arrives.
• Expect to die if you're forced to move in any combat scenario.

Banzai!
Tenno Heika Banzai! Take off your armor and unsheathe your knife! Prepare to throw yourself at the enemy!
Pros:

• Can take out a decent chunk of the enemy's health before you are downed.
• Can expose the enemy to any teamates that are accompanying you, as they are forced to engage you in close quarters combat.
• Can shake up the enemy's mindset, as you change your method of combat.
• Can prevent capture, as your armor isn't in the way of killing blows.

Cons:

• Only effective if you're backed into a corner, with no way or chance to get out.
• You, and any others that join in, will most likely die.
• You're blocking your comrades' shots by charging in.
• Your men are ree-treeting! Ah-SHAMEFUR DISPAY!

[Swagile]

Quad Smartgun Squad.

Do I even have to explain this?

[MrJJJ]

Quad Smartgun Squad.

Do I even have to explain this?

Just need to give them 4 burst fire assemblies and barrel chargers, watch hell unleash in a tight corridor

[Nick123q23]

Drop orbital bombardment beacons behind you as you retreat. That way, when the enemy force follows you, they get turned into giblets instead.

[misto]

shotguns are underused. think about it. the ss13 graphical square is like a 15x15 grid, with you in the middle, right? so, unless youre a sniper with a scope, youre only going to be engaging targets literally 7 steps away. regularly, they will in fact be much closer, and closing in on you rapidly.

the only situation where shotguns do not seem to be ideal is when you have boilers harassing you, but let us face facts, the pulse rifle and smg are also no good against a sensible boiler shitting on you from offscreen, only snipers are good for returning the favor at such ranges.

aliens regularly walk thru flamethrower fires and do not catch fire, so i do not think they should be bothered with at this time.

the pulse rifle and smg bullets travel so slow to the point that hunters will wiggle around at the edge of your vision taunting you about your inability to land a hit on them.

i recommend we all experiment with using shotguns more.

---

oh yeah, and one more thing i wanna add that i want you all to think about.

stuns are the kings of ss13 combat.

what do aliens do to kill you? they pounce on you, tackle you, screech you, or neurotoxin you, and then finish you off.

so i want you all to think very carefully about ways to stun xenos. oh wait, the big ones have recently been made immune to explosion stuns, ha ha. well, you can still try to get the little ones with them, right? except for the fact that they just run away from any grenades you use. there has to be some other option, right?

[Szunti]

I think the most important is mentality. In most rounds, marines hide, xenos attack. Even if marines attack they do it as passively as possible. Eg. They reach a room with xenos, instead of 10 marines rushing in with nades and shooting the clumped xenos blocking each other in panic, two marines stand in the doorway blocking it and shooting only a couple bullets. How many times I play xeno and think if they would rush now I would be in trouble, but it doesn't happen. So don't be a chicken, believe in marine victory!

[Steven Sneider]

When attacking an location, always have man guard the rear as it's the favorite thing for runners and hunters to attack.

[DreadPirateFury]

so i want you all to think very carefully about ways to stun xenos. oh wait, the big ones have recently been made immune to explosion stuns, ha ha. well, you can still try to get the little ones with them, right? except for the fact that they just run away from any grenades you use. there has to be some other option, right?

FLAME. BURN THE XENOS FILTH IN HELL FIRE!

[RobBrown4PM]

The best tactic for Marines, especially in a FOB setting, is to line fire, early 1800's style. As long as the Marine's don't scatter when the first Ravager comes a running they should be fine. If a Ravager does break the line, have a SG positioned behind you to pick up the intruder. Also, the SG can conveniently fire through your line.

It's not the most sophisticated tactic, but it works, or should work, as long as the Marines can communicate their movements when countering and falling back in to formation.

[misto]

a firing line will buy you some time, but it wont win a match unless the enemy team makes terrible mistakes.

perhaps advancing firing lines could be considered? then the enemy will have to keep repositioning and may wind up cornered or caught out. this of course comes with the risk of overextending and having your wounded/supply lines slaughtered by flanking runners and hunters and such

the greatest problem marines seem to have is a very strong sense of self-preservation when they need to pursue wounded enemies to secure kills. the aliens are built for inflicting gradual losses over the course of the match and the more time we spend in the false security of fortifications is time they have to grow stronger and hatch more babby

[Heckenshutze]

a firing line will buy you some time, but it wont win a match unless the enemy team makes terrible mistakes.

perhaps advancing firing lines could be considered? then the enemy will have to keep repositioning and may wind up cornered or caught out. this of course comes with the risk of overextending and having your wounded/supply lines slaughtered by flanking runners and hunters and such

the greatest problem marines seem to have is a very strong sense of self-preservation when they need to pursue wounded enemies to secure kills. the aliens are built for inflicting gradual losses over the course of the match and the more time we spend in the false security of fortifications is time they have to grow stronger and hatch more babby

FIX BAYONETS.

[Symbiosis]

FIX BAYONETS.

Can confirm this needs to happen. So many times I've body blocked a Crusher trying to slow retreat as a Medic because no one else will. Generally successful, but the lack of trust in the Medics leads to the self preservation you see.

[Swagile]

There IS a strategy you can utilize (if you have a good squad) that can absolutely demolish most xeno castes.

The Buckshot Squad.

All shotgunners with your SG being your only ranged support and spotter. Bonus points if you get everyone to put bayonets on their shotguns so you can melee instead of FFing each other with buckshot. The ultimate xeno killing machine due to stuns on T1's and T2's, and MASSIVE damage to any T3 that decides to be cheeky and rush in.

[Marcus Jackson]

There IS a strategy you can utilize (if you have a good squad) that can absolutely demolish most xeno castes.

The Buckshot Squad.

All shotgunners with your SG being your only ranged support and spotter. Bonus points if you get everyone to put bayonets on their shotguns so you can melee instead of FFing each other with buckshot. The ultimate xeno killing machine due to stuns on T1's and T2's, and MASSIVE damage to any T3 that decides to be cheeky and rush in.

Only seen this once or twice, but can confirm this will demolish xenos and may even get you right into the center hive with only minimal losses.