General Strategies in Command Roles

[SolarMacharius]

Hello there. As someone who plays oftentimes ends up commanding the marines as XO when there is no CO online, I oftentimes find myself trying to think up new strategies to utilize on each of the maps in the rotation. I'm going to post some of the strategies that I use regularly, and would like to hear from others on what they do during a round when they are in command.

Non-Specific Stuff:
*Allow Pilots to choose who does transport who does CAS (Alamo will usually fly Transport)
*Allow Peridoxin, Sugar/Iron Pills, and other drugs to be made. Hyperzine if situation calls for it (usually doesn't)
*Say Hello to RO and WO. Tell RO to prepare metal, ammo, and medicine for drop. Inform WO about drug authorizations.
*Greet Bridge staff, make announcement about briefing times (12:17) and drop window (12:27). Come up with catchy operation name. Never reuse the same one.
*Address any staff concerns. Talk to CL. Get to briefing early to test microphone.

This is basic stuff I do every round. I tend to find 12:17 sits right in the sweet spot of briefing times, allowing basically everyone to get their gear while also allowing for a timely drop. Once the Drop is finished I stay on the bridge and closely monitor the operations progress, making sure each squad is well informed. I also make sure supplies are flowing to each squad regularly and that command isn't some sort of distant entity that is barely listening. Active listening and timely replies helps build trust in my experience, and leads to less grumbling among the ranks.

LV-624 Stratagem:
*Alpha Deploys to the FOB. Instruct them to seal up the nexus and create a wall near the landing pad. Have a triage center built. Begin fortifying the north road. Make triply sure there are no flanking routes into the building
*Bravo Deploys to Hydro, creates a firebase. Have them work on fortifying the road back to Nexus. Have them expand the firebase to the river banks when the fog drops, in order to create a gun line facing the far shore.
*Charlie Deploys East to storage. Begins fortification of the dome and the surrounding jungle. Regular patrols of the jungle to the north and east. Once the fog drops, push to the river banks and hold the eastern flank. Also will double as rapid reaction force if one flank is pressed.
*Delta Deploys west to medical. Once there they will fortify the dome and patrol the western edge of the colony from there. Once the fog drops, they will push up to the western river bank and hold that flank.
*In general, if a massive fight in the river begins, initiate feint tactic. Have bravo push up and lure the aliens into fight. Have them fall back and have charlie and delta collapse the flanks on them.
*Cave clearing Strategy. One Squad at the western exit, one squad at the eastern exit, one squad pushes center, half a squad mans a firebase at tablefort. Flank the aliens from all angles and crush them.

I have started to loathe deploying marines to hydro due to how easy it is to flank from multiple directions (also because boiler shots are brutal in there). If I deploy any squad to hydro, a second squad will hold medical. Too many times have I seen medical left empty, giving the aliens a perfect flank route. As for fortifying cargo, that is for a similar reason to medical, its an easy flanking route to the LZ and the Nexus. Also each side of nexus needs to be manned and properly sealed up, which means seal up any exposed rooms.

Big Red Stratagem:
*Alpha Deploys to LZ1, fortifies the area and repairs tcomms. Have them expand Fob into courtyard, at least three rings of defenses with sentries and mg nest. Have them loot medical and set up triage center in space port. Once battle begins, have a small group station at Tcomms to prevent flanking. Have them patrol security
*Bravo scouts Security and Medbay, then fortifies security and establishes a small outpost in dorms. When the Lambda push happens, deploy bravo into the northern tunnels in order to pin the aliens inside of the labs.
*Charlie deploys to LZ2 and restores power, then heads to the area outside mining and establishes an outpost at the entrance to the lambda labs. Charlies will pressure the main entrance during assault
*Delta deploys at LZ2. Moves to the mess hall/bar/Library and creates an outpost there. Sticks with Charlie at all times and helps secure the flanks and rear. Pressures main entrance

This strategy has worked for me on many occasions, usually only failing due to low manpower or particularly good boiler shots. In my experience Lambda is very bad for aliens, trapping them in a small area and denying them their best advantage, which is their speed/maneuverability. One of the rounds I commanded on (named OPERATION SAHARA) ended in 58 minutes due to the aliens bottling themselves up. This strategy can be easily modified if the aliens set up in Virology or the Southern Labs as well, so its pretty versatile in my opinion.

Ice Colony Stratagem:
*Unlike other drops, Alamo will be designated as full CAS, and will not land on the planet unless it's an emergency. All squads will deploy to LZ2 and await further instructions.
*Alpha will stay underground and establish the primary FOB at Cargo and the chapel, securing both routes towards the landing pad. They will establish a triage center in the hangar by looting medical.
*Bravo Will scout the underground, with primary focus being reaching security to recover data about the colony. Once that is ascertained, fortify storage and science in order to protect the route to the FOB.
*Charlie Will repair tcomms up top and fortify the Warehouse, ensuring the main route to and from the hangar is secure.
*Delta will move south of the Warehouse and hold the relaxation module, sending a patrol into research to discover any sensitive data there.
*If shit hits the fan and LZ2 is lost, all above ground marines will force march to Lz1, where an emergency evac will occur.

This is completely untested. In my opinion, the long march time across the colony is what kills the marines on this map, as they are often deployed so far away from each other that they are easily isolated and destroyed. This plan would hopefully allow the marines to support each other better, as well as making the round much less tedious for the players.

I appreciate any opinions or criticisms of any of these strategies, including my general routine. I am always looking to get better at command.

[Lumdor]

Pretty interesting write up. I as well love letting medical have its way with drug freedom.

Usually when playing as XO I tend to have success with having two squads on the front lines. Then when stuff gets hairy flanking the other two squads around.
Have about a 50/50 success rate with this.

For the drop times I'd say about 12:25 to 12:27 is quite good.

Hydro in my opinion is not a lost cause. Sending two squads to Hydro before fog lifts is benificual. After the fog lifts you send both squads across the river; then see how well they do at pushing xenos back. If they have trouble that's when you send the other two squads.

Ice Colony is quite hard to have an effective strategy, as marines lose 90% of the time. Xenos have to play quite badly to lose.

[Blade2000Br]

Now that you posted your strategt metas, Devs will nerf by changing the maps so those strategies don't work anymore.

[Symbiosis]

Don't focus so much on winning. "Winning" as a rule relies on a Queen getting caught out of place OR most of the T3's dying early.

Following a strict meta where X Squad does this gets stale. Do some rounds where there is NO fob, or the FOB is built when the Marines actually get into heavy combat. Traveling through Big Red with two other Marines to hoof it to far away fight can be tense. Never knowing if a group of Hunters will attack you or if you're even going to make it to your fellow Marines is one of the more enjoyable parts of a round.

[SolarMacharius]

Don't focus so much on winning. "Winning" as a rule relies on a Queen getting caught out of place OR most of the T3's dying early.

Following a strict meta where X Squad does this gets stale. Do some rounds where there is NO fob, or the FOB is built when the Marines actually get into heavy combat. Traveling through Big Red with two other Marines to hoof it to far away fight can be tense. Never knowing if a group of Hunters will attack you or if you're even going to make it to your fellow Marines is one of the more enjoyable parts of a round.

In my opinion, I don't think I am well known to get away with something like hat. Generally a CO or XO who is more well known has slightly more leeway when it comes to unorthodox command decisions. Delaying the FOB or not building one at all would just end with me getting reported by multiple players. Even if I didn't get reported, those sorts of gimmicks would probably give me a bad rep.

I know you are supposed to spice up the round and roleplay, but I doubt purposefully not fortifying and getting obliterated by the Xenos would make the round enjoyable for anyone on the marines side.

[Blade2000Br]

In my opinion, I don't think I am well known to get away with something like hat. Generally a CO or XO who is more well known has slightly more leeway when it comes to unorthodox command decisions. Delaying the FOB or not building one at all would just end with me getting reported by multiple players. Even if I didn't get reported, those sorts of gimmicks would probably give me a bad rep.

I know you are supposed to spice up the round and roleplay, but I doubt purposefully not fortifying and getting obliterated by the Xenos would make the round enjoyable for anyone on the marines side.

TBH, there shouldn't be this thing of "not following the meta makes you bad."

I mean, in a real scouting mission, the most you get is a triage center. You never make an FOB for a scouting mission. That's one of the reasons why I will start going Command. I simply don't want follow the meta all the time. I want spice things up.

[Symbiosis]

TBH, there shouldn't be this thing of "not following the meta makes you bad."

I mean, in a real scouting mission, the most you get is a triage center. You never make an FOB for a scouting mission. That's one of the reasons why I will start going Command. I simply don't want follow the meta all the time. I want spice things up.

Exactly! Unfortunately LV is kind of restrictive on the ability for diverting from the normal "meta" due to the long fog time - this gives Marines something to do (building a FOB) and due to the advanced age of the Xenos it's almost a necessity. The other maps are SUPER free reign on the ability to break from the meta.

[Blade2000Br]

Exactly! Unfortunately LV is kind of restrictive on the ability for diverting from the normal "meta" due to the long fog time - this gives Marines something to do (building a FOB) and due to the advanced age of the Xenos it's almost a necessity. The other maps are SUPER free reign on the ability to break from the meta.

Restrictive doesn't mean I can't break out on the meta still! You can always create a new thing to spicy up the round in a way that it's not SO disruptive and game breaking for marines.

I mean, we don't need hydro FOB 100% of the games, do we?

[Karmac]

I find that ignoring the CL and never giving him permission to do anything leads to a smooth round

[Karmac]

Also telling your marines there's no FOB this round is a good way to make them hate you very quickly

[Sir Lordington]

Unorthodox tactics can go right or very, very wrong. I find that most marines are too hung up on the basic meta to undertake these strategies effectively most of the time, though I do believe they are worth trying out from time to time regardless. That said, I don't think it's bad to fall back on the meta and add little variations to it depending on squad composition/situation/what you feel like, the meta is like it is because it works and generally ensures a modicum of length and fun for the majority of those involved.

[HR171]

I find that ignoring the CL and never giving him permission to do anything leads to a smooth round

But if you give the CL permission to do stuff it can make a round 10 times more interesting, because allowing the CL to do stuff can trigger new chains of events and interesting things to happen.

[SolarMacharius]

But if you give the CL permission to do stuff it can make a round 10 times more interesting, because allowing the CL to do stuff can trigger new chains of events and interesting things to happen.

I tend to let the CL go about his business most rounds. It makes the round more interesting and you very rarely does it lead to anything negative happening.

[lgmmrm]

Don't play much XO and have only mulled over apping for CO whitelist, but one MASSIVE thing I try to drill into my squad when I play as SO/Lieutenant or SL is to make sure that every flank is secure if we're holding a position. I also, for RP reasons, demand (though no one ever listens to me and if I were a CO I would literally be going down to BE those who ignore me.) that a position is not abandoned at least until the wounded get pulled back, and rp-wise I advise the dead get pulled back for the whole "no marine left behind" idea. Not really strategies but some ideals I like to stress if I have a command role.