My tips for SL-Leadership

[Kesserline]

Squad Leader : the muscle between the bones

In my conception of the SL role, you are a NCO. In most armies, NCO know their men, their men know their NCO, at least a little.

So, being known a little, at least, in your squad, as a PFC or other roles is of essence before going SL.
Except if you are known battalion-wise, being on Squad-Random and SL is a risky gamble.

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Authority =/= Power : Authority is given to you by the status/rank. The system gives it to you. But, Power is what you gained. Power, is what is available to you, at this very moment, to enforce your authority.

As a NCO, you have nearly no power for enforcing authority towards someone. So, you have to find other ways to have authority and be obeyed. Usually, as a SL, you find power through charisma, in your ability to get people focused on what you are saying. Also, reputation is also a great way to gain power in a squad, being robust, brave, nice, wise, is an unvaluable asset.


Marine mechanic Vs Player will

Even if the server is medium roleplay, you are not facing marines, with a long and hard training, but still players, behind their PC. They have their own expectations, with their desires, with their will to play with or without you.

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Communications

Players do not tend to be mindless sheeps. You have to deserve their respect and their will to follow you. One of the most useful tools at your SL's disposal is : COMMS.

As a SL, you have to spend at least 40 to 60 % of your time having comms with your men/the command staff and if you can, other SLs/PO/RO. Why ?


SL to Squad ( :h )

If you are a PFC, you spot something, you tell it to your SL and he ignores you. What do you do ? Keep on telling useful intel ? Knowing that it would not be heard ? You'll simply shut your mouth, and just play on your own.

If you are a squaddie, asking for something, and if you are also being ignored, will you accept being ignored, especially when you have to ask for critical things ? (Supplies, help, fire support, and so on).

You can't say "Yes" to everyone, but at least, copy their comms. Show your squad that you are listening. Show you squad that at least, you acknowledged what they told you.


SL to Command ( :v )

As a SL, you have 3 possible people to speak with : SO, XO, CO. It goes nearly the same way as the squaddies. Talk to them, acknowledge, don't be affraid to report any difficulties or your insight from the situation. Sometimes, what you report was in a blind spot for Command.

For the RO/PO/Other SLs, you can talk to them via command directly. They are nice guys, and are really willing to help and to ensure marines victory. If the SO doesn't do the link, make the first step :

• Ask PO if they are available.

• Ask RO about their business, the order you have to make.

• Tell other SLs about what you are doing, if you are need their help somewhere or to flank, to hold while you are doing a flank.

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Motivation/Morale/Loyalty

You can't be sad on the frontline. You can be RPing sad things while you are off the fight though. But on the frontline, you have to keep encouraging the bros.

When someone gives you a smart tip ? Thank him.

When someone fucking kills that big thing over there ? Tell the marine who fucking badass he/she is.

Keep talking to your support roles (Medics/Engies), they are not killing, but they are improving your surviving chance.

To sum up the feelings there can be felt on this basis :

"Trust, is something that you feel when you don't see a threat towards someone. Loyalty, is the will to take risks for that person without thinking about it."

When I see someone sacrificing himself to save me, I'm fucking sad behind my PC, but also fucking amazed by the courage it took for that person to take his balls and to save me, at the cost of ending his round. But they'll keep doing it, without second thoughts, if you worth being saved.

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The beginning of the round : talking about Chain of Command

The little technical tip I can give, is to explain what the chain of command is a the very beginning of the round. If your spec wants/is able to lead, ask him first. Spec is your second in command, but, if he doesn't want to lead, do not force him. When being forced to lead, you usually obtain medicre leadership.

Corporals can take leadership, but usually, they have already busying roles to fulfill (exception for the smarty, but usually smarties are not leaders).

Explaining the chain of command is for you a reason to focus the boys on your comms for a minute. They'll see your nickname, they'll see your way to talk. They'll see that you expect the unexpected.

The beginning of the round, prior to deployment, is really important for you. Because you have no threats and you can freely talk to your boys and girls. You can joke with them and create a bond which will have his very use later in the round, or in every round after.


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Conclusion

It is clearly not the perfect leadership-guide, as it is really personal and deeply linked with my way of living and thinking, but I hope some of you aspiring-SL can discover or understand a few specific things about leading people.

I deeply apologize for my grammar mistakes and so on, well.. I still have some improvments to make on my English !

[Drownie]

I think you could talk about the handling of the Squad via the FireTeams and how usefull they could be to separate tasks, avoid the multitask and obviously, the stress.

[Kesserline]

I never use the fireteams. For what reason ? You put a number on one of your boys.

I prefer designating them in the whole group, or directly by their name, or by the name I decided on their "group" such as a Patrol Task Force or a Babyssiting's Engie Force.

I prefer them to have the strongest bond possible to the group they belong to. They avoid spreading to far. It's not perfect and bulletproof, but yet, it has very good results on morale and team identity.

[Drownie]

FireTeams primarily serve to move certain troops from your squad without necessarily needing to call them by name.
It's a good strategy to differentiate Standards from Engineers/Medics/etc.. and give them different orders to balance the Squad and keep him healthy.
I don't know why you are using it, can save a lot of time and avoid a headache.

[Szunti]

Never seen FTs useful. When I play private I hate them too. The problem is that marines don't stay together. Not even the squads. If you need a small group to do something you better pick a couple marines that are still miraculously around you.

[Drownie]

FTs are usefull when you have a competent Squad, the penultimate round I had as SL, we was fighting in Research, I used the FTs to allocate every "rank" in each perimeter of the Research, in end we destroyed all xenos from Research and we ended them in 30 minutes after this, my squad was healthy 90% of times due FT-2 competence.
The last round I had the FT-2 have been lost, they got trapped and killed, fucking the entire Squad.

Sometimes is just a question of competence and skills of the SL.

[Hemingway]

Never seen FTs useful. When I play private I hate them too. The problem is that marines don't stay together. Not even the squads. If you need a small group to do something you better pick a couple marines that are still miraculously around you.

Thus the core issue squad leaders face rears its ugly head. You can be the best leader around but if your squad is full of lone wolves, no amount of fire teams, squad orders or tactics is going to salvage the team. Xenos don't have that issue; by lore and rules they're not individualistic beings (though they're still played by humans so not every order gets followed as it was given to a T.) I think Rule 0.2 on the marine side has started to slack more and more since I've played here (new to the forums, not to the server) and is the main contributing factor to a squad leader's stress/mistaken incompetence. Yes, these aren't really properly trained and well disciplined marines, instead just people trying to enjoy a game with their own set of expectations and intentions for the round. However, we're roleplaying marines, and far too often are sane, logical orders disobeyed en-masse for personal goals, gain, or self preservation through meta knowledge. Some disobedience is expect, even encouraged for the sake of RP, but the amount of widespread "me vs the world" attitude is overbearing at this point.

With that said; Fire teams are a great tool for roleplaying, and can help you maintain some order during chaotic firefights as Drownie pointed out. (IF your orders are actually followed of course.)

[Sabactus]

What tips would you give a first time SL to help them keep their first outing from becoming an embarrassing cluster fuck? I'm wanting to get into the role but don't want to let down the squad.

[Drownie]

1 - Show authority, you don't wanna be just one of the Standards.
2 - Stick together with your Squad, don't allow them spread out.
3 - Be present in Radio and everywhere you Squad needs.
4 - 5 tiles of distance from the squad is the maximum you should go.
5 - Give ALL orders with authority, don't give them much freedom to malleable your orders.

Follow this 5 laws is the best way to your Squad don't be a bunch of autistics marines.

[Sabactus]

1 - Show authority, you don't wanna be just one of the Standards.
2 - Stick together with your Squad, don't allow them spread out.
3 - Be present in Radio and everywhere you Squad needs.
4 - 5 tiles of distance from the squad is the maximum you should go.
5 - Give ALL orders with authority, don't give them much freedom to malleable your orders.

Follow this 5 laws is the best way to your Squad don't be a bunch of autistics marines.

Thanks for the tips. The Tac Binocs seem pretty straightforward in their use. What is the most effective use of the OB beacon?

[Drownie]

OB is usefull when your Squad can't advance more.
One good example is the Research, before the entrance of the Research it have a large wall, if you are getting heavy resistance due xenos in the otherside of the wall, you can put a OB one tile before the wall and ask to the Command fire it in 5 tiles to the South, it will kill all xenos who are stopping your Squad.

[Szunti]

What tips would you give a first time SL to help them keep their first outing from becoming an embarrassing cluster fuck? I'm wanting to get into the role but don't want to let down the squad.

I'm not a pro SL, but some of these may look useful too.

You don't need to be known unless you lead veterans(mostly in delta, avoid delta as first time SL). If you give clear orders and you have nice marines, they will follow you. There is a chance you get all the shit marines and no one follows orders, that's not your fault.

Report to command, they really like if an SL tells them when a location is strong, weak, under attack, close to fall, number of wounded, anything that makes the decision of the commander what to do next easier. You can advise the commander what to do, if you see in the binoculars that xenos are dying you can tell that you think it's time to assault. If you do these you will be the favourite of command and XO/CO will often start to speak to you and you will get frequent orders.

Don't rush when you move to a location. So often SLs are yelling follow me, and runs as fast as he can losing most of the squad. Like half the SLs doesn't care that they started to move with 10 marines and 3 arrived.

Don't die. Running always on the front seems like an inspiring thing, but actually a good SL is the one that after the tenth fight is still around talking to the squad, dropping supply beacons, calling CAS, talking to command etc.

Complex tactics don't work. Average marines can't hold formation for example. For first time you don't have to be fancy at all, but still there are things that boost efficiency: barricades on front line, smartgunner behind marines in chokes, falling back to the entrance of corridor where 6 marines can fight vs 2 in the corridor. These may be impossible to enforce depending on the marines, eg. smartgunner who don't let a marine in front of himself even when ordered to.

[Sabactus]

On the topic of fire teams. Relevant? https://youtu.be/waa2ucfgVgQ

[Skimmy2]

On the topic of fire teams. Relevant? https://youtu.be/waa2ucfgVgQ

Fire teams are the most advantageous thing I have ever used as an SL, I cant even remember what it was like before they were added.

Probably above all other benefits fire teams provide, I have notices consistently that the majority of my squad remains accounted for and doesint rambo off.

[Sabactus]

Fire teams are the most advantageous thing I have ever used as an SL, I cant even remember what it was like before they were added.

Probably above all other benefits fire teams provide, I have notices consistently that the majority of my squad remains accounted for and doesint rambo off.

Damn, that's a lot different from what others have said. I suppose like anything I'll have to try it both ways to see how it works for me.

[Drownie]

SL is a very mixed and malleable role, you will have to test all the ways to be SL and see if you fit into any.

[Sabactus]

With the SL being a strong support and utility role would you agree that they shouldn't be on the bleeding edge of an advance but rather a few ranks back in the formation to provide lasing for CAS runs, supply drops, and oversee the big picture. I see a lot of SLs right up on the front line and they seem to almost invariably become worm chow pretty early on.

[Drownie]

Yes, an SL must never stay in the front of the squad at the time of battle; It is a vital role for the squad, your absence even if it is for a short time can end up taking a squad to ruins.
You should always be behind the PFCs at all times during a battle, the SL should always be the last to die from his squad.

[Kesserline]

Well.

A certain part of marines need someone with an "L" next to their head before pushing. If the "L" doesnt push, they do not push. And sometimes great opportunity are wasted because the decisive push wasn't made.

It's not about being ALL THE TIME in front, at the very front of your men. But, from time to time, you have to show your squaddies that when it comes to pushing, you are not the last.

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Will try the FT next round for Delta.

[Sabactus]

Besides the beacons is there any other equipment the SL should have on them at all times?

(Seem to have inadvertently hijacked this thread as my own personal SL q&a... oops)

[Steve_Rhino]

Personally, I find fireteams pretty useful.
Even if not everyone is part of a fireteam, but they might have specific roles
(I.e. FT1 protects the rear, FT2 breaches and clears, FT3 is a small rapid response that can assist either. All others travel in the middle etc). or places to defend in the FoB (West, South or Nexus/LZ1 etc).

It'd depend on your playstyle but I feel it helps morale a lot while playing, making sure that you look after your own. Even just getting the ones that respond to comms as part of it.

[Omicega]

I don't think I've ever seen fireteams used to any great success. People are going to go where they want regardless of what numbers you put on them - especially medics and engineers. If you must use fireteams, try to keep it to PFCs only, because as a medic there's no way I'm going to prioritise the little number on my HUD over actually going and treating people who need attention.

As far as general squad leader stuff goes, though, the only thing I would say ranks above everything else for an SL is communication. This goes for any role, really, but for the SL it is absolutely imperative. You can have excellent mechanics, map knowledge, and general playing ability, but if you simply don't talk enough the squad will end up feeling leaderless anyway. SLs who know how to talk and never shut up throughout a whole round are the ones who motivate their squad and actually give it some probability of sticking together. Quiet SLs who don't bother talking will soon see their squad peel away from them and go do their own thing, and once that happens no amount of shouting from command or from anyone else is going to reverse the damage done.

[Kesserline]

SL got 3 SB and 1 OB.

Spread the SBs at the beginning of the round. Either found your spec, if he's not reliable, give it to the most serious squaddie around (PFC, Med or Engie). 2 on you, 1 to your squad. At the beginning, if you are on FOB duty, start the deployment by setting your first beacon directly. It'll free you one inventory slot for more ammo or some medkits for your squaddies.

The OB is the pain in the ass if you lose it while being SL. Try not dying without setting your OB first.

I always put the OB in my armor slot. Why ? Because if I die, I know the armor is gonna be looted, and so the OB in there will be transfered to someone who, with some luck, will use it or give it to someone who can. Don't put your OB in your pockets or your backpack, because it's not gonna be looted in the first way.

If you plant an OB try to conceal it by putting a bagpack, an empty flarepack, or something with a big sprite on it.

The trap-OB is fucking great to annhiliate an entire wave of Xenos who are preparing an assault. (You see their boilers beginning to snipe your location, the Queen near them and the rhinos shielding them, then, you say : OB + OFFSET, and bye by boilers and maybe some other things alongside them).

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To go back with what Omicega said, communications is largely more important than the FT numbers. Keeping on chatting with your guys keeps them linked with something. You can't keep everyone focused on the mission, especially with Deltas. But if you can keep a solid group of marines, you can do anything with them.

I still have solid doubts about fireteam, as it makes thing complicated for marines to remember. They have to avoid FF, avoid aliens, avoid dying, avoid OB, avoid CAS, consider their own ammo, consider their health status, consider your orders, consider informations nearby. And they have to consider a FT number around them too ?

Nah, because once they are on a frontline, they'll stick to it and start spreading on their own, no matter FT numbers.

"A plan is good on paper, and it's gone on the battlefield". FT = Rigid. No FT = Flexible.

Keep the complicated things in your head, keep the stress for you. Do not attempt to put your complicated things or your stress on your guys, otherwise, your leadership will be weakened by it, because you'll weaken your own squaddies.

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As a SL, try always to loot an advanced medkit, as you can't be always on the firstline, you can at least drag your men 5 meters behind and start medkitting the shit out of them to put them back on their feet, or at least to wait for a medic to take the rest.

[Arbs]

As your favorite LT I gotta say, you're one hell of a Squad Leader Kesserline :P

No homo.

But yes, in short if you're a SL and you go out there in the first line shooting down xenos with your rifle, you're doing a bad job as a SL. Your job is to stay alive so that you organize your marines and get your squad support. Key in that is communication, with command, CAS, RO and of course your squad.

OBs are a useful essential tool for breaking up Xeno settlements or breaking their assault (just pray command wont pull a baldie and send the whole battalion tits up with it.) CAS is similar but it's more of a heavy suppression thing on xenos than actually demolishing them, as it makes xenos run (boilers especially) as well as destroys their "infrastructure". A real pain in the ass for xenos. So make sure not to waste the OB and try to call CAS 24/7, since the CAS POs also get pretty bored most of the time.

These things are sometimes decisive in outcome of battles.

When communicating with your squad I'd say you rather summed it up in your post.

[Kesserline]

To come back on the FT things. I just can't use them. Because that would mean I accept a FT to not report to me directly. If I make FT, I fragment the squad, or I want it to be as united as possible.

It makes the squad heavily depending on the leadership of the SL or the aSL, but it keeps morale high as possible, even with heavy casualties. It reinforces the already solid core of squaddies that I manage to keep around me, but keep rambos and lone wolves to flee the frontline, even if they stay on their own.

But.. I'll try to make a single FT of "honored guards" or a thing like that. With the marines I know, as a token of trust, to see what good can come from that.

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Having a good LT always make a better operation.

Being the gunman-robust-SL by ramboing alone is damn risky, but it pays off to earn respect from the unknown squaddies and to reinforce morale. All rest on the risk you can assume to take (hunting a lone prae trapped by the FOG on LV, hunting a drone, hunting a solo hunter cornered in a part of the colony..).