The SO life.

[JoeyJoey]

So, I tried SO for the first time today. And I have a few things I want to ask if they're normal or not.

Does it usually feel like a competition with other SOs when it comes to who's squad is better?


Will it always feel bad when you witness your entire squad get decimated by the good ole Queen screech?

Will Command always lack communication and leave you to improvise orders with your squad?

[taketheshot56]

As SO you have a tough job, you are expected to improvise orders based on orders given to you, IE if the CO orders you to advance to bar, you need to direct the squad the best way to get there.

[thatguyfromlife]

Sometimes, you get used to it and almost always.

For real though just do your best to keep your squad alive and supplied and you'll be good.

[Dolth]

"Hello this is your XO. Move to bar!"
- Squad I said BAR.
- Get the fuck out engineering, head to BAR!!
- Research is CHARLIE objective not YOURS delta. Get back.
- I swear if you don't r-.. What OB!? JESUS SL.
- I don't care if you killed the screecher you are to be at BA- Great that's fucking ending already I quit.


Okay. That's pretty much a sentenced picture of the amount of power text has in a game where people are 1. Not listenning. 2. Stubborn. 3. Busy fighting 4. Can't read, cyka.

[thatguyfromlife]

"Hello this is your XO. Move to bar!"
- Squad I said BAR.
- Get the fuck out engineering, head to BAR!!
- Research is CHARLIE objective not YOURS delta. Get back.
- I swear if you don't r-.. What OB!? JESUS SL.
- I don't care if you killed the screecher you are to be at BA- Great that's fucking ending already I quit.


Okay. That's pretty much a sentenced picture of the amount of power text has in a game where people are 1. Not listenning. 2. Stubborn. 3. Busy fighting 4. Can't read, cyka.

Good to know I'm not the only one who can't control a squad.

[zoboomafoo]

SO's sort of control SL's, SL's can't really control marines, and marines can't control themselves. Such is the chain of command.

[simonset55]

You are there to support the squad, leave the commanding to the SL. You just have to work together with the SL to get the squad supplies, drop OBs, tell them which direction they have to go and suggest courses of action.

Also, you're not supposed to compete with the other SOs, you're supposed to work together with them to plan out tactics like eventual flanks and such, this usually doesn't happen though since you're too busy watching your squads.

Improvising orders for your squad when command is being silent is fine, just don't send the squad too far away from others, sending them to their doom. If you do that you should feel bad when the queen screeches and wipes your whole squad.

This is how i do it though, i am not too authoritative in my commands since i know that the marines don't really care about some dude sitting behind a desk, and they're more aware of the situation at hand anyways.

[Sulaboy]

Ive had to give briefing as an SO, when we had a full CIC staff (commander, executive officer, 5 staff officers) with my preparations being handed a paper with 4 sentences on it from the XO one minute before briefing was scheduled.

Being an SO can be tough work, but the best thing you can do is inform your squad. Tell them about that marine that got killed and dragged off, use your map to find his body. Use your map to find out safer routes to places of interest. Giving a squad directions on which way to head is good if they have a destination in their head.

As an SO make sure your squad can resupply when needed, work with other CIC staff to find out if your troops can be reinforced or if they need support in some other way.

An SOs greatest asset is the ability to have marines listen to you, if you can coordinate a push with just one squad, chances are it will be successful. If your SL listens and is willing to spread orders and organize his troops, then you can accomplish great things.

In the end the most important thing you can do is give your squad purpose. As long as there are marines in your squad you can rally them, and give them something to do. The marines might not win heck they probably will not win, but you can know that through your orders the marines had fun. Also remember to use the goddamn maps, I guess if you know all the maps by heart this step isn't that important, but by looking at a map it becomes so much easier to think up cool maneuvers for your marines.

[TaiBenik]

I claim to be a rather poor SO, but I really enjoy the role. Got a question for any of you other SOs because this is usually the bane of my rounds as SO.

What do you do when the squad fragments upon either
A) Contact with the enemy: Marines fall back, charge and chase lone xenos until they are scattered all over the damned map.

B) Landing: This is the worst but seems to happen often, especially if you have a squad doing something like FOB duty. All the Specs, half the PFCs and the medics run off to where ever the fight is and leave the FOB uselessly undefended.

I find it nearly impossible to re-group a squad once they scatter which leads to the lone wolfs being picked off and increased frustration across the squad as they demand my attention to all their individual locations.

Also, SLs who never use OB or SBs. Those two things are half of the job of an SO. Without either if those things, you are stuck with just issuing directives and hoping someone is actually listening.

[Sulaboy]

-snip

A) Remind the to stick with their SL or rendeverous in a building with a statement about how the enemy have been seen dragging off line marines. Also helps to give directions to the area.

B) Talk a lot, giving the marines tasks, looking at the map to give them info on how defenses should be built. See if you can get some sandbags sent down for the marines to build with. Getting a squad to stay together on FOB duty is better done by the SL, but you can give him orders to have a fireteam assist the front, and you can swap them out for other board PFCs later. You can also talk to other SOs about switching with them, because after the casualties mount they may need a fresh squad on the front.

Remember that you cannot force marines to do anything, so you will have your Rambos, and boots that don't understand what is going on, you can always point the squad to where their body is, but you don't have too.

Also SBs and OBs are not often used. Marines often kit themselves for an entire round, but you can always speak to req about getting something special sent down. Maybe a HPR or some grenades and attachment. Get them to send down food as well the marines would appreciate it. As for OBs the best you can do is remind the SL that they are available, just like a PO reminds about CAS. Marines often do not use the OBs because they are situational, and there can be consequences for giving information wrong. If you have a SL who is using his OBs see about sending him more in a SB later.

[Rikman]

*Joins round
*heads to CIC Xo and SO are arguing about evac
*evac from planet, told to corral squad into DS, they refuse and take too long and 80% of squad dies.
*XO gets pissed at you for not doing what he said.
*Appreciate SO and how stressful their job is

[Forst]

I give loose orders through the announcement system and hope for the best. Sometimes I send down supplies and OB but every time I'm SO my squad has so little regard for their own lives they don't live long enough to use the supplies.

Most of the time it's just watching solo marines wreck shit and half the rest of the squad get wiped out by a young hunter and ff.

[Jonesome]

It's too bad we can't fit marines with shock collars that SOs can use to make marines behave and follow orders.

[Kesserline]

Unburrying this post.

SO's role is to advise/support and ultimately gives objective to the squad.

A good part SOs misunderstand the "GIVES OBJECTIVE TO THE SQUAD". Giving an objective doesn't mean rule your squad. Giving an objective, means giving an objective, the ultimate goal. If you set : "Fortify South-Bar location."
The part : "HEAD TO BAR" "SCOUT THE PATH" "OPEN THAT DOOR" "CROWBAR THAT DOOR I SAID" "OH GOD WHAT IS THAT WEIRD X-RAY TRYING TO POUNCE US", it's majorly the SL's job.

SO is here to be a force multiplier, a great asset to the SL and Command. A good SO ? With a good SL ? Damn. Your squad will be well supplied and well managed. If the SO competes with his own SL ? You ruin your own overwatch. If the SO competes with other SOs ? You ruin your ability to have help from other squads and thus, getting your squad killed.

Where you can shine, as a SO, is to give situational/intel to the marines directly. Sometimes, the SL will be too busy to notice shits on the command channel, or other details. Give him some of these intel he missed.
Same for marines, sometimes, the "Alpha needs help at X location" can help your marines feeling the adrenaline to be ready for the good shit.

If a marine is lost ? Damn, switch to his cam and guide him, the SL can keep doing his job.

Give tactical intel to your marines (Careful, S-E flank is vulnerable. Careful, Enemies are coming from West side generally, rifles to West/Danger to West.).

You're the overwatch. You're not the leader.

PS : If you're not confident with the OB, ask for help in CIC, or wait for the SL's signal. If you're very confident with the OB, and you have a certain bond, or at least know quite well you SL, you can fire OB at your discretion.
For the SBs, usually ask for a secured, or at least partially secured location for the SB, to retrieve the crate. That would be a shame if a drone would come there and acid your crate because noone is there to get it.

[Arbs]

Basically as an SO what you do is link the squad with command. Start by communicating with the squad actively. Give them heads up on intel from other squads, supply their needs, keep an eye for downed marines early on. And be active. Try to be prompt when the squad asks for you or even be pro-active yourself.

Set objectives and goals for the SL. Overwatch consoles are great to get an idea of whats going on in the field.

And if somethings not working right, dont be affraid to take things in your hands for as long as its not a horrible call that will piss off everyone in CIC.

Its a good life, you get coffee and officer perks. But then its also very sad to see your squad get defiled. Its your job to bring those men back alive.

Competition is also there, but only as far as healthy competition goes. Anything more than that and things go wrong. Youre in the same team after all.

As an SO, you wont need to micromanage. Leave that to the SL generally. But there are times where you need to interfere when things get messy or sonetimes even fill in for the SL when squad’s not working properly.

Remember that those squad marines are -your- marines. Your responsibility. Care for them and theyll care for you back. Building trust with your squad pays off greatly.

[Merne23]

>Play lowpop
>No CO, no XO
>No announcements, no other SOs.
>Worm on the ship
>Goes Hunter
>Die before getting a warning out
>Marines leaderless for a full 20 minutes until an MP finds the body.

My usual 1AM-2AM rounds. I have taken to putting XO on High.

[Dragoon47]

I had to run two squads at once on Prison the other day after a hiatus (It was right after Jones v Heinz, so I thought there'd be full command, the naivety), and it was a bit of a cold shower to dandy off the ring rust. No CO, no XO (Latter rectified by Kickum, and I feel like I hallucinated a CO waking up at some point).

Banana was ordered to scout pretty far out this time, and I think may have made first, or close to it, contact with the Benos. They set up decent in the showers, and it was looking good and quiet for a bit until I think the Benos took a bit out of the Grapes, and we were ordered to help.

Of course, the Benos 180, and in the tight corridor North of the showers I get to watch the Queen come on screen and in a few quick moments decimate the entire squad, with no one near, nor even able to recover the bodies. Worse still, none could cry out; those Benos didn't bother infecting.

The Queen gibbed them, every last one. A Bravo late join comes down on the Alamo.

"Where's my squad?"

Sweet jesus.

On a side note, I had no fricken clue how squad transfers worked, so that was rather embarrassing.

Apple did okay for a bit (Frank, keep on Franking; Coop, keep on Cooping), but after they get mauled pretty bad, and some sort of supply issue kept reoccurring (Where did those first ammo crates even go?) I just spent the round trying to find someone that listened to their radio for an aSL, then asked for evac due to brain drain (And to prevent impending mutiny).

SD, escaping from Xen'Alamo, Boxing Beno, and getting murder-bursted was great, but it was some round to come back to. Still need to get a hang of the text whizzing by, but playing PO as well has been helping with that.