"A COLONY HAS ALIUMS! GO KILL EM!"
No orders for the individual squads, no nothing. The Marines are fighting a losing battle on the planet, while the Commander rules over his kingdom of the Sulaco with his MPs as his iron fist, ignoring the fact that he just sent a whole contingent of Marines to their death. Anyone on board the ship who talks back to him gets brigged and flogged, and he has given the green light for the MPs to shoot kids down in the halls. As the round drags on, you've got infected and wounded aboard, and to save you time, some larvae get loose, turn into Runners and shit, kill a bunch of people while the aliens board the shuttle and kill everyone aboard the Sulaco.
You know what would have stopped this from happening? A few Marines willing to usurp the chain of command for the sake of their fellow Marines. Yes, a mutiny. They're frowned upon, because it detracts from the main event of the shift, which is the alien encroachment upon the colony. However, when you've got a shitty Commander, you've got to make a move and uphold the mission, as well as your warrior ethos. A shit Commander is more dangerous to the Sulaco than a hive of aliens, and I think it's only fair to tell you how to go about staging and executing a mutiny aboard the Sulaco.
1. FORMULATE A PLAN - Blah blah blah...Murphy's Law. I've heard that shit, but every operation needs a plan. If you're wanting to mutiny, you need to take everything into consideration. Ask questions like: "How many Marines do we have in total?"; "Is a mutiny actually necessary?"; "How is shit on the ground?"; "Does this dress make me look fat?"; but the most important question is who will fill in the role of Commander. Will you be suited to the task, or is there a competent Bridge Officer or Squad Leader who would fit the bill perfectly? That's why it's important to know your community. You should also perform intelligence-gathering, and figure out how many guys the Commander will have backing him. It's safe to assume that the MPs and the BOs will side with the Commander, but to truly gauge whether or not they bear resentment against the Commander, you need to observe their speech for even the slightest hints of dissatisfaction.
There are three kinds of actors in a mutiny: Mutineers, Loyalists, and The Undecided.
2. ASSEMBLE A TEAM - You can't fight alone, and that's why you need to find other disaffected Marines who sympathize with a change in leadership. We're very vocal in our beliefs, and it'll be easy to pick up on anger or resentment over an order. Identify those Marines who will sympathize with you, and approach them one-on-one, away from the others. It's risky, because you're asking them to put their asses on the line for you. Try to vary your team, as well, with at least 5 or 6 Marines in your mutineer group. There's always the possibility that your mutiny, once underway, will attract other Marines to your cause.
3. BUILD DISSENT - You need to influence public opinion, and this is a task best delegated to someone on the ground, fighting the scum. If you're smart, you'll hang back and continue planning your op, while one of your men talks up the troops. He/She will talk about how shitty things are, such as the fact that Command is ignoring supply requests, the lack of Overwatch, etc. Rile them up; tell them that they are being shit on by the guys in charge. Don't overtly reveal your intentions, unless a sizable number of Marines, emboldened by your rhetoric, decide that something must be done. This isn't primarily a recruiting tool; it's to ratify the crew's opinion in your favor.
4. FIND A LEADER - Unless you're highly competent, I would suggest leading only the mutiny, and finding someone else to serve as Commander, once your mutiny is underway. To find a competent Marine, check their grammar, what they say. Observe how they conduct themselves, and how others react to them. Know names, and know people; when you form relationships with people, they'll generally back you. A good post-mutiny leader will sway others in your opinion.
5. OBSTRUCTION - Be careful about this. You're not there to destroy the Sulaco; you're there to change things for the better. ONLY USE A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF SABOTAGE TO HINDER THE ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMANDER! Examples include: stealing and stockpiling equipment in a secure area for usage during the execution of the mutiny; removing APC power cells to hinder the activities of the Incumbents; capturing VIPs and interrogating them for information; hacking doors; killing cameras. These are just some of the choices available to you.
6. MAKE SURE YOU'RE READY FOR ANYTHING - Self-explanatory; this is your final step before you launch your mutiny. Make sure you're stocked with ammunition, weapons, armor, and other gear in preparation for a firefight. If you have some sort of distraction planned, then awesome. All-in-all, take a moment to ensure that you've done everything on your part to enable success.
Time to mutiny!
1. LAUNCH YOUR ATTACK ACCORDING TO YOUR INTELLIGENCE - If you've been observing the Commander making rounds through the station, consider an ambush point to grab him, or if you have the resources, capture the bridge. You could either target the Commander and take him alive without harming the other Incumbents, or you could go in, guns blazing as you launch yourself into a prolonged firefight. If you have enough men (at least 8), you could split them up into teams and give them objectives (i.e. kill/arrest the MPs).
2. CONSIDER CENT COMM - They don't condone mutinies, but it's possible to sway their opinion in your favor. Taking the Commander alive and his cohorts (if possible) is one method. If you gain control of the Bridge, waste no time in establishing a line of communication between the Mutineers and Cent Comm. It's best to have someone with a competent ability of elocution to handle this sensitive task; their use of eloquent vocabulary will prove vital in convincing Cent Comm that the mutiny was justified. Remember: YOU NEED TO PROVE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT THAT THE MUTINY IS A JUSTIFIED ACTION!
3. LEVERAGE - If you've captured the Commander, or got them pinned, the odds are in your favor. De-escalation tactics may go either way, depending on how competent the Commander might be.
IF YOU'VE PINNED THE COMMANDER DOWN AND HAVE HIS EXITS SEALED OFF: Extend an offer of amnesty. Tell the Commander that if he surrenders, you'll ensure that no harm comes to him. Be prepared to back this promise up, because some of your fellow mutineers will want his head. If the Commander surrenders, ask him to publicly announce the resignation of his commission, and plead for any loyalists to surrender their arms. If the Commander refuses, get that fucker out of his hole. Plant C4 on the door, and send him to Flashbang City. LETHAL OPTIONS AGAINST THE COMMANDER ARE ADVISED ONLY IN EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES!
IF YOU'VE CAPTURED THE COMMANDER: Again, offer the olive branch. If he accepts, sweet! If he denies, correct him. What you do to elicit compliance is up to you, and for all I care, you could just brig him and do what you can to elicit the surrender of the loyalists.
4. BE AWARE OF THE UNDECIDED - Some idiots can't make up their mind, or they are late to the party. When attacking, other Marines might show up, either to support you or to kill you. During the attack, it's wise to inform the others as to what is underway. Let them know that a regime change is going to happen, and they can either support you or stand against you. Give them reasons as to why it's appropos to mutiny against the incumbent Commander. I assure you that the Commander will be doing the same thing.IF YOU'VE CAPTURED THE COMMANDER: Again, offer the olive branch. If he accepts, sweet! If he denies, correct him. What you do to elicit compliance is up to you, and for all I care, you could just brig him and do what you can to elicit the surrender of the loyalists.
5. IF SUCCESSFUL, HANDLE THE TASK AT HAND - You mutinied so that the command of this operation could be placed in competent hands. Now, it's time to lead. You may or may not have Marines on the ground, still fighting the aliens. GET THEM SUPPORT! Send your men planetside with a shit-ton of ordnance, as long as you're aware of how the battle is going. If there's no longer an FOB and no Marines remain on the ground, do not consider attacking unless you have the numbers to do so. However, if you took the Commander alive, keep him under guard, under strict orders that no harm come to him and that he cannot contact external actors to aid in his escape.
6. IF A FAILURE, REACT ACCORDINGLY - You're the bad guy now. No one likes you, and the Commander wants your head. Success is nil, because it's either just you or you are vastly outnumbered by the loyalists. Personally, I'd kill as many of them as I could until they got me. When you're in a corner, fight like hell.
Keep in mind that this is not a definitive guide. Mutinies are always open to other ways of interpretation and implementation, and I am open for polite discourse on this topic.
THE ADMINS HATE MUTINIES, SO MAKE SURE YOU CAN JUSTIFY IT TO THEM, AND HAVE THE COMMON SENSE TO KNOW WHEN A MUTINY IS ACTUALLY WARRANTED!
