[Sun] 21 Jun 2015 (Kefirz, I love you)

[fer]

Missions:

• Budget Issues
• Inter IV (M14s!)
• Huzzah II
• Routine
• Weekend Warriors

This evening was small, at just 28 comrades, but as people keep telling comrade Tigershark: it's not about size.

We began with the 12 minutes of terror that is Budget Issues, successfully defending our hilltop position against deadly muzzle flashes until the helicopters could fly us out. Next, despite executing comrade Ferrard Carson's opposing fireteam almost single-handed, comrade Kefirz was unable to mount a successful defence in a round of Inter IV. We then rolled into new mission Huzzah II, which we actually half-completed despite losing our IFVs, having inter-dimensional HAT weapons that disappeared when manned, and comrade Tigershark using his powers as JTAC to mortar ... himself. Flushed with this semi-success, we completed a very hard-fought run of Routine, which the Party might even have credited to comrade Kefirz (but he died). So comrade Boberro picked up a medal and some vouchers for the Party liquor store. Finally, the hardy late crowd managed to complete Weekend Warriors, killing or driving away all the attackers with designs on our radio station.

Important Note: In both Huzzah II and Routine, we tested a putative new ORBAT code-named FAXORBAT-4C. This differs from FAXORBAT-4B in a few key ways:

• Sections are re-named fireteams
• Fireteams are reduced in strength to 6 men (we removed the grenadier)
• The FTL and 2 x AR now make up the blue 'BOF' colour team, whilst Assaultman (AT) and 2 x riflemen are red 'manoeuvre' colour team
• In mechanised missions, squads only have 1 x fireteam, but gain 1 x IFV that is organic

Your thoughts on how this candidate ORBAT worked out would be very gratefully received by Party scientists.



As ever, please post your thoughts, feedback, screenshots and video here - comrade YouTube Hero SuperU doesn't just produce our video idents, but provides leadership and guidance to propaganda artists. We also have a new YouTube channel that he manages so if you have any content you think should feature then let him know and he will sort you out, for more info check out this thread!; more guidance on video editing for Folk ARPS is provided by comrade Ferrard Carson. Posts in the AAR threads really help us (the hosts and mission makers), both with understanding how we can improve the experiences, and showing potential comrades what our sessions are like.

Finally, some recommended reading for all comrades, new and old:

• The Folk ARPS leadership programme
• Comrade Head's new launcher / mod updater (Swifty)
• Folk ARPS tags

PS Because someone asked about 'Gong' again:

[ZeCatnip]

Just wanted to say thanks for letting me play this afternoon. I had a great time (even though I dun goofed once or twice), and hope to play again soon.

Thanks!

[madrak_the_red]

Fantastic session this evening, lads. On with the AAR!

Budget Issues

Bravo Pilot

Jumped up to HQ channel just in time to hear Fer say he didn't want me anyway *tears*

I then spent the next 12 minutes getting acquainted with the underside of the huron and seeing tracers fly up the hill. The chopper was filled, everyone jumped in and I flew off into the terrifying, non-NVG having night. All in all we only lost 4 people, a cracking effort.

Inter IV

A3 Rifleman under Toaster

We set up in the shacks and ruins we were assigned to protect, and poked out of our terrible view ports. Enemy was spotted on the sweet as hill, toaster was shot through a wall and then we ran around, confused. I stepped out on to the step outside to get a better view and Fer shot me in the back. But then Gqren and Kerfiz wiped out that fire team, and all was well. We still lost in the end, but we really gave them what for (despite me not discharging my weapon once).

Huzzah II

IFV 2 commander

We drove alongside bravo, we listened to their HAT woes and tigershark mortaring himself, and we put 30 AP cannon rounds into the turret of a Mora to apparently no effect. We also briefly imprisoned bravo inside our metal shell as we thunderran back and forth across a field. We let them out eventually. Then BSLs Ifrit got swiss cheesed, followed by Eagle-eye and then us, as two bold enemy IFVs drove across the fields and blew the crap out of IFV 1 and 2. What followed was some good infantry movement by the remaining fireteams, but ultimately we had to few men to capture both objectives.

Routine

BSL

Always love this mission, for the firefights and the shit-talking. Right at the beginning, Eagle-Eye requested we take discretion as the better half of valour to avoid being obliterated in the first two minutes. Luckily, our orders meshed with that, and we took rear vehicle, laughing merrily along the way as people fell out of Alpha's truck (though singalong participation was disapointing). Contact was announced for me by a spurt of blood out of an Alpha soldiers head. Followed our philosophy, we fell back down the valley and onto the high ground, where we were able to cover alpha and suppress the enemy. That first contact eliminated, we mounted back up and went on our merry way, even bringing our trusty AI RAT Wilson along with us. We moved to one RV, then another, criss-crossing the valley. Our final RV proved a bit far forward, and after some close calls with incoming fire, we fell back and had one hell of a firefight with AI in the hills and valleys. Seriously, one of the best I've ever experienced, we had rounds whizzing overhead, runs back to the truck for more ammo, GPs going both ways, it was fantastic (and the 3GL is bonkers good, btw). After the fight was over and the shooting had stopped, we counted our losses (Wilson. RIP.), rearmed, and headed up the hill to rejoin alpha, who had been proactive as we sat around on the hillside and had mostly secured the FOB. Once I realised cc was off (oops) we rejoined comms, relinked and saw off the last lingering AI. Victory, with no casulties save Wilson! Hurrah!

Weekend Warriors

CO

The plan: grab a gun, run to barracks, turn on your nightvision you'd been using to read books under the covers, and prepare for the storm. We then proceeded to slay bodies, killed all comers and finally sweeping out the last straggler for a glorious victory.

Afterparty

Shipping problems, in which Eagle-Eye got the ol' door drop on me, and then some insurgency which involved an epic roadtrip across Altis (and used.... 4 vehicles that were liberated from the populace.) Followed by shooting a shitload of AI with a deployed MG. All in all, a fantastic evening

[Tigershark]

Not sure what happened with the mortar. I was in the map screen, had my cursor over Kefirz's markers and used the menu to call the mortars. But first one landed on me. Not sure why that happened? You can't designate using the map?

[Raptoer]

Budget Issues

I really need to figure out how to up the difficulty on this one... As A1 FTL I managed to deal with the west side until my AR and I got shot. I blame whoever threw chem lights on us thinking that it didn't matter because the AI had NVGs (they didn't).

Any suggestions as to how to up the difficulty?

Inter IV

As the attacker's medic I did exactly no medicing, nobody seemed to need it. I did manage to get shot by Grumpy who I assume was on the enemy team...

Huzzah II

IFV 1's gunner. I shot a few infantry, got hit from some 40mm that we couldn't explain, then saw an enemy IFV for all of 10 seconds before we exploded.

Routine

I joined limbo just as Fer called for a marksman, not knowing about the trouble finding leaders.

Seeing the mission description I decide I really don't want a high leadership position (I really don't do well in situations with limited information).

Not really wanting to do anything that required too much thinking I decided to take it. To my dismay I get transfered up in a position I loathe... ASL... I like FTL, and I somewhat like CO, but SL is just not for me. FTLs never tell me who they are shooting at or who is shooting at them, and I prefer to lead from the front, which you can't really do as SL when you have no information.

So we quickly drive right into an ambush and I lose half of alpha. I bumble my way through a few more engagements and take alpha into the enemy FOB from the north, only to get shot by the same guy that killed another bunch of us.

Maybe if we slot toy slots earlier it would be easier to slot leadership positions as people won't try to hold out for a fancy position, because they've all been taken.

[fer]

Maybe if we slot toy slots earlier it would be easier to slot leadership positions as people won't try to hold out for a fancy position, because they've all been taken.

With toy slots, the only certainty is that there will be continued uncertainty (as to whether or not they are a trap).

[boberro]

Budget Issues, A2 AR
One problem I'm having with this mission is Arma - it's impossible to deploy bipod on the slope and be able to shoot. Anyways, it was lots of pot shots in the dark, then extraction. Hooray, we won.

Inter IV (M14s!), Attackfor Bravo leader
M14 is the weapon of the future, I'm telling you. Not only it shoots, but bullets even fly where you send them.
Bravo got overwatch position in the north. Before alpha and charlie got into their positions, I was able to identify and mark two (both?) enemy groups.
Since the distance was quite big, when order to open fire came, I had to mark targets by tracers, killing Toaster-master, but other than that Bravo pinned enemy efficiently enough to keep them on their position until Alpha got into the town.
Hooray, we won (some of us at least).

Huzzah II, HAT1 leader
Tripod mounted Titan gives new meaning to the stealth technology - invisible to the user.
HAT1 was positioned in unfinished, two story building that to the layman could look as the best position for static launcher, but to the veteran it screamed "Arma-ed". Fortunately I was wrong and building did not collapse when we deployed the launcher, other thing happened: launcher disappeared for me, but not for Bormanov. Ok, I was supposed to be a spotter in that team.
For some reason our building worked like a magnet to enemy rocket, and not one, not two but at least three enemy rockets, aimed at our IFV parked nearby, hit our structure (TBF one rocket missed the building, coming through the window, flying half a meter from my face and exiting through the other window).
By the time enemy armour, in the size of two, rolled out, we were already on the second floor - first floor turned from rocket magnet into the bullet magnet, and second floor parapets gave us some cover. Unfortunately deploying the Titan on the second floor was tricky, and it gave as angle to attack only one enemy IFV. To hit the second one, we had to redeploy, which gave enemy time they needed to charge head on the CO position. When launcher was finally ready to fire, it disappeared (only to me) again, Bormanov mounted it (becaming invisible to me) and then nothing happened... It took me a while to make sure that my now-invisible colleague is, in fact, dead. Fortunately, suicide king from A1 was at hand, so he was provisioned to my team, and he was able to see the launcher and dead Bormanov. Unfortunately logistics took long enough for the IFV to kill our CO.
With both enemy armour burning, HAT1 in size of 2 - 1 + 1 joined rest of alpha and began clearing one of the targets, which resulted in me getting wounded, and mission ending without any conclusion.
I still believe we won that one.

Routine, A2 AR
This one was little hazy - we got taken "by surprise", we shot some bullets in the general direction of our burning UGV, we lost half a fireteam and in the result our 6 men team was 5 men strong.
Before we got into position to take our base back, we cleared two compounds, that in both cases had enemy attacking us, not the other way around. Somewhere there I got separated from our group, which turned out to be fine because I was able to shot forces flanking us in the back. I also got enemy technical, which unfortunately came under bravo fire, that pinned me down (I was stull able to save CO from the markmen hiding in the compound they were ramboing).
I came back to my group just in time to get tripple promoted to FLT, SL and CO. Yay! Given that I wouldn't still be terrible CO, I should have stepped down from FLT position, which I did not do, got mixed up between responsibilities and well... our victory was definitely not thanks to me. But still...
We won!

Weekend Warriors
There was no such mission.



After session I said that this was really good one (the session, not non-existing mission) and I think it was just because I tend to survive and win in that one. But I believe it wasn't just blind luck (save for that rocked that hit two windows instead of my face): Huzzah II and Routine are really good, while difficult, missions and FAXORBAT-4C was shining there - I wasn't a witness to no suicide orders, nor commands that were effective suicide. So kudos to commanders and SL (not to me though).

[Kefirz]

Budget Issues

A2 FTL

We were tasked with holding down the NW part and amazingly, we succeeded! We had some pretty tense firefights and I made liberal use of the flares I had, but while A1 was being overrun with enemies luckily the helicopter refueled and we flew away, Success!

Inter IV

DefendFOR CO

So the glorious plan was for the main force to take cover in the structures to the North, while A3 is going to guard our rear. Problem was that the intented cover was a cluster of wooden sheds. So I quickly revised the plan and marked new structures for the teams. We would be laid out in a nice patrol base triangle, sounds good right? Well... no, the new buildings were ruins and lacked proper hard cover also. At this point we had nowhere to go so I said to myself ''fuck it'' and we waited for the enemy. The main force actually came from the North, which I expected and there was one sneaky team that we dealt with in the South . Got to give it to the AttackFOR for that suppressing fire, it was very, very effective. One by one we started dying off and I decided to do a last ditch charg-

Huzzah II

Bravo SL

All I can say is that static Titans suck At first it also disappeared like it did to the other HAT team, then Gqren wasn't able to move it or get out and then I shot him in the knee Once he was incapacitated, I pulled him out and I tried to revive him ( I really tried, I swear! ) even the IFV came to lend a hand. Once we failed to do that... I just ran him over with the Ifrit. And then a bit later I died

Routine

Blufor CO

This went reasonably well, I would even say that it was a 100% success!
The UAV and UGV died (as they do), but it provided us with some valuable information on troop and most importantly, technical positions. Right after the first contact there were reports of EI all around us, so I made a call to continue on foot, to increase our awareness, reaction and survivability. I split Bravo and Alpha up, Alpha was to deal with the technical and Bravo was slowly, but surely making it's way to the FOB. Bravo got in some heavy contacts, so I told them to pull back (which they are amazingly good at ) and once Alpha cleared out the hill with the techie, they started their assault on the FOB from a different angle than Bravo. I died with alpha, while making our way to the FOB, but they cleared out a lot of it and after a while Bravo joined up for some fun times also.

Weekend Warriors

MMG Gunner

Got a Zafir with 70 mags, rained down some steel, was constantly out of stamina, it was good.

nice try

[SuicideKing]

I think I should start writing these the same night - I can't seem to retain much anymore.

Budget Issues
AR in some fire team.

We were watching a direction...Pickers (I think) was our Lighting Volunteer. We were shooting quite a lot of people. Eventually the fall back call came. We disappeared behind our smokescreen and lifted heavenwards in our extract helo.

Inter IV
Fighter (R) on AttackFOR (FIA?), Charlie "Team".
With Ferrard Carson (FTL), Sparks (R), and I think Grumpy (R)

We flanked round the back of the town through a shallow gully with trees, trying to find cover and concealment. We found the latter but not much to stop bullets. We crawled a bit closer through long grass, but then we ran out of options. Carson ordered a glory charge...Sparks took the initial few bullets and was KIA, I was down, bleeding out. Asked the other two to continue, since I'd have surely got them killed (they died anyway a few moments later).

I do wonder if a successive bounding maneuver with alternating smokescreens would have been a better idea - maybe we should practice this (crossing open and unremarkable terrain) in a workshop, someday?

Huzzah II sounds like a name for a missile system. Or a Czar. Anyway.
AR in A1 with Sparks (FTL), Ferrard Carson (AR), Peasant (I think?) and another person...one AI dude was possessed by a human later on, too.

I can't remember Red Team as they were further away and I spent half the mission with boberro of HAT1 fame.

Early on, we got into a few buildings, trying to figure out where the enemy were. Some were nearby, we opened fire, started searching again. Enemy vehicles rolled in, were engaged. I was chilling in a building. Carson and Sparks ran off to a two-story building with the rest of Alpha squad and HAT1.

I eventually joined them and engaged AI to the north. Was asked to join HAT1. Spent some time pondering over what to do about the IFV near the graveyard with boberro. I didn't realise he couldn't see the Titan launcher, so I obviously made no effort to tell him that it's right there and I could fire (also wondering why he wasn't firing already, but then I thought maybe he's spotting - and anyway, orders are orders! ). Anyway, killed the IFV.

Boberro and I engaged people from that second floor, then moved out to rejoin Alpha clear a set of buildings. I ended up shooting at a window where I thought an enemy was firing from, still not sure who that was (probably friendly). Anyway, the mission ended inconclusively, apparently, with a few EI elements scattered around the village/town.

Routine
Rifleman in Alpha I believe. Ferrard Carson, Aquarius, Boberro, BormanoV...were a part of my Section. Carson was FTL I think.

Nice mission. I mean, when we were chilling on the truck peacefully, discussing Athena and Ares. Then we got engaged and all hell broke lose - people being critically wounded everywhere, medic running around, etc. We got past that, and continued across the valley from the FOB, trying to avoid fire. Carson was shot and Aquarius was Ramboing ahead, bobbero got field promoted, and we somehow managed to take over most of the base and win.

[Kefirz]

We flanked round the back of the town through a shallow gully with trees, trying to find cover and concealment. We found the latter but not much to stop bullets. We crawled a bit closer through long grass, but then we ran out of options. Carson ordered a glory charge...Sparks took the initial few bullets and was KIA, I was down, bleeding out. Asked the other two to continue, since I'd have surely got them killed (they died anyway a few moments later).
I do wonder if a successive bounding maneuver with alternating smokescreens would have been a better idea - maybe we should practice this (crossing open and unremarkable terrain) in a workshop, someday?

You were up against me and Gqren, he spotted you guys first and probably took you and Sparks down and I got Ferrard and Grumpy once they got closer. I don't think the smoke would have helped, if anything, the moment you would pop down smoke you would lose the element of surprise completely and it would work as a big ''We are here!'' marker. If you had popped smoke, retreated and tried a different angle, things might have gone down differently.

In an ideal world you wouldn't cross open terrain as infantry, that's what armor is for. But in this instance I would have tried to find any positive/negative terrain form and went alongside it, while keeping some hard cover. And/Or ploink at us, like AttackFOR Bravo did. In that random town we were like fish in a barrel, no real cover and with the attackers numbers (higher volume of fire), eventually you would kill us by attrition, which AttackFOR did.