TL/DR Summary
We're going to try taking take 2 towns using infantry, transport helicopter(s) and artillery, with Folk-style planning and wave-based respawn.
Special Roles
Comrades, you are all special. However, this Sunday some will be more special than others:
- Overall CO (Delta - Leader): You will command the whole mission, grant and co-ordinate the use of the artillery/pilot roles, and remain at the base in relative safety and comfort. The drinking of tea is permitted, but you must sing revolutionary songs over TeamSpeak.
- Transport pilot / Gunner #1 (Delta - Any slot): You may be asked to fly a transport helicopter, or operate an artillery piece. Or both!
- Transport pilot / Gunner #2 (Delta - Any slot): You may be asked to fly a transport helicopter, or operate an artillery piece. Or both!
- Gunner #3 (Delta - Any slot): You will operate an artillery computer and make tea.
- Infantry CO (Alpha - Leader): You will be like the CO in a normal Folk mission, making the assault plan and leading the infantry into battle. You'll also be making (or allowing your subordinates to make) requests for artillery and/or transport helicopter support.
Whatever type of slot you select, this will be yours for the duration of the mission. That means a few things:
- Please retain the type of weapon appropriate for the role.
- Please treat the role as you would one in a normal Folk mission (i.e. play it!).
- Please do not disconnect and re-slot in a different role when you die unless asked to.
Death is not the end, comrade. It is just the beginning. Although you may have to wait a bit for the beginning. Here's how it works:
- When you die, respawn at the base and wait to be instructed to re-join your unit by the overall CO. You can drink tea, sing songs, explore the base, but don't go haring off to re-join your unit until asked.
- After a town is taken, all the dead people can re-join their units (the Overall CO will organise this).
- Alternatively, if a unit suffers >50% casualties, it must withdraw to a safe location - the dead can re-join it, and it can return to the fight.
- If you JIP, assume you arrive 'dead' and wait to be told you can join your unit.
Because farmers are suspicious of anything as complicated as an Apache, here's how it will work:
- The only BLUFOR vehicles we'll be using will be the transport helicopters (either the Chinook or 2 x Blackhawk, depending on the plan).
- We won't be using any BLUFOR armoured vehicles, attack rotary or fixed wing assets.
- We will be using the BLUFOR artillery (see special slots above).
- We might use the BLUFOR Hummers, but that's up to the overall CO.
- We won't be using captured enemy vehicles / air assets; the instructions are in a language we don't understand.
Winning is pretty obvious. Losing, less so (because of respawn). We'll have 'lost' if all of our infantry units suffer >50% casualties at the same time.
A final word
What we haven't done is go into the mission and make a huge number of edits to lock things and otherwise alter the code so that guests can't 'break the rules'. We'll be using the ARPS edit of the mission, and we're not going to lock stuff beyond what is already restricted in that version. Instead, I'm going to ask people to respect the declared approach to the mission - you're none of you children, and the Folk sessions have always assumed that guests avoid spoiling the experience for others. Let's not disappoint ourselves here.
Now, comrades, to the business of dying in our own artillery barrage!
