Strategy

For strategy to be effective, the plan must have been long in the making and the troops involved must be privy to the information. A plan executed after a strategist’s direction in this fashion doesn’t require that the planner is present or in contact with the group, as long as they are well-coordinated and understand the plan. When making decisions on the spot, the commander must be in contact with his group, preferably on site with them. Filters that are in the way (such as other officers, radio, distance) make it harder for the final recipients of the orders to execute them properly. Being on site also allows the possibility of changing strategy on the fly, if needed. There are two major types of strategy described here. It can either be used to established the best course of action in a combat-oriented situation, which is called Tactical Strategy, or it can be used to boost the performance of troops under the orders of the strategist. This method is called Direct Strategy.
    Tactical Strategy: The player makes a Strategy roll and if he’s successful, the AI will make him privy to strategic maneuvers available in the situation. Multiple successes will generate multiple strategies. However, the player will never be fully aware of which strategy, if any, is the ultimate one. And there’s no guarantee that the plan will work. The player will simply be made privy to tactics that are possible and their best- and worst-case scenario outcomes. The execution is another matter entirely. Each success should generate a plan, or variation on a plan. This can be part of a strategic theoretical meeting, as well as quick decisions made in the field while under fire. The mechanics tie in very strongly to the gameplay paragraph (Choices) in the game design section.
  Example: The 6th squad is under heavy fire and their communication with command has been cut. Rook’s player wants to make a Strategy roll as he sees no way out of their situation. As they lie behind cover and are fired upon in a corridor, the AI says that it’s going to be a Reaction + Strategy roll. The player rolls his five dice and scores two successes. The AI tells him of two possible strategies. A part of the squad can provide heavy suppressive fire (spending most of their ammo) in order to provide cover for some of their comrades as they head for the steam control. If they manage to activate this, the steam will separate them from their enemies for a while and block the line of sight. This will enable the whole squad to get down to the ITS and head for the docking bay where their ship awaits. However, there’s no way of telling if the scanners and visual modes of the enemies are good enough or calibrated to handle the steam. If the equipment is good enough, they will see Rook’s squad through the steam, which will result in casualties and the depletion of ammunition on an unnecessary suppressive fire maneuver.
  The second alternative is that they throw their grenades at the enemy. This won’t kill the entire enemy force, but it will take down a few, and it will also provide cover which will enable the whole squad to rush for the docking bay. The only problem is that there are some major coolant valves in the area. If the grenades damage them, the explosion could possibly cause harm to the main aft hydraulic hub, causing the docking bay doors to jam, which would require some time to repair. Rook’s player looks indecisive. Both options have drawbacks and benefits.
    Direct Strategy: This method can only be used if the strategist has at least two units (men if on the ground, ships if in the air, etc.) under his direct command. Handling direct strategy is tricky, even though the basic system is simple. While employing direct strategy, each success generates 2 strategy points. These can be assigned by the strategist to any of his units. The points basically work as positive modifiers for those to which they are assigned. However, if the strategist assigns more than two points to a unit, another unit will suffer a -1 per point exceeding the limit of two on its ally. This is symbolic and basically means that the other units are “sacrificed” to give support to the unit given the strategic bonus. Exactly how long the bonus is valid is the tricky part. In a heated battle, a strategy roll could be made every fifth segment (any surplus points will be discarded; it’s impossible to stockpile these points from one roll to another), while in a larger-scale battle (such as when several squadrons of C-class battle ships are squaring off), a roll can be made every minute or every five minutes.
  Example 1: Rook’s commanding officer Sergeant Tooms starts to yell out orders as her six man strong squad, Tooth n Nails, advances on some rippers. The AI rolls Tooms’ Clout + Strategy and she gets two successes. This gives her four strategy points to dish out. Rook is on point, leveling his carbine. She assigns him all four. This will give the player of Rook a +4 bonus to his next attack roll (or any relevant roll, for that matter). But two of the squad members will get a -1 as they are ordered to cover Rook, exposing themselves to attack. Once Rook has used his bonus, it disappears and Tooms can’t use her Strategy for another five segments (a timeframe decided by the AI, according to the situation).
  Example 2: Commanding officer Arland Potowski is standing on the flight deck of his D-class heavy destroyer. He has six C-class light hunters under his command as they’re advancing on their enemy, a squadron of CIM raiders. The player of Arland wants to make use of some direct strategy. Devising a plan, he makes a Brains + Strategy roll. He gains three successes, and with that he gets 6 strategy points. He gives 2 points to three of his captains, who are in command of the Osiris model C-class hunters. The AI has decided that this bonus is valid for five segments after the enemy has been engaged. Soon the dark void is filled with bursts of plasma and the tracer rounds of rail cannons.