Learning to be a better soldier

How to Not be
Useless
When you Play Soldier
January 2010
Foreword
Lots of hard work was copied and stolen from people to make this guide possible,
so I hope you learn something.
Whether it's Airsoft or some newfangled videogame or whatever – if something
has you playing soldier then this guide will help you.
Part one helps everyone. Part two helps you work in a team environment.
No big words and only a few pages long.
OVERVIEW
This guide will tell you how to be more effective at playing soldier in a team
environment. It was originally made for Airsoft milsim but works for anything
(including video games) where you're basically infantry.
I'm going to assume you know about your guns and your gear and how to use
them. Nothing fancy, but you can manage to keep your gun loaded and
equipment functioning.
If you're actually organized, then you will have a buddy and you will be in a
fireteam and there will be a commander of some kind who gives your fireteam a
job to do (your mission). More on all that later.
STUFF YOU NEED TO DO WITHOUT BEING TOLD
Automatically do these things at all times:
• NEVER EVER cross in front of another player's weapon.
• Look for and call out any enemies you see (aka make contact reports.)
• Move and shoot correctly so you don't get seen and killed so much.
• Your default action is “follow the leader.” Move when they move, stop when
they stop, and do what they do until told otherwise.
• Do your part to maintain 360 degree awareness (pick a direction to watch.)
• Know the job you have to do (i.e. your mission.)
When in a team environment (even a half-assed one) you have additional
responsibilities, see part 2.
ABSOLUTE MORON-LEVEL TACTICAL BASICS
This is the bare minimum you need to know as a foundation for everything else:
• Have a basic understanding of the area you're in (major landmarks, etc.)
• When using “o'clock” for direction, “12 o'clock” is the direction of the
objective, or the direction your team is moving in.
• The primary means of killing an enemy is by flanking them (sending people
to shoot them up from the side or back).
• Keep the enemy busy until they get flanked by shooting at them so they
have trouble moving or shooting without getting shot themselves. This is
called suppressive fire. An example is shooting into and around a window
with a sniper in it so he can't see or shoot while your pals make it safely
across the street to kill him.
HOW TO MAKE A CONTACT REPORT
The contact report is is probably
THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU WILL DO.
It works like this - you see an enemy and tell your buddies by saying something
like this:
“Contact, north-west, sniper, top of tower.”
First, you say “CONTACT”.
Then you say the direction of the enemy. Can be compass heading, o'clock, left/right etc.
Then say a short phrase saying what the hell it is you saw -- infantry, vehicle, etc.
End with concise, relevant info about how far away, under or beside what, etc.
Examples:
“Contact, north-west, sniper, top of tower.”
“Contact, 3 o'clock, machinegunner, 50 meters away under the tree.”
“Contact, left, 2 riflemen crossing the clearing.”
“Contact rear! Enemy squad! “ <Bangbangbangbang>
Note that even if the shit is hitting the fan (like you suddenly noticed someone
behind you and had to immediately start shooting) you still call out the contact so
your team knows what they are dealing with.
MOVING PROPERLY AND NOT DYING SO MUCH
This is the longest section so try not to get bored.
Surviving with your team is MUCH more important than killing some random guy
you see in a bunkered-down shootout to the death.
Move from cover to cover, or concealment to concealment. You should always do
this automatically whenever it is even remotely possible that an enemy is around.
If you are under fire, do it in a series of small rushes. Try to plan ahead and pick
out which cover you're moving to next before you actually move, so you don't find
yourself having to backtrack to move forward showing everyone what a huge
retard you are. This means that at all times you need to be aware of what cover
is around so that you can run for it if the shit hits the fan.
Concealment is what keeps you alive most of the time. Anything that will make
you harder to hit or makes you harder to see counts. This includes putting
yourself in shadows, behind bushes or other objects, in a depression or hole in the
ground, or failing all that just plain lying down prone so you present the smallest
possible target while still being able to see the enemy just fine.
Even partial cover, combined with slow and deliberate movement, can be
surprisingly effective at keeping someone from spotting you.
Take a knee whenever you stop for any reason. Kneeling or crouching makes you
smaller and therefore harder to shoot or spot. Get into the habit of taking a knee
whenever you stop for more than a second or two. If you expect to be stopped for
longer you might want to go prone, find better cover, or both.
Don't silhouette yourself. Silhouetting is when you show yourself up against the
sky or against a contrasting background colour to show everyone what a huge
dumbass you are. The enemy will delight and your teammates will curse you for
the short time they'll still be alive. If you absolutely MUST cross a ridge and think
the enemy might be looking that way, go prone and cross where the vegetation
provides some concealment.
Don't bunch up. A machinegun burst or grenade should never take out more than
one person in your fireteam. If it does, it means you're a bunch of trench queers.
If you are not (and don't want to start) working in
a team environment and hate learning new
things then you can stop reading here.
TEAMWORK BASIC CONCEPTS
The rest of this is “Part 2” - how to move, talk, and operate as part of a fireteam.
These might be whole new concepts you need to get used to. You will need to
know these things even if you never plan to lead a fireteam yourself.
The Buddy System Concept
The smallest combat unit is the Buddy Pair. The buddy system ensures that
everyone has at least one person looking out for them at all times. It simply
means that you move with, watch out for, and fight with another person at your
side.
The Fireteam
You and your buddy are also part of a larger group: the Fireteam.
Fireteams are the fundamental combat unit. They are a four (or up to six) man
team that operates as a cohesive unit on their own radio channel. The people
within a fireteam are made up of buddy pairs. One person is the leader. Usually
one other person has a special role like Medic or Designated Marksman or SAW
gunner or whatever, and the others will be riflemen. The leader is never buddies
with someone who has a special role (too many eggs in one basket that way.)
Getting and Completing Missions
If your team is actually organized, then some overall commander will give each
fireteam leader a job to do and the fireteam leader will direct their fireteam to do
it. During the mission the fireteam leader will be the one communicating with the
overall commander or rest of the command structure. This might mean two
radios, or it might mean checking in at set intervals, or some other system.
HOW TO WORK WITH A BUDDY
Your basic responsibilities to your buddy which you are expected to perform
automatically and constantly are:
Stick with your Buddy
When they move, you should go with them. Together you are far more effective
than apart, so you should never go solo. The smallest unit is always the buddy
team. (Even a scout/sniper has a spotter.)
Communicate with your Buddy
If it's important, let them know. If you're moving, say so – so that they know to
cover you. Good communication keeps everyone working together and aware of
the overall situation. What one guy knows, the other should know.
Cover your Buddy
Cue off your buddy's movements, sector of observation, and so forth. If they are
watching one way, you cover the other way. If they will be crossing a danger
area (i.e. a clearing, street, etc) cover them as they move – then they do the same
for you.
Help your Buddy if they go down
If you are hit then you can count on your buddy to come to your aid. Likewise, if
your buddy is hit you know to step forward and do your part to either save him
yourself or contribute to the medic saving him.
Depending on the game and rules, this might involve dragging him out of the
danger area, carrying him to a medic, using smoke to conceal his position, or
simply killing whoever tried to kill him. Remember that you are no good to your
buddy if you are dead. If the tactical situation does not allow you to immediately
help your buddy, your job is to make the situation more favorable – typically
accomplished by killing the enemy, or coordinating with others to suppress or kill
the enemy.
If your buddy goes down and there is an appropriate medic rule in place, call out
to the rest of the fireteam and have them cover you while you get your buddy to
safety. Once you have made it to cover, call out for a medic. Depending on the
situation you may want to stay to provide security for the medic as he works, or
move back to the rest of the fireteam and keep fighting. You may also apply
medical aid directly yourself if you are able.
Return to your Buddy
If you die and respawn, it is your responsibility to hook back up with your buddy.
If your buddy is dead, you join the rest of the fireteam for a nice threesome.
When your buddy respawns and comes back to your location, you switch over to
him again.
HOW TO BE PART OF A FIRETEAM
Your basic responsibilities as a member of a fireteam are:
KNOW YOUR TEAM AND MISSION
Know who the other people are and make sure you understand the job your
fireteam has been given. You are required to listen to the fellow players who have
been set up as leaders. If you don't, you're a useless fucking slob who is no fun to
be with. If you have a better idea, save it for when it's your turn to be leader.
PRACTICE FIRE AND NOISE DISCIPLINE
If you fire off some rounds at the nearest tree because you're bored not only are
you wasting ammo but you probably let the enemy know where you are and what
direction you're coming from and will get your fireteam flanked. Similarly, if your
team is on a stealth approach it is NOT okay to fire at any enemy on sight unless
the enemy is actively taking aim or shooting at YOU.
MAINTAIN SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
More than anything else, keep in mind where other friendlies are so you don't
shoot at them! This also means not being a huge dumbshit by running in front of
friendly lines of fire and getting yourself shot. Do not EVER cross in front of the
gun of another person, regardless if it's in combat or not.
The enemy WILL try to flank you, so watch your rear and your sides. You will also
whenever possible keep several meters between yourself and the other
teammates to avoid all being gang-raped by a machine gunner or grenade.
COVER YOUR SECTOR
360 degree security is needed at all times. This means
that with a fireteam, every person is observing/covering a
different area. This is something that is expected of you
to do automatically and dynamically as you move around
without being told.
COMMUNICATE PROPERLY
At all times you are expected to scan for, spot, and call out
enemy contacts. If you see an enemy that hasn't already
been called out, ALWAYS CALL IT OUT IMMEDIATELY.
If the enemy hasn't seen you yet, do a contact report before you begin firing in
case the leader decides they want to to go around instead of getting dragged into
a firefight.
In addition, you will be concise on comms. Don't fucking jibber-jabber useless shit
and drown out any important talk. Even if the radio is dead silent, you will still
keep your trap shut because you never know when someone will suddenly need to
say something actually important.
MOVING IN A TEAM
“Bounding Overwatch” is the standard, de-facto infantry movement technique.
Look it up. It is one of the most fundamental combat movement skills practised
and happens to be one of the simplest as well.
The basic idea is: one element is always stationary and covering the movement of
the other element(s). An “element” could be you, a buddy, your buddy team (in a
fireteam), or an entire other fireteam for example.
HOW TO COVER SOMEONE
If there is no action going on in the area, you cover someone by keeping your
weapon ready and your eyes peeled, ready to pop any enemy that shows up while
your buddy moves, medics, or whatever else. Preferably you do this from behind
cover or concealment yourself.
If you're under fire, you provide cover by shooting at the enemy. Basically your
job is to make them duck down, take cover... really anything other than shooting
at friendlies. This is usually by shooting at them, but you can also do it with
smoke. An example is shooting into and around a window with a sniper in it so he
can't see or shoot while your pals make it safely across the street, or grab a
wounded, or throw a grenade into his window, or whatever.
WHEN TO SHOOT
Generally you are assumed to be “Weapons Free” which means shoot enemies on
sight unless told otherwise. If you are on a stealth approach, don't shoot unless
the enemy is actively taking aim at you. You might be sure an enemy has seen
you, but if they are not fixing to shoot you then do not shoot at them.
You in both cases make a contact report no matter what.