Running a more tactical supervillains game, looking for sources on squad tactics and related topics.

So having discussed the "meaning" of tactical with you a bit, how about something along these lines:

During a combat you have a status denoting your combat readiness. Other than straight up attacking you can try to either raise your own readiness or lower your opponents. Flanking may reduce your opponents readiness, handcuffs moreso. Having flashlights or nightvision may allow you to stay ready in a dark environment, etc.

The statuses might be something like:

  • Combat Ready - You are aware of the current condition and details of the fight, and are capable of effective attack on a target. (Eg, Holding a position behind adequate cover, or looking down weapon sights at an enemy, or confidently anticipating the arrival of an enemy).

  • Combat Present - You are aware a fight is happening, but some detail either surprises or hampers you such that your attacks will be sub-optimal or overly-risky. (Eg, weapons at hip when door is suddenly breached, or ambushed while marching, or you have just been flanked, or you are sprinting through a battlefield.)

  • Combat Deficient - You are either only vaguely aware of the events in a fight or your ability to participate is severely hampered (Eg, just suffered a flashbang, or you are unarmed, or you are handcuffed, or you have a serious wound).

  • Combat Debilitated - Your awareness or ability in a fight is close to zero (Eg, blindfolded and handcuffed, or wounded and unarmed, or pinned to the ground).

Then have some mechanics in place around these statuses, say:

  • If you are more combat ready than an opponent, then attacks are typically lethal or very damaging (minimum damage on successful attack based on your current readiness)

  • If you and your opponent are equally combat ready then things proceed as normal (no modifiers)

  • If you are less combat ready than your opponent, you either are unlikely to hit or unlikely to deal damage. (-accuracy or -damage depending on context.)

You can then make a lot of the combat being about trying to be more combat ready than the opponent. Breach and clear and you are 1 or 2 steps above them for at least a few turns. Escape an armlock and draw your weapon to get the same combat readiness as your captors for the rest of the fight. Have lookouts (either people with walkie-talkies on a building or a spyplane /UAV in the sky), to foil your opponents attempt to flank you and thus avoid the flank which would knock you down from ready to merely aware.

How does that sound?

/r/rpg Thread