Unit ZER0’s Tactical Operations Guide: Felara Edition

(“Alright, small unit tactics boils down to three things, basically. One, is the ability to maneuver under fire. Which basically means running around while there’s people shootin’ at you. Number two, is communicating with your teammates. That’s just talkin’. Three, now this is the hard part. The effective suppression, and elimination of enemy forces.” – Lt. Hernando Rico – Outpost: Isil)

Tactical operations in an environment like Felara can be broken down into seven distinct components:
1. The Environment in which combat takes place
2. Your Opponent
3. Your Personal Arsenal
4. Your Teammates
5. Vehicles
6. Environmental Variables
7. Maximizing Survival Probability

We’ll begin with Environment…

1. Location, Location, Location:

The environments on Felara can separated into ten distinct classes:
1. LAND – Low Cover: classified as plains, grasslands, tundra, desert, rocky areas, any place with little or no cover to hide behind, and conversely, no areas where predatory ambush is possible (beware of subterranean attack at all times!).
2. LAND – Medium Cover: classified as swamps, sparse forest, canyons, minimal ruins, areas where ambush by mid-size preds is possible, and cover is available.
3. LAND – Heavy Cover: classified as heavy forests, jungles, boulder fields, places where both cover, and preds are plentiful.
4. LAND – Special: ice fields, extensive ruins, geologically unstable zones, caves, areas where cover is moderate, and environmental hazards are just as plentiful as the preds.
5. AIR – Ground-to-Air: classified as fighting off attacks from aerial foes.
6. AIR – Air-to-Air: classified as fighting aerial opponents in their element (rare)
7. AIR – Air-to-Ground: classified as attacking preds from the air. (rare)
8. SEA – Surface-to-Surface: classified as fighting aquatic opponents from a position on an island.
9. SEA – Surface-to-Sub-Surface: classified as engaging aquatic opponents while on the ocean
10. VARIABLE – Unpredictable: classified as combat in areas where temporal, spatial, or physical rules, rules like gravity have been temporarily, or permanently altered.

2. Know Your Enemy:

Enemy attacks come from preds of all shapes and sizes, so be on your guard. Always assume anything bigger than you is potentially looking to make a meal of you, and plan accordingly. This involves developing effective tactics for the entire myriad of preds Felara has to offer. Here is a list of some of the most common pred types you’re likely to encounter, and some basic countermeasures to get you started:
1. Naga – This predator comes in seemingly endless variations, some powered, some not, essentially it is a half humanoid-half snake combination, and as such is much faster, and tougher than its initial appearance would suggest. Always gauge a naga’s “grab” radius by the length of its tail, NOT its arms. (Don’t fall for the “I can’t hear you, could you come a little closer…” line, like snakes, nagas have excellent hearing) Engaging this predator should always be accomplished at mid to long range, outside the grab radius. Harassing attacks will work to a point, but have an endgame in mind to finish it off. Once it's down, move in, but exercise extreme caution when delivering the finishing move.
2. Dridder – This predator is essentially an arachnid-humanoid cross. Again, some versions are powered, some are not. Their primary method of attack is ensnarement, rather than active pursuit, and capture, (But don't think they won't try and chase you down...) so engaging them is a matter of long-range harassment, and close range dispachment. The juncture where the humanoid torso meets the arachnid body is a blind spot, and prime for long-range, or close range destruction as a finishing move. The juncture where all eight legs meet, beneath the creature, is the best place to stab with a blade, if you're crazy enough, and finish it off. Alternatively, getting it to rear up, and shooting this juncture is also effective.
3. Merfolk – Generally, avoid direct confrontation, as effectively combating these predators in their element is next to impossible. As before, some versions are powered, some are not. Passive defenses, such as mines, are more effective. Also, Thermobaric weaponry, or other explosive attacks that generate a powerful shockwave will provide the most effect. Close-range dispachment is not recommended, due to the drowning hazard.
4. Harpies – As a general rule, one should always keep one’s eyes peeled against this death from above. As mostly avian creatures, harpies are aerial assassins, and should be engaged well outside “knife-fighting” distance. However, holding one, or worse, a flock of these predators off for more than a short while is impractical, so make sure you have a ground-to-air weapon available to shoot these creatures down before they can carry you off. Alternatively, keeping to cover, and moving only when the sky is clear in high-risk areas is another viable tactic.
5. Centaurs – These predators are large, fast, and maneuverable at speed. Engaging them at close range is harder than it looks, even though their physiology renders them unable to turn well. Like dridders, they have two large blind spots. Beware of powered versions, and strike quickly when spotted, as this will throw them of balance. Alternatively, getting an ultra-long-range kill shot off is a practical technique.
6. Slugs – as the name suggests, these creatures are half humanoid, half slug, and as such, move comparatively slowly, when compared to other predators in the same size class. The primary hazard is not so much the creature itself, but the sticky trails it leaves on the ground. Like dridders, slugs tend to prefer passive ensnarement to direct pursuit. Unlike dridders, however, close range combat is NOT recommended, as the creature’s surface is likely just as sticky as the trails it generates. Fire is your friend versus this opponent. Also, concussive weaponry is more effective, due to the creature having a large water concentration, and lacking lower internal bony structures, and so is more vulnerable to shock damage.
8. Dryads – More of an environmental hazard, these predators are opportunistic, so be on the lookout for suspiciously attractive groupings of plants, especially in jungle environments. The only effective techniques here are contact demolition, and poison gas, as they cannot simply run away and escape. Fire is also effective, but tends to take too long. Avoidance is your safest bet.
9. Fairies – Found in all environments, these predators are the “cheaters” of the predatory world. Their primary technique is to shrink targets before consumption, and/or swarming a group of targets, so a multi-pronged attack is a must, as a fairy needs to focus on what it intends to shrink. Keep it/them off balance, and overwhelmed with continuous fire, and you will prevail. Close-range demolition via a finishing move is not an option, so fire and gas are once again, your friends, along with a REALLY powerful shield. Concussive weapons will damage the fragile membranes of the fairy’s wings, so keep a few concussion grenades handy. Poison-tipped ranged attacks are also effective, somewhat more so with fairies vs. other preds.

3. Know your Weapons:

One key to effectively winning against opponents several times your size is to have the right tools for the job. Remember, getting a giant predator to retreat still counts as a win. Here are some ideas for effective equipment Loadouts:
1. Point Man:
· Primary - Medium/heavy caliber machine gun
· Secondary – Three or four concussive/incendiary grenades
· Knife – Monomolecular ceramic knife
· Armor – Light, easy-to-move-in, with joint reinforcement
· Special – Satchel charges for close-range demolition
2. Shooter:
· Primary – Heavy caliber long-range rifle, or crossbow
· Secondary – SMG or equivalent
· Knife – Medium-length knife, or short sword
· Armor – Medium armor, strong protection, and comfortable, as this position requires sitting still for long periods
· Special – Smoke/gas grenades for quick escape if position is compromised
3. Heavy/Tank
· Primary – Heavy caliber minigun/rocket or grenade launcher
· Secondary – Grenade launcher or HMG
· Knife – Dual medium length knives
· Armor – Heavy armor, capable of taking a beating, but articulated enough to allow for fast movement
· Special – Claymores
4. Scout
· Primary – FMG or equivalent
· Secondary – throwing knives, or grenades
· Knife – long sword/katana
· Armor – Light, but covers vital areas, allows maximum freedom of movement
· Special – Gas grenades, used as an attacking or defensive move


4. Select your Team:

Always know the persons you will be traveling with, and ensure at least one of you can cook; nothing brings a team together like a good meal. The minimum number of persons traveling together should be no less than three, with each person carrying different equipment, in order to maximize the types of enemies you can fight. Also, all of you should know at least basic first-aid; it’s a jungle out there! Ideally, you will encounter no preds at all, but such an occurrence is rare. Be sure that all tem members know their assigned roles in a combat situation, and rehearse what to do before setting out. Common sense will keep you and your team alive a lot longer than mere firepower will.

5. Roll Out!

Vehicles are not strictly necessary, but they do make travel a bit faster than walking. Also, it’s harder for a pred to catch a nimble vehicle vs. running targets. Here are some vehicles, as well as basic maneuvers to help you arrive safely:
1. Technical – A technical is a light truck or SUV that has been reinforced, equipped with a powerful engine, and equipped with a pintle-mounted medium weapon, typically mounted in the vehicle’s bed. Usually easy to repair, technicals are a good way to traverse relatively short distances over relatively flat terrain.
2. Battle Truck – A heavy vehicle, may be equipped with multiple wheels, or tracks, good for traversing rougher terrain over a wider environmental range. Equipped with dual heavy projectile weapons, and a light missile system, as well as possibly a barrier, and anti-personnel features. Its large internal volume makes it good to camp in as well.
3. Tank – Better suited to escort duty, tanks are a rare sight. Their main gun is a fearsome weapon, but ammunition is always a concern. Speed and agility are very low, so this monster is best suited for point defense, or at most, convoy duty...
4. Buggy – A two-position vehicle, buggies are a great way to scout, as they are fast enough to avoid most preds entirely, and their wide wheelbase, and deep suspension makes them more than able to handle as many terrains as the battle truck. For defense, buggies have fixed forward-firing machine guns, and a pintle-mounted rearward-facing MG or grenade launcher for the rear-facing second person. Buggies can also be equipped with smokescreens, and mine dispensers.
5. Glider-Pak – Jet-powered wings, glider-paks are a risky, but fast way to travel. They can be equipped with oxygen tanks for high altitude flight, and drop-tanks for extended range.
Vehicle maneuvers are a necessity of travel on Felara. Typically, pairing two or three buggies with a battle truck is a good combination. A group of technicals can do well for itself as well, especially if they all have differing armament. Another thing to note is that there are Hover-variants to al vehicles listed above.

6. Environmental Variables:

Rain, sleet, sandstorms, earthquakes, and other hazards can make travel risky, and also provide opportunities for preds to attack, especially if you’re off guard. A good kit includes at least rain gear, and something warm, because the weather on Felara is almost as unpredictable as the locals.

7. Maximizing your Chances:

If you exercise common sense, and keep a cool head, you can increase your chances of surviving anything Felara throws at you. Keep in mind that inaction can be just as deadly as rushing headlong into a situation without thinking ahead first. Always watch your teammates backs, and they’ll watch yours in return. Be smart, and never go into battle expecting a forgone conclusion. Battles have an ebb and a flow, so don’t lose the rhythm, or you’ll be pulled under by the rising tide. Always have a backup plan, because no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. And remember, at the end of the day, the only one who determines whether you live or die, is YOU.

Good Luck out there!

Alrighty, something that NEEDS to be addressed.

Engaging a predator in close combat is the absolute worst thing you could ever do. This isn't shadow of the collossus. Preds are big, but not big enough to where their skin would be possible to climb or where a human attempting to climb them would go unnoticed. Not to mention how quick and agile they are, which would cause any climber to be tossed off without them even trying.

Long range combat is just about mandatory for most people. Even the battlemages of the Isolon Fist don't even go close range. They keep around mid-range or long range and blast them with their various forms of magic. Giant preds are just too big, too quick and too strong to get close to. Avoid close-combat at all costs.

All of your strategies seem to revolve around the assumption that
1: Humans could get close enough to physically CLIMB a pred
2: Actually climb up, dozens of feet into their on a constantly moving pred without getting bucked off or noticed
3: Plant a demolition charge without being bucked off or noticed
4: Somehow get back down to the ground without dying, and set it off

None of those are likely, or reasonable at all.

Average folk taking on a pred is not likely, or advised. The only reason the Isolon Fist can get away with it every now and then is because they import offworld weapons (or reverse engineer them from offworld weapons) and then use magi-tech (magical enchantments combined with technology) to enhance their performance. They also have the battlemages (among the most powerful human-sized mages in known Felarya), who really are the bulk of an Isolon Fist squad's offensive punch. They also don't go anywhere without aerial scouting.

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some powered, some not

Im going to assume this means "magical". Why don't you just say they can do magic?

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5. Centaurs – These predators are large, fast, and maneuverable at speed. Engaging them at close range is best

These are centaurs. They live primarily on open plains. They will nearly always see you before you see them.

Not to mention, they are part horse, and very heavy even by pred standards. They have hooves, and if you get below them, the act of them stomping the ground would be more than enough to knock a human off their feet. Never let a centaur get close, ever.

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7. Nekos – giant version of these feline/humanoid hybrids are rare

More like nonexistant. Nekos are almost exclusively human-sized. Giant variantions are either due to a time-space/dimensional anomaly (similar to how the human, Anna Demorah, was turned into a giant naga), or are originally from other worlds where nekos were already giant. There are no natural giant nekos in Felarya.

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9. Fairies

Shrinking is really one of the least threatening aspect of fairies, from a combat standpoint.

First of all, they travel in packs. If you come across a lone fairy, she WILL usually have friends somewhere nearby.

Second of all, they are a highly magical race. Nearly all of them are skilled mages of some sort. If you provoke a fairy into a full-on fight, shrinking is probably the last of your worries, compared to the various forms of combat magic they would have at their disposal, depending on individual skill-level and magical preferrences.

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10. Giants – Virtually any humanoid species can manifest giant variants on Felara

Untrue. As I mentioned, giant nekos are anomalies or offworlders. Same with giant humans (all known giant humans in the wiki are offworlders or giants by accident). Inu are all human-sized as well. The only giant humanoid species are fairies, jotuns and elves, really.

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3. Know your Weapons:

I have to ask, just how do you expect the average person to get these kinds of weapons? Most adventurers are offworld civillians. None of them have access to military-grade firearms and explosives.

Short of a vanishing land sucking up an entire military base, the idea of any group of humans besides an offworld military or the Isolon Fist being this well-armed is just unreasonable.

Honestly, high-caliber weapons and explosives are more of a hinderance than an advantage most of the time. In defensive situations, they can do fine. But trudging through a massive jungle loaded down with machine-guns, rockets, anti-tank rifles and such is just a massive hinderance. Patience and avoidance are much more useful things by far for the average offworlder in Felarya. The best way to survive is to not get into trouble in the first place.

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3. Tank

Terrible vehicle choice. Tanks are designed and best suited for wide-open engagements, not jungle fighting where their line of sight is not good. Not to mention, the turret would track too slow, and it would be excessively easy for a pred to just sneak up behind it or something.

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7. Maximizing your Chances:

If you exercise common sense, and keep a cool head, you can increase your chances of surviving anything Felara throws at you. Keep in mind that inaction can be just as deadly as rushing headlong into a situation without thinking ahead first.

This excerpt is actually pretty sound advice.

Overall though, there just isn't much good info in tis "guide". If you want to do something like this, well, it takes a bit of thought to get something that is believable. You need to know military tactics, the capabilities of various weapons, as well as the physical, technological and magical capabilities of both the human-sized and giant individuals involved. On the whole, this just isn't very well thought out.

Its an interesting topic though. Quite a few of the forumites enjoy discussions on the various applications of military-grade technology, magic or magi-tech against the dangers of Felarya, as well as various tactics and such.

Tanks aren't meant for jungle fighting, mainly point defense, and convoy duty. (Shoulda pointed that out...) Regarding the assumption that a human can't climb something that large without being bucked off, you ever try swatting a fly in the center of your back? Can't be done. We can also safely assume anyone looking to climb a giant pred mid-combat would have equipped themselves appropriately. And demo charges are better positioned with a launcher anyway. I didn't specify HOW to engage a centaur at close range, probably a concealed pit would work. Regarding the giant nekos and other giants... I'll fix that. Notice I specified shields when dealing with fairies, and overwhelming firepower... In response to the weaponry nitpicking... we can safely assume that weapons dealers exist on Felara, so getting a hold of military surplus hardware is probably easier than you would think. If you've got the cash, you can buy a tank on Ebay in the real world, after all. Just how heavy do you think an MG is anyway. I own a couple real metal airsoft replicas, and I've handled the real thing, and the're not heavy at all. I was listening to This: http://soundcloud.com/k-i-a/crank-full-version when I wrote this anyway (Perfect for rollin' in your Battle Truck), so give me a break for being a bit gung-ho about this.

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Regarding the assumption that a human can't climb something that large without being bucked off, you ever try swatting a fly in the center of your back? Can't be done.

You missed cliff's point entirely. As rcs619 said, this isn't shadow of the colossus.
Your fly analogy doesn't work because the comparative size difference between flies and humans is much bigger than it is between giant Felaryan predators and humans. In addition, flies can stand upside down on ceilings; their "feet" are designed to grip into tiny cracks in whatever they're on. Humans can't do that. As rcs said, predator's skin would not be possible to climb. It would still be smooth to humans.
Oh, and a predator's back is around 60-70 feet in the air.

Alright, I'll give you that one, gotta make a few edits then... Close range demolition after the opponent is down, however... that should be possible. BTW, What's Shadow of the Colossus?

On a side note... Keep commenting, please. The more info I get will allow me to make this guide more effective, as I will e editing it pretty much in real-time.

you know, I think you and I are going to be good friends. You military sense is rather strong.

luke112 wrote:

you know, I think you and I are going to be good friends. You military sense is rather strong.

Thanks, I've been reading military fiction on and off most of my life. Some of my favorite authors are Tom Clancy, David Weber, Keith Lauremer, and David Drake. They've helped me immensely with my own writing. Playing RTS games like Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2, and StarCraft has been a plus as well.

While the tank is poorly suited for the environment, bear in mind that - at the typical ranges a tank operates - a Giant Predator's speed is going to mean diddly. Closer, yeah, a concern. There they can much more readily run circles. At a kilometer, though? Or further? The tank should, barring unfavorable circumstances (again, such as being in the jungle) be able to get at least one shot on a Giant Predator, and said one shot is likely all that'll be needed to encourage them to find a better target (or, at least, to wait until the tank's not on alert before trying again). This might be an area for flying Predators to shine... but there are anti-air tanks (or mobile artillery system ones, which depending on the loadout may be close enough / better at Harpy hunting) that'll be able to negate such.

The problem with tanks is less "not effective" and more "odds are extremely unlikely, unless you're a Miratan, of you being able to pull an armored company out where you need it", and thanks to the faction in question having magitek walkers that manage to avoid the problems of walkers (as well as the terrain they're deployed in) Miratans don't need to use tanks in their armored companies.

Also, bear in mind that the Jungle is (as people often mention) scaled to a Giant Predator scale. A "path" that a Giant Naga finds one-person wide may very well be enough for a three-wide column of armor to fit through, so there are some circumstances armor might be applicable (though in those you'll probably want something without a single-shot main cannon, instead something like a mobile anti-air tank [since it can easily be repurposed for "things taller than office buildings"] or an armament such as a flamethrower). While they're still SoL if something like Fairies comes across them (mostly because of the fact that they can shrink to sizes near-impossible to target before utilizing appropriate lores to mess with the tanks), in most cases such a company wouldn't be that bad off.

Well, disregarding that most Giant Predators would probably laugh at another that was stupid enough to try attacking an armored column for a snack. One "prey" get to the point a Giant Predator couldn't reliably catch them, they often times are smart enough to go "might not want to attack".

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anti-air tanks

There's actually no such thing as anti-air "tanks" it's mobile anti-air. They may have a tank chassis but it's not a tank. The difference is the weapon and the armor.




Also, a tank could aim up pretty high. Anti air is really "frag or flak" its air bursts, you may get HE rounds, but mobile AA uses proximity fuses. It's made to tear not penetrate...(however that plays into things is up to your tactics and strategy, but the point of this post is information, not saying "this is how it should be done"). Mobile AA is made to fire at lightly armed helicopters and low flying jets, though the jets are harder as they are faster, and with helos and jets being lightly armored so they can fly the mobile AA is made to tear the chassis of the helo or jet to make flying it more difficult. A tank on the other hand is made to destroy armored targets like other tanks, APCs or IFVs and will thus have bigger caliber, and Armor piercing rounds so they are get through that armor no one else can

Archmage_Bael wrote:

IFVs

IFV's. I totally forgot about those... Well, A Battle Truck is pretty close to a cross between an IFV and an APC... The IAV Stryker might be a viable candidate for infantry support, especially due to the fact that Strykers can be configured for mission-specific roles. On another note, tanks are well and good, but one of the purposes of this writeup was to encourage the use of Combined Arms tactics.

That's assuming you have the arms required XD

Archmage_Bael wrote:

That's assuming you have the arms required XD

True 'nuff.