Author Topic: Jump Infantry Roleplaying  (Read 3145 times)

Alan Grant

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Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« on: 19 May 2015, 07:40:22 »
Jump infantry are something that exists in BT that does not exist in real life. When I have done a lot of infantry writing/roleplaying, it tended to be based on a combo of real life experience, movies I had seen, books I had read and so forth. That includes the tactics they used and the strategies they employed.

With Jump Infantry I don't have much to go on. I've used Jump Infantry on MegaMek, deployed in platoons at a time, and basically just treated it like normal infantry with better movement. But that is based on a table top game, not a writing game.

So Jump Infantry leave a lot of lingering questions for me. Practical questions of a mostly tactical nature. When a squad or platoon "jumps" do some remain on the ground or do they all go at once on a pre-planned order or signal? Do they need to secure their weapons/hand-held gear before jumping (do they need both hands to control flight?). In the field are jump troopers allowed to employ their packs on individual whim ("I'm pinned down alone behind this wall, I have received no order, but I'm going to jump out of harm's way")? At what altitude can jump troopers deploy from say, an aircraft? In what situations might jump troopers use their packs to outflank an enemy at relatively close range and when is that a horrible idea? (based on what battlefield conditions? Should jump troopers have standing orders to "jump" if they come under artillery or air attack, or should they take cover?

Btw by jump troops, I mean jet packs, not paratroopers.

Any thoughts on the subject?

malk2651

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Re: Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« Reply #1 on: 19 May 2015, 08:45:03 »
To me it seems you're over thinking it. It really boils down to just a way to move, much like walking, running or even crawling.

I would also treat it as something left to each individual troopers discretion.

If you were a platoon sergeant in an urban combat environment and you told your guys "Go over there."  Would you then specifically point to individuals member and go "ok, guy 1 you crawl. Guy 2 you walk. Guy 3 you do the hokey pokey. Guy 4 you run backwards. Guy 5 walk over there on your hands."

Nope. you would just tell them "GET THE HECK OVER THERE!"  And your troopers would get there using whatever means would be the fastest without endangering themselves.



Alan Grant

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Re: Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« Reply #2 on: 19 May 2015, 08:55:23 »
That makes sense, I'm just looking for some guidelines.

For example on another forum when I posed this, someone noted that cresting the skyline on a jump would at least risk discovery, if not make you a target. Stuff like that.

malk2651

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Re: Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« Reply #3 on: 19 May 2015, 12:27:08 »
Not skylining yourself also applies to standard infantry. Walking up and standing at the top of a hill is a good way to be spotted. Or when in an urban environment, never walking in front of a window that somebody could have a machine gun pointed out of.

If you are looking for details on infantry tactics here is a link to a U.S. infantry manual. http://armypubs.army.mil/doctrine/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/fm3_21x8.pdf

Hope that can help some.

Alan Grant

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Re: Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« Reply #4 on: 19 May 2015, 15:53:52 »
Thanks for the link. I have found a lot of good infantry tactics/strategy resources, but they are real world based. My point is that I'm looking for jump infantry-specific thoughts.

This game I'm in is a writing game, akin to collaborative fan fiction. So the details do matter if you are trying to portray a jump infantry character in a jump infantry unit doing jump infantry stuff. If someone was going to create a Jump Infantry manual, what would be in it? What would be different compared to say, foot infantry or motorized infantry?


Maelwys

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Re: Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« Reply #5 on: 19 May 2015, 18:19:20 »
I would think that most of the things that applied to normal infantry are going to apply to the jump infantry. Moving through cover, squads supporting each other, etc. Most of the differences are going to be due to the type of movement, but the basics should be the same really.

Unfortunately for things like how they jump while carrying their weapons, its sort of..unknown really. I don't think we've really seen that much fiction that shows them in detail.

Archangel

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Re: Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« Reply #6 on: 19 May 2015, 22:38:00 »
For example on another forum when I posed this, someone noted that cresting the skyline on a jump would at least risk discovery, if not make you a target. Stuff like that.

Unless the enemy is expecting them to crest that specific skyline or the jump infantry is making a particularly high jump (thereby exposing them for a longer period), I don't see anybody getting anything more than a snap shot off at them.  Spot them? Yes.  Target and hit them?  Not likely.
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Minerva

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Re: Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« Reply #7 on: 21 May 2015, 08:05:29 »
So Jump Infantry leave a lot of lingering questions for me. Practical questions of a mostly tactical nature. When a squad or platoon "jumps" do some remain on the ground or do they all go at once on a pre-planned order or signal?

Given fact they have a jet engine it is hard to imagine anyone wanting to stand close to blast...

Do they need to secure their weapons/hand-held gear before jumping (do they need both hands to control flight?).

Based on some old picture I saw in 1980's I would say yes.

In the field are jump troopers allowed to employ their packs on individual whim ("I'm pinned down alone behind this wall, I have received no order, but I'm going to jump out of harm's way")?

No. The main problems are back blast and speeds involved. You can easily hurt someone by going this direction while someone else goes that direction. Having said that people do whatever they want to stay alive...

At what altitude can jump troopers deploy from say, an aircraft?

No limit whatsoever with oxygen tanks.

In what situations might jump troopers use their packs to outflank an enemy at relatively close range and when is that a horrible idea? (based on what battlefield conditions? Should jump troopers have standing orders to "jump" if they come under artillery or air attack, or should they take cover?

The main question of jump pack is the endurance. You get 500m of flight time which allows you to fly into enemy terrain. Surely you are going to be found and time-set AA artillery rounds will make your life miserable but still it is an easy way to bypass enemy to get behind them. Then you just ditch the equipment and move as normal foot infantry in your target. Get gear back on and fly home.

Jump mode makes sense in a city where you can jump and/or fly to a roof, ditch the equipment and then blast your way into a building with advantage of being on top of a building. Naturally a seasoned defender prevents this by putting barbed wire and directional mines on roofs of buildings...
« Last Edit: 21 May 2015, 08:09:03 by Minerva »

Bravado

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Re: Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« Reply #8 on: 22 May 2015, 01:54:27 »
Did your read Heinlein's Starship Troopers? The Troops in it rely heavily on Jump Packs and the Tactics used are described. If you're looking for Real World Analogies i would look for Airborne/ Air Mobile Infantry as an Inspiration. Light Infantry relying more on Mobility than Heavy Weapons.

Alan Grant

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Re: Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« Reply #9 on: 22 May 2015, 08:06:27 »
Did your read Heinlein's Starship Troopers? The Troops in it rely heavily on Jump Packs and the Tactics used are described. If you're looking for Real World Analogies i would look for Airborne/ Air Mobile Infantry as an Inspiration. Light Infantry relying more on Mobility than Heavy Weapons.

I did many moons ago, good tip, I might have to find that book again.

monbvol

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Re: Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« Reply #10 on: 23 May 2015, 01:19:37 »
I would think that much like more conventional infantry they would move in small groups at a time if they knew enemy fire was likely during their move(pairs to maybe a squad at once) unless there was some mitigating factor.  Long flights would probably be frowned upon during training as that would tend to expose the person doing the flying.  Protracted hovers to rain down fire would likewise be frowned upon.

Weaponry I actually kind of imagine is built into some sort of framework of the jumppack itself and can be detached.  I suspect it uses a control system a bit like modern attack choppers where the helmet the jump trooper is wearing is connected to the rig and where they look the gun points as I've never seen a jumppack that does not require both hands to operate.

guardiandashi

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Re: Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« Reply #11 on: 24 May 2015, 04:52:50 »
to start with I would google battletech jump infantry there are a few images that might give you some ideas.

I believe as mentioned some jump packs, with have integrated weapon mounts or stations. others won't.
depending on a number of factors jump packs will be sort of like a cross between a (smaller) NASA MMU pack, and something out of many jet/rocket pack ideas you might find.

Many of the packs are going to be jet, or rocket powered, and you might get some good ideas on what NOT to do by watching the movie "the rocketeer"
I consider starship troopers (the novel) by Heinlein to be a good general reference for a starting point.
I can see jump infantry moving by sections (in general) much like normal infantry do today.
I imagine that there are also times when the whole unit will move as one, but these will be less common.
the jump packs while capable of flight will seldom be used in such a manner IMO instead mostly being used to enable "bounces" and extended jumps.
what I mean by that a "bounce or extended jump would be using the pack for a quick burst of jump power allowing you to "leap" from the ground up 1-5 ish stories on a building, or dropping safely to the ground from the window or roof of a similar building, leaping 30-50 ft (or 90m) or similar distances quickly etc.

most units likely may or will involve a 2hand control system, but I could also see some systems designed to use things like leg/foot controls to free up a hand(s) to handle a weapon.

the point I guess I am trying to get at, is that a well designed system would typically give more benefits than drawbacks (in general) or it wouldn't be used.

GoGo Yubari

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Re: Jump Infantry Roleplaying
« Reply #12 on: 30 May 2015, 08:57:55 »
Well, basically this gave me lots of visual ideas for jump infantry:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGLZ74MWkYk

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