Invasion Battle Plan

[Tuefenhandel]

I've been reading (and I admit, getting a bit excited) about the upcoming Invasion of Port Royal. As a non-tester I've been reading through all the post and images being provided by those with Test Server Access (thank you all very much) and have been putting together a mental plan of how best to overcome the challenges that are going to be posed in this event.

Therefore, here is the outline of my plan based on the information available. As with all good military strategies, it is often said that a plan rarely survives the first shot - so, keep in mind that this is framework to be modified, and adapted as the situation dictates.

The goal for this post is to impart some of the techniques and small unit strategy I acquired during my career in the military for the benefit of our forum members and players.


The Crew

Obviously, being in a crew will be of tremendous benefit. Not only in the bonus obtained for rep, but also expedience of communication, HUD info about health status and weapon selection. I am likening being in a crew to being a member of a squad in today's modern military. Further adding to this correlation is the size of the group. A squad in a Marine rifle platoon is twelve members, plus a squad leader. A pirate crew is capped at 12 - therefore similar in size.

I would recommend that the crew then be subdivided into four groups. For the purpose of this discussion the groups will be Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green. These groups are again similar to the construction of a Marine Corps squad in that they would be the fire teams. The reason for 4 teams of three is to take advantage of the weapon types. Each team would act in cohesion, in the same area of operation as the remainder of the crew (line of sight / compass view).

Operation & Responsibilities

Each team would then begin each invasion phase with a member designated to a specific role. In the modern military each team member has a role base on their assigned weapon. Each teams would begin each phase from this starting point.

Red 1 - melee weapon (Tank - cutlass, dagger). Primary function is to stop invading forces at a point to allow for ranged fire. Is the pirate attuned by healer, and would also call for change of roles using the phrase 'Red Switch'. Ideally the switch order would come during a lull in battle (and not while a tank is directly engaged). Upon switch the tank would move to position 3 (Healer). Or as an alternative, each team could have an appointed 'team leader' whose responsibility is to direct the switch.
Red 2 - Ranged weapons (pistol, grenades, staff). Primary function is to inflict damage on any invader assailing the tank and recharge buffs for melee weapons. Upon the switch order, would move to position 1 (Tank).
Red 3 - Healer / Revive (doll). Primary function is to use healing hex on tank to maximize health and allow for buffs to recharge. Upon switch order, would move to position 2 (ranged weapons).

Simultaneously, each of the four teams would be operating and rotating in a likewise fashion. (I have a suspicion that in actual combat the roles of position 2 and 3 might best be reversed as the ranged weapon may benefit from additional time to recharge health in the event that the invader deviates from the tank.)

One pirate would assume the role of crew leader, and in addition to incorporating themselves into one of the operating teams would also provide overall direction (fall back, relocate, concentrate fire). Positioning the four teams based on their strength, cohesion, communication, and performance would be managed by this individual (i.e. 'Yellow team left of barricade, Red team right of barricade, Green team move forward, Blue team fall back').


Tactical Scheme and Advantages

Anticipated Benefits of this process are:
- Maximize firepower through coordination and minimization of eliminated team members
- Specialization of role and responsibilities allows for each pirate to focus on a specific job for a period of time, but will still be able to enjoy using the full spectrum of their arsenal. Thus benefiting the entire crew.
- Provides differentation of weapons to allow for recharge and maximum effectiveness of buffs.


Implementation

- Practice, practice, practice.
- The challenge in using this method is that it requires teamwork, and communication. Those two tools can only be developed through practice and understanding the roles assigned.
- Ideally suited location for practice would be the conjoined pools on the right (center) of Tormenta. The enemy in that location spawn Thrall Captains up to level 50 and also Urchinfist up to level 50. There are several other locations throughout the Cursed Caverns that have staggered pairs of equal (but lower level) targets (i.e. the seabeard / mollusk groups, or the brinescum / spineskull / kelphead groups).
- Great activity for Guilds to use to bollster enthusiasm and promote networking within the guild. You can create specific "invasion crews" and appoint leadership roles therein as a reward for successful practice.
- Test and determine what configuration is best for the skill and levels of your crew members. It's very likely that with lower level pirates three teams of four might be more beneficial (with two healers).


Respectfully submitted for your consideration, comment, and feedback....
Tuefenhandel (a.k.a. Nathaniel Warfury)