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[Happerry]

Disguised Communications (1): Taricus
Combat Co-ordination & Operations (0):
Project: PARTY VAN (0):
Alternative Entry (0):
Numbers Station (0):
Security Infiltration (1): Happerry
Overwatch (2): Jilladilla, Piratejoe

[Chiefwaffles]

Skill Design: Overwatch
[5, 1, 1+1]

An agent assigned to Overwatch can fairly easily find a vantage point (if one's present) and look over the operation's theatre. Using tools like the HOMER's scope if present, agents can quickly get a grasp of the situation. They will be trained to take into account their mission, intelligence, along with what they can see of the locations of anything relevant to the operation. Using this information, the agent can in theory act as what's essentially a field commander. If they have communication capabilities, they can change the plan on the go and coordinate with the rest of our team to react with changes in the mission parameters, whether from error, seemingly nothing, or MOLE meddling.
Really, the "Overwatcher" is more-so a Field Commander. They still have to rather strictly abide by our Skill doctrine of course, but Overwatch affords us a small yet very notable of extra flexibility.

Unfortunately, there are three glaring problems:
One: As great as Overwatch is, the agent on Overwatch can't communicate with our other agents. Our operatives are not prepared at all for communication like this. Anyone on Overwatch is effectively stranded from the rest of the team.
Two: The problem with vantage points is that they're a two-way road. Agents on Overwatch duty will be fairly exposed and have a much higher chance of being spotted and are just generally more "open" and thus at danger.
Three: Not every place will have a relevant vantage point. The smaller, more indoors the site is, the smaller the chance that there'll be a good vantage point.


Agents utilizing Overwatch have to be particularly talented. As talented as all Astrian agents are, the role of Field Commander requires high reactivity, intelligence, intuition, and instincts; only the best of the best can be picked. Luckily, though, training is simply naturally easy regardless of external factors. Regardless of how many gold-plated training dummies we buy, Overwatch is Very Expensive.

Spoiler: Skill Design: Overwatch (click to show/hide)

Overwatch: An agent finds a vantage point (if present) and attempts to coordinate the team - if possible - from there based on observations of the theatre, allowing for plan flexibility (still abiding to Skills) in the field and relatively easy reaction to new developments. Agents on Overwatch can't communicate with the rest of the team, and are notably exposed to spotting and general danger. Requires a vantage point in the theatre. Very Expensive.

It is now the Revision Phase.

[Taricus]

...IS this the point where I told you so? Because this seems to be the point where I told you so.

[piratejoe]

Is this the part I remind you the rolls would still be the same if we tried communications like you wanted? Because I think it is...

[Taricus]

At least we'd get something we an fix with revisions, but now we also need another design. Again, the rolls aren't important insofar as what we design in the first place.

[Chiefwaffles]

Taricus pointed out that I forgot the +1 Bug Roll from Human Power. It's been incorporated - the vantage point exposure flaw is now notably less severe.

[piratejoe]

I feel like saying the major issue with overwatch is the fact they can be spotted easier, and that can possibly be put into a revision with being able to use HOMER. Other then that, the coms we can develop next turn. As for revisions, in order to just make Taricus's head explode and to make something actually somewhat useful...


N.E.F.E.R.U: The Nocturnal Encounter Firearm Equipable Ranger Utility is quite simply a scope designed to be attached to our rifles. As the name suggests, it has a infrared mode as to be able to aim and hit targets that are either in a location that is too dark to see normally, or more likely, blocked by MOLE smoke grenades. The scope is also designed to have an adjustable zoom in its normal mode, allowing anywhere between 1 to 8 times zoom. It also should be able to be used like a spyglass, should one using it not have it attached to a rifle.

This is a counter to those smoke grenades MOLE has and its also not too far out of our grasp seeing that infrared tech has been around since WW2, so we could probably get that from the military.

Edit: May as well make a tactic revision to consider as well...

H.A.T.E: Heightened Area of Tactical Elimination, or H.A.T.E is a modified version of overwatch, where, the scout is armed with a long range weapon to provide support to the rest of the squad along with everything else overwatch does. It also has a few other changes, like advising agents to act natural when they aren't using anything to assist their sight like H.O.M.E.R's scope, such as drinking from a mug as they look out the window of a tall building, for example, among other advise to try and not seem so obviously like a lookout.

I should note, I'm voting for both of these for now.

[Kot]

hello

[Taricus]

Tech Revision: Portable Radios
Currently we lack any means of co-ordinating our agents in the field. Procuring some FM radio equipment, such as handheld radios, from the military should be a relatively simple task. This should allow us more flexibility and responsiveness on missions, even if the bulk of the device would make it harder to hide.

Skill Revision: Hand-to-Hand Training
By instituting a simple course on unarmed fighting, we can quickly take down targets in close quarters without the use of a weapon. By taking a target down in melee, we can avoid a lot of the noise and conspicuousness of a firearm.

[Jilladilla]

Well, we have a good field commander skill, now to make it able to pull double duty as a sniper skill. Sunk cost fallacy? Maybe. But still the best course of action I can think of for a skill revision at the moment.

Skill Revision: Eagle Eye
Now that we're out from direct oversight of the Global League, work will begin with Overwatch's true purpose; utilizing the HOMER to take down MOLE agents and assassination targets from long range.

With this, extensive effort is put into identifying targets and long range marksmanship training, to guarantee that they strike and take down the target with their first shot or follow up. Of note, the sniper will carry and utilize a spare HOMER scope for looking around, only raising their HOMER for when their targets are found and a strike is ready to be launched in order to remain as inconspicuous as possible, and not raise the alarm that waving around a sniper rifle tends to cause.

[Taricus]

It's still very much a sunk cost. The more we invest the worst it gets.

[Kashyyk]

I haven't gone through all of this turn's suggestions yet, but I'll just plonk this down whilst it is fresh in my mind:

Tech Revision: Knockout Dart
Instead of killing the target, this custom built bullet is intended to inject the target with a generous amount of anaesthetic. There is the natural risk of overdosing the target and having them never wake up again, but that's not exactly a worse result than using a regular bullet. Successfully disabling a target will allow our operatives to interrogate them and receive crucial field intel.

[piratejoe]

To move things along a bit...

Tech revisions
N.E.F.E.R.U (1): Piratejoe
Portable Radios (0):
Knockout dart (0):

Skill revisions
H.A.T.E (0):
Hand to hand training (0):
Eagle eye (1): Piratejoe

[Jilladilla]

Well, this is likely the final revision we need for the HOMER to be usable (and glorious!), and by that logic, the radios are also excellent as they allow Overwatch to fulfill that field commander role. Let's finish up this turn into one big cluster of usefulness yes?

Tech revisions
N.E.F.E.R.U (1): Piratejoe
Portable Radios (1): Jilladilla
Knockout dart (0):

Skill revisions
H.A.T.E (0):
Hand to hand training (0):
Eagle eye (2): Piratejoe, Jilladilla

[Kashyyk]

I'm not convinced we'll be able to produce a radio that is even remotely concealable with a revision, considering WW2/Cold War era radios were large backpack affairs. Thus there is no point putting more effort into a currently unusable skill.

Tech revisions
N.E.F.E.R.U (1): Piratejoe
Portable Radios (1): Jilladilla
Knockout dart (1): Kashyyk

Skill revisions
H.A.T.E (0):
Hand to hand training (1): Kashyyk
Eagle eye (2): Piratejoe, Jilladilla