Disclaimer: This is a half-formed idea. I don’t know who the audience is for this post, besides myself. I might return to it in the future, who knows. Oh, and also: I’m very much a civilian, and these are observations based on video games.
As a maker of TTRPG things, I really like thinking about certain experiences or feelings and how to capture those in mechanics. I’ve played quite a bit of Helldivers 2, and it got me thinking about the dynamics of firefights. I guess that whatever this ends up as, it might be usable for modern/cyberpunk/sci-fi TTRPGs.
Movement & Combat
What I noticed during Helldivers 2, is that its gameplay, which I’m dubbing “heroic firefights”, is not really about the minute-to-minute exchange of gunfire. I mean, yeah, that’s what you’re doing while playing, trying to land shots and dodge incoming fire, but if you zoom out, there’s a certain ebb and flow to things:
- Determine an objective to focus on.
- Assault the objective. This attack either succeeds or fails.
- On a success, either return to step 1, or…
- Fend off a counterattack, now defending the objective from attackers.
- On a failure, fall back and thin the enemy’s numbers while fleeing. This continues until you are able to hold the line/regroup. Go back to step 1, possibly attacking the same position again.
So, I figured, this dynamic exists on 2 axis: movement and combat engagement. In a table:
| Backward Fast | Backward Slow | No movement | Forward Slow | Forward Fast | |
| No combat | Tactical withdrawal | Fall back | Regroup | Bounding advance | Reposition |
| Combat | Breaking contact | Fighting retreat | Holding the Line | Probing attack | Assault |
These all describe certain states:
- Tactical Withdrawal: Running away to an extraction point.
- Breaking Contact: Fleeing from an overwhelming force, trying to lose them.
- Fall back: Moving away from an objective to avoid detection and the like.
- Fighting retreat: Moving away from an objective while under fire, trying to thin out enemy forces.
- Regroup: Reload, catch your breath, reload all of your weapons, check supplies.
- Holding the Line: Digging in, trying to survive until the enemy flees or is destroyed.
- Bounding Advance: A tactical approach of an objective, trying to remain undetected/in cover.
- Probing Attack: A methodical approach of an objective, sticking to cover.
- Reposition: Sprinting to a flanking position.
- Assault: Storm a position, trying to overwhelm the enemy.
I can already imagine this as a flowchart of such, with a squad making a combat roll with modifiers to determine an outcome:
Looking at it this way, I guess you could also say that it’s about pushing forward until you can’t anymore, after which you Hold The Line. Succeeding in Holding The Line means you push forward again until you can’t. Failure means you fall back until you find a better position to Hold The Line.
Heck, if I simplify the movement states somewhat (maybe I should’ve done that from the beginning):
This is a bit more of a macro-level view, lacking some nuance. ANYWAYS:
Cover & Space
So, we began by picking an objective (“Take that firebase!”) and zooming in a bit on the ebb and flow of such an attack (“There’s too many of them! Fall back! They’re gaining on us! Hold the line! Okay, now’s the time, push!”).
But why do some attacks fail, and why do we fall back to hold the line elsewhere? This is where cover and space (maneuverability) comes into play. Cover essentially enhances your defence (perhaps through a modifier or armor rating), whereas space determines how easy it is to be pinned down, flank and maneuver. In open space, a squad could perhaps make an easy dexterity check to gain a more advantage position in the encounter. In a cramped space, this might be impossible.
So, to list some options:
Cover
- None: an open area, field or street.
- Some: Scattered clutter; crates, barrels, some vehicles or trees.
- High: Barricades, pillars, walls.
Space
- None: A hallway, the interior of a house.
- Some: The interior of a large building (warehouse, mall).
- Open: Outside.
Now, if we combine this, we get a matrix with various situations:
| No Cover | Some Cover | High Cover | |
| No Space | Hallway | Hallway with some clutter (boxes, crates, barrels) | Hallway with pillars |
| Some Space | Hangar | Building interior (barracks, supermarket) | Filled warehouse with pillars |
| Open Space | Open field | Car park, forest | Military barricade, trenches |
Interestingly enough, engagements could take place between sides in different tactical positions: Side A might be approaching from a forest (Some Cover, Open Space) towards a House (High Cover, No Space).
To Sum Up
That’s kind of where I’m at: a few ideas that I think are on the track of something, but I don’t know what yet, and I don’t have a full toolkit to give you.
If this inspires you, please let me know!