The micro team. This is something I am very familiar with. There is something about having a well put together team operating with you and around you, and knowing you helped bring all these people together. Being able to make new friends is something I enjoy a lot. My small group of friends are considered family. I was very fortunate to be with a small platoon of exceptional people just before I got out of the military. It was the best send off I could have had. I called them my Platoon Family.
Developing bonds like this isn't easy and it isnt something that happens overnight. One of the reasons the list of the things I will not do for my Platoon Family is so short, and so bile risingly imoral is because its reciprocated. Same goes for my small group. These are the people you will go hand in hand to prison, or the executioners noose with. They call, you show up with a shovel and lime. Thats your small group.
Lone Wolves:
You absolutely have your place. There's no doubt. But I will say, its better logistically to have a small group. Or just report to a small group. If you and my team are going after the same Nazi Cannibal San Fransiscan, and my squad spots you. How are we supposed to know you're not one of them? ... Nope, our telepathy anntenna broke. Try again at the respawn point. Same goes for us, if we're not checking into a higher HQ of some kind then we're going to be stepping on someones piece. Then you step on ours and suddenly falices are being trodden under foot everywhere. If you're going to Merc, at least check in. I can understand bounties. Otherwise, do your due diligence.
Micro Team Composition:
Having a well rounded team is something to strive for. But lets face it, where are you going to find all the MOS's (jobs) of an A Team (Special Forces small team) in civilian land? Even year one post SHTF? So, do the best you can. An excellent start is: Everyman a rifleman. See Mosbys post on Training to the standard. Briefly: If I have a small group in Utah and I have a small group in the dead center of Seattle do you think their Rifleman stadards will be the same? The empahsis will likely be placed on different skills. Yes, each should be able to hit a target at 300 meters. But I'm willing to wager, if they're smart, one will focus more on CRM (Close Range Marksmanship) and one on LRM (Long Range Marksmanship). Set a standard. Get together and make a set of srandards to shoot for... or at, whatever the case may be. Having specialties is great, say, being the commo guy. No one can flip freqs and run radios like you! But you still need to hit that 300, just like me. You still need to clear a room of 4 targets in 3 seconds flat - or whatever. Lets use our Seattle example - I'm using Seattle as an example for a completely urban engagement area. You are likely going to need a specialized person for entry. All kinds of entry. I believe in the SEAL teams thats an actual MOS identifier. In our Utah example, you may need a Tracker or a wilderness survival expert. Your specializations will be different no matter where you go or what threat you meet. Learn them now.
What are you? Are you the team builder, the intel analyst, the Sniper, the Doc, the cook (believe me, this person and the medic are treated like kings), whatever you are, figure it out. If you take a personal inventory and find out your the knot tying guy. Well guess what, you have a specialty. Figure out how to be a benefit to your group. Maybe you're the camp breaker. You setup and tare down the patrol bases. There are literally all kinds of specialties. My advice is: Be a German Shepard; first at nothing, second at everything.
Have a specialty, and meet, then exceed, the standards.
Vetting Your Small Group:
This, for me, is a ridiculously long process. I do independent background checks, have mental dossiers on people, and begin to apply their specialties to missions and possible scenerios. They have no clue I do this... Until now, but its a process. But, and this bares noting, I do not compartmentalize the humanity from the skillset. They are still who they are. I am a firm believer that people in a battlespace can turn into little green Army Men really quickly from the TOC (Tactical Operations Center, usually a first or second echelon headquarters). These are the men I will stand beside when I hang for crimes against the "State." If they catch us... and are willing to pay that heavy of a toll to do so. So, be very careful not to seperate the skill from the man. Without the man, the skill is meaningless.
Testing... Testing people is bullcrap. Setting up some kind of test to see how they will react in a non-training environment is just being a douche. There are certain circumstances I believe it is necessary, but they rarely present themselves. Cav said it perfectly, people can only fake it for so long. So, if you are properly vetting, you wont need to "test" people. If you just hang out with them, you'll see if they're statist douche nozzels or not. You'll know if they are faking the funk. Listen to what they say, pay much closer attention to what they do.
Developing bonds like this isn't easy and it isnt something that happens overnight. One of the reasons the list of the things I will not do for my Platoon Family is so short, and so bile risingly imoral is because its reciprocated. Same goes for my small group. These are the people you will go hand in hand to prison, or the executioners noose with. They call, you show up with a shovel and lime. Thats your small group.
Lone Wolves:
You absolutely have your place. There's no doubt. But I will say, its better logistically to have a small group. Or just report to a small group. If you and my team are going after the same Nazi Cannibal San Fransiscan, and my squad spots you. How are we supposed to know you're not one of them? ... Nope, our telepathy anntenna broke. Try again at the respawn point. Same goes for us, if we're not checking into a higher HQ of some kind then we're going to be stepping on someones piece. Then you step on ours and suddenly falices are being trodden under foot everywhere. If you're going to Merc, at least check in. I can understand bounties. Otherwise, do your due diligence.
Micro Team Composition:
Having a well rounded team is something to strive for. But lets face it, where are you going to find all the MOS's (jobs) of an A Team (Special Forces small team) in civilian land? Even year one post SHTF? So, do the best you can. An excellent start is: Everyman a rifleman. See Mosbys post on Training to the standard. Briefly: If I have a small group in Utah and I have a small group in the dead center of Seattle do you think their Rifleman stadards will be the same? The empahsis will likely be placed on different skills. Yes, each should be able to hit a target at 300 meters. But I'm willing to wager, if they're smart, one will focus more on CRM (Close Range Marksmanship) and one on LRM (Long Range Marksmanship). Set a standard. Get together and make a set of srandards to shoot for... or at, whatever the case may be. Having specialties is great, say, being the commo guy. No one can flip freqs and run radios like you! But you still need to hit that 300, just like me. You still need to clear a room of 4 targets in 3 seconds flat - or whatever. Lets use our Seattle example - I'm using Seattle as an example for a completely urban engagement area. You are likely going to need a specialized person for entry. All kinds of entry. I believe in the SEAL teams thats an actual MOS identifier. In our Utah example, you may need a Tracker or a wilderness survival expert. Your specializations will be different no matter where you go or what threat you meet. Learn them now.
What are you? Are you the team builder, the intel analyst, the Sniper, the Doc, the cook (believe me, this person and the medic are treated like kings), whatever you are, figure it out. If you take a personal inventory and find out your the knot tying guy. Well guess what, you have a specialty. Figure out how to be a benefit to your group. Maybe you're the camp breaker. You setup and tare down the patrol bases. There are literally all kinds of specialties. My advice is: Be a German Shepard; first at nothing, second at everything.
Have a specialty, and meet, then exceed, the standards.
Vetting Your Small Group:
This, for me, is a ridiculously long process. I do independent background checks, have mental dossiers on people, and begin to apply their specialties to missions and possible scenerios. They have no clue I do this... Until now, but its a process. But, and this bares noting, I do not compartmentalize the humanity from the skillset. They are still who they are. I am a firm believer that people in a battlespace can turn into little green Army Men really quickly from the TOC (Tactical Operations Center, usually a first or second echelon headquarters). These are the men I will stand beside when I hang for crimes against the "State." If they catch us... and are willing to pay that heavy of a toll to do so. So, be very careful not to seperate the skill from the man. Without the man, the skill is meaningless.
Testing... Testing people is bullcrap. Setting up some kind of test to see how they will react in a non-training environment is just being a douche. There are certain circumstances I believe it is necessary, but they rarely present themselves. Cav said it perfectly, people can only fake it for so long. So, if you are properly vetting, you wont need to "test" people. If you just hang out with them, you'll see if they're statist douche nozzels or not. You'll know if they are faking the funk. Listen to what they say, pay much closer attention to what they do.