Squads on Standby, Yet another sheet on Aaron's Web site Options

[Aaron]

You know how Shadowrun teams occasionally accidentally alert various security measures, and those various security measures alert other security measures who come in to support the previous security measures? Doesn't it suck to be the GM when you suddenly need to generate five corporate security response squad members?

I thought so, so I made a sheet, based on my Grunt record sheet, that has a variety of security response teams on it, from a basic gaggle of security guards all the way up to special forces. I call it the Standby Squads sheet, and you can get it at my Shadowrun Resources page.

Feel free to use the rest of the thread is for comments about it, discussion about security response in general, etc.

[Moon-Hawk]

Awesome. Thanks again, Aaron, great stuff!

edit: Wait, what's this? Lone Star and Knight Errant don't have dodge skills? Are they too hard-core to dodge? ;)

[Nim]

Some random thoughts about security gear...

Commlinks. Do you suppose security personnel carry their personal commlinks while on duty, with official software added to them? Or do they carry 'duty' commlinks, which get turned off/put on standby at the end of their shift?

They'll all have AR goggles of some sort. It'll be fundamental to the way they work together, get alerts and orders, etc etc. The security teams in an office building might not care about low-light, since they're in a reliably lit environment (unless runners kill the power...), but a Lone Star patrol team would certainly want low-light, thermo, or both. And frankly, vision enhancers are pretty cheap.

Likewise, giving your grunt security team smartlinks is cheaper than giving them enough training to boost their skill by 2 points...AND when they quit, they have to leave the smartlink behind.

[James McMurray]

Definitely official commlinks for communication purposes, so the corp can keep their security up to date and monitor usage. A lot would also carry their personal links, depending on company policy.

[Moon-Hawk]

Good points. I would think all but the cheapest security guards would have a smartlink. It's definitely a wise investment.
I would imagine they have work commlinks. I'm not sure what reasonable stats would be for them, though. Of course, they would probably carry their own commlinks as well, since no one is ever separated from their comm. And I would imagine some guards would either link their comms together, or otherwise violate policy from time to time. The human element is always the weakest link in security.

[Nim]

Let's see, other gear. Every security, Lone Star, or KE trooper should have a video pickup as part of their PAN, probably incorporated into their goggles / glasses. One of the functions is obviously to record all of the trooper's interactions while on duty...for court evidence, after-action review, monitoring for policy violations, etc.

An important additional piece of software for facility security, though, especially on the day shift, that relies on the camera is face-recognition. A security guard standing in the lobby of a AAA office building should be able to identify all of the regular employees passing through by at least two means: automatic queries against the RFID in their ID badge or commlink, and face-match against a database of known people. The guard's commlink should be automatically doing both of these things for every person who comes into view. If the two turn up different answers, AR should be pointing big red arrows at the suspect.

Incidentally, executives will use this same system, but in a different context. At large meetings and social functions, their commlink will keep them constantly up to date on important details about the people they're talking to - not only by accessing the other person's commlink profile, because that only tells you what they WANT you to know, but by running the comm ID and the face agaisnt their personal Rolodex.

In SR3, my former corporate-climber had to use a headware computer with personal-secretary-like software to get that effect - there's an advantage in always knowing the name of someone's kids, that he loves to play golf, and that you should NOT ask about his wife, since they filed for divorce last week. In SR4, all of that comes practically free with the right commlink software.

[SL James]

Why are there only five people in the SF squad (and why is it a squad at all?)

[James McMurray]

[PBTHHHHT]

[Aaron]

A modern squad in the U.S. Army (which is the tactical organizational method I have the most experience with) is made up of two or three fireteams of four members. There are several reasons why a fireteam has four members. It is the minimum number of human beings needed to cover a full circle simultaneously, it is the proper number of people to cover the main tasks of command, heavy weapons, suppression, and communication, etc. But the main reason is simply interactions.

Two people have one interaction between them. Three people have three, four have six, five have ten, six have fifteen, and so on. Human beings, on average, can keep track of at most seven things simultaneously; this is why phone numbers in the US are seven digits long, with another three separated and given a different designation, the area code. Therefore, the largest number of people in a single group that a human being can keep track of without distraction is four. If you don't believe me, watch what happens at parties: conversations of more than four members tend to fragment into groups of two and three, and sometimes four.

With room for five, the NPC sheets have room for an overstrength fireteam; one fireteam and one extra if it's needed. Or, if you will, a team of four and a leader that isn't officially a Lieutenant (did they change that to Leftenant in Europe?); it's a squad that arrives on the fly, there's no need in my mind to give them a lieutenant.

Besides, five is what I had room for. =)

[Samaels Ghost]

[SL James]

Uh huh. I'm just wondering since they operate in 12-man teams and all.

[Dr. Dodge]

[Aaron]

[HalloranElder]

*swipe*

Thank you! :)

[PBTHHHHT]

They as in the all encompassing they, big brother, the man, the insitution, didn't you get the memo? :-P

[Aaron]

Big Brother operates in twelve-man teams?

[Shrike30]

They call 'em "Big Brothers" when they operate in pairs.