Can someone tell me where to find this skill, and what the benefits are? Thanks.

Does everyone in the group being commanded have to have small unit tactics in order to benefit from the bonusses, or just the character doing the commanding?

Is this sort of like the way Lt. Gorman has control over the marines in Aliens?

Just the character doing the commanding.

I'd say yes to the second question. Essentially you're barking out orders that help people respond more efficiently or keep them more focused on the task at hand. The commanding can be done entierly silently, however, using transducers and radio links.

Various bits of gear (Anything with the phrase Battletac in the name as a rule of thumb) are also designed to assist in the usage of the small unit tactics skill. P54 and 55 of the CC are a good source for gear related to BattleTac Systems. Note that Battletac not-only acts as a helpful platform for the small unit tactics skill but can also be used for indirect fire of guided munitions such as missiles and some mortar rounds.

Small Unit Tactics, just for self-use, if you use the Cannon Companion optional rule about bonus combat pool dice, is a tremendously useful skill for combat-oriented characters, independent of their ability to use Battletac or similar means to convey the bonus to others. A character with a skill of 6(or higher, or with a Tactical Computer for bonus skill dice) can add 3 or more points to their Combat Pool every initiative roll, which can make the difference between victory and defeat, or at least provide bonuses on-par(and cumulative) with the adept power and detection spell, Combat Sense.

Likewise, a character with a tactical computer who makes full use of the skill/bonus dice, in addition to the innate bonus to combat pool, can squeeze another two bonus combat pool dice out of a maximum level Tactical Computer, independent of any pre-existing skill. Not quite as useful as Athletics with optional acrobatic dodging rules, nor Stealth for just avoiding combat entirely(or at least gaining the -2 Ambusher bonus to Surprise tests), but still a very useful skill for a character to be given in creation, or picked up later.

i tend to rename that skill more often than any other. 'Small Unit Tactics' is definitely very military/spec-ops oriented, and it looks odd on a go-ganger's char sheet.

it also irks me greatly that there's no specialization for individual combat (using it only on yourself) and fireteams (groups of operatives in the meat).

Does that mean I can finally make an Oreo Adept that uses Throwing Weapons (Oreos) to kill people with chocolatey goodness?

Yes, if your GM approves.

Yay!

So, what's an Oreo do, anyway? Something like (Str-10)L?

*has horrible visions of dikoted oreos*
Shhh! Nabisco might sue.

Oh, right, forgot the ™ bit.

Wait... Dikoted? Unless you want vaporized cookies... Best not to try such a thing.

I've been wondering this forever!! Somewhere between my SR3 and one of the supplements-apparently, M&M-this skill went from "knowledge" to "active". What gives?

Which takes me to my nest questions:

If you have this as an active skill and use it even w/o a Battletac, the other people on your "team" get a bonus, right? Something to do w/ successes and initiative?

So do you as a player have to know what your character is saying? It seems like you should have some idea for game flavor/atmosphere if nothing else. At the same time, most of my characters have skills I don't (Sorcery, for example) or have ratings in other skills that far out rank my own.

Should you have to read up on RL tactics to be a better player? I've always wanted to have an excuse to purchase Special Operations for Idiots (yes, it does exist) but I don't have to read Popular Mechanics to play a rigger. Hell, I don't even have to read Rigger3.

Sure, I could play myself. I already have stats...But could I play myself, playing SR?

Or would I be reduced to:

GM: He's using a smiley you don't recognize. Roll you Etiquette skill. You may use your "Emoticons" knowledge skill as a Complimentary Skill.

Me: Bitchin!

How exactly does Small Unit Tactics work if you use it on yourself? What's the base target number to roll against? I'm guessing it would be 2, since communicating with yourself is unquestionably easier than communicating with a teammate, even if you're both hooked up via cyberlink.

I think it's a bad precedent to allow a skill to directly impact combat pool or Iniative tests.

It opens the door to other ideas.

-Siege

remember: no one is allowed to touch you in your bathing suit area.

there should be skills that affect cp, init, and other areas. the difference between a ground-pounder and a ranger is just training--not super-high stats, not (just) the ability to shoot straight, but constant training in the skills they need to whup ass. i mean, look at all the doctrine that surrounds any specops group--how to clear a room, how to take advantage of low light conditions, how to coordinate with snipers and other elements. to me, that constant practice and refinement of techniques doesn't seem like raising Qui, Int, and Wil; granted, raising stats is part of it, but there's a limit to how far raising stats can take you. there are relatively few limits to the difference between a well-trained operator and some sucker who's watched too many movies.

SMUT allows a lot of things, but few of them are untouched.

~J

Does the init boost is more reaction or more dice ?

Neither one. Initiative Dice and Reaction are unchanged. It raises the final initiative number, much like wounds reduce the final initiative number.

More details on using Small Unit Tactics, including Target Numbers, target modifiers, number of successes required, and the time it takes to communicate to other team members are described with the skill in CC p. 105.