I'm throwing this out to start a discussion. First let me clarify a few things:
This is not a "so, you wanna CO a scenario" thread. There are plenty of those. Franky, any person who volunteers for the burden of commanding at any level in a scenario, snap shot or what have you, has my enduring respect.
Here I'd like to talk about what to me makes some commanders more effective than others; what tactics and organizational details are effective. This might also hint at why it can be a rewarding experience.
What I wanted to throw out here were ten tips I picked up. Each of these is based on my experience as a player and commander at all levels in single and multiframe scenarios. For each of the tips I've seen what happens when they're followed and what happens when they're not.
These are based on some hazy ideas I have of underlying principles that I've picked up from somewhere. None of these are *my* ideas; they've been around for centuries.
Anyway, I tend to be verbose, so I kept my comments to a minimum. This is to start a discussion, not end it:
The following tips apply to Side COs as well as Flight Leaders. Heck most of them even work inside of elements
Organization:
1. Appoint an XO to:
A. Repeat briefing information (Side: scenario-specific rules; Squadron: orders, loadout, mission)
B. Brief players.(Side: repeat orders and specific instructions to FLs; Squadron: repeat standard procedures -- checklists: takeoff, combat procedures (simple stuff such as: fighters stay high, or bombers go to 80% throttle. Really, it only helps to repeat procedure)
C. Give position reports/monitor squadron positions. A FL is concentrating on the objective: bombing, interception, hunting other fighters, whatever. Someone's gotta keep track of where the friendlies are should an emergency arise. Similarly, the CO tends to concentrate on one thing: either his movements or the enemy's. Someone should be watching the other half of the picture.
2. Send power down. If you're giving orders to twelve people, you need a middle manager. If you're a CO, gather flights into groups under command of a group leader; if you're a Squadron Leader, divide your squad into separate flights under command of a flight leader.
3. Do your research.
A. Do all the standard things you'd do for any other strat game. Know your equipment. Know your enemy's equipment. Know the terrain, and so on.
B. Know the abilities of the people under your command. Performance in this game does not reflect someone's quality as a human being. Do not be afraid to think about what people or squads are good at, and what they're not. A prepared CO does the same for his enemy.
3. If someone arrives late, dies, bails, or is otherwise unable to fly, have that person .join one of the pilots and give reports.
During the frame:
4. REPORT ENEMY CONTACTS. Unless someone is shooting directly at you, in which case you screwed up bad, your first concern is to report at least numbers, location and altitude of bandits, and type and heading if you have that information. You're not the only one dealing with task saturation; hollering "666 Flaming Turds are under attack from high six oclock!!! HELLLLPPP!", is only going to get you killed.
5. Report position regularly. At least do this when you're at critical moments -- such as on station, RTB, refueling, and so on.
6. Mass forces: rally before an attack. Formations may be pretty on climbout, but they're critical on attack. And if a CO wants to shoot down a bunch of planes, he's gotta obtain overwhelming local air superiority. THat means often having several squads group up in an area. Instead of just sending them into a meatgrinder, order them to rally and attack. That's how the pros have been doing it for millennia. In the place of rallying, precise timing can be used.
7. Keep a reserve. If a squadron is investigating bogeys, the bulk of the squadron should linger back. If they're advancing to engage, about a third should cover high. Commit the reserve for the knockout punch, or to aid the friendlies in a disengagement. The same goes for COs -- If you rally three squads, for an attack, have two engage and the third cover. When the enemy's unit cohesion is shattered, send the reserve in to chew them up. Nothing ends a static furball like a bunch of high fighters screaming in.
8. Withdraw when you start to lose unit cohesion. When formations start breaking down and the attack degenerates, it's time to clear out. If you wait for the high bandits, or for someone to die, you'll lose your planes. You've already lost the advantage in the engagement; don't lose it all. A CO should also recognize where the enemy has achieved local air superiority and concede it. If the enemy has 20 fighters in a sector and you have 8 in the area, send them _away_ from that sector.
9. After combat, consolidate units and reorganize. Report status and results of the engagements. A CO shouldn't be afraid of putting together two half-strength units to make a full-strength one. If the mission allows for a second strike mission, the CO should organize fighter sweeps and escorts.
After the frame:
9. Evaluate the performance of everybody. What went right? What went wrong? What should be improved for the next time?
10. Maintain morale. Heck you should try this throughout the command experience. Morale is probably the most overlooked aspect of AH command. Put bluntly, you have to gain and keep the confidence of the people who are taking your orders. If they don't feel good about the experience and look forward to the next frame, they're not gonna show. If that happens, you'll be understrength or staffed with green "walkons" (Heck, multiframe scenarios often see uneven numbers precisely because, regardless of the actual score, one side won the morale battle). If they don't like or trust your orders, they may end up doing their own thing. Each frame needs to be won not merely on points, but on the fun had by the participants.
---
Some principles:
A. Keep the number of different sorts of tasks that any one person has to do to a minimum.
B. Timely information costs little and is worth a lot.
C. The goal of the air-to-air combat is not to kill the opponent, but to render him ineffective. The best way to do this is by killing him.
D. The same structures repeat themselves up the chain of command. The element leader performs primarily offensive tasks (positioning to attack) and the wingman primarily defensive ones (monitoring environment). The same holds for FL/XO and CO/XO.
