Ghost Recon Hanbook
Structure
The composition of a squad falls into three broad categories; classical, balanced and combined.
Classical
Classical squads are composed of three elements; a command and support element, a base of fire element, and a manoeuvre element. The command and support element could include a squad leader, an assistant squad leader, a medic, a forward observer and a radio operator or it could be limited to a squad leader. The fire element consists of a machine gunner and one or two personnel who act as loaders and barrel changers for the gun and porters for its ammunition and ancillary components. The manoeuvre element is composed of troops armed with assault rifles, entrenching tools, grenades and additional ammunition for the machine gun and tasked with the role of enabling the safe movement of the fire element by scouting ahead and providing a security detail.
Balanced
Balanced squads are composed of two or three fire teams coupled with a command and support element. The fire teams could either be standard base of fire elements organized around a machine gun and protected by assault rifle or submachine gun wielding ammunition porters or the fire teams could be organized as ‘storm’ units composed of a handful of personnel armed with assault rifles reinforced with a squad automatic weapon and grenade launchers.
Combined
The Combined squad is composed of dissimilar fire teams; an RPG team, a fire team and a sniper team. The RPG team consists of two personnel; one armed with an RPG launcher and the other porting extra RPGs and providing protection with an assault rifle. The fire team is composed of two personnel; one carrying a machine gun and the other porting its ammunition. The sniper team consists of one or two persons, one deploying the weapon, often a semi-automatic designated marksman rifle as opposed to a true sniper rifle, and the other acting as spotter and providing close protection.
Positions
In Scenario paintball games, players are often assigned positions which they will then need to fulfill as part of the given scenario. These roles can be seen as different to team positions in that they are generally temporary roles only held by a player for the duration, and purpose, of a single game or event. Examples of some of the rules that a game producer might have:
Engineer – Engineers have the ability to ‘destroy’ buildings, tanks, and special scenario targets. Typically this is done by using a faux satchel charge which the player throws and a supervising ref pulls the ‘killed’ players.
General – Most common of all scenario games; there is typically at least one General for each side of a scenario. The General commands the scenario teams on his side and dictates orders to anyone on his side. A General is typically worth more points in games where rank is accounted for. The Paintball community sometimes has celebrity generals, most famously is Actor William Shatner.
Medic – The Medic ‘heals’ players on the field instead of the ‘wounded’ player having to take the long walk back to the insertion point.
Officer – Outside of a team’s general there are lower officers, like Lieutenants and Majors, that are in the General’s chain of command outside of the scenario teams.
Sniper – A Sniper can point on an enemy player to the Ref, and the Ref will call that player out.
Tank Gunner – Operates the tank, or fires from it. A Tank Gunner is typically armed with an ordinary marker firing out of ports of the tank’s cannon.
Tank Hunter – Carries a nerf-rocket based ‘Bazooka’ that can destroy enemy tanks.
Mercenaries or “Mercs” – Mercenary players, typically a field’s scenario team, can be ‘bought’ at certain events by a General to use for a short-time. Mercenaries are typically experienced tournament players that know the field better than most of the field’s players. Hell Survivor’s Monster Game is famous for the Merc’s role.
Breakdown
SpecialOps Paintball gives one of the more comprehensive lists of team positions available on the internet, listed in the Articles sections of the SpecialOps Paintball website.[1] Arguably these positions promote equipment and products created by SpecialOps Paintball, but they also place paintball players and their mannerisms and preferred playing styles into clear categories.
The SpecialOps Paintball breakdown of player types is as follows:
Commander:
“The Commander must become a master of strategy—the initial plan is his responsibility. But, he must stay flexible enough to tailor the plan to fit the developing tactics of the battlefield. Perhaps, the toughest part of command is hanging back and letting others “take point.” Out front is no place for the Commander and his team makes sure he’s securely in the rear. However, a great Commander knows that his men need to see him put his ass on the line on occasion. So, when the moment’s ripe, the Commander doesn’t hesitate to get in the thick with his buddies. The Commander is smart, well-liked and he communicates clearly and frequently with his guys. He is the brain of the team and the team performs like a dark symphony of mayhem when the Commander is on his game.”
Light Rifleman (or “Dagger”):
“He is the guts and glory boy—called for when your team’s getting their flank-thing on, ordered on point when you’re covering ground, and handed the flag when it’s time to make the last run. He’s fast and light and he doesn’t mind having his butt hanging in the wind. When it comes to buildings and bunkers, he’s the close quarters specialist. His paintgun is short, light and maneuverable and it spends a lot of time getting shoved into dark corners. The Dagger’s an action junkie, and it’s a good thing, because he ends up in the shit more than anyone.”
Medium Rifleman (or “Sabre”):
“…the most versatile position on the team. He flanks, he suppresses, he runs point, he snipes and he serves as the team’s all-around backbone. He covers any position that has been left empty by a downed comrade. With a balanced gearkit, he carries enough paint for a series of tough engagements, but not so much as to slow him down.”
Heavy Rifleman (or “Broadsword”):
“The use of suppressive fire is one of the greatest advantages that an organized team has over walk-on players. The militaries of the world rely on suppressive fire to advance their squads and to put enemy heads down. Paintball can work exactly the same way. The Heavy Rifleman unleashes a sustained rate of fire that freezes the opposition’s battle line while lighter elements of his team maneuver for advantage. He’s the perfect man for defending the flag or hammering on the opposition’s base. With an enormous load of paint and a fully automatic paintgun, the Broadsword isn’t the fastest-moving member of his squad.”
Mobile Heavy Gunner (or “Hammer”):
“Few are prepared to carry the enormous burdens, or the bulging gear kit, of the Heavy Gunner. Few can afford his monster gun or it’s limitless appetite for paint. But for those who have the brawn and bucks, the Heavy Gunner position is like a horseman of the apocalypse on the field. To qualify as a Heavy Gunner, as opposed to a less-endowed Heavy Rifleman, you need to be toting something really, really heavy. . . “
Sniper (or “Ambush”):
“the Sniper slips into ambush position then waits. Some Snipers push the envelope of paintball ballistics to fire off long, aimed shots. Others use superior camouflage and stealth to take targets up close and personal. In either case, the paintball Sniper turns fieldcraft and marksmanship to his advantage. While others attempt to power their way across the field, the sniper outplays the opposition on the strength of his wits. Patience is a minimum requirement and practice is a must. Even the term “Sniper” was controversial among woodsballers. Some claim that, since paintball guns had no real long-range potential, that a paintball sniper is a contradiction in terms. But, with the introduction of Tiberius Arm’s First Strike rounds, a player using a First Strike-enabled marker can shoot an enemy player at twice the range of an ordinary marker. Paintball snipers know, however, that it takes much more than long shots to call yourself a Sniper. Victory on the field comes in the wake of stealth and mental discipline…”
