Squad Leader Archive

I think what a lot of people have wrong with squad leaders is that they are combat professionals. They shouldn't be considered "combat support" personnel because squad leaders are front line soldiers! However, the concept of adding special weapons or special combat actions is misguided. However, since squad leaders are grizzled veterans they should have significant personal combat bonuses:

(1) Defense: Squad leaders should have significant ranged and melee bonuses as other elite professions do.

(2) Equipment: Squad leaders in the real world don't have better weapons or equipment. In fact, their weapons are usually the most standard weapons. However, their expertise with their equipment is usually the best. This would be best supported through massive reductions in encumbrance of armor, and reduced effective HAM on weapons that they are certified in.

(3)

Sounds good so far (I am assuming you are going to be posting more in another thread :smileywink

I just wanted to say that I agree that Squad Leaders are the dirt-eating grunts (grizzled veterans if you will) not the pristine fops back in their tents. I see SL as the Civil War era leiutenant or captain leading his soldiers charging the enemy, not the general sitting back in his tent because he's too valuable to risk to enemy fire. We eat with the men, bleed with the men and die with the men. (and women now that I am back to the present from my ante-bellum musings.)

Although, I am in full support of the Crew Served Weapons concept, when I picture a Squad Leader weapon two separate images come to mind: First, the mounted Captain of the Guard with sword drawn leading the charge. Or I think of the grizzled Sergeant seen in the film "We Were Soldiers" who refused to trust any weapon but his personal sidearm..when it came down to it, that six-gun pistol took care of business.

Maybe that's why I'm a pistoleer/SL. I know many others choose Carbine to round out hte "crowd control" and I think that's a great method. Overall, I like that Squad Leaders choose their weapon of choice, but with the considerable Skillpoint cost of becoming a Squad Leader without any appreciable combat bonuses, I feel like we are being punished for trying to help lead players. As I've stated many times before, I'd like to see group special maneuvers (like my favorite: /aimfor) and Crew Served Weapons to augment our combat skills. If this is not possible, at least a reduction of prerequisites for Squad Leader would allow us to spend points on skills that actually HELP.

That's why I have a two-handed curved sword in my hands!

-Yurii (Ahazi) Squad Leader/Swordsman/Ranger