|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
05-18-2011, 03:38 AM | #1 |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
|
[Spaceships] The hard, ungrateful life of a CAG (fighter squadron leader)
Greetings, all!
Reading and comparing the rules of another system to GURPS, I recalled a campaign-that-didn't-start where one PC was a CAG ('Commander of Air Group', actually a fighter squadron leader). Just to be clear, I'm talking about fighters comparable to SW X-Wings and TIE Fighters, BSG Vipers, and Ur-Quan Autonomous Fighters. Now, I noticed that the problem is that it's often not worth spending a Multitasking penalty (even if we allow fighters to multitask at -2) to do anything covered by a Command task:
Also, it is not clear what a CAG can do to meaningfully increase the usefulness of subordinates. It seems that even for a half-dozen fighters, there's more sense in having pilots with 1 higher level of Piloting and/OR weapon skill than to have a CAG with Tactics/Leadership 15. Anyone got thoughts on the issue? Thanks in advance! |
05-18-2011, 03:57 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Jan 2011
|
Re: [Spaceships] The hard, ungrateful life of a CAG (fighter squadron leader)
Well, both historically and fictionally, wingleaders (a CAG would be the overall head of the fighter group for a larger craft and mostly not fly himself) didn't do much actual commanding during the action. They would have to rely on their pilots to know what they're doing, precisely because it would be nearly impossible to keep an eye on all of them while engage in air or space fights yourself. So I guess the most he could do would be to advise other pilots of threats and give general orders as to formation or target choice.
Ultimately, all the tactical work happens before the mission, planning courses, setting targets and assigning duties to the pilots best suited to them. I would probably allow a competent CAG to grant his men some bonuses during the mission based on his MoS on a preflight tactics roll.
__________________
I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers. -Khalil Gibran |
05-18-2011, 10:38 AM | #3 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Elk Grove, CA
|
Re: [Spaceships] The hard, ungrateful life of a CAG (fighter squadron leader)
downer pretty much has it completely covered.
As a GM, I'd rule in an RPG that a CAG type would be responsible for the overall mission planning. The execution would rely on the individual pilots, so the CAG wouldn't add anything. Now, for a Mass Combats type event, or in a large scale combat game of any type (minis, forex), the CAGs command rating could invoke a positive or negative modifiers to the success of the mission. Frankly, in a fighter furball, the CAGs ability to command is close to nil, beyond a general decision to withdraw. Maybe not even that. |
05-18-2011, 02:28 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
|
Re: [Spaceships] The hard, ungrateful life of a CAG (fighter squadron leader)
Quote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier_air_wing The CAG is one level above squadron command. A USN carrier will contain multiple squadrons, basically one for each aircraft type (or possibly mission) and the CAG oversees all of them. He is the head of the carrier's entire aviation department. At the dawn of WWII the CAG was expected to personally lead all major strike missions, co-ordinating the carriers three squadrons: fighters, torpedo bombers and dive bombers. Collectively these made up the "Air Group" which was the thing the CAG was "Commander" of.
__________________
Fred Brackin |
|
05-18-2011, 02:37 PM | #5 | |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
|
Re: [Spaceships] The hard, ungrateful life of a CAG (fighter squadron leader)
Quote:
|
|
05-18-2011, 03:13 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
|
Re: [Spaceships] The hard, ungrateful life of a CAG (fighter squadron leader)
Quote:
It's just a technical problem if you use a very specific term and it ends up being not used in what someone familair with that term expects. Not that all these things aren't quite arbitrary. If you try and shift from WWII USAAF to RAF you'll get wings and squadrons, groups, air forces and commands all mixed up. If you were Falklands era Argentinian Air Force your basic organizational unit of 8-12 planes was a "Grupo" with each Grupo being homogenous in terms of aircraft type and mission. For example, Grupo Ocho flew Mirages and was the only unit trained for air-to-air. They never met the RN Harriers. The Harriersw wouldn't climb to their altitude for high altitude supersonic combat with radar missiles and Grupo Ocho wouldn't go down to the deck to knife-fight with the Harriers. <shakes head> You probably don't need to know all thsi but feel free to ivent your own internally consistent in-setting nomenclature (and then explain it). Just don't expect to borrow real world terms without confusion. One note:It probably is the CAG who does the Heroic Speech thing. In times and places where you do have small attack craft pilots they are a different breed than Big Ship officers.
__________________
Fred Brackin |
|
05-18-2011, 07:17 PM | #7 | |
☣
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Southeast NC
|
Re: [Spaceships] The hard, ungrateful life of a CAG (fighter squadron leader)
Quote:
Edit: After reading that, it makes me sound more like a jerk than I intended.
__________________
RyanW - Actually one normal sized guy in three tiny trenchcoats. |
|
05-18-2011, 08:14 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Elk Grove, CA
|
Re: [Spaceships] The hard, ungrateful life of a CAG (fighter squadron leader)
The captain of a ship may not talk to only the pilots, though.
Many historical examples of ship's *crew* being addressed by the captain, which would most likely be heard by the air (space) arm aboard. Last edited by Whitestreak; 05-18-2011 at 08:16 PM. Reason: forgot part of the last sentence |
05-18-2011, 09:51 PM | #9 |
Ceci n'est pas une tag.
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Vancouver, WA (Portland Metro)
|
Re: [Spaceships] The hard, ungrateful life of a CAG (fighter squadron leader)
Just out of curiosity: I'm looking (browsing, in a distracted way) through SS4 (Carriers). Is there any rule that makes it a viable option to choose fighters over missiles?
|
05-19-2011, 01:18 AM | #10 | |
Join Date: Sep 2009
|
Re: [Spaceships] The hard, ungrateful life of a CAG (fighter squadron leader)
Quote:
|
|
Tags |
cag, fighters, leadership, space fighters, spaceships |
|
|