COMPLETING A MISSION
A mission is not a simple roleplay which you must engage in actively and then leave. For a sniper or marksmen, it is essential that you plan, pre-plan, and re-plan every possible engagement that occurs. Snipers are called the Grim Reaper of the battle field for a reason. A sniper's decision not only affect the outcome of players on the battlefield, but also affect the impact of the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of people. A few precision, well aimed bullets planted with surgical excellence can be enough to change the tide of not only a battle, or a war, but the world. Eliminating high value targets can eliminate command and moral, and can have devastating results on a Military as a whole. The fate of the high value targets is in your hand. The most important job rests on your shoulders. Are you capable of achieving what your mission is set out to do?
Pre-PlanningEven if your roleplaying skills are far beyond that of a normal person, or even natural qualities, preplanning for an engagement is always necessary. For you arrive on a place with the devices required, thinking about the kind of mission you'll be doing and the kind of job you'll need to do is definitely going to be a big deal. For instance, trying to snipe a single target from 2000 yards away with a .22 rifle would prove be a difficult situation, and attempting to remove several targets with a high grade single shot bolt action rifle might not be the best idea. Think of the mission required; remember, you have limits, and might not have access to every weapon in the world when your on the battlefield.
- State your equipment clearly and precisely. Your weapons and links to them are usually enough to clarify. Links to gear is also appreciated however not necessary. The links will present both proof and save you the time of explaining your information. This goes for both characters.
- Clearly appropriate your gear and your clothing that you possess. Make sure to give a detailed description of everything your wearing; even including pockets. The slightest falter could be the whismy to your control.
- State your Spotter. Remember that this person could be specially affiliated with your main character, or simply be a person
- State your training. Both you and your spotter have been through Marksmen and Sniper training, and therefore you receive a great deal more credibility for your actions. To receive merit, your going to have to express the time you've spent and be acknowledged as a well trained sniper to proceed.
-Make sure to arrive in the area quietly and safely. Don't attract a lot of attention to yourself or your spotter; this may get you removed from your mission early.
MissionBefore you begin at your station, you must firmly establish what gear you have taken. Anything you've forgotten you might slyly add to your list in a second or third post when you begin your mission. Equipment is very important, as what makes a sniper capable of achieving such long distances is in part to a high grade MOA weapon. Remember, a sniper is only as good as his tools, chiefly his sniper rifle and scope.
- Choose a specific territory. Make sure that you have a prime location overlooking the area which you will be sniping in. Depending on your mission, you may have one target, or several that need to be removed. In this case, it is essential that you choose a location necessary for bringing out such actions. For safety's sake, don't state your exact location in accordance with the map. It would be annoying if a 'random' roleplayer happened to spot your position and relay it to a commanding officer to send a million air strikes in your exact coordinates.
- If no weather is presented, attempt to make the weather. An entire battlefield situation could be changed or created if you designate the weather. Remember, the battleground creator might not always accept the weather change. On the other hand, he may not notice, and enough roleplay may go by that you've affected the weather so vastly that you've essentially created obstacles and used a weapon that no other play has; your roleplay.
- Make sure to explicitly set your details. Truthfully, you may not wish to release what kind of scope you have or how powerful your scope is. You may not wish to release certain kinds of information which might infracture your roleplay as a whole. Be as detailed as possible, however, if you know for a fact that you will need a long range sniping job, make sure to conveniently leave out certain details so other players can't prove that you weren't processing information correctly at the time.
- When you need to change locations, make sure to establish such an event clearly. Do not just simply tell a changing of positions; this may lead you to an ambush or to a group of soldiers spotting your position. Like in everything else, you do not want to get caught, and in order to make it out safely, you must intentionally post specifically how and where you are moving.
- Do not passive. If an event occurs, make sure that it clearly occurs. Report information to your spotter, relay information over your radio, and ask your commander for permission on a certain target. If you set your actions into stone, then it will be impossible for another roleplayer to deny your existence.
Mission TimeLike all roleplays, you are not allowed to godmod. You must 'aim', make sure you have the correct style of aiming, and then 'pull the trigger', hoping that your bullet reaches your target. You are not allowed to engage a target unless the target explicitly ignores your action without verifying they are aware of what occurred. Simply shooting at your target is enough to cause disturbances anyway, and if they can't find your location, which they won't, then they are more likely to be psychologically impacted as well. Remember, fear can be just as deadly a weapon as a bullet can.
- Make sure to accurately describe and respond to the weather. If you have created favorable conditions previously, then such an event should be pre-planned for you. If you consider everything at your disposal in your arena, it will be hard for players to accuse you of possibly missing, and as well make your roleplay more realistic. Weather causes a great deal of changes in everything in life, and because of this,
- Accurately describe the fine tuning of your rifle. Small adjustments can create big changes over long distances, so remember to incorporate things like the Coriolis effect, wind speed, temperature, distance, and even the humidity, as water droplets in the air can cause refracted light and make your target seem on target when truly they are not. Make sure to check to see if your scope is in alignment and to see if your rating is right. Remember, going sharp or blurry is a big advantage in these situations.
- Take your time, and give an extensive roleplay. This is roleplaying, and time is all relative and invisible to the true eye. Roleplays take their times in turns, and so a lengthy post compared to a short post takes just the same amount of time. As much action as possible should be crammed into every post to make sure you get as good an aim as possible on your target.
- Make the shot. Make sure that it is clear and precise that you have pulled the trigger and your bullet has exited the end of the barrel. People claiming jams, screw ups, or even misses can all portray the sense that the bullet has not exited the barrel; you can however roleplay every action from the hammer to the bullet exiting the barrel, and stating it as such can further increase your chance of an accurate hit. As well, you do not puppet the bullet or the other character unless the bullet comes in contact with them, or an entire post passes and the other character shot at does not respond to the post. Make clear that the person you are shooting at understands that he was shot at, and poss in OCC at the top of your posts, if necessary (especially in OCC) that you are firing at them. If the target disregards your post, then you are allowed to roleplay what the bullet actually does to them. You should let the other player roleplay the bullet as it passes by them, however. Even if it shouldn't have missed, you can call this out, and still fire off enough rounds in the subsequent posts to be capable of hitting your target.
Changing LocationsAfter your objective has been completed, or you have been spotted, changing locations or completely exiting the location may become necessary. If this is true, then you or your unit will be required to completely vacate the premises and find a new location to snipe from. Should this be the case, then there are several things you should remember.
- Remove both your NPC and your equipment from your previous location. Failing to roleplay these can cause your external devices to mysteriously reappear, or to disappear if another roleplayer catches you. Snipers are the Reapers of the battlefield, and nearly every player will be looking to remove you; partially becuase they are paranoid of your existence. Because of this, it is usually required that you clearly state your every action, and this is an action which can easily be mistaken.
- Remain Stealthy. As a sniper, you must remember to constantly remain a secret from your enemies. Should they discover your location, a horde of enemies will be rushing to your locations. Just like arriving, if stealth is not maintained your location may be revealed and your mission may end early. Because of this, state which ever stealth tactics you can at the time.
- Make sure to make use of your exit. As a Sniper, you should always have "an out", an escape route to potentially allow you from escaping harm. If such an area does not exist, if advanced upon, you may end up having to fight your way out, or may never get a chance to complete your mission. Having an out is always more important than having a way in.
- Don't stay around posting useless nonsense about the sunset or the birds. Get out of the area as soon as required. You may need to remain in an area; if so, stay there. If not, leave. Leaving is only essential when death is imminent. Failure to leave at this point, obviously, leads to death.
- Remain closely tied with your allied forces. Remember, you are here for them, and to protect them. Clearing a path is one of the most useful things you can do, and a single shot can change the tide of the battle. Most allied units would be incredibly willing not only to help you, but to incorporate you in their team. Make sure to use this at your disposable when necessary. Even if you are incapable of running back up a mountain or killing a thousand soldiers, an airplane can.
- Clear the area if you are able. Leaving no trace gives the Sniper less of a chance to be caught. If time constraints allow, clean up after yourself. Remaining stealthy means to not get caught as well.
TeamworkSnipers are not always alone on the battlefield. Truthfully, most Snipers regardless of other actual Role Play Characters typically possess some form of non-player character. You have been given another player; use it. Even if you end up being the spotter, you still roleplay the actions of both you and your spotter and as such you have been gifted with a small little army at your command. Because of this, you may be capable of more versatile actions and possibly higher strengthened attacks than your enemy. Remember to give credit to both of your players, as the general idea of possessing four hands and two brains may simply the reason why you can pull off whatever action is necessary.
Also, you may have directly role played characters that you are allied with. Because of this, you will be more of a support unit to them. Remember, the more people you have the higher protection you have, and the easier taking on a massive group may be in turn.
General Hints and tipsRemember, you are still vulnerable and susceptible to the weather and all kinds of attacks just like every other soldier is. In fact, Snipers are typically specifically targeted by both sides to be removed early from the game. Snipers evoke fear and paranoia into people and, with enemy soldiers constantly watching their backs, a removed sniper can definitely give a sense of hope to all of those surrounding them. Do not give your enemy that option.
Counter-Snipers will also constantly be watching snipers. Countersnipers understand the role of a sniper just as well as a sniper does, and the only way to engage a possible sniper is to do so just as a sniper would; with a far, long range weapon. Because of this, sniper will often target other snipers, simply for the thrill of the hunt, and to remove you as an obstacle completely.
Remember, you are being hunted even harder than you are hunting your targets. Stay quite, keep efficient, and remain stealthy. Poking your head around the corner to get a better glimpse is the fastest way to get yourself killed. In order to remain safe and complete your objective, your starting position must be chosen carefully, and you must remain a secret. A dozen shots across a 2000 yard battlefield makes you pretty hard to fight, and with a 1 to 1.2 hit to miss ratio, you can end up being a pretty powerful force.
Remember to achieved the assigned objective at hand. Truthfully, you may want to remove other targets for the fun of it, or because you feel it is your job. Do not remove targets except as needed. If you as a Sniper end up getting caught, you may not be capable of completing your mission.
Use your extra character. You are given one asset that no other place has; your very own highly trained self controlled friend. Your friend can either be your spotter, or can be your sniper. If the given situation allows you to be a better reconnaissance person, perhaps becoming a scout or a spotter becomes a more viable or perhaps an even more enjoyable experience. If precision sniper or marksmen action is required, then perhaps you need to become a sniper. Whatever the case, utilizing your extra character can essentially be the basics of winning or losing.
Target both roleplayer characters and non roleplay characters. People have spent a considerable amount of time on both their personalities and their history, and removing one of them from the game can be quite devastating for a player. If such an event occurs, it may be horrendous for the actual player to bear. To avoid an unnecessary problems. allow the harmed individual to choose their own death, and be hurt by their own accord instead of roleplaying it for them, if possible.
