"Give orders" tactics

[brynolf]

Hello all! 

I have never really been convinced that the "Give orders" (it isn't really called that in UWZ, right?) action is all that great. The character can't do much on his own so the difference to just activating the squad in the first place is often quite small.

The character may be a good help in close combat, of course. But since the squad activates after the character is done, there can't be any joint charges where the character and the squad charges together.

Am I missing something here? What neat "give orders" tactics are there?


(I'm still in 2nd ed, but it seems that UWZ didn't change much in this regard)

[Archer]

A lot of the give orders ability's effectiveness come from what you are giving orders to.

A neat trick with Capitol....

LI Cap is near a large unit of LI that has an LMG and a Grenade Launcher.  There is an alleyway where if a legionnaire gets dropped, the LI can pour through the opening and get at the DL backfield and hunt down characters and support elements....

Captain moves to a position to use shotgun on the legionaire.  SG kills legionnaire (as shotguns tend to) and last action is give orders to the squad.  Squad activates and pours through opening to light up the Nepharite having Tea with Stahler.


Another scenario....

  Bauhaus Blitzer Captain and his Puker are in a position to fry a unit of LI screening a Colonel.  Steps out, uses puker to kill most of the LI and gives orders to the Blitzer unit nearby to head in and machine-pistol or PLR the rest and the Colonel...


Agent Nick and a unit of Agents in a sewer by a door....  he gives orders to the agents...  THe Special Agent forms fire-team and advances up to open the door for the squad.  Squad runs in and commits Kung Fu whippin on the cultists inside.  When done, Agent Nick uses rest of his actions to step into the room and shoot, if he has an action left.

It can be used to help get a unit out of trouble too...  Say in above scenario, the Agents were about to become fodder for Brass Apocolypts...  Nick gives orders for them to move out, the agents haul butt and Nick follows after them, getting out of range of the DL beastie.


All scenarios that can happen....  Granted, rare to have the right situation occur... but far more than you might think.

[brynolf]

Yeah, there are obviously scenarios where it comes in handy. But it is hardly something you integrate in your strategy. I think the concept is cool and has a lot of potential, and has played with the thought of house-ruling so that Give orders also gives a small bonus or special ability to the target unit. But there are of course balancing issues to consider.

How often do you guys use the Give orders ability in a battle? And for what purposes?

[Sylvas]

since it is a situational ability, I would have to guess that I only use it, at most, once per three games...it is an ability that I use more in some type of endgame scenario in which I can take an objective or move a squad into a position to deny an objective, like using a Gunnery Sgt to give an order to activate a Free Marine squad to protect and defend (by using Ambush to hose down someone trying to take an objective)...

it's a skill that, with practice, you can position troops tactically so that you can be assured to use it more often than you think...

B...

[dmcgee1]

I use it in conjunction with Command, thereby activating two squads at once, when the need or opportunity to inflict a lot of wounds arises.

Further, it is used upon spotting a unit; you may then "Give Orders" to another unit to attack the spotted unit.

Also, it can be used to activate another squad after opening a Void Gate, allowing the gate to be used, immediately, to exploit the distance or pass through an object in the way.

Give Orders has many good uses, in my opinion.