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Field Manual for the Robot War

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This manual is written for cooperative play in modpack 86. It helps players organize their own state and armed forces without imposing a name, government or ideology. The GM maintains the scenario and Front Director; political choices, reconnaissance, orders and the outcome of battles remain player responsibilities.

1. Fundamentals

The robots cannot be defeated in one decisive battle. They retain a rear area, return to undefended zones and increase pressure when they meet resistance. A successful force must simultaneously:

1. observe the front and update the map;
2. hold liberated territory;
3. supply active formations;
4. retain a reserve for breakthroughs and emergencies.

Zone control is a strategic value, not an exact robot counter. One hundred percent control does not place an enemy in every building, and liberation does not replace clearing and consolidation.

Core rules:

• do not attack without ammunition and a withdrawal route;
• do not spread soldiers evenly across the map—use strongpoints and a mobile reserve;
• never leave a liberated zone without observation;
• prioritize mortars, scouts, aircraft and heavy machines over ordinary infantry;
• rivers, bridges, mountains and city blocks matter more than a straight line on the map;
• losing a vehicle is usually worse than temporarily losing an empty zone;
• do not burden the server with dozens of idle NPCs and vehicles.

2. Doctrines

Doctrine	Best use	Organization	Main weakness
Fortress	Few players and vital cities or bases	Fortified hubs, garrisons, mortars, air defence/CIWS and a reserve	Robots may bypass the hubs
Maneuver	Reliable roads, vehicles and fuel	Flank reconnaissance, a mobile strike group and recovery team	Losing a road or fuel stops the operation
Defence in depth	A long front against greater numbers	Screen, main line, fallback line and counterattack reserve	Requires time, materials and disciplined withdrawal
Distributed resistance	Mountains, forests and fragmented terrain	Small teams, caches, ambushes and observation posts	Poor at holding open cities and industry
Industrial attrition	Mature Create industry and railway logistics	Continuous ammunition, repair and unit rotation	Depends on a protected rear and server performance

A practical army combines them: fortresses protect cities and bridges, a mobile force responds to breakthroughs, and small teams operate in forests and mountains.

3. Recommended organization

Scale the organization to the number of human players. One player may hold several appointments.

Leadership

• Political leadership defines war aims and state rules. This is an RP role.
• Commander selects the main effort and allocates the reserve.
• Operations officer maintains MSOS, the sector journal and the plan for each session.
• Logistics officer manages stores, Create production, fuel, ammunition and transport.
• GM configures the war and Front Director pace. A GM may also play normally, but must not use administrative information as reconnaissance.

Combat elements

• Reconnaissance pair: 1–2 players with light equipment, optics, radio and fast transport. It is not required to fight.
• Maneuver group: 1–3 players, a squad of allied NPCs, transport and a way to defeat heavy targets.
• Holding group: garrison, engineering material, aid post and ammunition. It prevents recapture instead of chasing enemies.
• Fire-support group: mortar, heavy weapons, air defence/CIWS or vehicles. Keep it separate from the main depot.
• Reserve: at least one ready crew or squad without a permanent defensive assignment.
• Rear group: production, repair, railway operation, casualty evacuation and cargo delivery.

For 2–4 players, use a commander/gunner, fighter/medic and engineer/logistician; assign reconnaissance before each mission. With 5–8 players, separate HQ and rear duties from the strike group. Do not create formations solely for impressive names.

4. Sector defence

Defend what matters rather than the edge of a square: a bridge, road, station, depot, power plant, hospital or residential district.

1. An observation post reports the approach.
2. A forward position delays infantry and retains an escape route.
3. The main strongpoint covers stores and transport.
4. A fallback position receives withdrawing troops.
5. The reserve counterattacks only after the attack direction is confirmed.

Do not place the mortar, HQ, depot and every soldier in one building. In cities, use intersections, courtyards and strong buildings while leaving a civilian evacuation corridor. At rivers, protect bridges and usable banks rather than every water block. In mountains, control passes and roads instead of chasing every robot across slopes.

If a zone is lost, report its coordinates, evacuate valuable equipment and restore the line at the next prepared position. An uncoordinated heroic counterattack usually creates more losses.

5. Offensive operations

1. Reconnaissance: confirm terrain, crossings, heavy units, mortars and the supply route.
2. Isolation: suppress scouts with EW, secure the flanks and designate the reserve.
3. Preparation: stage ammunition, medical supplies, engineering blocks and withdrawal transport.
4. Breakthrough: concentrate on one zone instead of attacking the entire line.
5. Clearing: remove remaining resistance and inspect buildings.
6. Consolidation: establish a garrison, map marker, small depot and communications.
7. Pause: restore personnel and vehicles before advancing again.

Do not mass infantry in front of a heavy machine. Use cover, multiple directions, heavy weapons and withdrawal. A mortar appearing during a settlement siege is a priority target. Scouts are dangerous because they share contacts; active EW reduces that threat. Aircraft require dispersion and prepared air defence/CIWS.

6. Material base

Level	Required capability
Safe rear	Main warehouse, Create production, energy, fuel, repair, hospital, weapon reserve and MSOS server/terminal
Operational base	Supplies for one operation, food, medicine, spare parts, transport, radio and a regrouping area
Forward post	Small dispersed cache, shelter, observation, emergency route and an accurate map marker
Personal loadout	Primary and backup weapon, correct ammunition, medicine, food, communications and a basic obstacle tool

Separate stores into small-arms ammunition, heavy ammunition, medicine, engineering material, fuel, vehicle parts and an emergency reserve. Do not consume the emergency reserve without informing logistics.

Every vehicle needs an assigned crew, parking area, fuel/ammunition stock and a recovery plan. Unassigned vehicles are decoration and server load.

7. Radio etiquette

Use short callsigns and agreed nets: command, tactical, logistics and air/vehicle. If the radio mod cannot provide separate channels, use different rooms or strict message priority.

Message format:

Recipient — sender — zone — event — requirement.

Example: “HQ, Raven Two. C3, north bridge. Infantry and one mortar moving south. Fire support required.”

• name the recipient first and yourself second;
• give a sector, named point or coordinates—never only “here”;
• keep one task in one transmission;
• do not interrupt contact, casualty or breakthrough reports;
• read back an important order in your own words and wait for acknowledgement;
• after combat, report outcome, losses and ammunition state;
• never transmit real personal information;
• move casual conversation away from the command net.

Priorities: routine for status and supply; priority for enemy contact or route changes; emergency for a breakthrough, heavy threat, casualty, lost communications or friendly fire.

8. Reports and maps

Players name and document terrain themselves. A useful sector card contains:

• name and zone code;
• controller and time last checked;
• roads, bridges, water and mountains;
• positions, depot and aid post;
• known threats;
• commander and communications;
• next assigned task.

After an operation, update MSOS/Xaero, remove obsolete markers and record the objective, result, losses, supplies consumed and any new threat. A map without a time of observation is an assumption, not intelligence.

9. Cooperative war rules

• Agree on friendly fire, respawning, equipment recovery and GM intervention before the campaign.
• Administrative commands correct bugs; they do not erase reconnaissance failures or defeats.
• Do not attack civilians because of nationality. The allegiance of an individual NPC is learned only through gameplay and RP.
• Evacuation, medicine and settlement defence may be operation objectives alongside territory.
• A player may refuse an order that harms the cooperative game; settle disputes after combat, not by shouting over the radio.
• Change any doctrine that causes lag or stops being enjoyable.

10. Session plan

Before deployment, the commander states one main objective and the condition for ending the operation. Logistics confirms readiness, reconnaissance updates the route, and the reserve knows its rally point. On return, replenish supplies, repair vehicles and update the map before beginning another operation.

A good army in 86 is not the largest one. It knows where it is, why it is moving forward and how it will return.