Ground Combat Policy

Ground combat is a somewhat more complicated beast than a space battle, ICly. Instead of hyperjumping in, shooting each other up, and then hyperjumping out, armies on the ground spend time securing their location, advancing through guarded areas bit by bit, and battling things out in both grand, large-scale battles and smaller side skirmishes. Because of this, we encourage players to take some time to RP some of these things out, while still trying to keep the conquering of a planet OOCly reasonable.
Generally, consider that each major location on a planet (typically cities, although other IC 'strongholds' may apply) will probably take a battle or skirmish to conquer. A good rule of thumb is to try to schedule and RP half of these. 
Although surprise attacks are great fun, ground battles will often require coordination with the opposing commander to make everything flow smoothly. In an effort to keep both possible, the following steps should be followed in ground combat:
* After landing troops, time must be taken to secure a landing site (ridding it of enemy troops, erecting a shield or turret, etc) and to unload troops. After this point, combat RP is frozen - troops cannot simply land and then march into cities. RP does not have to be frozen - it can be spent deploying troops on the ground and securing the area. This is not a 'time freeze', but instead an attempt to reflect the time it takes to secure and deploy troops while also allowing other players to react realistically. 
::ICly think of this as what RL militaries call establishing a beachhead. Normandy is probably the most famous example. You secured a place to land your troops, and then it takes time to land more soldiers, supplies, and heavy weapons. In real life it was a little over a month before Allied forces broke out of their beachhead at Normandy (they sat on the area captured in the first battle from early June to mid-July), but this is Star Wars. Technology solves nearly all of the complications that the Allied forces faced and you don't have to worry about weather in the English Channel, so 'real' combat can begin again much more quickly.
* Space combat may continue while ground combat has been frozen. Again, 'time' has not necessarily been frozen - ground combat simply has. 
* While the invading armies are securing their position, the defensive armies are able to move planet-side troops to defensive positions.
* When can you start ground combat? Try to find a time when the planet's leader or whoever runs the planet's security forces can be on in the next day or two. If the planet has no one to defend it, contact a judge. Any major battle should be scheduled. 
* PC movement is not limited by the new ground combat rules. While your larger units are landing and organizing, a PC may still move around the planet. You can move around freely accompanied by one unit of 20-men or less during this time without having to schedule an RP with the other side.
* Judges or wizards might set up objectives on planets to be captured if you want your invasion to be successful. If there are no invasions then take a look at the planet itself. Does it have multiple cities or towns? Use one day to capture and secure each city or town.
* Planetary invasions tend to be more complicated than space battles and RP should reflect that. Players are encouraged to talk with planetary leaders or Judges to determine a fun and IC route of battle, and exceptions to the above may be made provided all parties agree in advance.
* When in doubt, talk to a Judge. They are here to help make things run smoothly!
Category:Policy
Category:Combat