*** Official Halo Division Document *** Halo-STM002 Squad Training Manual Version 2.

6 February 2012

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1) Squad Training Manual - How to use the STM - Practice Briefing - During practice - Post practice Report 2) Division specific voice comms - Apply basic voice comms (section 3 of BC doc) - Division specific tango reporting (not covered in BC doc) - Naming convention for map locations - Division specific terminology (game specific) 3) Division Specific Teamwork and Tactics - Apply basic tactics (Section 4 of BC doc) - Initial Rush - Cover - Regrouping (keeping Fire Teams together) - Formations - Roles - Spawn Points 4) Potential Chain of Command Members - Potential Fire Team Leaders - Potential Squad Staff

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Squad Training Manual

How to use the STM
The Squad Staff (SS) will utilize this document to make sure each member in their Squad is trained on the teamwork, tactics and voice communications used by all Squads in the Division.

Practice Briefing (PB)

SS are to post in their Squad discussion topic a Practice Briefing listing all the objectives the SS wish to be completed and any additional information the Squad Members need to know.

During Practice
SS will review the PB in the game lobby. SS are to concentrate on ensuring members complete the objectives set out in the PB and enforcing the basics of section 3 and 4 of the TW wide BC document. Which include: - General Voice Communication Procedures; - In game Voice Communication Procedures; - Gun status; - Grenade Warning; - Fire Teams; and - Initial Rush Squad Staff are to cover each of these topics during practice until each Squad Member have a full understanding of what they mean and how they can be implemented into their gameplay. IS Squads are to cover these topics every practice to ensure that the divisions new members have a complete understanding of the Basics: - General Voice Communication Procedures; - In game Voice Communication Procedures; - Gun Status; and - Grenade Warnings

Post Practice Report (PPR)

SS will post a Post Practice Report in their Squad discussion topic to Review completed practice objectives and discuss objectives that need to be repeated. Members are to reply with their feedback.

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Division specific voice comms

Apply basic voice comms (section 3 of BC doc)
SS will enforce the basic voice comms (section 3 of BC doc) which include: - Checking In and Checking Out; - Breaking; - Server controller; - Questions to the Entire Group; When asking a question you should say the Gamertags, you will answer in the order that your names are said. Example: "TG John1, TG John2 and TG John3, what Playlist should we play." TG John1 will answer first because his name was called out first, TG John2 will reply 2nd because his name was called out 2nd and TG John3 will answer 3rd because his name was called out 3rd. - Keeping comms clear; - Reporting Tangos; - Gun Status; Green gun status means fire at will. Used if no one says anything else. Yellow means fire only if fired upon. Example: Reaching Point A from Point B without being spotted. Red means do not fire at all. Example: Doing callouts or having a meeting. - Grenade Warning;

Division specific tango reporting (not covered in BC doc)

Size, Activity, Location and Weapon (SALW) Reporting tangos should include Size: how many tangos? Activity: What are they doing? Location: Where are they? Avoid general terms

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Weapon: do they have a power weapon that your team should be aware of? Example: Two Tangos moving from their objective to their jetpack, one has Rockets (Countdown).

Naming convention for map locations

The Halo Reach Maps can be found HERE. These Callouts are to be used Division wide by all squads in Halo Division. These are the Callouts that will be taught in IS and will be the only Callouts used in Halo Division. In Halo we use Naming conventions to callout things such as height, colour and key points on a map. We use the number 1 as a symbol of the lowest point of an area getting higher as the number does. Example, Ring 1 - Ground Floor, Ring 2 - Middle Floor and Ring 3 - Top Floor. How many numbers we use depends on the number of 'Floors' an area has. Colour is often used in call outs. Example G1 - Gold One, top blue, top red etc. Naming conventions for maps work well in MLG as most of their maps are colour coded and/or multi-levelled. We commonly use the terms 'Ours' and 'Theirs' when using callouts. Example, Our Snipe, Their Snipe, Our Basement, Their Basement. Any Callout on our side of the map falls under the list of 'Ours' while anything on their side of the map falls under 'Theirs'.

Division specific terminology (game specific)

PLANTING: You are planting a bomb in an objective game type. This alerts your squad mates so they can cover you while you plant. Also call if the Enemy team is planting a bomb. DEFUSING: You are defusing a bomb in an objective game type. This alerts your squad mates so they can cover you while you defuse. Also call if the enemy is defusing the bomb. CAPTURING: Followed by a description such as "1", "2", "3" or "Hill" in 3 plots or King of the Hill (KOTH), or "FLAG" when playing Capture the Flag. TU: Title Update is an updated game type found in matchmaking using updated settings voted for by the Halo Community. These settings include no/reduced Bloom, damage bleed enable, Sword block removed and a modified Active Camo and Armour Lock.

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NS/S: Two separate playlists both found in MLG. NS stands for No Sprint and removes Sprint from the game; S stands for Sprint and is a normal MLG game where the player can spawn with Sprint. Both NS and S allow armour abilities that are placed around the map to be picked up and used. DLC Playlist: A Playlist that plays and requires the player to have the DLC (Downloadable Content) Map Packs for Halo Reach which can be purchased from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Anniversary Playlist: A Playlist that plays and requires the player to have the Anniversary Maps obtained by purchasing a copy of Halo Anniversary and playing on the Halo Reach Multiplayer Disk found inside.

Division Specific Teamwork and Tactics

Apply Basic Tactics
SS will enforce basic tactics (Section 4 of the Boot Camp document), which include:

Fire Teams
Fire Teams - in relation to Halo Reach. Organizing your party into one or several Fire teams each with their own Objectives/Roles. Fire Teams in Halo Reach are very effective on large game modes such as Invasion and Big Team Battle (BTB). Before a match, your squad should be divided up into Fire Teams, named Fire Team Alpha, Bravo, etc. Fire Teams work best when the Squad Leader is aware of each players individual skill set. This allows the Squad Leader to assign Players to Fire Teams thats objective/role better suits the players skill set, getting the best out of the players and in turn the best out of our Fire Teams. Fire Teams may work together to help each other complete a common objective. Below is an Example of how you may choose to set up your Fire Teams for Invasion or BTB.

Invasion Fire Team (FT) Alpha will consist of 4 people whose main goal is to be a distraction; they will all rush Alpha objective, shooting and killing every enemy they see. FT Bravo will consist of 2 people whose main goal will be to draw as little attention to themselves as possible. While

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FT Alpha is rushing Alpha objective and drawing the majority of enemy attention FT Bravo will sneak into Bravo objective using fire status yellow and start to capture the hill. The moment FT Bravo start to capture Bravo objective some enemy forces will break off from the fight at Alpha and head towards Bravo, and at this point FT Alpha is to make a big push and start to capture Alpha as well as call out any enemy tangos heading to Bravo for FT Bravo. If this is successful repeat this strategy for phase 2 of the Invasion game, if not then regroup and repeat. For the final stage of the invasion game FT Alpha will be the slayers, they will push up to the core and clear it out of tangos. FT Bravo will grab the core and take it to the extraction point with the assistance of FT Alpha. Big Team Battles Slayer FT Alpha will consist of 4 people whose main objective is to slay. They will grab the power weapons and any heavy armour and proceed to kill the enemy tangos. FT Bravo will consist of 4 people and will be the Warthog crew (No more than 2 per Warthog). They will drive across the map and with the help of FT Alpha will destroy any enemy vehicles they find. FT Alpha will then push up and gain map control while FT Bravo does hit and runs on the enemy base. Objective FT Alpha will consist of 4 people whose main objective is to slay. They will grab the power weapons and any heavy armour and proceed to kill the enemy tangos. Fire Team Bravo FT Bravo will consist of 4 people and will play the objective, using the Warthogs as a quick means of transport. FT Alpha will destroy any enemy vehicles they find and gain map control. FT Bravo will push into the enemy base, with the support of FT Alpha, and will continue to plant the bomb/capture the flag/hill. FT Alpha will also act as defence for our flag/bomb.

Initial Rush
In Halo Reach it is very important to always have an Initial Rush planned with your team. Who goes where? Grabs what? Supports who? If an Initial Rush is effective it could seal the fate of the game, giving your team control of Power Weapons and map control right of the bat.

Cover
Crouching behind a barrier or railing to reveal less of yourself, making you a smaller target and harder to hit. Successfully using cover to protect the lower part of your body from fire can give you a big advantage.

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Regrouping
Regrouping is a must when working with a spawn partner or a Fire Team. Regrouping prevents us from getting spread too thin and allows are Fire Teams to always be their strongest when tackling objectives. An example of regrouping would be if a warthog gunner is sniped off, having the FT Leader order the warthog to regroup behind their base.

Set-ups
Set-ups are used by Teams to get the best possible view of the map and/or cover from teammates. On Zealot for example, Red team may choose to station 1 man on Top mid, 1 on Top Gold/Gold Bridge, 1 on Red Objective and 1 on Blue Landing. This set-up allows them to gain control of the High ground and Sniper Spawn as well as ensure that Red Team always have eyes on at least 1 of their Teammates, allowing for Team shots and cover fire.

Roles
At the start of every game, every player should have a certain Role to play (See Initial Rush). These Roles are given out by the Fire Team Leader (FTL) and can include things such as holding a position to prevent enemy flanking, being the Teams Sniper or Flag runner or even just making sure the enemy Heavy armour is destroyed as soon as possible. The FTL may change a persons role as they see fit during combat. Unlike objectives, Roles, unless stated otherwise by the FTL, are for the entire length of the game. Example, If your role is to make sure the enemys heavy armour is down and you succeed in doing this, when it respawn's your role is still to take it out (Unless your FTL says otherwise).

Spawn points
Understanding the spawn system in Halo Reach will make your team much more effective. When your team is respawning, pushing an objective, or pushing an enemy base in slayer, you must be prepared for where people will to spawn. Once someone is down there are several things that will influence a spawn: You are more likely to spawn if there is a friendly near the spawn point You are much less likely to spawn there if there is a dead team mate nearby (including you) or if there is an enemy there Things to think about are the distance from the spawn point the influence is. It is possible to spawn kill if you are far enough away from the spawn point not to influence it. The distance from our sword to the spawn on the back of our sniper court is about the distance of influence. When you push an objective, spawn, etc. you want to make sure some of the tangos are dead or the team is on the other side of the map. Have your team get to one half of the enemy side of the map to push the enemy's spawn so you know where they will spawn.

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Having clear comms and quick reports of where the enemy is spawning can turn any game mode into a crushing victory, especially when you call out where 4 tangos spawn.

Potential Chain of Command Members

Potential Fire Team Leaders (FTL)
Remember if someone is interested in a squad staff position they are to be encouraged to step up and volunteer for a FTL position. Holding a Fire Team Leader position is both an opportunity for squad members to exercise their leadership skills and distinguish themselves among their peers. When the time comes to single out Squad Members as potential Squad Staff, selections will be based on the leadership skills and maturity they exhibited as Fire Team Leaders.

Potential Squad Staff

Squad Staff are the backbone of Tactical Warfare (TW), and as such you must choose them on a strictly case-by-case basis. Attendance, leadership qualities, gameplay skill, behaviour, conduct, all of these attributes must be taken into account when considering Squad Members (SM's) for promotion to Squad Staff. It is important to remember that Squad Staff must be, more than anything else, leaders. Its all well and good if a Squad Member can play well, is polite, and has a flawless attendance record but above all else, he must be a good leader to even be a candidate for Squad Staff. A good way to determine if a Squad Member has what it takes to be Squad Staff is to look at how well he performs as a Fire Team Leader. This is something you should frequently remind your Squad Members, as holding a Fire Team Leader position is both an opportunity for them to exercise their leadership skills and distinguish themselves among their peers. When the time comes to single out Squad Members as potential Squad Staff, make your selections based on the leadership skills and maturity they exhibited as Fire Team Leaders.

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