Welcome to the TacOps File Room. Here you will find a collection of reference materials, guides, FAQs and other resources to to help improve your playing skills or to enhance your general knowledge of military tactics and equipment. A new Articles area has been added to support discussion and learning of current, evolving trends in the military. As there is no "custodian" for this library, it depends on you to keep it up to date. So please feel free to submit articles, clippings, published excerpts, white papers or any other published material you feel might be of interest to others. (If you wish to upload any large files, please send me an e-mail first to alert me of the size and the nature of the file.) Please send all materials to RikkiTikki@nyc.rr.com.
The OPFOR Worldwide Equipment Guide (PC version) is published by the U.S. Army's TRADOC as an unclassified source of information on common military equipment for use in training, simulations, and modeling. Selected weapons systems and equipment are included in the categories of infantry weapons, infantry vehicles, reconnaissance vehicles, tanks/assault vehicles, antitank, artillery, air defense, engineer and logistic systems, rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, and communications equipment. This edition has been consolidated, updated, and relinked for easier reading and searching by I.L. Holdridge, Major, USMC (retired) [aka Major H.]. A Mac version is also available.
TacOps Supply Database -- This is a first draft of what will hopefully become a useful database for computing logistics requirements for a given military unit in a given climate. Players with real-life military logistics background are encouranged to review the file and offer corrections or additions, as needed. Written in Excel (Mac and PC), with accompanying notes written in rich text format (RTF). Created by Scott Gainer.
TacOps Scenario Balancer -- Now updated to version 4.0! An active spreadsheet that allows TacOps scenario designers to input the number of units and their posture (attack, defense, entrenched, unentrenched, etc.) in order to quickly determine the correct lethality points for the opposing side. Instructions included. Created by Mike Robel. PC Users: To download, right-click on the link and select 'Save Target As...' Mac users: If you do not have Excel for the Mac there is a free Mac Excel viewer available on the net. To download this program,go here.]
Using TacOps To Enhance Training -- A 36-page article published by the Canadian Army Lessons Learned Centre (ALLC) on ways to use TacOps in military training. First published in ALLC Dispatches Volume 6, Number 4, May 2000. Posted here with permission of ALLC.
TacOps Scenario Guide -- By Major Holdridge. A detailed guide with information and maps covering the new Canadian scenarios (from the Canadian Army release) as well as all U.S. scenarios. Includes thumbnail maps. In pdf format in English for the Mac and PC, and in French, also for the Mac and PC.
TacOps Gazette -- Compiled by Major Holdridge. Basically it is a very comprehensive TacOps FAQ, which covers the basics as well as the finer points of play. Available in both Mac and PC versions.
Unofficial TacOps OOB Resource -- By Kyle Mizokami. Features breakdown of all 1980's and early to mid 90's U.S. Orders of Battle in TacOps terms. Tremendously useful and highly recommended. Written in full-color DocMaker format for the Mac or in a text-only PC version.
TacOps Points & PBEM Guide -- By Mike Nankervanis. Lists all the major U.S. and OPFOR forces in terms of numbers of units and their point values. Also features some useful tips on managing a PBEM game. A bit dated but a good reference, especially for beginners. Written in DocMaker for the Mac, or in a text-only PC version.
TacOps Scenario Variants -- By Major Holdridge. A list of the old scenarios grouped according to their similarity in map and mission objectives.
The complete TacOps User Guide for TacOps 3.0 is available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format is available for downloading.
Team Trackless -- This is a TacOps 3.0 custom scenario template containing an experimental US unit organization that makes it easier for people to experiment with the proposed order of battle for a US "trackless" (i.e., wheeled, no tracks) brigade. A Mac version is also available. For more information on the independent Team Trackless Project, visit the Team Trackless Page.
Map patterns -- A whole 5 MB worth of TacOps patterns, for map designers who want to copy the look and texture of standard TacOps maps.
The TacOps Tutorial Translated to German -- Created by Ralf Pichocki.for our German comrades in arms. In PDF format.
FKSM 71-8 -- ARMOR/CAVALRY REFERENCE DATA - HEAVY AND INFANTRY BRIGADE COMBAT TEAMS
FM 7-100.4 -- Opposing Force Organization Guide (3.1MB, PDF) -- and supplemental files (9MB, ZIP)
DoD Dictionary of Military Acronyms and Abbreviations -- A translation guide for civvies.
NATO symbols -- This is a .pdf formatted manual showing military symbols of land based systems.
Prairie Warrior Homepage -- a useful website that contains real military documents such as warning orders, operations orders and AARs (After Action Reviews) to help make your scenarios, CPX and MBX games more realistic.
Rules of Engagement -- This describes the US military's peacetime ROE, which can be useful when starting MBX games before hostilities have broken out.
Geneva Convention -- An excerpt relating to the treatment of prisoners.
Order of Battle for the US Armed Forces -- A comprehensive site listing of all US forces and where they are located.
Order of Battle for the US Navy -- A hypothetical but realistic listing of each class of US warship by Craig Paffhausen, based on the storyline for the Harpoon WWIII database written by Michael D. Staley.
Maneuver & Reorganization Timetables -- How long does it take to move a mechanized infantry company from defilade position to a point five miles away over clear terrain in travelling overwatch formation? These tables will help you figure it out! Designed with the help of several TacOps list members, most notably Jerry Hall*, its intent is to help MBX and CPX umpires as well as scenario designers to guage time requirements for various tasks and maneuvers. (These times are probably still considered "optimal" by realistic standards, and do not factor in the high degree of "friction" that would likely occur during combat.)
*(A captain in the U.S. Armored Cav, not the supermodel!<g>)
German Order of Battle Numbering System -- A brief explanation of unit identification within the German Army, from corps down to platoon. Version 1.02, 19/12/2002. By Ralf Pichocki.
German BLUFOR Military Doctrine -- Simplified BLUE doctrine for a German Mechanized Brigade. Version 1.01, 19/12/2002. By Ralf Pichocki.
OPFOR Military Doctrine -- Simplified OPFOR doctrine for a RED Motorized Rifle Division. Version 1.01, 19/12/2002. By Ralf Pichocki.
OPFOR Military Decision Making Process -- Simplified RED MDMO checklist for mission analysis, decision and orders issue. Version 1.01, 27/01/2003. By
Ralf Pichocki.
After Action Reports/Reviews (AARs) come in four varieties. The most basic type is Player vs. A.I.,which are based on boxed scenarios. An archive for these types of reports is only just now beginning to be compiled, but it is hoped there will be a good number of these reports available here in the near future.
AARs for CPX games are found at James Sterrett's IRC CPX page,where you will find an extensive list of these types of reports. These can be especially interesting because there are often several points of view on the same event.
Then there are the AARs for custom scenarios, which can be found currently at the Scenario Page. Just look up the scenario you are interested in and you will probably find an AAR for it. This is a good way to get the feel for a player-created custom scenario before you download it and play it your self.
Finally there are AARs for MBXs. These are fewer in number but can provide a great read on a cold, Sunday afternoon when you long for tales of great battles fought over wide expanses of the globe (virtually, at least). Right now the only one available is the AAR for the Battle of Brunei MBX. This 5-month battle culminated in a final amphibious assault, which was gamed as a CPX game. The AAR for the final CPX is available also.
Articles Relating to TacOps and wargaming
TacOps in the classroom -- How to make tactical principles and fundamentals come alive, by Major Maurice Audet. A short article on using TacOps as an instructional aid. Specifically geared toward military commanders at any level. A French version is also available.
From the author's introduction:
"My goal is to stimulate discussion on how TacOps can be employed to assist combat leaders at various levels to further develop their tactical decision-making skills in a challenging, interactive, objective and entertaining manner. It is also my belief that TacOps can serve as a "team-builder" by giving one more opportunity for a commander to get together with his subordinates and team members to conduct simulated ground tactical combat. In doing so, he will be passing on how he intends to deal with all aspects of various tactical situations, and perhaps having his subordinates practice at least one level above their own....
...TacOps can be a very useful part of any commander / trainer's toolkit."
Articles Relating to the Military
New American Security Force -- Here is a "new"proposel by COL John Warden advocating rapid development of
small numbers of advanced weapons, mostly aircraft, that maximizes the air force and navy and minimizes contributions of the Army and Marines.And here is a rebuttal:
Of Wishes, Horses and Hi-Tech Weaponry -- A criticism of US dependency on technology to maintain military superiority.
UK military airpower newsite -- Contains a lot of hot military stories that are breaking around the world.
Get to know the people who play and support TacOps. Submit your photos, resumes or business cards to RikkiTikki@nyc.rr.com.
Update your copy of TacOps to v3.0.5!
New! The TacOPs 3.0.5 patch is available for the Mac and for Windows. This patch updates TacOps 3.0 to version 3.0.5. It fixes several bugs that were noticed shortly after TacOps 3.0 was released and adds a number of new features, including the ability to read the latest, player-created Type 2 maps. To learn what fixes and features have been added, read the Update history.
Note: This update is only applicable to TacOps v3.0.0 through v3.0.4. It is not applicable to earlier versions of TacOps nor to TacOpsCF, TacOpsMC, or TacOpsNZ.
Save your Orders of Battle for use in different games, using the TacOps v1.0.1 Order of Battle Extractor!
New! This is an experimental utility originally created for a military user which allows the player to pull the OOB out of a TacOps saved game file and to stick it into a 'new' saved game file with a different map and game time. The military user had developed a number of saved game scenarios for use in his classes. When he built these files he expended a lot of time and effort in creating large specific organizations and in assigning unit organizational names to all the Blue and Red units (i.e. A/1/10 etc). This utility allows him to use his existing files to build/spawn new saved game scenarios using different maps without having to again go through the hours of tedious order of battle creation and without having to again put names into all those unit markers.
The order of battle extractor utility does the following:
1. Extracts and saves the Blue and Red OOB from any TacOps or TacOpsCF v3.0.0 to v3.0.9 saved game file.
2. Allows you to input a new map number and map type (1 or 2) so that you can transfer the OOBs to a different map.
3. Allows you to input a different game startup time.
4. When the extracted file is later loaded, the Blue and Red OOBs are presented to the user in convenient Setup Windows rather than just being dumped onto the map.
