Managing Time

Time management is an important part of mission design. Considering how time will be spent in the mission is important to ensure that the mission is engaging for the players.

Travel Time

Travel time is the time it takes for the players to move from one location to another. This can be from the FOB to the AO, from one objective to another, and back to the FOB. Travel time can be a boring part of the mission, especially at the start and end of the mission.

Travel time can be managed by:

  • Keeping the first objective close to the FOB
  • Keeping the objectives relatively close to each other
  • Keeping the last objective close to the FOB

Pacing & Recovery

It is important to consider the pacing of the mission, and how much time the players will have to recover between objectives. If the players are constantly under pressure, they will not have time to recover. This is not bad in moderation, but you should be careful not to overdo it, causing the mission to become exhausting and disorganized to the point where the players are not having fun.

You can manage the pacing of the mission by:

  • Having multiple smaller QRFs that arrive at different times
  • Allowing some objectives to be done in any order
  • Delaying QRFs until the garrisoned units are dead, allowing for a brief pause

Varying the pacing of the mission can be a good way to keep the players engaged and on their toes. Periods of low intensity and high intensity can be used to create a dynamic battlefield.

Avoiding the Long Drive Back

At the end of the missions, the players will want to get back to the FOB, do debrief, and log off. Having a long drive back to the FOB can be a boring end to the mission, and cause a rushed debrief. Having players dead and in spectator makes this drive even more of a chore.

To avoid this, you can have the player extract from the AO when appropriate.

If you have multiple objectives you can lay them out in a way that the players are moving back towards the FOB as they complete the objectives.

| C      B |
|          |
|          |
| D      A |
|          |
|      F   |

In the example above, the players leaving from the FOB (F) will move towards objective A, then B, then C, then D, and then back to the FOB. The objectives are laid out so that the players are moving back towards the FOB as they complete the mission, and the drive back to the FOB is not as long as if the objectives progressively moved away from the FOB.

Back Up Vehicles

If the players have lost vehicles during the mission, espeically near the end, it can be a problem with getting everyone back to the FOB. Remember, the enemies have vehicles too, they needed to get there somehow! Having some vehicles at enemy locations is great for preventing this problem, and is realistic too.