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Formations

When at war, it is usually wiser to travel with a teammate rather than alone (unless one is a sniper, scout or lure). However, when travelling unknown terrain with two or more people, one must arrange the group to best handle possible encounters with hostiles. The following is a short overview of some suggested formations depending on the number of people and their usage. For most formations to work, the individuals should be no more than 2-3 metres (5'-10') from their nearest teammate.

Two person formations are the simplest and quietest. Stealth and speed can be easily achieved but having only two makes guarding one's blindspots harder.	Side-by-side travelling allows both to fire on oncoming targets, but leaves the back open to surprise attacks. Staggered lines allows the one following to better guard the rear, but also reduces forward fire power. One facing forward & one facing back covers both sides, but movement pace is reduced since it is more difficult for the one in rear to walk backwards
Three person formations allow for a little more coverage and flexibility, but reduce the group's ability to travel unnoticed.	Standard vanguard formation when doing a frontal assault allows all members for fire forward while the two flanking members can also easily cover the sides. In unknown regions or tighter passageways, a staggered line formation may be used. Sides are covered and the person in the rear is also responsible for suppressing any rear attacks. Spread out formation to cover all-sides is sometimes recommended when an attack from the enemy is imminent, but the direction from which they are approaching is unknown. This covers all angles, but also spreads out the fire power the most
Four person formations offer even more flexibility than the three person ones, but further reduce the group's ability to perform any sort of covert operation.	Vanguard attack pattern good choice for frontal assaults, but leaves the back open to surprises. Two by two formation still gives good firing power forward while allowing the two in back to guard the rear. Good for travelling in unknown territory. The staggered line formation works best for traversing tight areas or when the direction of attack by the enemy is in question

Five or more person formations begin getting more complicated simply due to the number of members in the group. Large groups are usually better divided into smaller ones. The more people in a given area, the easier it is for the enemy to hit any one. The figures above suggest possible group formations which can be extended for greater numbers of people.

As useful as formations are, the constituents of the group also have optimal placement in order to maximize each person's strength while minimizing their weaknesses. The following is an extension of the formations outlined previously. These formations become irrelevant if all members of the group use the same weapon, but can provide valuable insight if working with mixed-weapon members.

Light/Medium: Refers to Light or Medium Tactical Gear.
Medium/Heavy: Refers to Medium or Heavy Tactical Gear.

Two-person mixed levels of armament do have an optimal way of moving together.	Side-by-side travelling allows both to fire on oncoming targets but leaves the back open to surprise attacks. In this case, it does not matter whether the one with heavier weaponry is on the right or left unless a particular side is suspected of being attacked. In that case, the one with heavier gear should be away from the possible side attack. Staggered lines allows the one following to better guard the rear. The heavier armed person should follow since the larger weapons can usually fire farther than the smaller ones allowing the lighter-armed person to engage the enemy first while the heavier-armed person can give good cover fire. One facing forward & one facing back covers both sides, but movement pace is reduced. Again, the heavier-armed person should follow such that cover fire can be given to the lighter-armed person in front.
Three person formations allow for a little more coverage and flexibility. Mixed groups again have an optimal way to travel.	Standard vanguard formation best for frontal assaults allowing all members for fire forward while the two flanking members can also easily cover the sides. During frontal assaults, one usually wants to hit hard and quickly which is why the heavier-armed person usually leads with the two lighter-armed members flanking for support. In unknown regions or tighter passageways, a staggered line formation may be used. Sides are covered but the one with heavier gear should be in the middle, able to cover either front or back or sides in case of enemy attack. Spread out formation to cover all-sides is sometimes recommended when an attack from the enemy is imminent but the direction from which they are approaching is unknown. The position of the heavier-armed person is not as important. However, the heavier-armed member is typically used to lead the group.
Four person formations offer even more flexibility but further reduce the group's ability to perform any sort of covert operation.	Vanguard attack pattern good choice for frontal assaults but leaves the back open to surprises. The heavier-armed members usually lead this formation. This allows the lighter-armed members to rush to either side or forward to engage the enemy while the heavier-armed members can give suppressing cover-fire. Two by two formation still gives good firing power forward while allowing the two in back to guard the rear. Like in the two-person formations, the heavier-armed members work better following, allowing them to fire over the lighter-armed members in front or giving cover-fire while the lighter-armed members engage in close proximity with the enemy. The staggered line formation works best for traversing tight areas or when the direction of attack by the enemy is in question. The heavier-armed members should travel between the lighter-armed members both for cover and so they can provide cover-fire.