- TNP Nation
- McMasterdonia
Basic Stealth and Tactics Refresher
Those who have raided before will know that there are a number of reasons why raids are not always successful and I'd appreciate it if you took some time to read and understand the following guidelines for effective stealth raiding. Some of them might appear obvious, but bear in mind that only one nation needs to be identified as a raider and a mission could be compromised or lost.
1) After each raid, troopers need to change their WA status to another nation. The primary reason for this is that most defender groups (FRA, TITY, etc.) record each suspicious nation in their dossiers and can therefore track each nation that they suspect has been involved in raiding.
2) As a raider you will find that you soon have a large number of puppets. The best thing to do with these puppets is either retire them completely or to leave them in the target region (just resign from the WA) as even if a raid has not gone according to plan, there will be times that we quickly reactivate these nations with our WA status and attempt to storm the delegacy. Ultimately though, it's up to you what you do with these nations.
3) Never underestimate that there are natives in the target regions whose job it is to ensure that their region is protected and secure. Therefore, all troopers should stagger their entry into the target region over time. Multiple troopers arriving in a short space of time draws natives attention and if any defenders happen to be watching the region, they are likely to enter the region and endorse the native delegate. As raiders are outnumbered by defenders more than 20-1, we utilize the element of surprise. As a raider, think of your WA status as your sword, and stealth as your shield.
4) When selecting a new name for your new WA nation, the best names to choose are those that sound neutral. Giving your nation an aggressive name like "Region Killers" or "Invader King" might seem cool, but it isn't. It attracts unnecessary attention and the whole idea of stealth raiding is to make an unnoticeable entry into a region by all troopers on that mission, to endorse the 'pointman' and take the delegacy without anyone being aware that an Underground invasion force is even in the target region.
Bear in mind that when selecting a new WA nation, the extremes in government styles (Compulsory Consumerist State, Anarchy, etc) are the types of nations which feature most in the top ten WA rankings published within regions. The last thing that you need to have is your name published in these WA rankings when you are undercover, as natives will know that you are either new or a raider.
Also, if a native delegate or internal security nation is checking the list of nations in their region, those troopers who chose nation names near the beginning and end of the alphabet are the one's most likely to be checked first and hence draw unnecessary attention. The same goes for flags, your flag should not attract attention and it should try to blend in with the norms established in the region. For example, there is no point in flying a communist flag when we are attacking an American region - being inconspicuous is the way to maximize your chances of not being identified as a hostile nation.
5) Where you enter a target region from is also important. Under no circumstances 'go through the front door', that is, arrive in a target region with a WA nation from The North Pacific. This not only alarms native nations, it also broadcasts our presence and leaves a trail on the regional happenings in the target region, effectively killing the raid there and then. All WA nations should be kept outside of the target region to maximize the undercover value of your new WA nation.
Occasionally, a 'route in' will be provided to some troopers. This region route is used with a view to making your nation appear that it is just a normal nation who is moving around looking for an interesting home. Obviously, not all troopers will use the same route as this can often be tracked by defenders who are patient or clever enough to do their research. Also, never arrive in the target region from a region that has been the scene of a recent invasion.
If you're not provided with a route in, it is expected that all troopers will use their initiative in deciding both the timing of their arrival into the target region and where they enter the region from. Have a look at the target region, find out where the majority of nations are coming and going from the region. If you can identify a 'traffic pattern', use one of these regions as your 'jump point' into the target region. On all occasions, troopers should 'region hop', that is move through a number of regions with a view to legitimizing their arrival in the target region. Usually one is more than sufficient when using a 100% clean puppet.
If for some reason that you think you have been noticed in one of the regions that you hop through, either lie low in the region you are in, or divert to one of the Pacifics and wait there. Sometimes you might wait for maybe an hour or more, depending upon how seriously you think your WA nation might have been identified or compromised. If you are sure that your nation has been compromised, under no circumstances proceed to the target region. If you do divert to the Pacifics, please ensure that the regional happenings in the Pacifics have changed and your entry into the Pacific region has been removed from the regional happenings before you leave the region. Using two or more Pacific regions is another good way to hide your tracks and even arriving into the target region from one of the Pacifics is sometimes a good strategy.
6) The best stealth troopers are sleeper cells. They appear in target regions days or sometimes weeks ahead of time, blend into the region and strike cleanly and effectively. It takes time to perfect the art of stealth raiding, but when you do, you'll find it's one of the most exciting and rewarding activities in NationStates.
Over time, we'll be introducing more advanced stealth raiding strategies, tricks for blending into regions, more complex missions, effective approach techniques as well as arranging a number of deep cover and longer term 'sleeper' missions. Winning and losing are part of a raider's life and we all prefer winning, so please always ask your fellow troopers if there is anything that you'd like clarified. It's always better to ask than run the risk of blowing a mission.
This should help to provide you with the knowledge and skills to enable you to be an integral part of the most notorious, well-organized and well-disciplined raider army ever to grace the battlefield.
Those who have raided before will know that there are a number of reasons why raids are not always successful and I'd appreciate it if you took some time to read and understand the following guidelines for effective stealth raiding. Some of them might appear obvious, but bear in mind that only one nation needs to be identified as a raider and a mission could be compromised or lost.
1) After each raid, troopers need to change their WA status to another nation. The primary reason for this is that most defender groups (FRA, TITY, etc.) record each suspicious nation in their dossiers and can therefore track each nation that they suspect has been involved in raiding.
2) As a raider you will find that you soon have a large number of puppets. The best thing to do with these puppets is either retire them completely or to leave them in the target region (just resign from the WA) as even if a raid has not gone according to plan, there will be times that we quickly reactivate these nations with our WA status and attempt to storm the delegacy. Ultimately though, it's up to you what you do with these nations.
3) Never underestimate that there are natives in the target regions whose job it is to ensure that their region is protected and secure. Therefore, all troopers should stagger their entry into the target region over time. Multiple troopers arriving in a short space of time draws natives attention and if any defenders happen to be watching the region, they are likely to enter the region and endorse the native delegate. As raiders are outnumbered by defenders more than 20-1, we utilize the element of surprise. As a raider, think of your WA status as your sword, and stealth as your shield.
4) When selecting a new name for your new WA nation, the best names to choose are those that sound neutral. Giving your nation an aggressive name like "Region Killers" or "Invader King" might seem cool, but it isn't. It attracts unnecessary attention and the whole idea of stealth raiding is to make an unnoticeable entry into a region by all troopers on that mission, to endorse the 'pointman' and take the delegacy without anyone being aware that an Underground invasion force is even in the target region.
Bear in mind that when selecting a new WA nation, the extremes in government styles (Compulsory Consumerist State, Anarchy, etc) are the types of nations which feature most in the top ten WA rankings published within regions. The last thing that you need to have is your name published in these WA rankings when you are undercover, as natives will know that you are either new or a raider.
Also, if a native delegate or internal security nation is checking the list of nations in their region, those troopers who chose nation names near the beginning and end of the alphabet are the one's most likely to be checked first and hence draw unnecessary attention. The same goes for flags, your flag should not attract attention and it should try to blend in with the norms established in the region. For example, there is no point in flying a communist flag when we are attacking an American region - being inconspicuous is the way to maximize your chances of not being identified as a hostile nation.
5) Where you enter a target region from is also important. Under no circumstances 'go through the front door', that is, arrive in a target region with a WA nation from The North Pacific. This not only alarms native nations, it also broadcasts our presence and leaves a trail on the regional happenings in the target region, effectively killing the raid there and then. All WA nations should be kept outside of the target region to maximize the undercover value of your new WA nation.
Occasionally, a 'route in' will be provided to some troopers. This region route is used with a view to making your nation appear that it is just a normal nation who is moving around looking for an interesting home. Obviously, not all troopers will use the same route as this can often be tracked by defenders who are patient or clever enough to do their research. Also, never arrive in the target region from a region that has been the scene of a recent invasion.
If you're not provided with a route in, it is expected that all troopers will use their initiative in deciding both the timing of their arrival into the target region and where they enter the region from. Have a look at the target region, find out where the majority of nations are coming and going from the region. If you can identify a 'traffic pattern', use one of these regions as your 'jump point' into the target region. On all occasions, troopers should 'region hop', that is move through a number of regions with a view to legitimizing their arrival in the target region. Usually one is more than sufficient when using a 100% clean puppet.
If for some reason that you think you have been noticed in one of the regions that you hop through, either lie low in the region you are in, or divert to one of the Pacifics and wait there. Sometimes you might wait for maybe an hour or more, depending upon how seriously you think your WA nation might have been identified or compromised. If you are sure that your nation has been compromised, under no circumstances proceed to the target region. If you do divert to the Pacifics, please ensure that the regional happenings in the Pacifics have changed and your entry into the Pacific region has been removed from the regional happenings before you leave the region. Using two or more Pacific regions is another good way to hide your tracks and even arriving into the target region from one of the Pacifics is sometimes a good strategy.
6) The best stealth troopers are sleeper cells. They appear in target regions days or sometimes weeks ahead of time, blend into the region and strike cleanly and effectively. It takes time to perfect the art of stealth raiding, but when you do, you'll find it's one of the most exciting and rewarding activities in NationStates.
Over time, we'll be introducing more advanced stealth raiding strategies, tricks for blending into regions, more complex missions, effective approach techniques as well as arranging a number of deep cover and longer term 'sleeper' missions. Winning and losing are part of a raider's life and we all prefer winning, so please always ask your fellow troopers if there is anything that you'd like clarified. It's always better to ask than run the risk of blowing a mission.
This should help to provide you with the knowledge and skills to enable you to be an integral part of the most notorious, well-organized and well-disciplined raider army ever to grace the battlefield.